Scandal s06e16 Episode Script
Transfer of Power
1 [Dramatic music plays.]
Hi.
What are you doing? [Chuckles.]
What does it look like I'm doing? Olivia! I specifically told you your mother was not to be released.
- And yet, somehow - I released her.
Yes.
Because it needed to be done.
Any second now, my mother is going to meet with whoever paid her to assassinate Mellie, and when she does, all this will finally be over.
That's what you're telling yourself? - What if you're wrong? - I'm not wrong.
Fitz, I trust her.
You need to trust me.
Don't do that.
Don't do this.
Not tonight.
Not now.
Not here.
Tomorrow is the inauguration.
You're leaving tomorrow.
You move to Vermont, I become Chief of Staff.
This is it for us.
We're not spending our last night together fighting.
I won't have it.
Get over here.
Get.
Over.
Here.
You are very bossy.
And you love it.
[Sighs.]
[Shoes thump.]
[Grunts.]
[Giggles.]
Thanks, baby.
Where is your ladies' room? We've got something.
Looks like a hand-off.
Okay, he's moving.
Take him.
Hands behind your head.
Hands behind your head! On your knees.
She just gave me cash to leave.
I don't even know her.
Damn it! Come on, Mom.
[Guns cocking.]
[Camera shutter clicking.]
- Maya dug out her tracking device.
- Already? Liv thinks there's a reason she slipped her leash.
Asked for our help getting to the bottom of it.
To kill Mellie Grant.
Liv thinks Maya is trying to help us.
By killing Mellie Grant.
Huck: Maybe Maya dug it out before the meeting in case they swept for bugs.
- Which means - Whoever hired Maya was nearby.
Folks, we're just hours away from watching history unfold in the nation's capital this morning, when Senator Melody Margaret Grant gets sworn in as the 45th President of the United States.
I'm sorry, we're not still talking about actually going through with this.
Have you seen the size of the crowds that have already gathered out there? And they're growing by the minute.
The genie is out of the bottle.
This inauguration is happening.
- What do you think? - My top men are on this.
Snipers on the rooftops.
Dogs on the ground.
Crowd-scanning tech even the conspiracy blogs don't know about yet.
I can't make guarantees But I can promise you this is the best-protected event - in human history.
- May I say something? If you're going out there, I'll stand by you, but I'm not comfortable bringing my children onto that dais.
And I don't think yours should be there, either.
No offense to either of you.
It's understandable.
Mellie, you need to make the right call here.
No children on the dais.
An extra security detail on my kids and Luna's.
However many snipers you have now? Double that.
And, Jake, you're running the operation personally.
Let's do this.
It's a quick draft, but it accomplishes what you requested.
Reserves a percentage of already-apportioned Pentagon funds in a blind emergency trust.
There might be some whining from the budget hawks, but chances are they won't even notice.
May I ask what you intend to use this for exactly? Something this last minute Must be important.
Thank you, David.
[Door opens, closes.]
The presidential motorcade has just arrived at the Capitol, where a record-breaking crowd of over a million people and growing have gathered to witness the swearing-in of the 45th President of the United States.
One noticeable absence on the dais today is Frankie Vargas's beleaguered running mate, Cyrus Beene, who chose not to attend or even comment on the inauguration.
You have to wonder what he's thinking right now.
[Chuckles.]
Oh, Noah.
Trust me.
You don't want to know what I'm thinking.
[Cheers and applause.]
[Patriotic music plays.]
Man: Ladies and gentlemen, the President of the United States, Fitzgerald Thomas Grant III.
[Cheers and applause.]
["Hail to the Chief" plays.]
Man: Present! ["Hail to the Chief" continues.]
Ladies and gentlemen, the Vice President-Elect of the United States, Luna Isabella Vargas.
[Cheers and applause.]
And the President-Elect of the United States, Melody Margaret Grant.
[Cheers and applause.]
[Applause continues.]
Hi.
It's good to see you.
[Suspenseful music plays.]
