Scandal Episode 5.06 Get Out of Jail, Free

It's Impeachment Week! Mellie is first up for questioning. She's blindsided by prior testimony given by Jeannine Locke, the woman who once described the president as being "freakin' hot." She was approached by the First Lady in "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?" to lie about having an affair with Fitz. Mellie is going down in flames, but the president can invoke Executive Privilege. Olivia doesn't have to testify either. All she has to do is marry Fitz! Alas, it's not a nice day for a White (House) wedding just yet.

Abby, Quinn and Huck testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee. They blame the leak of the "Jeannine 'Fitz Is Freakin' Ho' Locke" video on Harrison, who just happens to be dead. What luck! Olivia's turn to testify is coming up fast. She plans to perjure herself. Abby doesn't want her to go to jail. Perhaps getting married should be put back on the table. Fitz thinks so. That's why he does a do-over with a romantic marriage proposal. Olivia shuts him down before he can ever pop the question. Fitz wants to know what she wants. For that question, Olivia has no answer.

Jake's ex-wife/current lady love, Elise, is supposedly helping Rowan/Eli/Ex-Command/Damascus Bainbridge/Papa Pope with a prison escape plan. Things take a turn with the laundry room killing of a guard. Rowan knew this guy wasn't sent to help him. Jake learns that Elise was hired by the people running Lazarus One. She was tasked with killing Rowan, who calls Olivia for help. Dear old dad offers to get her out of her mess with the judiciary committee if she gets him out of prison.

Olivia calls upon Mellie to release the man she knows as Damascus Bainbridge from his Virginia prison. Secrets are revealed including the one about how Olivia's father killed Mellie's son. This is devastating news. Mellie hyperventilates. As for Olivia, all she can do is walk away. Later, she asks to see the engagement ring Fitz got for her. It once belonged to Betsy Ross. Liv slips on the rig. She agrees to marry Fitz. No wedding dress, no flowers and no vows. No problem.

Fitz and Mellie work out the details of their divorce. The meeting is quietly contentious. Then Fitz declares that there's nothing left for Mellie to take. That quiet contentiousness that was there earlier suddenly gets a lot louder. Mellie details all the ways her life would have meant something if it wasn't for Fitz. Then she says goodbye.

Susan Ross pops by to see David. She's looking to quit her job as Vice President of the United States. All she has to do is send a letter of resignation. David wants to know why she would ever send such a letter. Wine coolers are ordered to get a frank discussion rolling. Susan admits that she doesn't want to be president because she thinks she'd be terrible. David believes that's precisely why she shouldn't quit. It's the folks who actually think they'd be good presidents who worry him.

Jake doesn't want to hear anything Olivia has to say when she calls about her impeding nuptials. He'd much rather help Elise carry out her plan. Later, Olivia is briefed by the Secret Service just before her marriage ceremony on how her life is about to change. The conversation is interrupted by a call from Mellie. Elsewhere, Jake discovers that Elise has been murdered.

At the Senate Judiciary hearing, Olivia is a no-show. What does arrive is dozens of manila envelopes. Inside each one there is incriminating evidence from everybody's past. Just like that, the investigation into the Grant Administration is dropped.

At the White House, Betsy Ross's ring is returned to Fitz by Abby. Underneath the White House, in the tunnels, Mellie meets with Olivia. She's had a revelation. She believes that Liv is her savior. Why? Well, Mellie believes Olivia is going to make her the next President of the United States. After all, Mellie got Olivia what she wanted. Rowan steps up with former Secret Service agent/B613 man Tom to let his daughter know that Mellie even threw in an old friend just for him.