Scandal Episode 4.02 The State of the Union

Jake booked a hotel suite for booty calls. Olivia lets him know that she doesn't do booty calls. The two of them take a breather from their morning run. Jake points to Cyrus sitting on a bench in the distance. He clues in Liv to the fact that she's about to engage in a political booty call. On the bright side, park benches are a lot cheaper than DC hotel suites.

Cyrus asks Olivia to do him a favor. Actually, he's blackmailing her into assuring that a power couple, James and Lisa Elliot, show up at Fitz's State of the Union address. These two have dedicated their lives to getting guns off the streets. They are the perfect couple. Everybody loves them. Too bad they don't love each other at the moment. The wheelchair that confines Lisa is a big cause of the tension. Olivia lets the combustible couple know that they need to put their issues aside for the good of their country.

Mellie is caught on camera munching on potato chips in her bathrobe while seated on the ground at her son's gravesite. This has the press questioning her state of mind. Fitz's request for her to get it together to show up at the State of the Union doesn't go over well. So Cyrus joins Mellie for some fried chicken. They chat about the people they've lost. This conversation doesn't end well either.

Abby preps David for his confirmation hearing. He does well. Unfortunately, Lizzy lets Cyrus know that claims of domestic abuse may hurt the Attorney General candidate, as well as the man who nominated him. Lizzy wants David to decline his nomination. That's not something the candidate is willing to do. David wants to win. He uses info from all those big, bad B613 files to blackmail a hardnosed senator into giving him a ringing endorsement.

Olivia sits at home alone. A bowl of popcorn and a glass of wine rest nearby. She picks up the Jake Phone. Yes, the Jake Phone. It's not for a booty call. Liv asks him to come over. That's not going to happen. Jake will, however, meet her for a booty call whenever she wants in Room 207. At the moment, he has work to do. Jake pressed David for info on the murders of Harrison and Adnan Salif. He craves a deeper look into what went down after having caught sight of Rowan at the funeral. Surveillance footage indicates that Charlie may have been involved.

Things are still icy between Huck and Quinn. They are assigned to babysit the Elliots. Their quietly-heated conversation in the bathroom is cut short when Lisa stabs James in the thigh with a corkscrew. Tiffs like this happen when you're married. Later, Huck fesses up to Olivia about his brief relationship with Quinn. Olivia later gives James and Lisa a tough love speech that's enough to get them to show up as a couple at the State of the Union.

Fitz asks for a moment alone with Olivia before his speech. He needs to know what she thinks. Olivia advises him to talk about the grieving that his family is still going through. Fitz goes off-prompter to pay tribute to his incredibly strong wife, who is seated in the gallery in a stunning dress. A tough love speech from Abby got her there. As for the president's speech, it's emotional, impassioned and stirring. It demands that they put a stop to gun violence. A rousing ovation follows.

After the speech, Mellie crumbles to the floor in tears. She held it together in public. Now Fitz needs to keep her going in private. Elsewhere, Olivia shows up at Jake's place with a bottle of wine. This is not a booty call, but she is summoning him to come to her. Jake obliges. Speaking of obliging, Cyrus initially declines the flirtations of a good-looking man who briefly shares a drink with him. He later gets naked with him in a hotel room, but Cyrus can't go through with the liaison at the end of the day. We later see that the man, Michael, is in cahoots with Lizzy. He confirms her suspicions that Cyrus is very lonely.