[Suspenseful music continues.]
You lay eyes on her, take the shot.
The new president is scheduled to be sworn in in approximately 10 minutes.
Let's make sure that happens.
Are these all the cellphones in the area at the time Maya disappeared? Yep.
The phone numbers, along with the registered names and addresses.
Cross-referencing the names with the Homeland Security database.
- No red flags.
- Maybe Maya's employer's using a burner.
Can you get names on these? Please stand as the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court administers the Presidential Oath of Office.
[Cheers and applause.]
Snipers report in.
All good here.
Nothing unusual, Admiral.
All clear from where I'm sitting.
[Dramatic music plays.]
- [Beeping.]
- This can't be.
It says one of the burners is at the Capitol.
Right now? Please raise your right hand and repeat after me.
There are a million people there.
We literally have one in a million chance of finding out who hired Maya? I, Melody Margaret Grant, do solemnly swear I, Melody Margaret Grant, do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States [Repeating.]
the Office of President of the United States [Cellphone vibrates.]
and will, to the best of my ability and will, to the best of my ability Mom? Hey, Livvie.
Could you do me a solid and move a couple of feet to your right? Mom! I'm pretty sure I have the crosswind figured out, but there's no telling what this bullet will do when it tears through a skull.
Wouldn't want to hurt you, too, baby.
- [Beeping.]
- Quinn: What? Huck: The burner's signal is coming from the stage itself.
One of the VIPs hired Maya to kill Mellie? The call's coming from inside the house.
Preserve, protect, and defend I am asking you.
I am begging you.
Do not shoot Mellie.
Do not kill the President.
Mellie? Who said anything about shooting Mellie? Chief Justice: the Constitution of the United States.
What Maya: You wanted a name.
I'm gonna do you one better.
It's handled, baby.
The Constitution of the United States.
Just tell me who it is.
Who is it? Move, girl.
You can come in, Mom.
Testify against them.
I'll protect you.
Protect me? [Chuckles.]
Baby.
That's not how motherhood works.
I'm going to protect you.
So help me God.
Now, if you would move that big bubble head of yours Wait! [Silenced gunshot fired.]
Chief Justice: Congratulations, Madame President.
[Cheers and applause.]
Target down.
I repeat, target is down.
Olivia: Mom? Mom! Your mother's been neutralized.
What does that mean? Dad, what did you do? Did you kill her? She's still breathing.
She was on our side, Dad.
I was going to get a name.
It's over, Olivia.
[Cheering continues.]
[Crowd chanting "Mellie".]
President Grant is just passing the National Archives on her way up Pennsylvania Avenue, toward the presidential reviewing stand, where she will preside over the parade from outside the White House.
Once the parade is over, President Grant will join her children in saying goodbye to their father, who in a mere few hours will be boarding Marine One and bidding farewell to the White House.
[Laughs.]
Hey, Teddy, would you go find your big sister for me? Thanks, buddy.
Who the hell authorized that? You should be grateful.
Grateful?! My mother was helping us! Now she's in surgery, fighting for her life, unable to tell us who her actual target was.
She was pointing a gun at Mellie.
She was pointing a gun at the person who hired her, and if my father hadn't shot her If your father hadn't shot her, Mellie would be dead That's not true! Enough.
Do I need to remind you how much money the federal government spends every day to keep a President safe? $2 million.
That wherever I go, there's a man following me with blood.
My blood.
That I ride in a car that can literally launch grenades.
Its windows are five inches thick.
Its doors weigh the same as the doors on a 757.
Was your mama there to kill me? [Sighs.]
I don't know.
But what I do know is that I have a valet and a dresser waiting for me to finalize my outfit for the ball.
For the other 44 presidents, that took all of 10 minutes.
But for the lady president, that means choosing a dress that will impress the New York fashion blogs without insulting the Washington conservatives.
So, rather than sit here and discuss all the ways I might die today, I'm gonna go pick an outfit now so that I can be done with that nonsense and focus on what's really important Running the damn country.
