Scandal

- You cannot write articles about Hollis Doyle. - Watch me.

Previously on "Scandal"...

My problems are your problems.

Put your wife on a leash.

- I'm worried for James. - Yeah, I know what you mean.

Tell me what you need, and I will do it.

Abby and David can't be together.

I can't tell you why, but they can't.

Her ex-husband used to beat her. You might want to use that.

Consider it handled.

Hospital photos of Teresa Dunn's injuries.

I didn't touch her. You look like a good guy, but you're not!

(Projector and camera shutter clicking)

There was Shayna.

She was an artist.

We dated for five months, but she didn't like to read.

That was an actual thing she said...

"I don't like to read," as if that is okay.

So after her, I dated Maggie.

She loved to read. She did not, however, love to be monogamous.

Then there was Paulette.

Edison, you've made your point.

Have I? Because I still haven't heard a single detail

about the men that you've dated since we broke up.

There's nothing to tell.

Because you're so ugly no one wants to be with you.

Because there's nothing to tell.

You won't be seen in public with me. What am I supposed to think?

That every reporter knows my face, and it would

become a story that you're dating a professional fixer.

You're a United States senator. The focus should be on you.

What was his name?

Edison.

Normal people talk. They share.

That is how a relationship works.

Okay. You want me to tell you something?

Fine. But it's between us,

and if I tell you, you can't ask any questions. Are you in?

I'm in.

When something big happens in the senate today,

you should be one of the first senators

to make a statement of support.

What?

When something big happens in the senate today,

you should be one of the first senators

to make a statement of support.

This is you sharing?

Whoever he was, he really hurt you, didn't he?

Harrison. You're gonna have to handle it.

You can handle incoming.

- I have that other meeting, and I'm late. - Wait.

Statement of support.

We haven't finished talking about this.

You're probably not even listening to my messages

anymore, Abby, but I miss you a lot.

And I know I keep saying this,

but that whole Teresa Dunn thing is a complete lie,

and I'm gonna prove it to you, and when...

Uh, I gotta go. It's a lie, Abby.

David Rosen?

- Thanks for meeting me. - Sure.

All right. Shall we, uh...

What are you doing? Don't read it here.

I like to see what I'm getting.

Hollis Doyle wants to build a pipeline

through the middle of this country, but it's a tough sell

with N.I.M.B.Y.S and environmentalists.

How's he do it? He rigs the voting.

Every single ballot measure

in favor of the pipeline won in the last election.

You're saying he rigged the voting machines

- in all these states? - It sounded crazy to me, too,

until I got a look at all this stuff.

No. I don't think so.

What? You barely looked at it.

You know how many conspiracy theorists

bombard me with nonsense every week?

I should've known when you asked to meet me

at a national monument.

Don't treat me like I'm crazy. I don't have an axe to grind.

I don't believe 9/11 was an inside job

or the phone company killed J.F.K.

I'm just a damn good lawyer who stumbled onto something

I can no longer pursue without losing the job I love.

So please, just take a look at it.

At the end of the previous quarter, the board considered,

but did not make a decision regarding, using cash...

That's my father, Harold Pierce, Sr.

He doesn't look crazy to me.

That was a year ago.

Ooh! Ee!

H.P., baby, you want this one shaken or stirred?

(Projector and camera shutter clicking)

That is the day before yesterday.

One of our servants sent it to us.

And that was before he told them all to, and I quote,

"get out and go to hell."

As you can see, my husband is

clearly suffering from some kind of psychotic break.

- Mom. - My ex-husband.

Harold Pierce dropped out of tenth grade

to help his family after his father died,

sold radios door-to-door throughout the lower midwest.

Is that how he made his fortune?

The lowest figures in the sales force.

Couldn't bear take the money from the down-and-outs,

so he spent most of his house calls fixing people's radios.

Toying around, figured out a better device

to find radio signals further away...

A chip that became the basis

for what's in every cell phone today.

Your divorce was recent.

Just last month, out of the blue.

Was it amicable?

Oh. He was more than fair.

That's the problem.

He gave me $500 million

without complaint, with a smile. That is not like him.

Married his high school sweetheart, had two kids,

and spent the next 40 years building an empire.

His son Skip started in the mail room,

worked his way up to a corner office.

His new girlfriend Jenna became a fixture

on the Hollywood club scene.

She had a reality show, but only for one season, sadly.

Well, it was flawed, but highly addictive.

What kind of man quits his work, takes up with some bimbo,

and then walks away from his own family

without so much as a look back? I mean, who does that?

And with all due respect, if your dad wants to have

a midlife crisis, I'm not sure

what Pope and Associates can do about it.

If my dad was just my dad, he'd be free to do whatever he wants.

But he's not. He's the face

of a multibillion-dollar business empire.

That just happens to be having an I.P.O. in three days.

Have you crunched the numbers?

It's estimated that Pierce Industries is worth

about $35 billion, which sounds impressive,

until you realize that going public...

We're talking somewhere

in the hundreds of billions of dollars.

Unless the world learns he's lost his marbles.

Remember the insterstellar I.P.O.?

Press discovered sexual harassment charges

were filed against the founder and C.E.O.

The stock was offered at 70,

end of the week... Between 4 and 5 bucks.

We're just worried that the eccentricities

he's been displaying lately

will get out to the financial press or worse.

He could show up on the trading floor and make a scene.

You want us to help you get through the I.P.O.

and take the company public without incident.

The Harold Pierce we know would expect us to do nothing less.

So how do we keep him from ruining his legacy,

from throwing 40 years of work down the drain?

If we could prove he's not in his right mind...

- We can get him committed. - Involuntarily.

If we can get a court to give Skip legal guardianship...

Got us some ammunition. Let's go to work, people.

- People? - I'm lead on this.

Oh, lead. Cool.

Supercool.

All right, let's hop to.

Don't say "people."

- Team. - Better.

(Projector and camera shutter clicking)

What if I go to rehab, say I'm a sex addict?

In 60 seconds, you're gonna walk out to that podium,

read the statement in front of you,

and resign the majority leadership position.

But this could all blow over. What if...

You had sex way more than the public knows about

with a 21-year-old intern...

The daughter of one of your wife's best friends.

She was not that innocent in this, believe me.

- Let me tell you, these young girls, they... - 40 seconds.

Look at me.

This is over. You have no support within your party.

Zero.

You walk out there, read the statement I wrote for you,

you get to remain a U.S. senator.

This is really happening.

It is, and it's happening to your family,

your staff, your friends.

All any of them want to hear right now is

how profoundly sorry you are,

how ashamed you are,

and how you're going to work to regain their respect

and their trust.

Okay.

Ready?

Ready.

(Reporters shouting at once, camera shutters clicking)

I have apologized personally

to the young woman and her family...

Governor Carmichael needs to be called. It has to be personal.

Maybe ask him about his kid.

I think he has cerebral palsy.