105: Crash and Burn

it's like eleven am I fucking made a plate? Cranberry stuffing, sweet potato pie, whipped cream, corn souflay, green bean sou flay. Is it a souflay corn? No? No? And one of the kids thought it would be delicious if the corn bread souflay thing had colored sprinkles off. Oh yeah, yeah, I'll lead that too. I mean, what am I thinking? It is a Friday, We've got work to do, We've got a podcast to record. And I was like, well, I got that on lock. It was not bad, but

I definitely feel very tight in my pants. What did you make? What did you make for the kids? I lied to everybody. You picked that shit up at Bristol Farms. Its way too expensive. I ordered. I signed up. Well, first everyone just thinks we're gonna bring shabby pretzels. Yeah, and we did that last year. And Adam was like, I'm not bringing shabby pretzels. That's like hundreds and hundreds of dollars, Like, we're not doing that. And so I ordered all those Caesar My son loves Caesar salads, and

no one had signed her salads. Ca salads so dumb. But I picked up. I just literally got caesar salad mixing bags, dumped it into both. But then I we're like, I made a sesar, what did you make? And I was like, well, I made the caesar salad, but I made the dressing from scratch and I grew the lettuce in my yard. You're such a liar. Oh my god. You know, they're a bunch of Scandal fans and they're gonna be like that bitch actually be like, oh my god,

that's the mom who has it all. She's got the Scandal Rewatch podcast, she's got Katie's crib, she's an acting career, and she fucking grows lettuce and looks amazing. And I was like, and don't you fucking forget it? Oh my god. But when they hear this podcast again that I'm gonna come over my auser replate and they're gonna be like, where are you're raised farmer's boxes in your yard or cultivate a full garden? And I'm like, I don't. I

don't know how to make a goddamn thing. Speaking of which, can we just talk about and then we should we'll do an indro, But can you tell all of our listeners what lunch you packed every day at Scandal for like a lot of time? Yeah, yeah, yeah, I think we mentioned it a little bit in one of the one of the episodes. It was I'm obsessed with canned beats, canned beats and green beans, and I would put I mean, I put like a can of each in you know a type of ware thing, and then put oil and vinegar.

And that's like I was having beats earlier today, Like this morning, I had breakfast and I had it. Is your poop just like red No, because our toilets are black, you know, you can't see what's going on. I can. So part of me is like, am I dying? Like the bood in my school? Is the blood in my I know, I can't. We got black toilets, like I mean, it's see like a black toilet is fucking I get it. A black toilet is there's something that feels naughty and

sexy about it. I like it. But I also take I take a big responsibility in like taking a poop and then looking at it to see how I'm doing, Like have I had enough greens like you're supposed to

us to be. In the olden days, there was like poopa mater, Yes, kings and shit In England, there was someone's job who the king would take a dunch in the bidet next in their royal apartment or whatever, and then someone a doctor would check the duty and make sure that their digestion was like, yeah, it was well. I bet they didn't have black toilets back then. They didn't have both. They didn't have anything that holes in

the ground. Right, you were the king. I think you were pooping in like um like a like a rolling throne. So weird, I really think so a throne thing like a wooden throne. I can't believe you've never eating beats and pooped in a toilet to see, Yeah, my toilet paper is in black. So that's you know, I'm still guys, this is the greatest podcast episode anyone has ever been interested in. It all started with beats. Germo used to bring his salads and also talking about me not growing

shit and not being great in the kitchen. Darby would make the most incredible salads. Yes, at Scandal with shit. She actually grew with kumpquats. Was the first time that I was like, oh, you could put umpquats in salad, and now I'm obsessed with kumbquats. But she grew all that stuff. Yeah, she grew kumquats. She was unbelievable. And she would have like half a lemon in one of those lemon baggies that when you squeeze it it catches the sea. Yeah yeah. And then she would have like

some cut up tofu and just like deliciousness. And I'm like, if I had Darby like cooking for me, I would eat like that all the time. Oh hell yeah. And she loves it too. She's so good at its stuff good at it which is funny because I think we haven't gotten there yet. But when we get into the flashback episodes, when Abby you see her in the past, when she was sort of like a Susie homemaker, like baking and stuff like that. Darby actually has a quality

of that. Oh. Absolutely, she's a very good cook. She's a very good baker. She's very comfortable in a kitchen like I would be. That is not my thing. During the pandemic, she did a bunch of videos of her teaching how to cut grapefruits up, like in different different ways, different creative ways to cut grapefruit. And it was the most mesmerizing thing I'd ever seen. I was like mesmerizing and her laugh breakdown. Yes, yes, videos, she's the most infectious.

I love her. Like when she's laughing and having like a mental breakdown thinking something so funny, I'm I, Oh, it's the best. I think it's because she's just so pretty. She's so beautiful. That's that's part of it. But yeah, she's it's just so fun to watch her. Yes, she's so magical. She's also redhead that has the most like she just looks like a unicorn talking about like people who we g and I have talked about on the podcast, like you can't hide from anywhere. I'm fine. I can't

imagine walking through life as Darby with that fire engine. Yeah, she's read. Yeah, she's so good about going incognito though, you know what I mean, because she also want to hat like, Yeah, she's so good about it. So that some very cool trench coat. Yeah. Today's episode of the Scandal Rewatch podcast. We're talking about episode one oh five, called Crash and Burn, which aired on April twenty six and twenty and twelve. It was written by Mark Wilding

and directed by Steve Robin. It was guest starring Brendan Hines as Gidy and Wallace Bellamy Young his first lady, Mellie Grant, Joshua Molina as David Rosen, Ram Beckel as Hank Tanner, and Darren Petty as Andrew Mackelson. Yes up, we got to this place again. Are you going to do the synopsis or shoulmiji, let's see. Let's see what goes down. Let me hear you do that. Okay, let's see synopsis. Olivia and her team helped defend the pilot of a commercial plane that crashed, killing all on board.

