02x15 - Boom Goes The Dynamite

[bunniefuu]

(Fitz) That wasn't a mistake.

That was betrayal. We are done.

Previously on "Scandal"...

(Mike) The bartender saw you leaving McGhee's together the night she was stabbed to death.

(David) She'd just started downloading my Defiance files when she d*ed.
(Computer beeps)

There's high-level classified m*llitary intelligence on there.

(Cyrus) Four Americans have been kidnapped abroad.

They're our top C.I.A. assets in the region, Mr. President.

Do you want to tell me how they got their hands on legitimate U.S. operatives?

We have a mole.

(Olivia) So what is your thing?

People watching. How's 8:00 on Friday sound?

See you then, captain Ballard.

(Switch clanks)

(Indistinct conversation)

(Sighs)

I'm so sorry. This is not...

I'm not a late person, and I don't want you to think our meeting isn't a priority.

It's a date.

What?

You said "meeting."
I'm not a client.

I don't have a problem. I don't need fixing.

I asked you out. You said yes. We dressed up.

At the end of the evening, if all goes well, there will be... kissing.

This is not a meeting. This is a date. (Paper rips)

And I don't want to insult you. You chose this restaurant.

I'm sure the food is very good.

But this is not a date restaurant.

We can't have a date here. This is where dates go to die.

(Chair scrapes floor)

You look extraordinary, by the way.

So let's go.

(Projector and camera shutter clicking)

Tell me this is not a fantastic spot for a date.

It's not bad.

You're hard to please.

I like that. I like a challenge.

What's albatross?

I'm sorry. What?

Wendy was working on something called albatross, and I'm guessing that since she reached out to you, that you know what it is.

Wow, you really suck at dating.

I never said this was a date, you did.

Ouch.

Albatross.

We are on date, from which I will give you a 30 second break to answer your question. That is all, okay?

Go.

Couple of years ago, a guy from the state department gets busted selling classified documents to Tehran.

Pretty big deal, made even bigger by the fact that the day they were going to issue his arrest warrant, he pulls into his parking spot on K street and blows his brains out with a colt .38.

Now, the guy says in his su1c1de note that he was framed, that he wasn't the mole, he didn't know who the mole was, didn't know anything about him, except for the fact that he went by an alias.

Albatross.

Now, no one believed the guy.

The case was airtight, but the story became a legend.

So now, whenever anyone in the intelligence community messes up They blame it on albatross.

So, when Wendy was reaching out to you......

No, no, your time is up. The date is back on.

Captain Ballard...

Jake.

All my dates call me "Jake."

You do not give up.

I'm a Navy man. Navy men do not give up.

Neither do I.

Like I said, I like a challenge.

(Cell phone chimes)

(Chimes)

(Chimes)

(Beep)

Hello?

I'll be right there.

Ten minutes.

(Beep) Date's over.

Thought this wasn't a date.

I was being nice.

Mm.

Good night, captain.

Jake.

(Footsteps depart)

(Projector and camera shutter clicking)

Day eight.

Fitz...

Day eight! They're running a damn tally of the most glaring failure of my presidency on every network on a loop, while we, for all apparent purposes, do nothing.

You are doing everything to get those hostages back safe.

It's not your fault the intelligence simply isn't there.

What if you reached out personally to the families, told them...

What?

That we have no clue where their loved ones are, who exactly has them or how to get them back?

But, you know, tie another ribbon.

You need a break. You haven't been sleeping. (Exhales)

This thing has been consuming you day and night. (Pouring drink)

Don't wait up. I have work to do.

(Kisses)

(Door opens and closes)

He's here, sir.

Send him in.

(Sighs)

Mr. President, sir.

(Door closes)

Son of a bitch.

"Mr. President"... I'll never get over saying that.

Jake.

How are you?

I'm good.

You want a drink?

We're drinking.

(Projector and camera shutter clicking)



(Projector and camera shutter clicking)

Someone's following you?

Yes.

(Door closes)
(Sniffs) All of a sudden?

(Clears throat) How do you know?

Just I know. It's a feeling.

Can you describe them?

That's easy.

They're very scary and extremely invisible.

I have no idea what they look like.

I see a car in my rearview mirror, and I hear footsteps behind me. I turn around, they're gone.

Well, if this phantom menace is real, as long as they think Wendy's flash drive is still out there, they're gonna stop until they k...

