by Kalia Foote

 **WARNING** THERE WILL BE SPOILERS.  DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVE NOT WATCHED YET

Standing in the Sun is HOT!!!

And I’m live blogging this. Why? Because this is not a new show. We are starting the fourth season of an intricate and wildly popular show. And this episode is not lower in quality than the previous seasons.

When we left off, the world of Olivia Pope Associates was in a state of shock. The President’s son was murdered by Poppa Pope and pinned on his wife, Poppa Pope put his wife in the hole, Mellie, Fitz and the US were devastated by Baby Grant’s public demise and put Fitz back in office, Liv and Jake went on the run. And the rest of OPA was being “taken care of” by Poppa.

We are on the beach with a curly haired Liv and Jake with the sexy salt and pepper beard. A great way to start a season. I hope it’s not a dream. Five percent of a rare wine that will change your life. Julia Baker is in Zanzibar with Jake F’n Foley. Geez I really need a vacation. A letter arrives to inform Julia/Liv that Harrison is dead. How did they find her? Wine, of course.

We are in DC and the white coat is back. How horrible. I want to be in Zanzibar with my salt and pepper beard man. Dammit. But OPA is empty and her people are nowhere to be found. President Grant is having an awesome second term and Quinn is still annoying me. Is she supposed to be a real bad ass now? Huck is on the GeekSquad for real? Not even an Apple Genius? They probably couldn’t get the rights. I don’t like OP-less OPA. Abby found her place as the new press secretary for the Grant administration. Makes sense and she’s great at it.

UGGS?!?! Mellie is wearing UGGS?!?!?! Losing her son and reliving the rape broke her. WTF happened in the absence of the Pope folks?!?!? Geez. Yes I say that a lot. She’s funny though. And Portia De Rossi is playing a Republican? Sweet jeebus, talk about acting, but those eyebrows do not say comforting so, I guess that makes a kind of sense. She’s looking for Mellie as the Beacon of Hope. But beacons don’t wear Uggs. They just don’t. And did Cyrus get a toupee? I am not feeling well about this rug on his head. This is very reminiscent of the bad hair styling choices for Miranda Baily on Grey’s. Sometimes people are just more attractive naturally.

Olivia is unplugged and meeting Abby and Freaky Quinn at the bench that everyone tells their secrets. And Abby is angry at Olivia. The gladiators are infighting because Mommy is left them.

Jake is not in town and NOT in David Rosen’s office. Except he is, because I see him. And David is not up to task. He is scared and rightfully so. They are chock full of the people Raymond Reddington is taking down over on NBC. I wonder if Berlin is in those files. Poppa Pope is also not happy to see his beautiful daughter. She wants to know if he killed Harrison (we all know that Columbus killed Harrison, but I don’t think that will be a plot point). He does confess that he has “taken care of” Momma Pope, which Olivia takes to mean as “dead”, but that we all know means “in the hole”.

But why Cyrus? Why tell Fitz that Olivia has returned? He just got that wine guzzling, wife ignoring, beautifully coiffed monkey off his back, but the President needs another hit. Back in the apartment, back with the big daddy of wine glasses and another case walks in door. Knocks on the door actually, but hey, why split hairs.

David Rosen is checking his files in a dark storage room and gets a call from Cyrus and an offer to be Attorney General. The case that called Liv? A dead senator who isn’t ACTUALLY dead.

If Liv isn’t back for good, Huck wants NO parts of her. And no parts of Huck, because he is Randy. And Randy works, eats, plays video games, sleeps and repeats. Randy does not hope though.

Mellie visits her son’s grave in bathrobe and UGGS. She’s not getting any better.

But why is she talking about the senator with JAKE FOLEY in her bed? HOW is she talking with JAKE FOLEY in her bed?! I am barely able to form words and I know these people are fictional. Liv needs to come back and be in the shade. Oh, he said he reaches places… damn. A phone call and a knock on the door shows Liv that the bad people still need her white coat.

She is called by a female senator that I will name Vampire Nan in remembrance of True Blood. She’s been attacked by another senator and pushed him over the balcony in self-defense. Except its never what it looks like at first. And Senator Vampire Nan is lying about being assaulted by the not dead Senator. Senator Nan is not Senator Not Dead’s type, and the intern is the victim. Because women DO NOT LIE about sexual assault. And hopefully, that will always remain true.

Abby and David are still harping adorably at each other. The super-secret B613 files was the end of their relationship though. That makes me sad. Senator Vampire Nan set her intern up!!! And that’s all Liv can take. She wants to bury Harrison and go back to standing in the sun with salt and pepper beard Jake. But Super Weirdo Quinn shows up, as does Randy (Huck) and the Red Head, because they were his people. He had no one else (kinda like Columbus). They want to comfort each other and love each other, but it’s too hard so OPA separates again.

POPPA POPE is watching the proceedings from his secret town car. S&P Jake doesn’t like it, but it bodes well for the season.

Fitz tried to off himself? After Baby Grant, learning of Mellie’s rape, and Liv leaving, the President felt like he had nothing to live for. Mellie is still the realist while she wears Uggs EVERYWHERE. When Fitz tells her Liv is in town, but Mellie knows better. And gives him a list of things that will happen when he does. He will tell her when he sees Liv, and he WILL try to be the good husband, but just so he knows, she stopped waxing and “Its 1976 down there.”

No one is going back to the beach. We all knew there was no more time to stand in the sun. Rosen is nominated for Attorney General and Portia’s eyebrows are not happy about it. LIV is BACK! So is Huck. No more Randy; Randy was BOOOORRRINNG. How will Abby return? Can she come back?

Liv will represent the intern and announces on the steps of Congress. Predictably, she will run into Fitz, but sees his Secret Service and B613 agent Tom first. Tom is SOOO gonna tell Poppa. Fitz and Liv walk past each other in the hall with barely an acknowledgement but their hands know. They ALMOST touched… Scandal is back, my gladiators! How long will it take for Fitz and Liv to break? How will Jake handle the inevitable end of him and Liv? What danger lie in store for David and Abby? Do Huck and Quinn HAVE to kiss? Is Poppa Pope still the shows Big Bad? Suit up guys, it’s gonna be a bumpy ride!

 

4.5 Stars