When a Mandatanner goes missing, Hawk must call upon his pass to help find her. Fits ask the vice president for help. Very nice, yo, can I just say how special this episode is. I mean, there were so many emotions. I cried like a bunch of times watching this episode, and not only because it, you know, because of the tragic stuff that happens in the episode and the things that the characters are going through and there's you know, the plane crash, and yes, but it was I was

super emotional about it because it made me. It made me miss doing the show, It made me miss the cast, It made me miss hug really like, I was like, oh my god, this was such a special time, especially that opening scene when we're all in in Olivia's apartment trying to figure out what happened to Amandatanner. Yeah, we were all just like on point and just going back and forth and just brought me back to those days where we'd all be shooting together, right and we would

have an ensemble. Those that scene that opens this episode where we're all in Olivia's apartment and Amnitana has been taken, and every single one of us it's like music, Like you had said before on this podcast, like everyone's interjecting lines and we're all holding this ball up and keeping the scene going and like working together as a team and you say, there's a guy watching you. Her trash was taken out, and then Olivia says, how do you know? And you say, because that's how i'd do it. That's

how I would do it. Yeah. I love hearing that. Ge, Like you watch these episodes and you're like, I mean, Huck has so much in this episode and we'll get into that, but like I could see why you miss playing him, Yeah, like he was so special. Yeah, and you know oftentime, like you work on a project and you're like, fuck, I wish in the moment. I wish I was more in the moment and really enjoyed it we were doing because it was such a special like what did I say, lightning in a bottle? Like are

to have this experience? But for Scandal, I miss it and I missed the people and I missed the show. But I don't feel that because I feel like we really really enjoyed the experience and being around each other and knowing how special it was and and not taking it for granted and just relishing in it and you know what I mean. Yeah, I felt like we had such a gift, like also knowing when it was the you know, Sean to let us know way in advance that it was ending, and I just feel like we

all really got to like therapeutically like process. I felt like when it was over, we like, like you said, we just laid our head in the pillow and know that we all made the most end of this experience and didn't take it for granted. And I didn't regret anything. I didn't regret not, you know, not enjoying it or not. Yeah, my god, me either. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, it was the fucking best. Yeah. So we know that she's gone missing. You know what's funny? Wow, I have a I feel

like Roxanne Dawson was around in this episode. I remember her. I feel like, well, we'll talk about it. But in the diner scene with Huck and Charlie, I remember rocks An directing us in that scene. I don't remember Steve Robin. But then I remember Steve Robin directing me when I'm torturing Charlie weird, which is weird. I wonder if he

wasn't a that which would happen sometimes. Well, she was our producing director this season, so I don't know, but I remember coming on the plane crash, Harrison and Quinn are like walking down this like hill. We were at the Disney Ranch that day, like in Santa Clarita again, wearing fucking fall clothes, sweating ball sacks, and we come upon the set, which is so impressive. Like that's when I remember being like, my god, like this show has

like a budget. Like I came upon this field where there's like a blown up plane and there's like fake body parts everywhere and all of these flags, and I couldn't I couldn't remember Katie was that plane? Actually there was scgid in I couldn't remember. Actually, yes, wow, I think in my memory it is right, right, I think correct. I could be wrong, but like maybe at the Disney Ranch that's like in stock there. Oh yeah yeah yeah yeah, kind of like at Universal Studios. Yeah, like I think

that might be like sets that are there. I have no idea. I have a memory of Roxanne saying to me, and me being so upset, don't have your mouth a gape like that again when you come when you come upon the plane crash, because Quinn just does that all the time. I love you when you had your mouth agape. Thanks gee. Now I look back and I'm like, fuck, she was right. I should have taken that note. Quinn does that way too much and I need to grow up, Like, yeah,

but that's her too, you know what I mean. Yeah, I shouldn't have been doing it. I should have taken the note and I didn't, And I remember her giving me the note and me being like kind of upset and for once thinking like, first of all, I'd never been in a series regular on the show before, so it had never occurred to me like, oh, like you should think about your character in relation to like all the other episodes and like the character you're building. I didn't.

I was like from the Guest Star World like the same. I was like, oh, I just was treating each story like in it of itself, like I wasn't. Really I would never be like, oh, well, in the last episode, I had my mouth agape at Amanda Tanner's door, and then the first episode, I had my mouth agape when I when Quinn was when Olivia was berating her on the shit, I had my mouth. I gave way too much. But also like, as an actor, you don't want to

think about you know what I mean. You're in the in the moment of the scene, so you're not you can't remember you're not I'm not thinking like, oh, I did this with my eyes and this scene, so I shouldn't do it in this one. And you know you shouldn't be thinking about that too much. But right, listen, you you felt like it was a thing. But watching the episode your mouth, you were like, that's the fourth time Quinn has had a mouth. The gate was very

appropriate for me. Well, thank you, since you are the best acting ever, I'll take that. Then I wrote in my notes, we fucking meet Charlie. Oh, yes, this is the introduction to Charlie. Yeah, like you see, Yes, you're eating the sandwich, which, by the way, do you remember that? Listen, bitch, let me tell you something. I wrote a whole page on eating moments. It literally says eating moments, Katie. I'm not even kidding. I wrote my first question. My first