Until they k*ll me? That's what you were gonna say, right?

Smooth.

(Inhales) Ugh!
(David sighs)

We need to find out what albatross is.

(Olivia) He's a mole. A made-up one, as far as the intelligence community's concerned, the stuff of legend... athough given the files we found on this flash drive...

Maybe he really exists.

So this Wendy girl... what?

She... she stole the files from this guy?

Realizing what she had, Then got k*lled before she was able to do anything about it.

If this stuff is so top secret, why aren't we...

(Olivia) Why aren't we what, Quinn?

Um... (Exhales) Why aren't we handing them over to someone in the administration?

We don't have all the facts.

We also covered up a m*rder and messed with a crime scene.

If we turn in that flash drive, we screw ourselves.

20% of the albatross files were encrypted.

I've got three computers working on it right now.

What's the time frame, Huck?

No, this stuff's from the Pentagon.

They have got firewalls aside their firewalls.

I'll get through them, but we're talking days, not hours.

Once that's done, we may have a better idea who our mole is.

Well, it's probably the same person who's following me, just waiting for the right moment to sh**t me or run me over or drown me in my own toilet.

Huck will trail you for the next couple of days, make sure you're not in danger.

(Sniffs)

Does Huck...

Stink? Yes. To high heaven.

(Door closes) Like he hasn't showered in days.

At least David will always know where he is.

(Harris and Quinn laugh)

You see any of the guys?

Uh, lucky's C.E.O. of some big tech firm now.

Patty and Rick... They fly for the airlines.

You know Coney's teaching at Annapolis?

Coney is shaping young minds?
(Laughs)

Poor kids.

They all follow you.

They call me, like I've got some direct line to the Oval...

It's good to see you.

In person, I mean.

You're a hard man to get to these days.
(Inhales)

That's a thing you don't bank on.

You work your ass off to get to the White House, then here you are and...

I didn't count on the isolation.

It makes you do things.

Color outside the lines.

Fitz...

You don't have to keep...

I'm happy to.

I never should have asked Tom to call you.

I'm happy to do any favor you ask of me. You know that.

It's done. I'm doing it. I've been doing it.

How is she?

She's good.

Quiet. Makes my job easy. Spends most of her time working.

She took up swimming recently.

She was on the swim team in high school. (Chuckles)

Sir?

Nothing. What else?

She reads a lot, watches the news... a lot.

She doesn't sleep enough. She's...

What?

She's unhappy. She doesn't date.

I think maybe the breakup with senator Davis might have been hard on her.

I don't think so.

I know Davis.

He was serious. She wasn't.

If you don't mind my asking, we've made the jump from photo surveillance to video surveillance.

That's not a question.

I was wondering why.

I have my reasons.

(Sighs)

Well, it would help if I knew your reasons.

If I'm the one watching the feed, I need to know what to look for.

Have you seen anything yet?

Well, it... might be nothing, but she could be getting into something interesting, possibly dangerous with work.

I'm not sure yet. It's...It's too soon to tell.

(Cap clatters)

Fitz, my professional opinion is she seems harmless, so unless this is personal...

You're watching tapes and looking at photos.

You don't know her.

Olivia Pope is not what she seems.

Of course. I didn't... I'm s...

I didn't mean to... It's just I'm... (Sighs)

She's not a good person.

Not the way you think.

And this isn't personal. Nothing about this is personal.

Of course. I didn't mean to imply...

No. I get it.

It's okay. Just...

Stay on her.

(Both chuckle)

You're still in the office. Do you know what time it is?

Fun never ends around here, senator.

How you been, Liv?

Busy. And you?

That's Peter Caldwell of the Caldwells. - Gold star.

The Caldwells are clients?

So?

So they're one of the dirtiest political dynasties in American history.

What can I do for you, Peter?

Well, it's not me this time, Liv. It's my brother... Will.

He's making a play for the North Carolina Governor's mansion.

I heard.

Congressman Will Caldwell, heir to the famous Caldwell republican dynasty.

(Wild cherry) ♪ hey, once I was a funky singer ♪

So this is where the Caldwell magic is happening?

Ground zero. You remember my wife Marion.

Ah. Of course. Thank you for coming.

Oh, the man of the hour.

Olivia. Back with us again. What happened?

Chip fall off the wagon? Josie make another sex tape?

Who's in crisis today?

You are, Will.

(Projector and camera shutter clicking)

How's polling?

