Scandal Reaction: Rowan's Cunning and a Wild Kidnapping Twist Make Episodes 7 Through 10 Some of the Best Yet

Working through Scandal season 4, episodes 7 through 10, I came away thinking this stretch of the show is some of its strongest writing yet. There is a lot happening, from Tom's fake death to Olivia's full kidnapping arc, and almost none of it went where I expected.

Why this matters for fans following along: this run sets up the B613 endgame, cements Rowan as the show's most dangerous player, and gives Cyrus one of his most vulnerable arcs to date.

Rowan (Joe Morton) Remains Scandal's Most Complex Villain

The scene where Olivia visits Tom in his cell floored me because it turned out she had orchestrated the whole shanking through a guard, precisely so Tom would be hospitalized rather than killed by Rowan's real assassin. As I put it, "that was brilliant though cuz like Tom's not going to also think about that when he's lying in a hospital bed." I also can't get past how good Joe Morton is in this role: "He's one of the most interesting characters in the show. Without a doubt." I do wonder if he comes from a theater background, because his physicality sometimes feels too big for how tight the camera frames him.

Cyrus's Breakdown Gave Kerry Washington a Rare Power Moment

After Cyrus gets wrecked by the sex-tape scandal, Olivia's tough-love monologue to him stood out as one of the few times in this stretch where her character gets to be the dominant one in a scene rather than absorbing blows from her parents. Kerry Washington's reactions throughout this run are just as impressive as the dialogue itself. As I said, "she's a master of the subtle reaction."

The Kidnapping Storyline in "Run" Echoes V for Vendetta

Olivia's abduction and the eventual reveal that her captor was testing her resolve reminded me heavily of Natalie Portman's arc in V for Vendetta, and the setup of hiding her location inside an ordinary building reminded me of the same trick from The Sum of All Fears style thrillers. I called the whole run of episodes "a fantastic episode" more than once, and by the finale of this batch I was fully convinced this is one of the most tightly plotted sections of the series so far.

Do you think there's a deeper meaning behind Rowan telling Olivia she'll "never be one of them," or am I reading too much into it?