Scandal Episode 4.01 Randy, Red, Superfreak and Julia

Olivia Pope is relaxing on a tropical beach. A bestseller and a beverage rest on the table that's between two lounge chairs. Jake Ballard steps up beside her. Then he's atop her. They have about 15 minutes before the supply boat arrives. They make the most of that time. When the boat does arrive, there's letter addressed to Julia Baker, a lady who was once known as Olivia Pope. Inside the mystery envelope is a newspaper clipping. Olivia/Julia is shaken by this. She lets Jake know that her former co-gladiator, Harrison Wright, is dead.

Olivia and Jake return to Washington, DC. The OPA offices haven't been used in months, but there are signs that someone has been searching for them. It was Quinn. She fills Olivia in on all the others. Huck is working as a computer store tech expert who clues in customers on any seedy info he uncovers. Abby is the White House press secretary. She's handling questions about Fitz 2.0. That's what the press is dubbing the president as he embarks on a quest to get equal pay between men and women. Mellie, who rarely feels the need to even get dressed anymore, encourages her hubby to fight the power.

Olivia meets with Abby about planning Harrison's funeral. No arrangements are made however. There's just a lot of yelling. Liv later meets up with her father. Rowan has a glass of wine waiting for her when she arrives at his favorite restaurant. He denies having anything to do with Harrison's murder. He admits that he took care of her mother upon direct orders from the president. Olivia takes a beat. Then she lets her father know that everyone did the right thing.

Cyrus is ticked when he learns that Abby met with Olivia. He considers her a political problem. Cyrus lets his boss know that Olivia is back in town. RING! Could that be the Fitz Phone! Jake doesn't want Olivia to answer it. He'd much rather talk about the fact that Gettysburger now has a rib sandwich. It has pickles and secret sauce. It's called the Underground Railroad. Olivia doesn't answer the phone, but she does get the front door. The person calling her isn't the president. It's Senator Stephanie Vaughn. She has a problem. She tells Olivia that she thinks she just killed Senator Benjamin Sterling.

Senator Sterling fell from a second floor balcony after Senator Vaughn fought off his advances. Olivia realizes the dead guy isn't actually dead. His finger is moving. Olivia orders Senator Vaughn's assistant, Kate, to get her boss out of there. She anonymously calls an ambulance and contacts a lawyer named Clark to take Senator Vaughn's case. She's on the case, too. Quinn is helping. As for Jake, he's ticked. He saw this coming the moment they got back in town… back in his town. Speaking of Fitz, he wants to know if Olivia is staying. Cyrus knows the two of them getting together is inevitable. They've all seen this movie before.

Olivia knows that Senator Vaughn is lying about being sexually assaulted. She wants the truth about what happened that night. With a little help from Quinn, Liv realizes that Kate was the real victim. The senator set her up in order to get his fair pay vote. She knew Sterling's type, so she dangled her assistant in front of him. Olivia is now officially ready to get out of town again, but not before attending Harrison's funeral. Jake watches in the background as Abby, Quinn and Huck join Liv to say goodbye to their fellow gladiator. They are all he had in this world. Olivia falls into the arms of Jake, who happens to see Papa Pope observing everything from afar.

David is asked by Jake for the location of all those scary B613 files he stole. He's later asked by Cyrus if he'd like to be the next Attorney General. Even though David's obsession with getting justice killed their relationship, Abby encourages him to accept the job offer. It's a way for him to do good from the inside. News of David becoming Attorney General angers the RNC Chairperson who he calls Lizzy Bear, much to her chagrin.

Olivia contacts Huck. She asks about his family. Huck doesn't want to talk to her unless she is back for good. He wants to continue living his life as Randy, the computer nerd. Huck has hope. Randy does not. Huck sees Olivia on the news stating that she's representing Kate Warner. A short time later, he's in the OPA offices returning the phone Liv broke just so she could to talk to him. After the press conference, Olivia walked through the halls of the Capitol Building. Many others were there as well. But when she walked past the President of the United States, it's as if they were the only two people in the room. It's as if they were alone on an island.