Scandal’s End: S7 Ep 16 “People Like Me” (RECAP)

People Like Me – RECAP

Courtesy of KYNT.com

Last week’s Scandal saw the series’ two most closest allies become sworn enemies. Meanwhile QPA worked tirelessly to find Cyrus’s accomplice. And Jake Ballard reached his boiling point. Read the full recap below.

Mellie wants Cyrus Beane dead. That is the conclusion she came to at last episode’s end. Between the subpoena and public opinion wavering on the Vice President’s side, Mellie has no choice but to fight fire with fire. She orders Olivia to take back her rank as Command and put an end to Cyrus. The only problem is Olivia has turned a new leaf.

After the attempted murder of Quinn, Liv promised her colleagues – and herself – she was done with the power moves. But Mellie’s speech on protecting what they’ve built from the Boys’ Club sways her to this conclusion. Liv partners with QPA to hatch a plan on how to get Cyrus alone. Liv opts to first convince him to end his conspiracy.

When Cyrus receives a bouquet of flowers, its a message from Lonnie to meet. But when he arrives, its Olivia and Huck. She orders him not to leave until he relinquishes his hounds gunning for the Oval. Between two glasses of wine, the two former best friends play chess, neither budging from their posts.

Courtesy of SpoilerTV

Meanwhile Quinn and Abby work to hack Cyrus’s burner phone. It’s the only way they can discover the identity of his hacker accomplice. Within minutes Abby breaks into the phone’s encrypted call history finding Cyrus’s contact is LilPymp69. They triangulate his location, only to find the young man already dead. With options dwindling, Liv shifts to act two.

Elsewhere Mellie treads water. With Jake on Cyrus’ side, she’s fighting this impossible battle alone. A visit from Marcus and few glasses of moonshine gives her some resolve. In an epic take down, she’s the first of two women to attack Jake’s manhood – sizing him up as nothing more than a whining child taking orders.

Courtesy of VentLyfe.com

Back in the vault, Olivia has made the decision to kill Cyrus, poisoning his wine, she will make it look like a suicide. An exchange solicits Olivia to answer a question Cyrus asked her earlier: would they have been different if never meeting Fitz? She explodes stating yes, she would be different; but Cyrus would have remained a monster, as he’s unable to change.

As she holds the glass in front of him, Jake waltzes in the vault. He deescalates her plot, calling her bluff, suggesting she choose an easier option handing her his pistol. Jake goes as far as forcing the gun in her hands, sticking its barrel in his mouth. She’s unable to pull the trigger. Jake extols while Olivia pretends to be sinister, she leaves the dirty work to people like him. He walks Cyrus out of the room a free man.

The closing act finds Mellie facing the music. Opting to fight the clean way, she  White House supporters  questioning the validity of the subpoena. In a great tactic, Mellie removes Cyrus from the narrative altogether, addressing this allegations have come from her opponents. Detractors and naysayers who want to see the first female president fail. She reassures the country she isn’t going to back down, and that she is not guilty.

Courtesy of Tale-Tell TV

While Mellie reinforces her innocence, Jake doubles down on his “people like me” philosophy. Cyrus pays him a late night visit to plot their next move. Jake claims he has it taken care of – shifting the blame from Mellie onto Olivia Pope. Cyrus objects reminding Jake that this is his operation. Jake has had enough. He reminds Cyrus when he recruited him, they were a team. He was no longer going to be taking orders from him, or anyone for that matter. To embolden his point, he shows the lifeless body of his wife Vanessa on the kitchen floor.

She was the second individual to deject Jake as nothing more than Cyrus’s errand boy. She referred to him as Cyrus’s “bitch.” Those were the last words she spoke. As she bled out, Cyrus agreed to the new terms of his and Jake Ballard’s partnership.

Missed any Scandal recaps? Check them out right here on FanBros.com!