203: Hunting Season

I don't know what. I'm just a dumb, dumb actor that only speaks English. Okay, we're starting this podcast today. Um. At the time of this recording, everyone's dropping like flies between flu cold RSV, which is like a kid cough that's a nightmare, and running rampant right now. Hand for mouth is a real big one. In the nursery schools. It's where they get really weird bumps and shit on

their penis, but now in their mouths. It's insane. It's like I was going to segue into talking about all the different measures we used to take to not get sick on scandal, both my kids last night got positive blue tests. You can keep that in the podcast. You can keep that there, like I'm dying. Did you hear her screaming? Okay, Vire coming for one second. This is just gonna have this podcast is gonna be amazing today. Hey, look, say hi, we're just doing work here. We're talking about Scandal.

You want more yogurt? Yeah, I want to go ask your dad for that. How about you ask your dad who's laying on the couch scratching his balls. Okay, bye bye, I love you both, Okay, bye bye. Um any of these shows that do you know, eighteen to twenty two episodes, nine day episodes, you're shooting at the least fourteen hours a day, like we barely ever did twelve hour days. I feel like, oh yeah, there is no option of

get you can't get sick. Yeah, I mean, I have full faith that Mary Howard, our line producer, could have made the show go post COVID world. But like you know, we used to show up sick to work tidless. Yes, like oh yeah, I mean Carrie could not fall down and she had two little ones. In the later seasons of Scandal, who like, as soon as your kids start going to nursery school. You're fucked. Like it's just like

every other day is diarrhea, vomiting worlds like whatever. And I remember her getting like either the flu or close to the flu, like a million times over, and I just was running around set passing out. Yeah, every homeopathic and they used to once they sent the doctor to my house to do like a house called because I had like a fever and I was in the middle of shooting when oh yeah, and she gave me like that Z pack and some like shots or some shit.

Because like you said, we just couldn't get sick. That you know, not showing up was in an option. We couldn't be like can't comment today like I'm you know those scandal days where like your wellness and well being was everybody else's responsibility to do. So you could just like Mary Howard to be like I think you have to send a doctor to my house to pack. It's like now that we're regular mortals walking around the planet, we have to figure out how to get our own

damn prescriptions. So when you hear me and Gee in this episode just clearing our throats a lot and sucking on our own snot Oh my god, that's so funny. This is one of the most chock full episodes I think we have ever done to date. Yes, yes, but it's such a fun episode. Like I remember having so much fun shooting this particular episode. This episode two oh three is what we're talking about today, people. It is called Hunting Season. It aired on October eighteenth in twenty twelve.

It was written by Matt Byrne, again one of the go to scale writers who also wrote on Inventing Anna. It was directed by Ron Underwood. Do you remember up? Yes, he did a great job, he really did You remember Katie? At one point, I think when we wrapped her in the of shooting, Columbus picked him up and like jostled him around because Ron is he's a little guy. I love I'm a little guy too, But I remember Columbus just grabbing him and lifting him up in the air,

and Ron was like, boy, what's happening. He was so uncomfortable. I feel like Ron was like five six Yeah. Probably, he's adorable. He's like adorable looking, so he gives off the vibe of like someone you just sort of want to pick up and carry around in your pocket. And Ron also directed Tremors, which is a really old school famous horror film. You know, me and my horror Yo, Guillermo. We got to start a drinking game that involves the

scandal Rewatch podcast and like horror backstory. Okay, guest stars on this episode are incredible. We've got Norm Lewis as Senator Edison Davis, Greg Henry's Hollis Doyle, Brenda Song as Alyssa, Brian Letcher as Tom, Tony Westmorland is how Wendy Davis is, Kimberly Mitchell, Stephen W. Bailey is Noah Elliott, Patrick Fishler is already hor Rnbacher Hello, and an Q Sack. Holy shit? Do they look alike? Yeah? Sah as one of the three. I think there's three of them. We're going to get

into that leader as NSA director Krinn Stark. Yes, okay, okay, I'll start synopsis. Tensions are running high Olivia, Pope and associates due to questions about Quinn's background, and when an NSA analyst, Artie Hornbacker drops a bombshell claiming that the government is using a new technology called thorn Gate to spy on its citizens, Olivia's caught off guard with how far up this scandal goes and distracted by her problems with Fits. At the White House, Cyrus has to try

and keep Fits calm and collected. When Olivia's former Flames, Senator Edison Davis shows up, Mellie is happy that things are going good with her and Fits now until she learns that he had Olivia brought to him, so she threatens Fits. Meanwhile, David Rosen, with the help of his former assistant, dig deeper into his conspiracy theory about how he locked his case against Quinn and what Olivia's involvement might be. Oh, yeah, that's what's up. That was good.