Got the race in the bag if he wasn't...

So gay?

I read the gossip rags. It's my job to be well-informed.

I'm not gay!

Will, come on!

I am not gay!

Then why are you still single?

I'm sowing my oats. I don't want to settle down.

You haven't dated anyone in the last ten years.

And don't tell me that you have, because I did my homework on you.

You don't date, you don't go out, you don't meet women, and you don't have sex with anybody.

Why?

The rumors are k*lling his chances.

We have a giant fund-raiser coming up, and our conservative donors are fleeing for the hills.

Best way to quash rumors is go with the truth.

Come on, Liv. You can't be elected a gay Governor in a red state.

Says who?

You want me to be the first gay Governor of North Carolina? - Yep.

Well, that'll be difficult, Olivia, because I'm not gay.

He needs a wife.

We do that?

Peter, I don't need to get married.

You belong in the Governor's mansion.

We're just trying to figure out the best way to get you there.

You sound just like mom.

(Abby) Older brother Peter's a senator from Indiana.

Has four kids with wife Marion.

Peter holds the family together, and, boy, do they need it.

Sister's the Texas Attorney General with a coke problem.

Father was Governor of Tennessee, bid for the White House.

Failed when they discovered his secret Canadian family.

♪

Fine. Canadian mistress. But she did have a kid.

Before we go down the fake wife road, why don't we ask will what he wants?

Gay I could work with.

Gay I could get elected.

Gay I could take all the way. Give me ten years, and I can make a gay president.

Will...

I'm not gay.

So we have a problem, because this...

Single, celibate, no women or men anywhere, no virility, no testosterone, no passion...

That's fatal.

Hold on...

When's the last time a single man has been elected to the Governor's mansion in any state in the last 40 years?

When?

People don't like a guy they can't place.

A married man, a widower, a divorced dad, a gay partner... They get that.

A single guy with no sign of anyone?

No love life?

People don't trust it, and they won't vote for it, not even the most liberal of your constituents, and we're in a red state, so that's about 20 people to begin with.

It's an uphill battle that you don't want to fight, Will, because you won't win.

You've got this, Will. You are good at this game.

You could take the Caldwell name all the way.

The White House.

(Sighs)

What do you think, Marion?

You weren't raised by political wolves.

You might still have a soul in there.

This is your dream, Will. You've worked so hard for it.

Be a shame to throw it away now.

(Sighs)

Let's find me a fake wife.

♪ Yeah, and they was dancin' and singin' ♪

So, who wants to marry into this lovely family?

I was enrolled at Princeton. Eating club and all.

But I spent all my time in New York hunting for fabric, so after sophomore year I dropped out.

Uh, not to be rude, but why do you care?

Compatibility will be important in selling this.

The public's smart. They've seen enough fake reality shows to know from true love.

Plus you'll be spending a lot of time with this person, so what do you look for in a woman?

So your father was a preacher, right?

Lutheran. Made me stand up in front of the assembly every week and read the bulletin.

Now you're on air for BNC. Makes sense.

So you a headhunter?

(Laughs)

It would help if she understood my responsibilities as Governor will have to come first.

It would help if she was sexy as hell, too.

Let's start there.

I've never been behind forcing kids to pray in school.

The point of my op-ed in the "Sun" was to simply argue that we might set aside the time for the students who choose to pray.

Who did you say you work for?

(Projector and camera shutter clicking)

Where are we with David?

Uh, apartment is clean. There's no sign of anyone tailing him. Stay on him just in case.

Okay.

Ooh.

Huck?

You okay?

Yeah. Why?

No reason.

Whew.

If you're looking for Liv, everyone went home.

Just k*lling time. Huck's checking out my car, making sure it's not bugged.

(Panting)

(Projector and camera shutter clicking)

(Moaning and panting)

(Projector and camera shutter clicking)

It isn't just this hostage situation.

Until you get to the bottom of this security breach, I'm virtually paralyzed here!

Any intelligence I get, any action I take runs the risk of being completely compromised.

Sir...

I want a full court press.

You eat at your desks, you don't sleep or go home until you unearth this guy!

(Sighs)

Cyrus.

There's a situation, Mr. President.

I must warn you, what you're about to see is quite graphic, extremely disturbing, and wholly unsuitable for young audiences.

This footage was sent to Al-Jazeera this morning.

It's on every network.