question is why huck Finn? Second question? What sandwich were you eating when you saw Charlie? Don't get me started. Do you remember what it was? Yes, of course I do. Okay, tell me about eating moments. It was on Holy Toast and it was lettuce, tomato, and mustard, and it was a turkey sandwich. I'm pretty sure there was Swiss cheese on it as well. But the great thing about our

props team was Jeff Props and George. I mean, we love them so much the best, but they when you would have an eating scene, they would go up to you the day before, or usually the day before a couple of days before that. They knew that scene was coming up, and they'd be like, what do you want to eat? If it was in the script that it was a sandwich, they'd be like, what kind of sandwich

do you want? Once I had to eat a fucking cheeseburger when I had a scene with Joe Morton, and all I could think about was shooting that scene and getting to eat that cheeseburger. And then I'm not even look how excited I am. This is crazy. But the thing about shooting a show like this is they make several several of the sandwiches or the burgers, or they buy them because you know you have to do several takes.

So all I would think in my head was I'm going to get to take the rest of them home, or I would get pissed if somebody else was like can I get that? I was like, excuse me, Giermo, you are it looked delicious. And then for the Half Baked fans, I don't know if you can tell a little salute to Half Baked. They put Funnians on my plate, and Funnians is a big thing on Half Baked. When Kenny is you know, going through the list of things and at the end someone says funnyans. Don't forget the

Funnians or something like that. Did you on purpose pick Funnians or did they just happen to put the Funnians on there. I remember us talking about it and saying how funny it would be if we put Funnians on the plate because it was a little sort of wink to Half Baked. Was George props or Jeff Props? Did they were they like half Baked fans to know that Jeff was Yeah Jeff, Jeff for sure, Yeah, yeah, yeah,

he's the best. But yes, and so eating is always you know, I think that certain actors are super scared or they're nervous when they have to eat in a scene because you know, people don't want to eat and getting fat. But um Well or Tony and Scott, I'm sure, but they never eat on the show. The only thing they ate was Olivia, sorry out, No, keep it in, honey, keep it in. But anyway, eating. But then there are some actors who swear by it and think that it

makes you the best actor ever. Like, yeah, I think that I've heard for years that, like, if you go back into like all of Brad Pitt's performances, he's almost never doing an entrance without eating something. Really, he eats in most his scenes. Yeah, because there are very few things that you can do as an actor where you can't fake it. You cannot fake eating eat you have

to act. People do it, but actors do it, and bad eating on in a film or on a TV show is the worst Gilmore Girls, I love the show The worst fucking eaters in the world. To go back and in their coffee cups are like you know, oh no, no, like there's nothing in them, Like it's the worst. They never take a bite. If they do, it's like, oh, it's so. Any actor is listening to this podcast if you want to consider yourself legit, Yeah, you gotta fucking eat in the sit because it also does make you

a better actor. You can't fake well, you can't fake eating, but you shouldn't smoking cigarettes. Ye can't feed, so like those are the moments where they're kind of like actor gifts. Also, like acting with a baby, like you can't really like you have to actually like be there because it truly is like you don't know what's gonna happen. Yeah. Um, I remember my first like major family eating scene with on this other show. I was on my first series

regular run. I was twenty five. Lorie metcalf, who's like everyone thinks she's an incredible actress, myself included. We had these family like Sunday night dinner scenes that would take forever, and they would go around and around and around and shoot everybody's point of view and everyone was eating and Lorie meccalf would eat the shit out of her food really and I would be like, this woman's good. Yeah, she's a great ash. She's on Big Bank. Hey, she's

a great eater. They're always eating on that show. And she's eat an eater and she's talking while she's eating, which is what Brad Pitt does too. He's talking with the full mouth, he's talking with like wiping his mouth with the napkin. He's talking while he's taking SIPs of whatever drink is being served, and like that makes you good, I think, Yeah, I agree, I agree. Okay, so then you see Charlie, who was cast crazily when we see him for a blip while you're hacking to see that

he was caught on a traffic cam. Yeah, it's the first time we're seeing this character, Charlie, who's played by fucking George Newburn, who's the dad from Father of the Bride. Yeah, wait, he's the dad. He's the dad, or he's the groom. He's the groom, right, yeah, yeah, yeah, Now he's a dad. He's a dad. Now, he's a dad. He Now he would get cast as the dad now, but at the time he was the groom, George, and he was also

the boyfriend in Adventures in Babysit. Yes, yes, And George told me a story once I bet you were there that he was super close to getting the role of Marty McFly in Back to the Future, screen tested against Michael fucking Jay. They flew him out. He was going to Northwestern at the time. He was a drama major. He was auditioning and the he flew him in and he screen tested against Michael J. Fox. How amazing is that? Can you imagine that? Yeah? I mean anyway, I just

think the casting choice on that oh so good. And he did not know none of us knew, the writers know that that Charlie would be what Charlie became. But I love that they cast against type, you know what I mean. They didn't cast like some sort of goon looking guy that you're like, oh, he's a bad guy. Bad guy looks like the loveliest, like kindest just yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, ead sitcom dad you've ever seen in your life nineties Like, he's just so like I mean, he's from Arkansas. Go

get a snack and we'll be right back. Can I just say really quickly? I love in this scene is one of the first times, maybe it's this second or third time that we've seen it on on in the first season, but that that Mike Huck's computer becomes the camera. So they would take away my computer, like this is us on set getting ready to shoot the scene, and they would put a camera right in dead in my face, and I would have to look into the camera and pretend I was typing, and that was so much fun.

