Scandal Recap 1×04
Episode starts with Quinn sleeping on a sofa in the Office. It’s late.
The doorbell rings at Olivia’s place. Â Stephen is at the door with wine, and Olivia drinks. She throws a ton of pregnancy tests on the kitchen counter. She is discombobulated, eyes are red. Â Amanda Tanner, who is also at Oliva’s place, is definitely pregnant.
Quinn calls Olivia and says an actual army is at the office. Olivia’s entire crew shows up fully dressed for work. It’s a time of morning before anyone should ever be awake.
The army leader, General Flores, says there was a kidnapping of his family. He needs help getting them back. In the Scandal world, General Flores is the leader of Cuba. Olivia wants them to get to work, but Abby is upset that they didn’t get to vote on this case. As she confronts Olivia about this, Olivia glares at her and stomps away.
Olivia visits Cyrus. She tells him Amanda is pregnant. Cyrus asks how much to make her go away? Will $10 million be enough. Olivia thinks maybe so. Cyrus also says he and Olivia are longer friends.
Olivia returns to Amanda who rants about wanting to see the president. She seems to be growing more obsessed with seeing him, and does not show a reaction when told about the money. Olivia yells at her asking what she wants that is actually realistic. Amanda wants to keep the baby and to tell the press what he did. She says the president should burn for this.
Dartmouth David shows up at the office asking for a favor. Something about protecting the environment and new construction being built. Olivia answers by shutting her office door to him. She faces the wall nearly crying. Her team walks in, then gives her space. They know she is heart broken.
Cyrus holds meeting with president staff, and one of them wants full background on Olivia.
Olivia and crew go over their new clients kidnapping case. Huck and Harrison do some due diligence at a restaurant where family had been spotted. They find out the girl used wi-fi on video game and are able to find her location from this somehow. They trace the location back to a woman’s shelter.
Stephen and Abbey find out the wife left with her kids because she doesn’t love him any more and can’t leave him. It’s unclear whether the husband-slash-Dictator of Cuba is an abuser.
We see Quinn Perkins meeting with Gideon. She tells him she can’t date him due to conflict of interest.
Flashes to the President’s staff. They are going over background of Olivia and her staff. Apparently Quinn didn’t exist till 2008, Huck is ex CIA. Harrison used to sell luxury cars, and went down for insider trading, but was defended by Olivia. Stephen graduated #1 from Yale law school, and had a nervous breakdown before going to work for Olivia.
At the date, Gideon has source for Amanda Tanner.
The Vice President’s Chief of Staff, Billy, tells Olivia about the background checks on her and her crew. Olivia doesn’t like this so she calls Cyrus and says they’ve booked Amanda Tanner on 20/20.
Cyrus tells the President that Amanda is pregnant. President asks how to fix it, Cyrus laughs. He gives a long, sarcastic monologue detailing the President’s future once his wife leaves him and the republicans take over office.
Olivia and Stephen are prepping Amanda for the interview and what she is getting into. David Rosen arrives again asking for a favor. She says she doesn’t have time for him.
Next we see Abby entering into the office. Harrison teases that she is in trouble with Olivia. She walks into the room and we see the dictator reunited with his wife and kids. Olivia clues Abby in saying thank goodness whoever found her rescued her and dropped her off at the shelter. The dictator doesn’t know his wife actually ran away. Abby fakes a smile and plays along.
In the next scene, Olivia scolds Abby. Abby did not want to reunite the woman with her husband. Olivia says she made a tough call and the woman was not her client. It sounds like Olivia’s personal feelings are clouding her judgement. Abby says Olivia is not herself, and says Olivia hit her (Abby’s) ex-husbands knees with a tire iron after he beat her. Olivia rescued her from an unsafe marriage and now this woman needs their help. She says she would following the real Olivia over a cliff and tells Liv “You don’t get to pick and choose when the real Olivia Pope walks in that door.”
Olivia changes her mind. She takes her crew and they burst into hotel room to tell the Dictator’s wife they can get her to safety. Harrison bullshits and distracts the security guards. Before they can get out of the room, General Flores returns.  Olivia tries to play off what is happening, but the wife stops her. He tells her to leave, but she is not taking the children. The wife cries as he takes her baby daughter away.
Gideon is looking at a security tape and he sees the president and Amanda in an intimate touch and whisper. He prints out the screenshot.
President has doubts about how the scandal will pan out and wonders aloud would it be so bad if all this ended.
Amanda calls Olivia and says she cant do this anymore.
President Fitz talks to Cyrus. Cyrus says there is no evidence against him. His real problem is Olivia, the girl is just some kid. President Fitz wakes up out of sulking and decides to take control of the situation. (Finally some motivation from the Pres)
Olivia tries to stop General  Flores. She tells him what he does with those children could end his political future. His wife can either be the mother of his children or his worst opposition. Somehow she is very convincing. He lives that night and the wife keeps kids.
Quinn is making out with Gideon. Gideon stops and asks if Amanda Tanner was really sleeping with the president? Quinn says “now that would be a story.” She thinks back to Harrison’s earlier warning when he told her she needed to stop dating him.
Harrison meets with David Rosen. They’ve got a decent sized news crew at the historical Mahoney news stand David Rosen wanted to protect from being knocked down. Dartmouth David asks if Olivia ever apologizes to anyone. Harrison said she just did, the press was her apology gift.
Cyrus meets with Olivia. He says the president has declared war on her. He laughs at the fact that no paternity suit was filed yet then leaves.
Olivia is with staff in penultimate scene. She asks them to trust her. She tells them they are going against white house and it will be hard, mean , and personal. She says they don’t have to be a part of the Tanner case if that’s what they choose.
Stephen says they are not going to make a dime out of this, but vote yes.
One by one Olivia’s crew agrees they are in. Even Abby, though Olivia looks scared. Abbey confirms “over a cliff.”
Flash over to Amanda Tanner. She is watching TV. A man in black tapes her mouth shut and puts a needle in her. She passes out and is carried out of the apartment.