(Man speaking foreign language)

(Female translator) The jihadi will no longer tolerate the infiltration of American spies...

Why is he holding the paper like that?

So we can see the date.

The want us to know it happened today.

(Man continues in foreign language) No. No. No. No... no. No.

No! No!

No!

(Kn*fe slices)
Oh, my God, Fitz.

(Stabbing and slicing)

(Squish) (Man speaking foreign language)

(Translator) This is the destiny of the others...

Turn it off.

Who do not do as we say.

We will...

Turn it off.

(Turns off tv)

(Birds chirping in distance)

(Beeps)

Olivia Pope.

We need a second date.

Captain Ballard.

Jake.

Jake.

Hear me out.

You were late to our first date.

You chose a bad restaurant, forcing me to improvise. You left early, and there was no kissing.

You did not get the full Jake Ballard experience.

You're owed a second date.

I could cheer you up.

What makes you think I need cheering up?

Well, don't you?

Jake, I don't date.

Um, just...

(Breath quavers)

I'm sorry. I'm just not dating right now.

Why not?

What was his name? You want me to b*at him up for you?

Because clearly he was no good.

Good-bye, Jake.

(Phone beeps)

(Beep)

(Monitor clicks)

The White House issued this statement just after the hour, saying, and I'm quoting now, the President deplores this barbaric act committed against an innocent American.

The perpetrators must and will be brought to justice.

(Sighs) Tell me we're doing more than a press release.

This is just the initial statement.

Fitz is also going to say something from the Oval. He didn't tell you?

He doesn't tell me anything these days.

Ah, Cyrus...

Words won't be enough.

They cut the head off of an American, Mellie.

You do not answer that with a pleasant sonnet.

You get revenge... blood for blood.

Fitz is worried they will k*ll another hostage.

The t*rrorists are state-sponsored, if not officially, then unofficially.

During the day they may not be drinking tea with Kashfar intelligence, but at night they are sipping from their saucers.

We need to send in drones, take out a couple of their top guys.

Or a wedding party. It doesn't matter, just as long as you light a fire under the Kashfaris.

You hold them accountable, and they will find the hostages for us.

I'll pass it along.

I'm gonna make sure he knows this is your idea.

Cy, he can't keep shutting you out.

You're too valuable.

Well...

Today, I've brought in little chocolate bars... fun size.

If you get a right answer, I'll give you one of these bars.

So let's get started.

Who can tell me who Lyndon Johnson was?

It was in your reading assignment, guys...

All four pages of it.
(Sighs)

One of our presidents?

Yes. Yes, he was, Darren. He was one of our presidents.

Our 36th President, to be exact.

(Loud thud on window)

Dude? Dude?

Dude? Dude!

My candy bar?

Right.

(Breathing heavily)

(Projector and camera shutter clicking)

I don't get it. He's gorgeous, successful.

How come he doesn't date?

He's gay.

Lots of people don't date.

He is gay. - Doesn't mean there's something wrong with him.

There's nothing wrong with it if he was out of the closet, but he's not. - I don't know. Looks like there's a spark.

Speaking of flammable, you tell your partner in crime to take a shower yet?

I think there might be something wrong with him.

He's Huck. There's something very wrong with him.

Doesn't give him a pass on hygiene.

(Laughs) All right.

Nodding, leaning, eye contact.

All good.

(Singsongy) Hey!

(Normal voice) Come on. Casual touch, and boom goes the dynamite.

(Speaking inaudibly)

Before you sign on the dotted line, just...

Take a minute, okay?

(Chuckle) I know what a political marriage is.

There are upsides...

The money, the houses, the clothes.

You'll be American royalty. That's all true.

But you'll also be put under a microscope.

Every move you make will be scrutinized and held up for judgment.

They'll never stop watching you, because your life isn't yours anymore.

It's theirs... The family's, because they bought you.

And they're gonna want what they paid for.

(Man) The Kashfari skies were ablaze today, as U.S. drones bombed key m*llitary installations, a move many Americans are calling a much-needed show of strength on the part of President Fitzgerald Grant.

Although Kashfari government officials have denied...(Turns off tv)

(Rain falling)

72 hours, Mr. Prime Minister...

That's how much time you've got to find the hostages and deliver them to us alive.

Fail to do that, and I'll order a second round of strikes.

Have I made myself clear?

Clock starts now.

(Hangs up receiver) Let's see if he bites.