Dwayne noses miammies Bosom, my boyfriend. What you don't mean again? I'm gonna call you that from now on. I should know what is wrong with me. Okay yo, let's get into this episode. So much happens. God, it's solid. It's just so solid. And we've got the introduction of the one and only Norm Lewis, Yes as Senator Edison Davis, like you are your you have your horror stuff, and every single guest star and director that come on that that was a horror person. But when Norm Lewis, King

of musical theater on is Olivia Pope's ex boyfriend. I shit myself. Then I called Adam, who was also my husband, a big musical theater nerd. I have watched Norm Lewis, I mean Normalis was the first black Phantom of the opera. He was in the twenty fifth anniversary concert of Les Misa. You're welcome, everybody. Um. I saw in Porgy in best Are shondaland Family. Audra McDonald, Yeah, he is incredible. He was in Miss Sigonion Chicago dream Girls. Yeah, yeah, yeah, guy.

This guy is a musical theater icon. His voice is that of a gift from Angels. I think he even sank to us, Katie. I remember being on set and he sang to us. Do you remember that? Yeah? What did he sing? I don't remember. I just remember it's sort of happening. I don't even remember who was there at them hear you. I think he said, did he sing God on High? Did he sing a song from me?

I do remember every Wow, Thank god you have a good memory of Gamma, because I do remember the entire cast and crew all coming into Olivia Pope and associates around the conference table. Because Norm was like yeah, I sing you guys a little something. Oh, he's so good, and I feel like in the beginning of this top

part of Scandal work. The episode opens and he's like on our fake news channel, which is called BNC yea our fake news network station on Scandal was called BNC and Edison is on and he's talking about how the president's fucking up and he's doing a bad job, and this is all the things Edison things he should do because he's a powerful senator. Olivia calls him and is like, dude, you're wearing pinstripes. No one can even hear what you're saying when your shirt is doing a weird jumpy thing.

The cap is moving back and forth, which is a real thing. Oh yeah, I watch I Love Lucy And back in the day they used to wear pin stripes. I remember those episodes and being so annoyed because I was like, you know, their clothing is moving, it's so distracting. Wow. So it's funny that they you know, that he wore that, like in modern times now and then we kind of learned that they've like they're We're like, wait, what is this relationship? Who is this new guy? There's obviously history

there up there. Yeah, so we get the case of the week, which is this ringer of an actor playing Alreadie Horn by Hatrick Fishler, and holy shit, if this one hell of a guest star and one hell of a performance, and if someone's going to get an Emmy for a guest start performance. The fact that this dude was not nominated as a cry yo, talk about fitting

in right away, this little fucker. I remember walking in seeing him standing on that on our conference table at OPA and being just being like, this dude is so freaking good. He just fit right in and had that scandal pace down and was just stakes were so yeah, now gee I was. I wrote it in my notes when I was rewatching this episode. So, like, you know, we're all back in OPA. Quinn's out of living at Olivia's apartment, she's at of jail. Everyone's being a bitch

to her, mostly fucking abby. Like Quinn walks in, She's back with like, hey, guys, I'm back at work, Like, will you take me back. I've totally let go with the Lindsay Dwyer identity and I am Quinn Perkinson. Here's your coffee. And Harrison is like, hey, welcome back and gives me like a lovely Harrison kiss on the cheek, and Abby's like, yeah, welcome back, Lindsay. And and then we walked into the office and it heart already, Like you said, is standing on the table? Was that his

choice or was that written in the script? I don't remember. Whatever it was, it was brilliant, just that image of him just standing on the table, fidgeting with the like fixture above, you know, because he's freaking out about ship being bugged. Um. Yeah, I don't remember whose idea that was so good though, so good. Maybe it was Ron's idea under a little little baby bubby Ron he said, get up on that table. Um, But I love his performance.