I love doing that. They would call it Huck Cam. It was called cam yeah, yeah, yeah yeah. So then later on in post they would superimpose like the green like numbers and like computer typing letters going over Guarmo's face. But I had to be in Huck cam all the time too, like just kind of crouched down next to you, and we're both looking like dead into the camera as you're like fatly pretending to hit keys and Huck's I

feel like we all loved being in Huck's office. It was such a special set, right, it was so unique and industrial and and just a lot of wires and growing things. Was he had a fucking grow a grow house, a little grow house in the back. Yeah. Towards like season three or four or something, they added that, like

did they ever know? I mean, I felt like there were all these fucking plants hanging where you were just like I know they weren't weed, but I used to be like, this is on track, right, yes, Hucks little dark hydroponic is that the word? I think? So? Yeah? Right then we see Harrison is everyone's trying to listen to this black box recording from the plane crash to figure out who is truly at fault for the plane crashing?

Is it the pilot? You know? Darren Petty, who played the husband of the pilot so well, hires Olivia Pope to sort of represent the pilot of the plane that she was not at fault. And everyone's listening to the black Box and we see Harrison doing like the most amazing like that. He's so musical and he's like obsessively listening to the box. It's in this episode where I'm like this, fuck, I love that there are three degrees of Britney Spears on Yahndall you were in a Britney

Spears music video. Yeah, Shanda wrote Crossroads, that's yes, Crossroads yep, and Columbus choreographed one of her one of her tours. Yeah, yeah, like that's so crazy. Yeah, why did she never visit? Set right between the whole thing of like listening to the black Box over and over again, figuring it out,

and then doesn't Harrison look at us. We're at the coffee station and he shouts like, it wasn't the plane, it wasn't it, And his eyes are all red and you could tell, you know, I feel like Harrison had read makeup put on his eyes. Plus his eyes looked insane.

It was like, yeah, hey hadn't slept because he's just like listening and listening and listening and trying to decode what's in this and then he yells at them and says something like, I don't remember when we learned that Laurie wasn't drinking right again, all these guest stars, coast stars,

their performances, they're fucking ridiculous. So good, dirtess that was too drunk on her birthday and stand in and then she goes and visits her in the hotel room and she's like, doesn't even know that everyone had gone down? So good? So good? The yeah, yeah, the one that

was hung over. Yes, it was so good. She played Carly Reston and her name her, her actually actress's name is Amanda Fuller, and fucking Google, I sure did, Katie, because because of what you were just saying, she's so good that I was like, we have to give this actor a shout out. Her name is Amanda Fuller, and she's yeah, she's been in a ton of stuff. She was in a Graze episode. She played Brittany Murphy in a TV movie about Brittany Murphy. Remember the amazing Brittany Murphy.

She fucking killed that. But that this actress fucking just brought it. No, she was unbelievable. She's hysterical crying, she's funny at the top, just opened the door and be like what And then she has to go into this whole thing where she realized she just missed death. Darby is so good in this scene too, because you could see how cold she is and she's like, she doesn't know how to deal with someone being emotional. So she pushes the tissue box forward. Yes, and then she keeps crying.

Then she pushes it forward again, like, oh my god, that's so class. She's not comforting at all. Yeah. Was that written in the stage directions or is that Darby just making genius acting choices. I want to say it was Darby making genius acting choices. I want to say that too, so so good, Like she did not know how to comfort this what the character did not know how to comfort someone that's breaking down like that. It was just so fun to watch to watch her work.

We're back in the OPA office, comes in and says and screams, Amanda Tanner is dead. Oh yeah, god, I remember getting chills doing that scene. Oh that was one of my favorite. You know how you have scenes that it just feels so good to do and they stick with you. I just remember that moment. What were our

lines leading up to it? We were all like, I just remember, We're running around in a fury and Olivia's giving up fucking orders like you go this, and you go this, and you go this, and and then you're

just like you yell, which Huck never does. Yeah, everyone's caught up because I don't know if we mentioned it, but a plane and a plane crashes in the episode and it kills one hundred and twenty people, and then Olivia now represents the pilots union, right, and she expects the airline is going to blame Lorie the pilot, which they do. I thought we were all like running around talking about like how to find Amanda or something, and then you just come Amanda Tanner's dead. Yeah, yeah, yeah,

it was. It was. It was something like that, Yeah, you record stop the whole scene and Olivia looks at you and she's like, are you sure. I just shake my head yes, and then she oh, and then that's my favorite fucking Carrie Washington moment. Acting. Yeah, I have the same taste. When she marches out to the street to the black Dan that's been fucking watching it, and she's like, roll down your fucking window on the windfield.

Tell your guy that I know, I know, yeah, talking to your little microphoning your brands and you tell him that I know. Yeah. When I see her do that scene, I feel like she is summoning her bronx, her like roots, like her bronx, Like this is how I talk to someone when I am like in my most power and I'm so pissed and I've been so wrong. Absolutely it's remarkable.