The press certainly did.

They're calling today's strikes a much-needed show of strength.

I should listen to my wife more often.

What?

The strikes were Mellie's idea.

She called it "blood for blood."

The woman can't handle a diaper change, but bombing a village? No problem.

(Laughter)

Well done, sir.

(Door opens)
(Door closes)

(Projector and camera shutter clicking)

Mallory dropped out?

I'm afraid she had a last-minute change of heart.

And why is that?

Abby!

The Caldwell fund-raiser is tomorrow.

He needs a woman on his arm.
The woman.

You put us completely back to square one.

I couldn't just let her...

She didn't know what she was getting into, Liv.

Not every political marriage ends up with...

Three broken ribs, a busted jaw, and a restraining order?

I'm sorry.

I look at that family and... it brings it all back.

If one chat with you is all it took, she didn't have the stomach for it anyway.

(Door opens)

(Clicks switch)

(Door closes)

(Thunderclap)

(Distant thud)

(Screeching sound in distance)

(Buttons clicking)

(Windshield wipers squeaking)

(Breathing heavily)

(Line ringing)

(Ringing and squeaking continue)

Come on, Huck.

(Grunting)

(Muffled shout)

(Gasping)

(Screaming) (Gasps)

(Ringing and squeaking continue)

(Continues grunting)

(Female voice) You have reached the voice mailbox of...

(Sighs) (Beeps)

(Footsteps approaching)

(Panting)

(Gasps) Please don't hurt me!

I know who k*lled Wendy.

I'm sorry I followed you.

It's called stalking. And thank you, by the way, for putting your phone on vibrate and taking a nap.

I don't nap. - Or whatever it is you did while I was being stalked.

David! Why were you following him?

I just wanted to talk. I-I know you didn't k*ll Wendy.

How? - Because she said she really liked him.

Wendy was my best friend. We told each other everything.

And she knew she had something really big.

She knew someone wanted to k*ll her for it.

Did she know who?

There was this guy...

I don't know who it was.

I saw them fighting outside her house once.

He was threatening her.

He s-said he wanted whatever she had on him.

That had to be him.

But the thing is, he knows I know.

He saw me watching, and now she's dead, and I'm the only one who knows who k*lled her.

Do you think he'll try and k*ll me?

Harrison, Abby, keep prepping Gayle and will for the gala.

Huck, put Molly somewhere safe, and see if there are any security cams outside Wendy's house that could give us a visual on this guy.

Maybe we can I.D. him.

What do you think?

Take her to the safe house, or spring for a room at the Stanworth?

Uh, do whatever you want.

(Door opens and closes)

(Projector and camera shutter clicking)

She backed out?

It happens sometimes.

They think they're on board, and when it's time to pull the trigger, they balk.

But we have a very strong runner-up.

She'll be ready in time for the fund-raiser.

(Marion) No. Enough is enough.

First choice, yes, it's worth the risk, but... - Marion.

This is Will's wife we're talking about here.

If he rushes into this with this woman, and then next week decides he hates her... - He'll get a divorce.

I know you have my best interests at heart, but the gala tomorrow night... That's my sh*t.

(Cell phone chimes) Those are the people whose wallets pick our party's leaders.

This second choice of ours... She good, Liv?

Because we're gonna need a real charmer now.

Who does she need to charm?

The President of the United States just agreed to be our keynote speaker tomorrow night.

(Exhales)

(Chuckles)

Can't you send someone else to the Caldwell gala?

Mellie, the Vice President, Secretary of Agriculture...

Anyone.

I didn't even know about it.

I had no idea he was even going.

You're kidding me.

I'm completely out of the loop, Liv.

But it's not the Kn*fe in my back that is upsetting to me.

It's the size of the Kn*fe in my back.

It's the... enormous Kn*fe, being stabbed over and over and over. - Cyrus.

She's got him. He looks to her.

He leans on her. He's her guy now.

Maybe that's how it should be.

She's his wife. She's the mother of his children.

This is Mellie we're talking about.

(Sighs) Whatever you feel about Fitz, whatever happened, leaving him to Mellie... That is low, Liv.

Cyrus.

Yeah, I-I know. I'm sorry. It's just...

I almost don't know who I am without him.

It's like...
(Sighs)

I don't know what to do with my hands, and she's shoving me out the door.

I can't figure out how to fight her.

(Thunder rumbling in distance)

Let Mellie be.