We all walk in and he starts talking about this thing called thorn Gate, which is some insane intelligence shit. How would you even describe this, shack or Giarmo. Yeah, yeah, they're they're spying on citizens. It's not even like you know, like world leaders or potential like terrorists or people that you feel like the government would be spying on just to you know, watch their backs wornate. They're literally spying on just your common man or woman. They're spying on them.

And this this dude. Yeah. He brings in this external drive right and plugs it in, and then we see I think the first person that we see Thornate like alive and working was with Cyrus. Right. We see Cyrus in the White House and he's chatting about the President. He's talking to Hollis Doyle. I think this is when we first learned that Cyrus's middle name is Cyrus Rutherford Bean, because it's up on your computer. Yeah, and this is a fun fact, like you know already's like, okay, pick anybody,

pick anybody. I swear it, like right now, like Thornate is alive and well, right now, say anybody's name. We can fucking que into them right now and see where they're at. And she's like fine, Cyrus Rutherford Bean, Oh my god, Rutherford, I don't. I did not do a deep dive on where that could possibly come from. But

I did not either. I did not either. Maybe someday, but throwing it to Cyrus Rutherford Bean as we bring as Opa breaks in to the case to figure out about Thornate and what we do about it, the song on the background is at the car wash yeah gosh, yeah, which I know for a fucking fact that that is Jeff Perry's favorite song of all times. You gotta be kidding me. Oh my god, just the fact that that's Jeff Perry's favorite song has made my freaking day, My rainy, rainy,

gloomy day is brightened it up? What to be that once and he was like, I don't know if it was while watching this episode and like writing down scandal tweets, but in my memory, car wash is Jeff Perry's favorite song of all fucking time. Picture him driving around the shuffle of song. Oh my god, Oh my god, that's it's a great it's a great background song for all

of us. And we're doing all our due diligence to figure out about Thornate and who knows about it and all this crap, and Olivia screams at all of us to get already out. And the reason why Olivia freaks out and orders us all to get already to a safe place is because she has a meeting with Corinda and essay director, and Corinna doesn't blink an eye when Olivia brings up Thorngate, and that sort of puts up a rep flag for for Olivia, and she's like, oh shit,

something's up. This woman is trying to cover something up and can we just talk really quickly. The woman that plays um corin Corinne star freaking Q Sack and Q Sack who is I don't know what sibling line she's in with? Uh John and Joan and Joan there are another one wait let me go, I don't there might be they might not be an actor though, Um okay. There's Joan Cusack obviously, so fucking famous, so amazing. There's John Cusack. Oh so they both get names that start

with Jay, and poor ass. Anne gets like, what the hell? They're only Anne and Joan and John and John Yeah, yeah, and they're from Evanston, Illinois really quickly and Cusack so wonderful in this role. But also she's been in movies like Stigmata, which is another amazing horror film with Patricia Arquette. She was in The Birdcage. But the one film that she's in which she is just heartbreaking and stellar in it is A League of their Own. She's in a

League of their Own. She plays Shirley Baker, the one baseball player, the left fielder who in the beginning of the film when they put up, you know, the lists of the women that made it on the team, and she makes it, but she can't read, so she can't find her name. And it's the most heart wrenching scene in that movie. It's so beautiful and she's so lovely in that scene and so emotional, and and and Gina Davis. Davis takes an Cusack to the side and is like, honey,

can you like not read it? Yeah? I know, And then she goes, let's go find your name together. They take her little finger and they like scroll it down the list that's been put up on the wall, and then she tells her you made it. You made it. Oh yes, yes, me too, me too. Shout out to Ank Cusack, We love Shout out to an Cusack, we love it. Fucking Superstar okay um I Brenda's song is another guest star who's incredible. She plays Alyssa, David Rosen's assistant.

