Going from binge watching a show to seeing it week by week means that you get to pay more attention to the details. This helps with focusing on the costume design of Scandal; it also means that you can get a bit restless with certain storylines. This happened with “Mrs Smith Goes to Washington” as certain aspects like Mellie’s drunken diatribe worked, whereas the Remington barely there development felt frustrating. I understand that we can’t have everything all at once and I’m all for drip feeding information with these conspiracies but at the moment they are sacrificing the screen time of Olivia’s team and characters like David Rosen (who thankfully did get to take part in the overall case of the week).
Now to the costumes and while Olivia pretty much wore the same thing throughout the episode we still have plenty to talk about and coats take center stage once again.
Here is Olivia in a Donna Karan grey draped cashmere coat and Olivia’s coats tend to fall into two categories; structured form fitting trench coats and slightly over sized ones (belting is optional). This is part of the standard Olivia Pope color palette and it’s all about the blue/grey tones. Gone is the white of defiance and she is firmly in the moral grey; her white hat is locked away in a box somewhere.
This shot is from the post bomb confrontation with Huck and it’s safe to say that Olivia has had a pretty terrible day. This is reflected in her disheveled appearance as her single button Giorgio Armani suit is bearing the marks of the bomb blast. It’s an eye opening chat as she discusses her father with Huck and Eli Pope is the puppet master of everything right now. While this story is being nudged along and the net of the conspiracy widens I also hope we get to see the focus shift back to Olivia Pope & Associates in the coming weeks.
Another big part of Eli Pope’s agenda is Jake who was freed last week and Olivia wants to know why. Jake claims that he doesn’t know, but he is also part of Remington and so he is an integral piece of the overall puzzle. Whether he is aware of this is unclear and while he’s got rid of his box beard he still has the cuts and bruises from his time down there. He’s also made himself rather comfortable at Olivia’s apartment and as he watched her for months he knows that red wine will be required. Maybe the Gettysburger was a mistake; it’s all about the popcorn after all. This final shot from the episode emphasizes Olivia’s point that this isn’t a fairy tale and there is no happily ever after.
Also not a fairy tale is this image of a ‘happy family’ as Cyrus talks photo opportunities as Mellie and Fitz argue about how best to feed baby Teddy. Mellie is wearing wine colored purple in this scene and this hints at the notion of royalty and power as she continues to have her battle of wills with Fitz; Cyrus attempts to play the role of referee. This doesn’t stop Mellie from one of her best insults yet as she refers to Teddy as the “son you could barely get it up for to conceive.” I see so much therapy in the Grant children’s future.
Later Mellie is in a very different shade of purple as she gets drunk in the dark. Fitz thinks that she is wallowing because Olivia wasn’t killed; in fact she is doing the opposite and the shot above is Mellie demonstrating what Fitz would have been like if Olivia had died a hero. The pearls are off and her hair has lost some of its volume, she is not pretending to be something she isn’t. Mellie spends a lot of her time manipulating everyone around her to get what she wants but she tends to be very honest with Fitz and no more so than when she has been drinking her dad’s hooch.
Cyrus has another battle with David Rosen and while there isn’t much to say about either of their costumes (except David’s suits are much better this year thanks to his new job) this scene is a highlight as Cyrus tries the stone cold approach and David whips out his notepad of power to gain the moral high ground.
This is a situation where despite what he thinks David does not have the upper hand as he gets double teamed by Abby in person and Olivia on the phone; both know that David’s weak spot is his moral conscience and his love of white hats. I have somehow picked the most awkward moment in this scene and there is clearly still unspoken feelings between this pair. Abby once again looks incredible and wears another fantastic scarf/coat combination. For a better look at this DVF Tanaquil Suede Leather Combo Coat head here as the color blocking is obscured by Abby’s accessories.
While Harrison, Abby and Quinn have not had a ton to do so far in season 3 they at least get to look stylish in the office. Abby is in a polka dot blouse (no surprise that I want it) and the vintage Chanel gold belt is a really nice touch. Quinn is wearing a TV Ate My Wardrobe favorite as her dress is French Connection and Harrison is looking sharp in a suit (standard).
Harrison does get to leave the office and that means he gets to join the cool coat club. He also gets to pull his serious face of the week, but please can he get something more to do than looking snazzy and intense?
What is your favorite Scandal fashion moment from “Mrs Smith Goes to Washington?”