And then she turns away from screaming at the two dudes and the sus Dan, and the whole shot goes into slow mo and she she like rubs her arms yes, which is so just that little moment, Oh god, oh my god, it's unfucking believable. So we know she's dead, which is horrible and stupid ass. Quinn Fergus Yeah, makes a promise, finds Amanda Tanner's dad, brings him to the office and said everything's going to be okay, I promise, to which Olivia is like, Quinn, can I speak to

you for a minute at the coffee station? And then I'm like yeah, what and She's like we don't make promises. Yeah ever, and I'm like, what are you talking about? And she's like, Amanda Tanner is dead and I was like what I was not mouth agape there, I gave you other options. Nope, just real quickly. In this scene, we are introduced to uh to Hank tan Or Hank tan Or, who is Amanda Tanner's dad, and it's played

by Graham Beckel. Now let me tell you something. I went down a rabbit hole googling Homeboy because I was like, I do that with all the co stars because it's so fun to see what they've been in. So Graham Beckel was in fucking Broke Back Mountain. He plays Anne Hathaway's dad in that fucking amazing scene when they're having thanks Giving dinner and Hathaway and Jake Jillenhall they have the TV playing and their little son is like watching the TV and the mother's like, um, you eat your food,

stop watching TV. And Jake Jillenhall goes and turns off the TV and the dad gets up and he's like, turns it back on. Anyway. It's a back and forth, but it's such a powerful scene and this man played and Hathaway's dad. Wow, I would have never known that. How great is he in this episode? Like he's he's that's heartbreaking, heartbreaking and what a hard yes, like let's come in, let's meet you, and let's have you be here on the worst day of your character's life, like yes,

seeing your daughter's fucking body like this guy is. He's just so vulnerable in this episode and he's so sad and to see this like grown masculine ass man like breaking down. He's he was again perfect fucking casting. We'll get and we Katie. I was wondering, we'll get to it, but this episode, like you, I don't even have to say it, right, Oh, I remember it forever forever you

and I I have goose. Yeah. I think that's why I cried so much watching the episode, because I was remembering that and oh it was just such a yeah, but we'll get to it. Oh my god, Garmo and I, well you have to get there. We're gonna get to that scene really soon. Yeah, Okay, okay, okay. Olivia calls

fits he didn't know, he didn't know that she's dead. Yes, they do like a split screen down the center with like you know where they split the screen in two and there's like a black bar between their phone call, and Olivia is the first person to tell Fits that Amanda Tanner's dead, and he's like, come, look me in the eye. You know I'm telling the truth. It's not something I would ever fucking do. And she says, yeah,

but you let Cyrus off his leash. You know, if a dog mall is a baby, it's the owner's fault, and you know that's on you. Yeah, she said, he's a he's a pit bull. You let your you let your dog off the leash. Yeah. Oh, it's such a great scene. Yeah, it is such a fucking great scene. I wrote, I wrote come off split screen in my notes, and then I wrote very Brian to Palma, because Brian to Palma does add a lot in his movies. He does split screen. Yeah, oh, such a powerful scene. Yeah.

Then I wrote, they do right by the pilot and they have an alibi that she wasn't drinking. Then we go into Olivia asks, oh, this was my title whoa g acting? Oh man, which is basically for the scene where Olivia comes into your office and says, I need you to help me find the body. Yeah, and if you need me to come get you, you know, just call or something like that, and we're like, what what is this? What is happening? These scenes with a Huck and Olivia were always so so special because there was

just that unspoken like action with those two, right. The room was so full of emotions and like just stuff when we would do those scenes, and it was so easy to play, but it was exhilarating to play these scenes with carry. It was so much fun. And in this episode, I think it's the first time and it's the first time you see Huck torture someone, but it's the first time that I thought, oh my god, this is this is going to a really dark place with

my character, you know, and I freaking loved it. I was like, this is the thing that's ever happened to me in my life as an actor. Oh it was. I felt so so it was so great. But it's true. It's they asked of you. Like what they asked of you was so fucking wild, and you went there so beautifully. And I wrote, I wrote, um, whoa gez acting whoa in that scene? Um, Not to get too deep, but a person, like a person that's been through a lot

of shit. I mean, we've all been through a lot of know, but this is like a gift to be able to to you know, slice yourself. I just Sally Field said this once in an interview. They were like, how do you prepare for those emotional scenes? And she said, I start symbolically sort of slicing myself open emotionally and opening up all those old wounds and scars and shit

that happened to you. And I'm super like, if somebody walks in the room and they're going through a really hard time, my eye goes right to them and my heart opens up, and I'm like, I can't like settle and I can't really have a good time if I see someone that's going through something. Yes, yes, an EmPATH anyway, So it was a gift to be able to play this this character and I just use that shit, you know what I mean. You can like go there and you feel like you're not allowed to do that in

your day to day life. So to like get to be able, you know, some people would like scream at a steering wheel or like sob cry in a shower. Yeah, and most people probably don't even let themselves do that. And then it's so awesome when you're an actor that you get to just like do this stuff, yeah yourself, go like go to a really dark place, go to like a really scary emotional place, and it's okay because

you were in a safe environment. It was also exciting and not knowing what was going to happen when I was doing the scene, like emotionally, do you know what I mean? That was so exciting to be like, this is so fucked up. I don't know exactly what's going to happen, if I'm gonna cry or whatever, what I'm gonna feel and do anyway, Okay, Then I wrote, oh my god, he has Charlie on the tarp, red tool Huck gets his red toolbox about eight thousand exclamation points,

and I wrote red toolbox multiple times. This is this is the first time we see the toolbox, which is so funny because our podcast is called Unpacking the Toolbox. Yes, I'm packing the toolbox. Baby. Did you ever know that this was going to be his thing? No? Not at all, Not at all. I knew when we you know, when we got the episode at the table read or the day before whatever, But before that, no, I had I

