I am exhausted. “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner” wore me out!

I wrote those words last night and then went to bed immediately after watching ABC SCANDAL’S  “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner” and yes, I was able to sleep.

Before I dive into my review, I want to be clear – my reviews are those of a fan of the show, as well as a fan of good story telling, kick ass drama and good acting. I also write books (romance, specifically romantic suspense and urban fantasy) and some of my writerly thoughts are included in this review, which I post on my website as well as on my Tumblr page (where the SCANDAL fandom thrives!).

I enjoy (okay, LOVE) Shondra Rhimes’s as a TV show creator, executive producer and writer, but we know she doesn’t write every episode of any of her TV shows. Nonetheless, she makes the big decisions, sets the tone and decides what happens in the big scenes and determines if the choices of the writer of that episode match or expand upon her vision. She also is behind pivotal casting decisions (like adding Joe Morton as Daddy and bringing back Scott Foley as Jake Ballard).

Every scene of GWCtD was about Daddy issues and Liv’s obsession with Jake. Yes. Every freaking scene was about how men manipulate women and how Liv chooses to manipulate the men in her life to gain one man’s freedom. Let me say it again and add an OMG – the story structure was all about taking the viewer to the scene where Jake is on the other side of that door–and all of Liv’s men helped her get what she wanted whether they wanted her to have him or not.

We learned a lot about Liv through the flashbacks and a little about her father and a little more about how she met Huck. The comparison to Huck and Jake is not lost. She manipulated her father into releasing Huck, just like she manipulated him into giving her back Jake. But each time LIV gets, she must give – and there is the root of her Daddy issues. Liv may or may not be in love with Jake, but she loves him. She may or may not love her father, but she respects him (okay, he scares the sh*t out of her). But he’s her Daddy. He put her through school. He introduced her to good wine. Good food. And a respect for older men.

What kind of man is Daddy? Honestly, he had me bouncing off the walls. Joe Morton’s portrayal is pitch perfect, but I would love to be in the writer’s room when they talk Daddy’s motivations. He is a beast, and he is a beast, but we as viewers don’t know why. Is he all about serving his country? Power? Is he first a brutal man? Or did he learn to master hurt, pain and manipulation? I’d like those things explored, and I’m sure if Joe doesn’t get killed this season, we’ll find out.

Sidebar: It’s interesting that both Liv and Fitz have Daddy issues (remember good old Daddy Fitz?)…

Who does she love? Liv may  end up with Jake (oh yes). If the show were to end tomorrow, I think that’s where Sondra would want her because he’s the man that could break the Daddy stereotype (him or Huck, but Huck loves his family and may be the one to kill Liv’s daddy). Why? Because in a way Huck and Jack are powerless. They are strong, but limited because they aren’t in control of their own destinies. I do ship Olitz, but Liv’s relationship with Jake was at the heart of last night’s episode. Sorry, Olitz shippers, last night belonged to Jake.

Okay, I’m done with my (polarizing:) speculation. Here’s the score/rating for last night’s episode:

Plot – Because of the flashbacks I found this episode more dense, layered, than last week. It flowed from scene to scene and I didn’t feel any speed bumps (or have to endure any busting my eardrums acting:). Now next week’s preview (which I almost wish I’d skipped) looks like a stand alone so we won’t get back to the twisting and turning of Liv’s ‘win/sacrifice’ and her Daddy right away. Rating: 4.1 OMGs! (High score is 5). Losing points because it was unclear to me why Fitz ‘admitted’ to have an affair with Jennie. I write these reviews without re-watching the episode so I may have missed something. But my main point is that the entire episode was about manipulation and admitting a fake affair was how Fitz manipulated his wife and Cyrus.

Pacing – This episode was a train gaining speed, but it started out on the tracks at 80 miles an hour. The use of flashbacks added layers.  The dialog was KILLER. And may have included the best line of the season, which maybe too soon to say, but I don’t think so:)!

“How presidential are my balls now, Cy?” 5.0 on the OMG scale.

There was other good (great) dialog throughout the episode, but frankly, the line above is the only one I’m mentioning in this review.

Overall rating for the episode = 4.0

Unbelievable kick-off to season 3.

Feel free to comment:)! Until next week.