That's how you fight her.

Don't overthink it. Just let Mellie be.

Let Mellie do what Mellie's going to do.

When it comes to Fitz, Mellie's her own worst enemy.

Eventually, she's going to go too far and cross him.

You just need to be there when she does.

Besides, if that doesn't work, he'll be seeing me at the fund-raising gala.

Which should take the heat off you, because the only person Fitz hates more than you is me.

(Projector and camera shutter clicking)

I was telling her class what it's like to be a congressman, but it wasn't going very well.

Honey, they're first-graders.

They have the attention span of gnats.

Honestly, I couldn't take my eyes off her.

I was like a blushing schoolboy.
(Laughs)

Don't flinch when she touches you.

And don't call yourself "a blushing schoolboy."

In fact, don't ever say "blushing."

Find a place to disagree about the story.

Makes you sound less rehearsed.

Again.

Again.

First grade teacher from Nebraska.

What was her college major again?

Library studies.

Not to mention she's pro-life, pro-g*n, and pro-family.

She wants kids.
(Exhales)

At least four.

And she water-skis... competitively.

And this was his second choice? Liv, you have outdone yourself.

Be a hell of a thing if this marriage became more than a political convenience, wouldn't it?

Yeah. A hell of a thing.

(Projector and camera shutter clicking)

These bombing raids are a death sentence for my son...

(Shutters clicking) And for all the other hostages of Kashfar.

This President is endangering my poor Charlie's life.

He is clearly not fit to be commander-in-chief.

You sure you don't want me to come with you tonight?

I could dig something up out of the closet.

It's a bunch of party bigwigs and oilmen.

You'd be bored to tears.

(Exhales)

(Knocks on door)

Just wanted to remind you, sir, to pay a little lip service to the chamber of commerce guys.

They'll be spending big come midterms.

Uh-huh.

He's under so much pressure, Cy.

It's terrible, isn't it? Approvals are free-falling.

He's coming off as a demon.

I wish there was something we could do.

It's not like we can tell the families that we're back-channeling with the Kashfaris.

We just have to take the b*ating.

Too bad Fitz can't meet with the families.

(Sighs) Be a media circus.

What if it were me?

You?

I'm good with parents. I speak their language.

What about the press?

The second these parents show up at the White House, we'll lose a week's worth of news cycles.

So we set up a conference call...

A private number the families can dial into.

I say my piece, I set them at ease...

Disaster averted.

(Woman speaking indistinctly on tv)

What would this White House do without you, Mellie?

(Exhales)

(Projector and camera shutter clicking)

(Sighs)

(Sighs)

(Cell phone chimes)

(Chimes and beeps) I have a car waiting.

One of the girls talked.

What? To who?

Editor of the "D. C. Dish."

He just called asking me to comment on the auditions we held to find a fake wife for, and I quote, "Senator Caldwell's gay brother."

How much does he know?

Everything, from rehearsals to confidentiality agreements.

(Exhales) Find out how much lead time we have.

None. They're running the story tomorrow morning.

(Exhales)

(Clicks switch)

This story cannot come out.

It'll destroy Will's political career.

I'm headed to the "D.C. Dish" now.

I bet it's the first girl who leaked it...the one Abby got to.

We deal with that later. Just do whatever...

And, Harrison, I mean whatever we need to do to shut this down!

Hey, Anne.

I'm on deadline, Cy. Come back in an hour.

I've got a big story for you. Biggest of the week.

An American civilian was beheaded in Kashfar, and in return you guys ignored international law and bombed half a dozen villages.

News-wise, I'd say it's already been a pretty big week.

8:00 tomorrow morning, the First Lady will be on a conference call, a conference call where she will speak very freely about what this administration is doing regarding the hostages.

She will speak freely because she won't, in fact, know that a reporter, hopefully yourself, will be on the line.

(Paper rustles)
(Clicks tongue)

Have I mentioned how much I like and respect you, Cy?

Anne.
You're welcome.

(Projector and camera shutter clicking)

The house across the street from Wendy's had a security cam.

Mm-hmm.

And look, right there...See that?

Mm-hmm.

Same night Molly saw Wendy fight with our mystery guy, and the time fits, too.

We should have Molly come in and take a look, see if she can I.D. him.

I'll call right now.

(Gasps)

(Projector and camera shutter clicking)

We're running this. End of story.

Off of one source?

Look around you.