had no idea but again, I freaking loved it. I was like, God, he's gonna fucking torture someone with all these tools in his toolbox. How did you make George Newburn feel safe? Because I didn't know him very well, but I remember him being like, I can't believe I'm doing this job. I have one scene, you know where I have like talking with Gamo Diaz in a diner and then I'm like naked. He was like in a duct tape underwear on a tarp where I just have

to scream a lot. And I was like, yeah, like I don't know for like an older dude who has a very successful career, like I don't know, Yeah, you would think of that job. What was it like on the day? Were you very collaborative? Were you nervous? Was he nervous? I think we were both nervous. I was super nervous, but an excited nervous, you know what I mean,

because because the scene was so good. But I think the thing with me and George, we as people and as the characters, we clicked right away, like it felt right. You know how Sometimes that happens on a movie or a TV show where you're like, oh, this just and and I think that was the case with all the regulars on Scandal. Something about this cast just it was just right. It just made sense, you know what I mean. And when Charlie came into picture, it made sense. And

how can Charlie it just click with him? It was it was so easy to do these scenes with him because it just it just felt right. And I and also me and George I crack up a lot. We love to laugh, as you know, because you love to laugh with us two. You well, the three of us two were together a lot over the seven years. Yeah. And you what's so funny about you two seeing you

do these scenes with him? You're both two of the funniest dudes, I know, two of the most sweetest in your hearts like people, I know, like like really genuinely like want good things for people. And then to just watch this episode and see him fucking screaming his head off while you're doing yea horribuying fucking things to him, Like I get, he's drilling holes into him. Yeah, it's horrible. Is that what you were doing? It was drilling holes? Yeah, yeah,

he's he's drilling holes in his body. Yeah, Oh my god, are you fucking kidding me. That's disgusting all because he won't tell you where the Amanitata body. Yeah, I'm just asking where her body is and he won't tell me. But look in my notes, I wrote, um to film this was frightening, exhilarating, anxiety inducing. I also wrote it felt like it felt like an orgasm. I was in

a trance doing doing this scene. Holy shit. And and then I wrote if if it's like chanting, you know when you chant and you just get in a sort of trance. Saying the words that Shanda wrote and that the Scandal writers wrote, feels like chanting because it's again, we've talked about this before. It it's so well written, and it just flows out of your mouth so well.

I felt like that happened a lot doing a huck scenes because I felt like I would go in a trance because sometimes, you know, you get caught up like fuck,

am I going to remember the lines? And then I'm sure you do this too, or you thought about this, but it gets to the point where they're rolling and they're like, all right, action you In my head, I think, all right, let me see if I remember my lines and just let the words come out and you're and you have to say them super fast, so part of you just has to like relinquish control and just whatever happens happens or whatever comes out comes out when all

the words come out. Right, Oh, it's just it's it's it's best feeling. Yeah, that aha moment or whatever. That like you're in the flow, Like you're in that human heightened high vibrational flow where you're like, so, yes, there is no time, there is no then or future. You're just like really heightened connective tissue right then and there.

But I think that makes a lot of sense to the transpart because I do think sometimes Huck, the way you'll you sound when you're like doing some of those scenes as you're like it almost sounds like you're chanting. I've never even thought about that until this moment, but it's sort of oh my god that I could barely watch it. I was like completely terrified. Yeah, okay, then we have I put a shitload of exclamation points for Sally Langston. First, yes, yes, all in the White House.

He's trying to pass the Dream Act, which is similar to like DACA, isn't it yes, yes, yes, yes, yeah, yeah, fits wants and knows that this is the right thing to do to be passed. And Sally Langston is holding up all the votes and not letting it happen, and fits has the most like amazing monologue to her about like ha ha, yeah, yeah, fuck you, you're gonna put the dream act through. Yes, And Sally Langston is so wonderful And fans must have gone so crazy because that's

Merit Gray's mom from Grey's Anatomy. Yes, kay, well, listen, can we talk about Kate Burton. What a fucking dope person she is. She is like, oh so lovely, so kind, so loving, the nicest freaking person. And I love seeing really find like nice, genuinely happy people play these asshole characters. She does it so so well. Also, Kate Burton, which again I went on a googling thing and I knew this already, but Kate Burton is the daughter of Richard Burton,

who used to be married to Elizabeth Taylor Is. She's a daughter Richard Burton and Sybil Williams, who was a Welsh actress. And I just think it was amazing that on Scandal we had our president and vice president were Hollywood royalty, because we had Tony Goldwyn of Goldwyn Metro Mayer and his whole dynasty of like MGM. And then we had Sally Langston played by Kate Burton, who is Richard Burton's daughter. Like we had like two Hollywood lineage of like I mean, they have debt, their their their