But she comes into David's apartment and sort of sees that he's in his underwear, which I seen Josh Lena and his underwear is like hilarious. I wish they were like tidy whities, though you know, they were like boxers. So it looks like shorts. I kind of wish they were like tidy whities. It would have been so funny with like a little stinging on the front and the back. Yeah, and like like cartoons like tweety birds or something stupid

like remember under Yes, like underreoth Um. But she comes in and she sees that David Ross in his entire like beautiful mind, asked wall of crazy, and the two of them spend the whole episode sort of really getting to the bottom of how Quinn Perkins got off so easily from the case that like ruined his entire life. She's a black belt in taekwondo. Who knew? Can you believe that? Yeah? And then of course she was like most people know her because she was in the Sweet

Life of Zack and Cody. Yeah, And I remember sitting next to her in the hair and makeup trailer when she would come to work. I think a lot of actors when they start off as like kid actors on the Disney Show, they're all sort of like panicked about you know, how am I gonna transition out of this? I'm a real actor, Like I want to work in other ways. And then some even like kind of can rebel and be like, look, how not Disney I am. Yeah,

So Brenda has a shit load of tattoos. I'm talking like in between every oh yeah, in between every single finger she has a tattoo, Like in between each finger on her fingers, she has tattoos. And I remember sitting next to her in the Hair and Nago trailer and she had to get them all covered up, covered up,

like every day because they're on her hands. Like it's one thing if you have a lot of tattoos on your body, but you wear clothes on the show, like what are But they were on her actual fucking hands. And I remember her saying something to the extent of like, you know, I was on a Disney show. And then I like did my phase of like I'm not a goody two shoe, like I'm not a Disney kid. I'm not that she got tatted up. She was like, I'm gonna get tatted up. Okay. So Brenda's song and McCully

culkin are getting married after four years of dating. Now, so she's getting married to McCauley culkin. Well, how like now as we speak, like this is present day, they're they're about to get married. Yeah, what I really wait. Oh. On January twenty sixth, people reported that mculey, Culkin and Brenda's Song are engaged the adorable couple who welcome their first child no back in April twenty twenty one. Most of their relationship pretty private since they started dating in

two thousand and seven. Teen. Wow, that's so really good. Like, oh, who they kept their ship incognito? Yeap, like nobody knew. I didn't know about that. Yeah, those are two and those are some child stars. Man. Oh yeah, Brenda, you were the best on our freaking show. Brenda's one of the guest stars that did come back a few times on our show. Right yeah, yeah, yeah, so good, Go get a snack and we'll be right back. Okay, what is your next sections of this episode? G that you

were like, this is the ship. Yeah, well, I wanted to talk really quickly about the safe house where we shot the fake. In the safe house where we take Artie Hornbocker, it's like Hucks, like the first time we see like Hucks, like you know, super like private, out of the way like safe house where we take our clients sometimes, And it was so much fun shooting there. It was always so much fun going and shooting on location because it felt like we just all had so

much fun. We were like little kids when we got to leave the OPA set. Right, that safe house was not on a stage. No, it might have been on It might have been on a stage, but it wasn't at Sante Gower, right, It was somewhere else. Is my mind that that's what I remember. But god, I do remember shooting it. It was so cool, Like so basically this is an underground, sub level fucking thing that Olivia Pope and associates owns that you sort of it's Huck's

place or something. Yeah, but I think it's Huck's place. I think it's I feel like Huck's had this spot for a minute, you know what I mean, But he was homeless for a while, so possibly Opa Olivia paid for for it and you know, to create it and

to have it. But I do remember it being so cool, and like they would always like add smoke to it, maybe like just so that the lighting always looked like kind of eerie and sort of like underground, and and like it's not so clear and it's really dark and dingy. But yeah, it was very cool. It was very very cool. Yeah, I was super fun shooting down there. So ladies at the safe house, Quinn and Huck are there watching him. Huk is under like nd stress to like break into

Thornate and like copy it or some shit. I don't know what hacking crap you're doing. You're doing something, yeah, yeah, yeah, Well they when they first um pop in that external drive that already brings to OPA, it sort of fizzles out and a firewall goes up, and now Huck has to break into that firewall so we have evidence to be able then to go to the authorities and be like, look, this Thornate is happening and it's fucked up. Here's the evidence.

So that's what Huck is trying to do. And you know, yeah, like you said, he's super stressed because it's you know, it's extremely difficult to look at you firewall with that fucking terminology big words fire firewall, so into it. I haven't said firewall since we shot Scandal, that's for damn sure. And my favorite scene of this episode, skipping a little ahead, is Fits is so pissed because they've gotten picks. He's

gotten picks that Edison and Olivia are talking again. He is not happy about it, and so he summons Olivia.

