Boom Goes the Dynamite

Boom Goes the Dynamite is the fifteenth episode of the second season of Scandal, and is the twenty-second overall.

Plot

Olivia and the team end up acting as high-powered matchmakers for Peter Caldwell, an up-and-coming politician; David turns to Pope & Associates when he thinks he is being followed; Fitz is faced with a delicate hostage situation along with who he can trust. Meanwhile, Cyrus tries to find ways to make it back into Fitz's good graces, except Mellie is thwarting his every attempt, unknowingly to Cyrus.

Scandals

Olivia Pope & Associates:

Olivia and Associates aide a Congressman in finding a wife so he can run for Governor
David Rosen is still seeking the help of the team when he thinks he’s being followed
Huck & Quinn are still trying to figure out who killed Wendy and what government secrets where taken.

White House:

Fitz is faced with a tough decision on how to act with the hostage situation after one of the hostages is beheaded live on the news
A mole manhunt is underway in the Administration

Recap

Olivia meets with Captain Jake Ballard. According to him, this is NOT a meeting. It's a date. If all goes well, he expects there to be kissing. The highfalutin French restaurant Olivia picked isn't Jake's idea of a prime date place. He'd rather sip champagne on the steps of a Washington landmark. Guess D.C. isn't all that strict on open container laws. Anyway, Olivia asks about "Albatross" during the date/meeting. Jake says it's a term used to describe a mole in the Intelligence community that was never proven to be real.

The date/meeting ends abruptly when Olivia gets called away. David believes someone is following him. It likely has to do with Wendy, the woman who was murdered in his bed. Files found on the dead Wendy's flash drive lead the team to believe that "Albatross" may be real. Huck needs a few days to break through some encrypted files. He'll also trail David to make sure he isn't in danger. It'll be good to get him out of the office, as Huck hasn't showered in days. In short, he stinks. Quinn realizes the waterboarding he endured has made him susceptible to panic attacks regarding showers, baths, rain, etc.

Senator Peter Caldwell is a member of one of the dirtiest political dynasties ever. His wife, Marion, is working in the campaign offices of his brother, Will, who is making a play to become governor of North Carolina. Will needs a PR boost due to the fact that he hasn't dated anyone in a decade. Rumors are he's gay. Olivia can work with that even though he's running in a red state. Will is adamant that he's not gay. Be that as it may, the guy still needs a wife to fix his public image. If they play this right, it could lead to a stint in the White House. The search for the perfect woman to join him in a political marriage is on.

The team finds an ideal lady to play Will's wife for life, but Abby derails the potential pairing. She was part of a political marriage that nearly destroyed her. Abby is better now and having sex with David at random times with no strings attached. Speaking of David, he finds out that he truly is being followed by Wendy's best friend, Molly, who knows he was framed. She saw the face of a man who was threatening Wendy. Molly knows this is the person who killed her friend. She fears she may be next.

The president's secretary, Louise, is hesitant to let a man she's never seen before into her boss's office. Fitz assures her that everything is okay. The mystery guest, Captain Jake Ballard, is an old friend. He wonders why he's been asked to watch over Olivia Pope. He doesn't get an answer. Instead, Jake is ordered to continue his surveillance. He watches Olivia closely via the cameras hidden in her place. Jake shuts off the monitor anytime there's undressing. It's nice to know this officer is also a gentleman when it comes to the unauthorized surveillance of the woman he's dating/meeting.

Fitz is desperate to find the mole in his organization. Time is of the essence. Video footage shows the thugs who kidnapped four U.S. spies slitting the throat of one member. Persona non grata Cyrus tells Mellie they need to send in the drones for a retaliatory attack. They do. The First Lady assures Cy that she'll let Fitz know that the attack was his idea. She doesn't. Cyrus realizes that Mellie is sabotaging him, so he evens the score by tricking her into making a political play that blows up in her face.

The team learns that Fitz will be introducing Will Caldwell at an upcoming gala. They find a lovely lady to play the part of his future wife. Abby and Harrison prep the instantly happy couple regarding stories associated with their sudden love story. Unfortunately, someone leaks the details of the great wife hunt to a gossip site. Harrison shuts things down by promising the tabloid exclusives when Will becomes governor. As for the person who gave them the story in the first place, Olivia has a pretty good idea of who that is.

Will works the room at the gala with his faux lady love. Fitz gives him a rousing endorsement during his speech. Afterwards, he catches sight of Olivia laughing during a phone call. He has no idea that the mystery caller making her so happy is his old pal, Jake. As for the future governor of North Carolina, he sneaks outside to share a kiss with his true love. That would be his brother's wife, Marion. Olivia advises him to end it ASAP. He can't waste any more time waiting for something that will never happen. Stolen moments aren't a real life. Olivia is an expert in this area.

Olivia sets up another meeting with Jake. She's actually looking at it as a date this time around. Jake is jazzed about this which is why he lies to Fitz by saying that Olivia isn't seeing anyone. In other news, Huck decodes one of the encrypted files. The team now knows that the man who killed Wendy is the White House mole who also leaked the true identities of the CIA spies that were taken hostage. Molly sees this man, Albatross, on TV. He happens to be the person closest to the president in the investigation. Albatross is the Director of the CIA, Grayden Osborne.