Hollywood royalty. It's been their blood, yea, their blood. It's why they can walk around and sort of be like I'm the president and I'm vice president or whatever. But my god, Sally Langston again, in this episode, you get your first glimpse at Sally Lankson. You get your first glimpse at Charlie. Two people who were with us till the end and who were in countless eight billion episodes and we're such geniuses on the show. Yes, and then we pull I remember this like it was yesterday. We

pull Amanda Tanner out of the Potomac. Yes. We shot it in Long Beach? Do you remember that? Wasn't it Long Beach? We shot it in Long Beach? And I was so nervous because Scandal ABC or something was like making me go around at the same time and like

interviewing you people, do you remember that? And we were pissed you were kind of pissed because it's such an emotional, you know scene, and like, yeah, I was like, oh my god, I'm watching a mandatanner being pulled out of the Potomac and instead I'm going around They've asked me to go around with my cell phone and being like,

what do you like about scanned them? Like, obviously that shit is important because the show was in no way shape form a hit in season one, and we were doing whatever we could on the social media fucking channels

to get anyone to watch our show. I feel like that was the hardest thing on the show, was navigating doing press stuff and being able to stay focused on our work on the show, you know what I mean, because that would get thrown at us all the time, where it was like they would come on set and we have to do epks, which is a electronic press kit and you do all these interviews and but that would happen all the time. But navigating that my first day, I remember it like, oh my god, Manatanna is being

pulled out. We're all so upset. We didn't even know death was like a thing on the show. Really yeah, And I'm going around being like, can you tell us what you think about scales all And I'm like, oh my god, this is I actually have the video still in my phone and when we put out this episode, I'm going to put that on so everyone can know what I'm talking about. Oh hell yeah. And then we go to the morgue. Oh man, Katie and that is me and Garmo were like best friends for life. After

that we bonded. I feel like that was our first like bonding moment where we truly bonded as as you know, as Katie and Giarmo. Like, I don't know what the fuck happened. Maybe it was because we were shooting the scene where you know, Amanda's dad is at the Morgan he has to identify her body, and it was already a super emotional, like somber ominous sort of feeling on said and and somehow like what do you what do

you remember? We talked about this on previous episodes, where like sometimes the tears are there and sometimes they're not, And this was one of these days where for some reason, like in the universe, Giermo and I were just like a well of emotion and tears and feelings and we were standing at that window looking into the morguet a Manda's body, and I couldn't stop crying, and I just feeling the feelings of the show. And I had lost I was kept you know, things kept coming into my head.

And I had lost a friend who had died of lung cancer right when I auditioned for the part, and she, for some reason was just like her spirit was like very present in the room for me. I remember you telling me that story. Yeah, instead of running away from it, I was really singing into it, and I was really emotional, and it was one of these days where it's like we had the opportunity to really just like feel it and gear right there with me. Yeah. I remember me

and you stepping like away from everyone. We were in the back of the set and we were talking about all this stuff and we couldn't stop crying. And I remember you telling me now that you guys all, I don't know if you still do it go on a high every year every year on her death. Yeah, every year on her death. That day sticks so strongly in my memory, and it's so special. I do like I've never had an experience like that with with someone. It was so special, It was so oh Katie and I

wrote down no tears stick here. We talked about we didn't need that sea. Yeah, sometimes you need that tears, so we didn't need that mental blood. Oh no, we didn't need it. We had tears for fucking days. We'll be back soon, guys. Oh, this part really quick. Olivia goes to touch Hawk at that same scene, and you like quickly jerk yourself away, and we realize that recoil. Yeah, that it has taken a toll. It has you. You getting Charlie on the tarp took its toll. Yeah, um,

I wrote, Amanda dead. We're crying. We were crying so much when we shot that. Do you remember Giarmo, I wrote, do you remember Katie? Oh my god, look, I said, I wrote, look Katie, exclamation point. Remember our special emotional time while filming at the Coroners. We couldn't stop crying. We truly bonded in this episode. No tears stick here, Oh my god, are okay? Then Darren Petty crying for his wife. Finally they get to the bottom of it that like it was this horror fucking ladies fault about

the plane. She made it to her daughter's recital and she decided to just duplicate right for when the plane was broken and she sends it up the ladder end. The plane was broken, but it was her fault for not filing it correctly. And yes, she's they're they're underpaid and overworked and normally her job used to be two people's jobs. And she's amazing in that scene. Can we just give a shout out to Leonore May is the actress who played that role. My God, Yes, yes, I

am going to make out with you again, okay. Cast be known as the Scandal rewatch podcast where every fucking actor gets their fucking, fucking Yes, Leonora May amazing in this role in their respect. Lenora May was in and she was in an episode of Little House on the Prairie, which is one of my favorite shows ever that Brad Ucobean freaking worked on. Did you know this? I didn't know Brad Brad, who was one of our producers of Scandal, was one of the producers on Little House on a Prairie. Yes, yes,

he worked on Little House yep. But she did an episode, she did an episode of Gray's Um. Lenora May, she's a very accomplished actor and she was just wonderful in this fucking scene. Yeah, she fucking demolished. And also Harrison's Columbus's reaction to her it was so great, so good, so real, so h so organic, oh so so good. It was so good. So we find that out and Olivia is like, you know, lets the record be known that she was not drunk. She was an amazing pilot.

The airplane says that they're at fall. Darren Petty, the actor who plays Andrew Mackelson, gets you know, his sort of due of like wiping his wife's name clean. Yes, And then the quick wrap up of the end of the episode is Tony calls in Hall and Tom so good to fucking amazing secret Service agents and he's like, what do I need to do to get out of here?