At five o'clock in the morning, the Secret Service shows up and they say, get in the fucking car and they take him her all the way out to the woods somewhere where Fits is hunting the scene, you know, which is for the title the episode Hunting Season is the Hottest, best, angriest, most amazing, where like fits like puts her on a rock and takes off her high heels, puts her in boots, is like lacing him up all aggressively, and they're looking at each other with like longing and

sadness and anger, and it's so complicated, and the two of them are so good. And he's got a gun and she's like, give me a gun and he's like, no, I have a gun. And they're marching through the woods and she's following him and they're yelling at each other and it's just so cold. It's so good. And before she gets out of the car, she's sitting in the car like, I'm not getting out. Who do you think you are summoned to me to wherever you are? Yeah?

And he says get out of the yeah, yea so loud, Oh my god, But it was so sexy, like you said, it was so hot, And I think the reason I was thinking about it, I was like, Olivia wouldn't put up with that shit. But I think the reason she finds it's so hot because she's like, oh, look if fits being all tough and shit, She's like, I will

fuck you up, motherfucker. You go ahead and be dominant all you want, and it's hot and I'm gonna kiss you later and make out, but at the same time, I'm gonna fuck you up if you go if you overstep, do you know what I mean? Like I feel that vibe from her, like she's the ball. She's like, okay, God, she like go ahead and yell bim. She's also like, fuck,

I have to like figure out this Thornate ship. Oh absolutely, yeah, yeah, there's so many don't And he's like, don't you dare fucking look into fucking thorn Gate, Like you are fucking with national fucking security and you're being a traitor to your country. And she's like, you're fucking spying on people and you're a dick. And he's like, and you're going to your ex boyfriend and she's like, you know about my fuck ex boyfriend and then without waiting too long

praiseby they're making up against a fucking trade. Next thing, you know, on the Quickness they're just making out on the track and like Tom and Hal and the Service just like turn their back. Yes, it's so awkward and uncomfortable and hot and one it made me think, like you imagine all the shit that goes down like with presidents, right, Like the shit like there's there's got to be moments where presidents are like, I don't give a fuck, this is what I'm doing, Like that scene when Fitz wants

to leave the White House. I forget what episode it was in, and he's just like I need to get out and do what I want to do, just for you know, an hour or two. But it makes you think, Matt, all the shit that those Secret Service guys must see and women, right, yeah, I just wrote crazy Walk and

Talk in the damn Woods. But also this is where Olivia reveals to Fits that they know about the late night phone calls to the White House, right, and that's sort of what stops him too, and he's like, wait a minute, Like I knew about Thorngate, but I didn't know these motherfucker's wispine I'm me too, you know what I mean, which we later find out that it's Cyrus right who sort of is using that shit fucking Rutherford. Yeah.

Um yeah, so he stops when he finds out, like, oh shit, they know about my personal shit boyfriend with all the details from Fits. Fits is so jealous, so so so so so jealous. That's what this is about, I think. And they make out against a tree and they're going so hard, and the Secret Service turned their back and Olivia says, I am not yours. I don't show up places because you want me. I am not yours. This is over. Yeah, so good? How many times has

it been over? Olivia? Goddamn? Oh well, this is just the beginning of this podcast, and were about to be Fits and Liver on. They're off, They're on, They're off, they're on, They're off. Another one of the scenes that happens a little bit earlier before this, um this hunting scene with Fits and Olivia is a scene with Abby and Harrison when they're going to check in on Monica, who was the supposed to the other woman, who knows that Artie knows about Thorngate and took Thorngate. They're back

and forth is just so good. I wrote down it's so classic buddy cop vibes. I love them together. Yeah yeah, I wrote it's so satisfying to the ear into the eyes. It's also very when Harry met Sally. It's just that back and forth. They just mesh and meld so well together, those two characters. And of course Darby and Columbus like had the best chemistry. Ah, where is that spin off? Right? Want that procedural and Abby Harrison spin off? Good Cop,

