Where's the Black Lady?

Where's the Black Lady?

Air Date: February 5, 2015 — Writer: Debbie Allen — Director: Raamla Mohamed
Previous Episode: "Run" — Next Episode: "Gladiators Don’t Run"

“	I'm selling Ms. Pope to the highest bidder. You’re welcome to join. But if I had to guess it’s gonna cost you. The woman who controls the President of the United States? She’s gonna be worth quite a bit to your enemies, your allies -- well, everyone really. I’ll be in touch once it all starts. Good Luck!	”
— Ian to Fitz

Where's the Black Lady? is the eleventh episode of the fourth season of Scandal, and is the fifty-eighth overall.

Plot

With Olivia still missing, the team comes together to do whatever it takes to find her and get her home safely.

Recap

Fitz is about to rally the troops to find Olivia when a handful of Secret Service agents head into the Oval Office. They are there to support their president, or so they say. In reality, the agents have come to assure Fitz that he needs to do as the vice president instructed. There are many other White House staffers just like them who will be watching that he doesn’t step out of line. If he does, he’ll never see Olivia again. Mellie reveals that she started sleeping with Andrew again. This was before she realized he was also sleeping with Elizabeth. Mellie comes clean to Fitz because the two of them are partners now. Fitz orders her to stop talking. He knows there are eyes everywhere. Fitz tells Andrew that he wants proof of life or he’ll never give him the war he desires. A short time later, Olivia is forced to make a video. The terrifying theme of the scripted message she reads is that the president must start a war with West Angola or else she dies.

Elizabeth is frightened when Huck threatens her daughter unless she points him toward Olivia. She chastises Andrew for the kidnapping. The vice president has no sympathy for her situation. He advises her to get onboard as he takes the next steps to become President of the United States. The current Commander-in-Chief can barely keep concentrate on the issue being presented to him — a pardon request for former Secret Service/B613 man who killed his son. Fitz meets with Tom to learn just who he can trust. The fact is can trust no one in The White House. He can, however, trust Jake. He has 48 hours to find Olivia. While she was filming the proof-of-life video, Olivia asked for some water. It was so she could show a reflection of her captors in the glass. The trick works. Huck is on the job trying to ID the image. A woman named Rose pops into the office during the wait time. She’s looking for "the black lady" aka Olivia. She’ll come back another time. As for the image enhancement from the glass, it’s a no-go as far as identifying anyone. This sends Huck back to Elizabeth’s place. He’s packing his toolbox.

Cyrus realizes something is amiss with Fitz. He makes Abby see this as well. Mellie is also sure that something is wrong with her husband. Under the guise of being in an intimate embrace on a White House balcony, Fitz is able to clue his wife in on the Olivia situation. Mellie tells him that if he loves her then he knows exactly what he has to do. The next morning, Fitz declares war on West Angola. As for Olivia, she realizes that Ian isn’t calling the shots as he taunts her with the notion of a wager as to if Fitz will comply. She’s crushed when she realizes she would have lost Ian’s bet. Rose, the mystery lady who stopped by the office, is a friend to Olivia’s neighbor, Lois. Both ladies are missing. Huck finds the ring Olivia slipped off her finger in Lois’s place. She was definitely there. Huck is able to use the computer modem in the place to identify Ian.

Olivia wants some beef stew and an orange creamsicle as her last meal. Then she wants to be shot in the head. Now that the war has begun, she knows she’s going to die. Ian assures her that will happen eventually, but not until the current president’s term is complete. This has Olivia coming up with a Plan B. She offers Ian a chance to sell her on the open market to make him a rich man. Mellie is horrified when Elizabeth reveals the torture marks left on her back after Huck’s last visit. She beelines over to Andrew’s office. She wants to know his intentions regarding her. Andrew assures Mellie that Elizabeth was a mistake. He kisses her passionately. Elsewhere in the White House, Cyrus learns the truth about why the war has been waged after reading a note Fitz was able to slip him. He’s on the balcony with his boss when Mellie arrives to declare that she’s taken care of the situation.

As Andrew slept after his office interlude, Mellie swiped his cell phones. She turned them over to Elizabeth who turned them over to the folks at Olivia Pope & Associates. The team pinpoints a location for Olivia in Pennsylvania. Jake acquires help from David Rosen to launch a drug raid on the hideout. A team of DEA agents storm through the big red door. There’s no sign of Olivia. Back in Washington, Huck lets Quinn know that he believes that Olivia is still alive. Thirty-three U.S. soldiers in West Angola aren’t as lucky. Fitz is in the middle of watching combat footage when he gets a phone call. It’s Olivia. They exchange a quick “hi” before Ian grabs the phone. He lets out a mocking “hi” before letting the president know that he’s selling Olivia to the highest bidder. Huck is watching his laptop screen diligently. There’s a sudden display of chatter in the world of people who live and work off the grid. This is good news. It means Olivia is, indeed, alive. She’s dropping breadcrumbs. Huck knows they just need to follow them to find her. The episode comes to an end as Olivia and Ian fly out of D.C.