All Roads Lead to Fitz is the fifth episode of the second season of Scandal, and is the twelfth overall.
Plot
After Governor Samuel Reston kills the man, Bill Meyer, that was raping his wife, Joan, he contacts Olivia Pope for help. Reston's spokesperson, Alison Becker, makes things difficult when she makes Reston look like a hero at a press conference. It is later revealed that Bill and Joan were having an affair.
It turns out that Olivia and Reston have a not so pleasant history; Governor Reston was Fitz's opponent in the general election.
Hollis Doyle hosts a private meeting with Verna Thornton, Cyrus Beene, Mellie Grant and Olivia Pope about how David Rosen is looking too much into "Defiance". Verna arranges for David to get his job back on one condition... he stop his obsession into Olivia Pope and Cytron.
At the White House Cyrus' husband - James Novak - decides to return to work as a political journalist. He causes trouble for Cyrus when he returns to the press office at the White House.
Meanwhile, Huck attempts to have a normal date with Becky, asking Harrison for help.
Scandals
- Olivia Pope & Associates:
- Governor Samuel Reston kills the man raping his wife, unbeknownst that they were having an affair
- White House:
- Cyrus Beene's husband, James, returns to work at the white house again.
- The Defiance Conspiracy:
- Olivia works with Verna to stop David Rosen from his investigation
Recap
At the end of "Beltway Unbuckled," we witnessed the start of a secret meeting with energy tycoon Hollis Doyle, Supreme Court Justice Verna Thornton, First Lady Mellie Grant, White House Chief of Staff Cyrus Beene and Washington's favorite fixer, Olivia Pope. They are discussing the David Rosen situation. They'll all be looking at prison time if he finds the connection between Cytron and Doyle Energy. In order to stop Hollis from "freelancing" without them, Olivia assures the group that she’ll take care of David.
Governor Reston of the great state of Maryland returned home to find his wife, Joan (guest star Brenda Strong of Desperate Housewives fame), being raped by their contractor. So he shot the guy dead. Reston calls Olivia for help. These two have a rather acrimonious past. It seems Olivia derailed the governor's bid for the White House when she got Fitz elected president. The Assistant U.S. Attorney assigned to the case, Jane Powell, promises to be discreet since Reston is such a respected figure. The governor's spokesperson defies Olivia's advice by declaring her boss a hero for killing the man who was harming his wife.
The team digs into the contractor's background. Abby finds the guy’s hair all over the governor's house. This wasn't a rape. The contractor was having an affair with Joan Reston, who panicked when her husband walked in on them and cried rape. The governor says he has no idea his wife was being unfaithful to him. Still, he doesn't want her to go to jail so he asks Olivia to see if there's any evidence of the affair. If there isn't, maybe it would be best to have the world keep thinking of him as a hero.
Joan lets Olivia know that her husband changed after he lost the election by a mere 4,359 votes. Reston's obsession with the defeat is what led to her having an affair. In other news, David learns he can have his job back as long as he's done obsessing about Olivia Pope. He's not sure he's going to take it though because he has a meeting at the Griddle Café with a former Cytron employee. This ultimately turns out to be a dead end. So, David returns to work. His first order of business is to arrest Governor Reston for murder, as there is proof of an affair. Joan can't let this happen. She offers to tell the truth that she lied about being raped.
As Reston addresses the public, Olivia finds compromising photos of his wife and the contractor. As it turns out, the governor knew about the affair all along. Reston had planned to kill his wife and her lover. He'd then turn the gun on himself. But his wife yelled "rape" and the opportunity to be a hero was too good to be true. Olivia knows she's been played. As for Governor Reston, he gloats about the murder because he knows attorney-client privileges prevent Olivia from doing anything. The guy's approval ratings are through the roof and this somewhat demented fellow is satisfied to finally have an understanding of what it feels like to win.
Cyrus is shocked to see that James got his job back as the Chief White House Correspondent for the most powerful news outlet in the nation. Hey, his hubby had to find something to do with his days since Cy refuses to cave to his desire to have a baby. Their first press conference together is, for lack of a better word, awkward. Cyrus later puts Mellie in her place when she has a chat with James. He makes it clear that she is part of whatever happened with Hollis and the others. There's simply no getting away from that.
In relationship news, Senator Edison Davis is pursuing on with Olivia. She's not ready for something like that yet, but encourages him to keep after her. She later shares some wine and quiet time with her old friend, Cyrus. Huck has a date with a nice lady in his AA group, Becky. Harrison gives him the name of a nice restaurant while Quinn fixes his hair and tie. Abby wants to make sure he doesn't lose the lady's number, so she types it on a computer sticky note. There's another note on the screen that gives her pause. It’s the name of Griddle Café with a time listed. That's the place where David had his dead end meeting. Hmm.
Huck’s dinner at the fancy restaurant is a bit awkward. He eventually takes his date to a place he likes. That would be his car, where they can watch a nice family enjoy game night through the living room window. If stalking could ever be considered sweet, this would be the case. Huck and his date manage to pull their gaze away from the window long enough to start making out.
David takes down all the postings on his big conspiracy wall. He seems ready to move on with his life. That's before Abby enters to let him know that the man he met with at the Griddle Café was a plant. She also learns that Quinn's boyfriend was working on a software program that was officially used on slot machines. Unofficially, it was used on voting machines. David and Abby shudder at what this could mean. They have no idea that their entire conversation is being listened in on from afar by Olivia Pope.
Cast
Main Cast
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Recurring Cast
Guest Cast
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Credits
For a full list of cast/character credits in order as they appeared click here: All Roads Lead to Fitz Credits
Quotes
Trivia
- Debra Mooney (Verna Thornton), Tom Amandes (Samuel Reston) and Brenda Strong (Joan Reston) all previously appeared on The WB hit drama series Everwood. Debra and Tom played mother and son, Dr. Harold Abbott and Edna Harper. Brenda played the deceased wife of the shows lead character Dr. Andy Brown.
Gallery
Promotional Photos
- → See and enjoy 15 pictures from All Roads Lead to Fitz at Images from All Roads Lead to Fitz.