Bad Cop? I love watching them handlecases. Yeah yeah, yeah, And so we find her dead. We find Monica dead. She's dead? Yeah, he dead? She good? She did. I don't even know what the fucking body count is by episode two h three that we're at it scandal like, how many people have done it? That would be kind of a cool, like little side thing that we figure out is the body count. But I also gotta say I love the scene Fitz comes back from the hunting

scene with live and he's a dick to Mellie. And this whole episode he's been like nice to Mellie and they've sort of been reconnecting over like designing the nursery because the baby's coming, and Mellie is folding baby clothes that have been gifted to them from Queen Elizabeth, which, like Queen Elizabeth was alive at the time, Like right, I know, yeah, yeah, yeah. To me, it's just so weird, I know, and fits it is, like, you know, you could get somebody to fold those clothes, and that's when

she's like, no, these were gifted by the Queen. I'll fold these baby clothes. It also made me think like, oh, god, kids, I don't know how y'all do it. I was like I've said this before and I'll say it again. Listen. I got four goldfish and sometimes I'm like I kind of feed them today again, like I'm stressed, like, oh, he's fucking fish. I gotta clean this tank. I can't imagine having like live human beings running around. You got to keep them alive. You had a goldfish die yet

oh all the time. Yeah, but these have lasted. These have lasted over over a year. They're goldfish. I sometimes I buried. I buried a couple in my backyard, but usually just flush. But yes, Bellamy is folding baby clothes from Queen Elizabeth and they're in a great place her and fits and then he goes to this hunting thing and when he comes back, he had dick. He's to Mellie and Melly goes right up to Hall and Tom the Secret Service. She's like, what the hell happened while

they were hunting? And they are quiet and this scene, that scene is one of my favorite scenes in this episode too. Oh well, she's trying to get out of them. Why. She's like, why is my husband being a dick? Yes, can tell me, blink, just blink a few times. I'm going to list a bunch of names, and you can tell me who he saw out there and why, what's

affected him? And she names all these people like Cyrus, his mother, all these people, and then she goes to Olivia Hope and and how is like how winks and whole face changes and the only way that Belle Young can do. And she's like, thank you, Jim. Yeah. Oh, it's such a great, fun, fun scene. And the way Mellie says, floody, your eyelashes for a girl, Bellamy is just so good eyelashes for a girl. There are some moments where Bellamy is a Southern bell. I don't know

very many Southern women, do you. I don't either know. And Bellamy, like you said, she was like the first like southern bell if you will that I've met. But to that that level of the most loving, kind lovely person like that you can meet, Oh I know, And they write to that yes, yes, yes, And then I wrote down Olivia Show's network head thorn Gate, his wife at home. Oh oh oh right. So then she calls in all the the big dogs and to prove, like Thorngate is a real thing, isn't it the network people?

Doesn't she call? Is it the network people? Yes? Yes, yes, yes, because they're like, we're not going to show this ship. Yeah right, it's the people who are going to tell the American people, essentially on primetime news, yes, that this ship is going down. And then so Olivia tells Huck Show the footage and it's footage like you were saying, of this this head of the network's wife with their baby and talking to her friend. And he's like, oh my god, that's like my bedroom and my wife. You know,

this is a real him. And she's like, you know, he could he could maybe go to the gym once in a while. He's like shut it down, turn it off. If I get it in my head, She's like, my husband's dick is flaccid, like no viagra's working. I'm so not satisfied in the bedroom. Maybe it was just it's something in that are noting down. Yes, yes, I know it's real. And then, um, I just wrote we find out that wait, I have to pee. I'm gonna pee my pants. Yeah, we'll be right back after I go peepee.

And we're back from that quick peek. So now, so now what happens? Okay, Artie, Oh, we find out that already killed Monica. Oh, this is when this whole fucking We find out that ship goes down. Hawk has been had, Yes, he sure has, all by grilled cheese. It was the grilled cheese, old grilled cheese demise. So what happens You're

like making lunch or something. Yeah, well, um, Lartie, he's making grilled cheese and Hawk is sort of you know, he's he's hacked into the firewall and he's he's happy that he was able to do any didn't take twenty

two days, as he stated earlier in the episode. And then all of a sudden, you know, a smoke alarm starts going off, and Huck gets up from away from his computer and goes to open the window, and then we see that already goes to Huck's computer and pulls out the external drive and puts it in his pocket

