We have been treated to another show this season. No it is not about Olivia and her gladiators or her and the tempestuous romance with the President, it is all about the story of an election. We have watched the candidates campaign and even witnessed how it was all put together. But this election has been unlike the other ones that have been portrayed on the show. At this point , all we know is that another President is going to take over the Oval and Fitzgerald Grant will eventually leave the White House. He claims he will go to Europe to write his memoirs , but we are still hoping there is a house in Vermont just waiting for him and Olivia.
Tonight’s episode was called “Extinction” and it showed a side of Eli Pope that we have never seen before.The show took place 53 days before the election. Ironically , Olivia was concerned about Mellie starting a romance with Marcus. The show was filled with all these delicious allegories mirroring show history. Last week, we found out that the great manipulator himself was no longer in charge . Eli was being threatened by the mysterious lady played so devilishly by Zoe Perry. She should know a thing or two about evil because “Daddy” is Jeff Perry, other wise known as Cyrus Beene. Tonight Eli Pope was more like Ross Geller than the terrible killer he usually is. Eli was swept away by his passion which involved a woman from his past and dinosaurs. Tonya Pinkins embraced the role of Sandra , a woman who stole Eli’s heart.Sandra turned out to be a fellow paleontologist that Eli had worked with but never taken that step. Maybe he was inspired by his son’s passion for Vanessa or his daughter’s love for Fitz to make that leap. With wine and some Marvin , Eli becomes the player. The two make love.
Eli/Rowan (Joe Morton) lays in bed after he makes love to his former flame Sandra (Played by Tonya Pinkins )
But back to reality, Sandra was a plant. That’s right ! She was used to manipulate Rowan by some real evil people lead by Zoe Perry. The objective is to make sure that Mellie becomes President and Cyrus is framed for the murder of Frankie Vargas. Mellie ‘s election brings back some memories from the past. Mellie ‘s winning is dependent on one county in California and the thugs fix the voting machines. (Just like Defiance )so Mellie wins . When Olivia finds this out , she freaks. She says she deserves to put one candidate in the White House as a winner. After all, this is why her and Fitz had their major fight because he couldnt trust anyone. Olivia is concerned that Mellie’s romance with Marcus is going to cause problems. There are too many parallels with Mellie and Olivia’s romances and history. Vargas ‘s shooting from a radio controlled gun brings back memories of Becky setting up Huck . Eli was the actual shooter and he is sad to know that he and Sandra can never be together. Olivia seems to have a little more genial relationship with her father than in other episodes.
Eli discusses the Grant situation with Olivia(Kerry Washington). She is witness to history repeating itself as they discuss voter machine fixing and a white candidate with a black man
Two names should be praised for their parts in tonight’s episode. Joe Morton and Tony Goldwyn. Tony may not have had an active part in his usual role as Fitz, but he took that invisibility and used it to his advantage. This had to be one of the best episodes this season and best of all it moved the story along. We know that it was Eli who shot Vargas and why Jennifer had to remain dead after Jake blew up the cabin. Joe won the MVG title hands down. He took a vicious monster and made him vulnerable and in love. We saw a completely different Eli Pope who for once wasn’t the puppeteer , but the puppet. We also saw a different dynamic to the Eli Olivia relationship. But next week . its back to the same old tricks and Olivia telling Huck to kill her father.
Joe is directed by none other than Anthony Howard Goldwyn who is taking a vacation from his place in front of the camera.
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