This is the "Dish," not the "Times."

I ain't Bernstein, and my reporter sure as hell ain't Woodward.

I get it. You break this story...

However erroneous and fabricated... and what?

Sell out a day's worth of papers, score a few hundred thousand clicks?

Let me just ask you... would you rather break this story, or would you rather own this story?

What's your offer?

(Chuckles)

(Indistinct conversations)

She was so pretty, I-I still don't know how I made it through "Green Eggs and Ham."
(Laughs)

Keep in mind, there's only about five words on each page.

(Laughter) Thank you so much.

(Amplified voice) Ladies and gentlemen, the President of the United States.

(Applause)

(Panting and rustling)

(Moans)

(Laughs and sighs)

Don't think this means anything.

(Exhales)

Don't worry! I don't!

When it comes to leadership, there's no better man than Will Caldwell.

(Applause)

I mean that.

Support him, and not only does North Carolina get a damn good Governor, but he'll be too busy to run against me in the primaries.

(Laughter)
(Chuckles) Thank you.

Thanks, everyone.

(Applause) Thank you.

Will Caldwell, Governor.

(Speaks inaudibly)

(Cell phone chimes)

(Chimes)

Harrison.

Well, now I know why you won't go out with me again.

You're having a torrid affair with Henderson.

It's Harrison, and he's my coworker.

Why are you calling?

Uh, you called me.

No... (Laughs) I didn't.

Yes, you did.

You said, "Jake, if I'm gonna go on a second date with you, I'm gonna need you to sell me."

You don't remember saying that?

No. So sell me.

Let me guess. We'll start at a Michelin-rated restaurant and end up picnicking under a bridge.

No, I was thinking the Metro.

Slap some Mac and cheese in a tupperware.

The Red Line's my favorite, but it's also the longest, so until I'm sure that I like you, you know, as much as you like me, I think it's best we start with something short, like the Green Line.

(Call waiting beep)

I have to go, Jake. I'm sorry. Can I call you back tomorrow?

And say hi to Henderson for me.

(Laughs) (Button clicks)

Tell me you shut it down.

I shut it down. It took me offering exclusivity on the Caldwell wedding photos and pretty much everything else for the rest of their heavily contracted marriage, but given what's at stake...

Small price to pay.

So where are we with the first girl?

You think we can muzzle her?

That's the thing.

I was talking to the editor, and he said the leak came from inside the family.

(Clicks phone)

Hello? Liv?

(Peter) He needs a wife.

(Olivia) You haven't dated anyone in the last ten years.

Why?- I'm sowing my oats. I don't want to settle down.

This is Will's wife we're talking about here.

If he rushes into this with this woman and then next week decides he hates her...

(Door clicks)

Be a hell of a thing if this marriage became more than a political convenience, wouldn't it?

Yeah. A hell of a thing.

(Echoes) A hell of a thing.

(Harrison) He said the leak came from inside the family.

I can't.

(Panting)

I have to go.

Marion...

Olivia.

Will.

End it. Now.

I don't know what you're talking...

I saw you. End it.

I don't care how much we're paying you.

You have no right to insert yourself into a private family...

I can't. It's too late.

Why?

Because I love her.

The day Pete brought her home ten years ago, I wasn't even supposed to be there.

I was supposed to be on a plane.

Sometimes I wonder, if I had just been somewhere else...

We denied it for months, because that's what you do.

You deny it. You pretend it's not happening.

You pretend it's all above board and it's appropriate, and the next thing you know, you're having sex in the coat closet at your brother's engagement dinner.

Pete loves her. She's his wife.

And she and I...

Well, we have what we have. It might not be much, but it's what we have.

You have nothing.

You have a pile of secrets and lies, and you're calling it love.

And in the meantime, you're letting your whole life pass you by while they raise children and celebrate anniversaries and grow old together.

You're frozen in time.

You're holding your breath. You're a statue waiting for something that's never going to happen.

Living for stolen moments in hotel hallways and coat closets, you keep telling yourself they all add up to something real, because in your mind they have to, but they don't.

They won't. They never will.

(Voice breaking) Because stolen moments aren't a life.

So you have nothing.

You have no one. End it now.

(Projector and camera shutter clicking)

(Thunderclap, rain falling)

(Footsteps approaching)

(Sighs) Um...

(Sets cup on table) I've got Molly set up in the conference room looking at the images of the guy you found on the security cam from Wendy's house.