and leaves, and Huck was hoody winked, well huts. Hud thinks at first that already going to the bathroom, so already goes to the bathroom, closes the door, and then he gets a call from Olivia, and Olivia is like, where's already he And Huck is like, oh, he's in the bathroom again, and Olivia's like, break down the door, break down the door. Yeah, yo, Can I just say really fast? I low key like thought I had dislocated my shoulder in this scene because I had to keep

banging into that door. I'm not even kidding. And my ship was like look, and you know, I was trying to keep it together because I was like, I can't stop like shooting and be like you guys, I think I dislocated my shoulder. It was so freaking bad. Oh

my god, Guermo, You've poor fucking thing. Actors are so fucking stupid, Like, of course, like the first couple takes, you're like so like you're so into it and you're you're like acting the shit out of scenes, so like you're gonna, like I'm gonna fucking break down the door, and like Olivia's yelling at you, and you're like, yeah, but bust. How it was for me, it was like the second take, I was like, oh my shoulder, Oh my god, and Ron was like one more time and

I was anyway, I was spopping. It wasn't dislocated, but it felt like still, you really committed. Yeah, So now Artie's on the lamb. Artie's gone, right, Artie's gone. He's got all the information. He's literally the most powerful person in the universe. He can spy on anybody at any time. And all I wrote after that is Abby says her, how did this happen? Abby's talking to Olivia like, no, You've made two mistakes. This mistake on Altie fucking Hornbocker,

just fucking Hoody winked us and Lindsay fucking Dwyer. Yeah, yeah, I know, get over at av get over? Can we can't? Can we talk about have we talked about this scene yet? That scene where where Mellie says that memorable line get yes, that's coming, that's the next one. But wait, wait, wait really quick. Right before that, they come to get us and I'll be a Pope and Associates and all I wrote down was that we are standing in key formation people like they open up the doors to get us,

and like it's the office. We're essentially making like a diamond. Yeah. And I don't remember if it was this episode or another episode, but when whenever we were like standing in that formation and had to stand in it forever because shooting takes so long, I feel like we were trying to make like dance routines happen, because it felt like we were in a music video formation. I think that's in the Blooper reel too, where we're in that formation

and we're all like busting out dancing. Yeah. We have to post that when this episode comes out and watch it because whenever I see Olivia, Pope and Associates in a shot where we're in like standing formation, we always were like and this is when we do rhythm nation. Yeah, and then we get into we switch back over to the White House and Mellie has the best fucking scene ever she's been stewing and brewing because Fitz has been a dick since he got back from hunting season with Olivia.

And she says, get over her, and Fitz says something like, well, I don't know what, get over her. I am so fucking impressed by your impression of that, Like I just did it once and I was like, oh, I'm not gonna be able to talk for a week. And then she says, you see her again, I'll blow you away, and I'm an excellent shot. The way she delivers that line too, she does it with like sort of with a relish, right and sort of with a smile and

a smirch. I'll blow you away. She's like, samee excellent shot. Don't forget so good. She's so like, um, you know, obviously the whole episode is about hunting and all these metaphors for hunting season and shooting. Um. And we get to Huck finds Artie and rout row Gottish toolbox or however you say toolbox, and yeah, very good. But it's one of the one of the one of the first times on the show, right that we see the toolbox.

We see it in season one. But I think this is this might be the second time where we see that infamous red toolbox yep, and then the bitch baby starts to fucking run away and Gi is like, I'm gonna dart your ass. I'm gonna doctor ass with his fucking poison as shit sleepy dart. Yeah. But but first

we find it. We we realize that Huck has tracked Ardie because already stole one of Huck's watches, which a little side note, a little fun fun fact, Huck would keep the watches of the people that he would torture and murder, so he has like boxes full of these watches. I don't know if you remember that case. I do not, Artie FARTI still one of Huck's watches, which have radium, which is really easy to track. And that's how Huck

found Artie Party. You fucking moron. Wait where I did it say in the script that Huck takes the watches of his No, that's from seven fifty two. We don't find that Outstie two. Yeah, but but the writers and the you know, they already knew about that. I'm assuming because in this in this episode, he has that box full of watches that already pulls out and Huck is like, don't fuck with that. Yeah, I love it. Then we get we cut to the bar and we've got the

line that the best. We're standing at the bar, me Darby in the middle, Harrison on the end, and Quinn is like, god, man already fucking had us. Man, he fucking it was perfect and we he fucked us, like, holy shit, that was unbelievable how he did it. And then Addie says, yeah, it takes when to no one, and I might you know what, screw you, fucking screw you, screw your fucking mother's mother, screw your father and everybody. Screw yourself straight to hell. Go to hell, and then

screw yourself there again. Yeah, go to hell and screw yourself too. Because I'm fucking done with this. I am not lindsay, I am Quinn, and I am here to stay.

