Fitz and Olivia are presented with a shocking plan that might just make all of their troubles go away. Mellie is put through the ringer when confronted about her troubled marriage. The Gladiators continue to defend Olivia. Susan Ross turns to David for advice.
In the beginning of "Get Out of Jail, Free," the mood and urgency is quickly established for the hour. The official investigation into Fitz's misconduct while in office has begun and people are being brought in to testify. Mellie hopes that her fellow Senators have tipped her off to all of their questions so that she can emerge from these hearings largely unharmed. And yet, she is soon caught in a lie when the committee exposes that she did know about Fitz and Olivia's affair for at least two years. That shows that this committee is relentlessly pursuing the truth. It puts all the regular characters on high alert and scrambling to get their stories straight in a way that keeps everyone happy and safe.Fitz doesn't have to testify if he doesn't want to. The committee is looking into his actions and are determining whether or not to impeach. But he can use executive privilege in order to get out of appearing in front of the committee to answer their questions while it's being broadcast to the world. Olivia and Mellie don't have the same luxury. Mellie could use spousal privilege considering she and Fitz are still married. But the Senators lured her in with false promises that could cost her drastically in the future. Spousal privilege is also the only thing that can realistically keep Olivia from testifying as well. So she has to make the decision on whether she gets married to Fitz or answers the committee's questions.
Marriage is seemingly the only way out of this situation right now. It's something that Olivia has to take seriously. Her prepping her team very well isn't enough to silence the committee's numerous questions about her relationship with Fitz. But this marriage is one without a whole lot of romance to it. Olivia and Fitz do love each other. Fitz is ready to make this commitment. He even goes so far as to do this grand romantic gesture on the White House balcony. But Olivia is uncertain if this is what she wants right now. The world is dictating her relationship with Fitz. She wants the time to figure out what this relationship is. That's not something the world can give to her. She needs time. But she is in a race against the clock. She is called to testify by the end of the week. She needs to make a decision by then.
Fortunately for Olivia, she finds another way out of the situation. However, it's one that could have massive and deadly consequences in the future. She makes a deal with Mellie and Rowan. Mellie gets Rowan out of prison. Rowan blackmails all the Senators on the committee so that they stop this investigation. Olivia then has to help Mellie turn her career around so she can still become the President of the United States. It's a terrifying venture simply because Rowan is out of prison again. Mellie will have to answers those questions to the public about why see freed the father of her former husband's mistress. But all of it is a very tantalizing story for the future. It adds a sense of doom throughout this hour. It also creates some truly dynamic and emotional moments for Mellie as she learns just how much Rowan has influenced her life over the past few years. Her marriage to Fitz is finally over. She is finally free of all the pain and heartbreak he has caused her. She no longer has to serve him. That is Olivia's job now. Olivia pushed her out of that tragic relationship. And now, she's more determined than ever to achieve her ultimate goal. No one can stop her from mounting that big comeback. It may be awkward to have Olivia being in charge of said effort. But Mellie walks with purpose right now. It doesn't seem like anything will stand in her way even though, in that moment, she is standing next to the two people who killed her son.
However, the Rowan and Jake side of the story isn't interesting in the slightest. Rowan needs to get out of prison because he has become a target by the mysterious organization that initiated the Lazarus One protocol. Rowan's release from prison is only significant because it creates such visceral emotional reactions from Olivia and Mellie. Neither one of them wants him to be released back into the world. They fully believe he is where he belongs. They release him because it's in their own best interests. But this new threat to him doesn't have any stakes to it. It only exists in the Jake part of the universe. Jake is only tangentially connected to everyone else. He's enjoying his new relationship with Elise. Olivia does call him to ask his opinion about marrying Fitz but he rightfully throws it back in her face telling her she needs to make the decision herself. That's the most useful he is in this hour. It doesn't establish the urgency of the situation. That comes naturally out of Rowan being released from prison. The audience knows all the terrible things he has done on the show. It's scary to think that he can be controlling the situation once again. But that doesn't give any legitimacy to this new organization. Not even Elise's death does that because she was nothing more than a one-note and annoying character. Plus, this new entity doesn't even seem all that necessary simply because of how much strong dramatic and emotional material the show has gotten out of its characters this season. It's a story that can inform the next stage of the season. But it also feels very distracting to the overall story and effect of the moment.
Some more thoughts:
- "Get Out of Jail, Free" was written by Chris Van Dusen and directed by Chandra Wilson.
- David and Susan have a fantastic conversation about the humility it takes to be President of the United States. It's an office that terrifies Susan. She's not sure she can do the job. But David wonderfully points out that that's what will make her a fine President. The office requires the person to be humble. Everyone else in politics just wants to declare how much they want it. It's certainly what Mellie is doing. But Susan has the right mentality as well.
- It was random that Tom appeared alongside Rowan in that final moment. He wasn't important in the rest of the episode but there he was ready to continue doing Rowan's bidding.
- Elise's death is suppose to be significant because she dies in the spot where Jake thought he lost her before. And yet, it's still insignificant because she never actually did anything as a character.
- When Abby, Quinn and Huck appear before the committee, they all give coy and simple answers. And then, they blame everything on Harrison - a character the show has largely forgotten about - because the Senators can't question a dead person.
- Sally Langston is always so much fun. It's a tad disappointing that she has just become a running commentator though. She uses her show to deliver an opinion which then demonstrates how the media is responding to all of this big events.
- Mellie's big blowup at Fitz after she signed the divorce papers was fantastic.