Fingers crossed she can I.D. the guy.

Uh, yeah.

You smell.

What?

You smell, Huck.

You've smelled for a week.

(Inhales sharply)

I googled it.

What happens to people who've been waterboarded.

They get panic att*cks. They can't sleep.

Some of them can't even go out in the rain.

(Labored breathing) Sometimes the rain makes things so bad, they can't even face the shower.

Huck?

It'll go away.

When the rain stops, it'll go away, and I'll be fine.

Being okay as long as it doesn't rain isn't the same as being fine.

I used to live in a box outside the Metro, and before that I dismembered people for a living.

Right now I smell.

When the rain stops, I won't smell.

I'm fine.

(Beep)

Is that...

One of Wendy's files.

(Huck taps key)

(Door opens and closes)

How exciting to be summoned.

Speaking to the hostages' families, making promises in my name?

In the first lady's defense, sir, her heart was in the right place.

It's where her head was lodged.

I was only trying to help behind the scenes.

There was a reporter on the call.

It's all over the news.

What?

There wasn't supposed to be press.

Oh, there wasn't supposed to be any witnesses to your discussing m*llitary options with civilians, or implying we're willing to negotiate with t*rrorists, jeopardizing every U.S. citizen overseas.

That was just an "oops"? Fine!

I feel so much better.

(Inhales) What can I do, sir?

You've done enough, Cy.

Arrange a press conference... C.I.A., National Security, and Secretary of State.

Good. Smart. We'll act fast, put a band-aid on it.

Fitz...

That'll be all.

(Exhales)

Representative Caldwell might have thought he'd be the one making headlines, with a big endorsement from president grant, but never underestimate America's love of a Cinderella story.

Stealing the spotlight was Caldwell's date to the gala affair, an elementary school...(Turns off tv)

(Sighs)

(Cell phone rings and beeps)

Hey there, you.

Yes.

Yes?

Yes, I will go out with you.

Henderson's out of the picture?

(Chuckling) Henderson's out of the picture.

I've got a client. Call me later.

Job well done, as usual.

Looks like your brother might actually win this thing.

Oh, he's got a great sh*t. Gayle on his arm and the President in his corner.

Money is flowing in by the barrel.

All we have to do is keep chip out of rehab.

I say the Caldwells are golden.

It'll be nice to have your little brother in the Governor's mansion.

(Clicks tongue) Yeah.

Be nice to have my wife back, too.

Come on, Liv.

I grew up in America's greatest political family.

We lie first, breed second.

They've been sleeping together for years.

Saw it from a mile away.

If you knew, why didn't you stop it?

Because my brother's crazy enough to try and fight me for her.

He'd t*nk his whole career for Marion.

I couldn't let that happen.

Family comes first. Always has.

That's the downside of being a Caldwell.

What is it?

These are the hostages.

Their C.I.A. files were on Wendy's flash drive.

Huck just de-encrypted them.

So albatross, the mole, the man who k*lled Wendy...

He's the one who leaked their names to the t*rrorists.

I went in house, I did a thorough sweep of all my officers, checked all ingoing, outgoing communications.

And?

The mole is not in the agency.

The C.I.A. is clean on this, sir.

Which is a relief.

However, it does not solve our problem.

I know the picture's not great, but you think that's the guy?

That's him.

It is?

That's him. That's the guy. I know it. That's him.

(Panting) Olivia!

Sir, for my money, I'd start looking into other intelligence avenues...

The N.S.A., National Security Council.

I can provide you with reliable names, oversee any sweeps you need.

That's the guy who wanted what Wendy stole!

That's the guy who k*lled her! That's him on the tv!

That is him!

(Speaking inaudibly)

Thank you, Osborne.

Happy to be of service, Mr. President.

(Knock on door, door opens)

Sir?

Send him in.

(Bottle clatters)

I don't see you in person for three years, and now I'm seeing you twice in a week?

I'm starting to feel special.
(Door closes)

You still watching her?

Of course.

But I have to tell you, I don't have any more information than I gave you the other day. - Who's the guy?

What? There's a guy, isn't there?

She's seeing someone, someone new.

Look...

Who's the guy?

So this is personal. Look, Fitz...

I'm your commander-in-chief. It's "Mr. President," and I need an answer.

Mr. President, there is no guy.

She's not seeing anyone.

(Projector and camera shutter clicking)