They list this ridiculous shit. He's like, I'll do it for this, and it's a hilarious joke line because they're like, he's just like forty three, yes, yes, whoa is he like George Bush? Yes? Oh no, forty three is George Bush Jr? Excuse me, I'm an idiot, George h No. I looked it up yesterday. I was like, which one is forty three? Um? Then it cuts to Quinn goes to Gideon's apartment. He opens up the door, She's crying

in his arms, and where is Tony going to Olivia's apartment? Right, Olivia's apartment and she's on the phone with Stephen as she opens the door. And he did fuck the lady in the morgue and did cheat on whatever her name, Georgia, Georgia, yeah, Georgia. And he says it's Amanda was pregnant, but it was not fits his baby. And right there, Olivia opens the door and Tony's standing right there. So good. It's so good. I mean, the episode is a banger, but this talk

really quickly. The moment with you and Gideon at the door, and that was such a beautiful scene, Katie. Oh you're so so good, Like all those emotions that you had throughout the episode that the audience has, like it was released through you in that scene and it was so I got it today. I actually I don't remember if I used a tear stick for that scene or not. I can't remember. It doesn't matter because it was so

good and Gideon was so good. He was really good, and I, you know, all I was thinking about was like, oh fuck, here's where we go into the grilled cheese sex scene, which we're good to get you in next of the episode, Katie, I'm feeling like we should get into tee te tweet tweet tweet tree tweet. Is there any Scandal tweets of the time that we should read that we feel like are hilarious and need to be mentioned?

This is great. Tiffany Carter at tiff d car Tom on April twenty eight, twenty twelve, wrote fact Kerry Washington first African American lead actress and network show since sixties. Wow major true ps hashtag major fashion on Scandal ABC. Yeah, guys, that shit was true. She at the time, Kerry was the first African American leading lady of a network drama in thirty seven years. Wow. The last drama was in nineteen sixty eight and it was Julia played by Diane Carroll.

But like since Diane Carroll that there had not been an African American leading lady of a drama in thirty seven years? How insane is that? And that it was successful and that this show lasted so long. You know, it's such a such a wonderful thing. It had to be successful. I mean the problem because sliding doors. Had Scandal not been successful, there would have never been another black leading lady again, like for a long time, you

know what I mean. They would have been like, well, clearly that didn't work, so we're not going to take that risk again. Whoever the they is Yea, but thank god everyone is amazing and watch the show because then after Carrie, it was like it opened up so many doors to like, yeah, they're being all different looking types

of people as leads of network shows. Yeah, okay. Matt Midovich, who was a very huge supporter of Scandal for so long at Matt Minovich on April twenty six tweeted reminder, tonight at about nine fifty five is when Scandal's scandalousness spikes for consecutive weeks straight through to the finale. So yes, I guess we were like gaining some traction. I guess like four people were watching the show, right, Jersey fam that's it, she says, Oh my god, Scandal ABC was

straight crazy. Kerry Washington, you better act, you better act boo hashtag scandal U. Heck yeah, Lego, what the hell is that mean? Franklin? Oh, Lego, I'm an idiot, But you learned something new every day. I think I think it's like that, right, I think it's like let's go or something like that. Yeah, they wrote sp Franklin wrote at Scandal ABC, heck, yeah, let go. I'm ready to

gladiate or whatever, which was Quinn's line. Hashtag Scandal quotes. L. Dave Nett wrote, replying to Josh Melina, Josh Malina, you, sir, or the glue that holds Scandal ABC together. Also, you've left sticky fingerprints all over my TV. Please stop? Yeah the person are they friends? I don't know like what you mean. Like when he put peanut butter on on Porschrossi's like car handle. He put fucking whip cream and shaving cream all over my trailer doors, all over my

car door handles. Oh yeah, he put that shit over my card handles. We have to do a whole episode of the ship that Josh pulled. He called me, Yeah he did. What do you say? Well, he called me, changed his voice and left me a message on my voicemail saying he was a New York City police detective and that I was in big trouble and Katie that whole day, me being so anxious. I was unemotional mask because I was like, oh my god, what have I done?

Malina got a voice changer app on his phone that he could leave voicemails, and it didn't sound like him. He a voicemail that said, we've got your phone number and we heard some scoop on Scandal about someone's behavior. You need to call immediately. And I was shitting bricks because how did a reporter get my cell phone number? Like, and I've never been on a show that's successful, and I don't know what to say, and am I supposed to call my back? And I don't even have a publicist.

We're gonna do when we have josh On, We're gonna go real hard. We're gonna talk about all this stuff. How yeah pranking he did? Those are some tweets at the time. This has been such an amazing episode of Scandal rewatch us because it ended up with tears and praise and Garmo Diez just doing the most incredible dramaturgical researcher work on every guest star on this Scandal show, and they are so appreciative, and I am so appreciative of the work you've done. Oh please Oh my god,

this is again. I can't I can't imagine doing this with anyone else but you, like, it's truly a gift that we get to do this. You guys, please tell your friends that this is a fucking laugh. You feel all the feelings, all the gladiators. You have a place to come now, Like Gladiators, where have you been? Have you've been up to? Listen to this podcast? Tell all

your gladiator friends rewatch the show. Next week we are going to be talking about episode one oh six, the Trail, which is literally one of the most famous Scandal episodes of all time. So good, so so good. Make sure you subscribe. Tell your friends episode one or six The Trail is coming. And thank you so much for listening. Yeah to the Scan we Watch podcast. Thank you Gladiators. We love you guys. We love you guys so much. Thank you guys for joining us on Unpacking the Toolbox.

If you enjoyed the show, please subscribe, share with your friends, rate, or leave us a review. Scandal is executive produced by Sandy Bailey, alex Alcha, Lauren Homan, Tyler Klang, and Gabrielle Collins. Our producer and editor is Vince de Johnny with music by Chad Fisher. Scandal is a production of eight you See signature, and you can follow along by rewatching Scandal on Hulu. Unpacking the Toolbox is a production of Shondaland

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