And then Harrison so beautifully says, I'm Quinn, which is so good tag on Twitter my experience, like any single time for the next seven seasons, eight years of my life, anytime Quinn fucking kicked ass, it was a hashtag I'm Quinn bench and I'm grateful to Maddie Byrne and the scandal writers for that gift, Yes, because it was the best well and it was also a little you know, a little nod, a little salute to Britney Spears because

in Britain, Spear says, I'm Brittany bitch, I'm Quinn. Bench happens. It's the best um And Edison says he's just the client now because they've kicked him off the intelligence team. Huck says that he didn't hurt already and that he's handling it much. Yeah, he says, I didn't hurt him too much, so you know, he did something a little bit of damage, but yeah, and Olivia's a little bit concerned that she sort of opened this door, this torturing door, but Huck is like, no, no, I'm good, I got this,

don't worry about it. And the episode fucking ends, yeah, with Rosen and Abby going to Bonetown, going to Bonetown. Everybody, and that's where Abbey and Rosen went. They're going to Bonetown and it seems like it's pretty good. Yeah. I feel like the like the Gladiators lost their shit in this scene right at the end of this episode, because it was like what I don't think anyone expected that. Do you know what I mean for these things? Oh yeah,

yeah yeah. When we read it at the table read we were like, yeah, like it was a total total left field shocker shock shock shock. Yeah. And it's the beginning of their amazing, interesting, exciting relationship. I know. Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit. Twetete twetweetwee tweet toe tweet at the time. All right, yo, let's get into our favorite The tweets of the time are getting good, guys, they are getting good. They're getting better. I'm really happy with these.

There's a couple that I'm like, this shit is so good. Katie tweeted, my besties are coming over for popcorn and wine with their Grays ABC and Scandal ABC. How will you be watching? Oh god, somebody beat me up? Gross that's such a goody two shoe tweet. Like I was like you, that's so gross. It's like, okay, everybody, My bessies are coming over at Jess Florence writes, it's been weird, like seeing a grandma in bikini or a Democrat with a bible hashtag scandal, hashtag hil and then at Sharif

Jackson wrote longest shoelacing scene ever hashtag scandal. I bet that's drue. I think if we went in the Guinness Book of World Records for any scene on television that had shoelacing going on, that that was probably the longest one, but also so like sexual, so sexy, and it was merely the act of you know, tying her shoelaces, but it was still filled with so much sexual tension. Listen to this one. Why are they so surprised they know

about the Olivia presy horny night calls? Hashtag scandal. Olivia and President both scream at each other and her unstable just get a room again hashtag scandal. Peachy Jay said, but how does the president kiss Olivia Pope in front of his secret service? Hashtag scandal? How else is he going to do it? His secret service is around him? Twenty four seven My gig kiss. He don't care, He just wants, He just wants that them beautiful Olivia Pope lips on his lips and he doesn't care who wants

to watch it? Like he is like down to clown. Yeah, he's down to clown. Episode two oh four is next week. Episode two oh four is titled belt Way Unbuckled, and I remember this episode, and it's amazing to come back. Tell your friends, like, subscribe, get all your family and friends to watch, because all you gladiators, you're all out there and you got nowhere to go to put all your scandal gladiator love, so bring it here. So thank you for listening. Um, how do we wrap out? Oh? Hope, hope.

We love you guys, Love you guys, Thank you bye. 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 ABC Signature, and you can follow along by rewatching Scandal on Hulu.

Unpacking the Toolbox is a production of Shondaland Audio in partnership with iHeartRadio. For more podcasts from Shondaland Audio, visit the iHeartRadio app or anywhere you subscribe to your favorite shows.