[Door closes.]
[Door opens.]
I've got David Rosen on the phone for you.
He said you'd know what it was about.
I'll take it in the hall.
[Door closes.]
[Door opens.]
Inauguration seating chart.
No questions asked.
If you need anything more from me Abby, wait.
I need you to take over OPA.
You're leaving? Where are you going? Somewhere normal.
Where I can start over.
Have a regular job.
Bake brownies.
Be on the PTA.
You can't bake brownies and be on the PTA here? And what about Charlie? Have you even told him you're pregnant yet? [Sighs.]
Look, I love Charlie.
But he doesn't know how to be normal.
I had a life before this.
A-A boring, vanilla life.
I know how to do it.
Charlie it would kill him.
[Sighs.]
Can I think about it? Just don't take too long.
What do you need? Olivia: You called Fitz earlier.
Why? And this morning in the Oval? What was that about? I saw the log, David.
You were the last one to see him before he left for the Capitol.
- What did he want? - It was nothing.
Nothing? There was an executive order he wanted me to draft.
- What kind of executive order? - Some budget thing.
Show it to me.
I can't.
Hmph.
Mellie recently asked me if she should nominate a new AG.
My instinct was no, we should keep you, but now I'm wondering if we might be better off with a fresh face.
What do you think, David? Olivia: Were you ever gonna tell me? .
003% of previously-apportioned Pentagon funds, quietly transferred to a blind emergency trust.
To the outside world, completely harmless.
Barely noticeable.
- To you, however.
To me - Olivia.
The money's going to fund a reconstituted B613.
Isn't it? What did my father say to get you to do this? What was his angle this time? Are the two of you working together now? I did what I had to do as President of the United States.
We need protection like this now more than ever.
You know where this road leads, Fitz.
You've seen it firsthand.
It's gonna be different this time.
- Why is that? - Because I'll be running it.
So that's how he did it.
[Scoffs.]
That was his promise.
And you bought it.
What I did was take matters into my own hands.
He manipulated you.
He will work against you at every turn.
And when the time is right, he will try to seize control And how would that be any different from the past eight years? You think someone hasn't been trying to seize control or, in one form or another, replace me? You just described every single day I've spent in the White House, Olivia.
This is my chance to effect real change.
To make a real difference.
You, of all people, should understand that.
[Softly.]
I wanted you to stay.
What? I was going to ask you to stay.
To forget Vermont.
I didn't want you to leave.
I wanted you to stay here.
- With me.
- Well, guess what.
Now I am.
Yes.
You are.
Now you are going to run the organization that ruined my father's life.
And mine.
I wanted you to stay.
But not like this.
I can't watch [Sighs.]
[Door opens, closes.]
If you're just joining us, we're looking at a live shot of what is now formerly Marine One, awaiting President Grant, who will make his proper farewell to the nation - any minute now - Liv.
You shouldn't be here.
Is there ever going to come a time when you don't tell me what to do? You need to go out there.
Board your chopper.
You know, for your fake goodbye.
Make your fake jaunt off to Vermont.
Have you given any thought to how you're gonna spin your return back to D.
C.
yet? Are you gonna move your foundation here? Use it as a front for the new and improved B613? Smart.
Yeah.
But unnecessary.
I rescinded the order.
Told David to destroy it before anybody could see it.
I said it was just an oversight.
A rash judgment call.
Which it was.
I couldn't do it, Liv.
You were right.
I'm always right.
That's it? What do you want me to say? You're a good man? Yay you? You saved me.
I didn't.
You saved me.
Fine.
I saved you.
Thank you.
Liv.
I can't stay.
I have a foundation to run.
And you have a world to change.
Of course.
I'm not faking this goodbye.
[Inhales deeply.]
This one's for real.
[Sniffles.]
Okay.
It's for real.
Okay.
[Somber music plays.]
Goodbye, then.
Man: Mr.
President! [Camera shutters clicking.]
Woman: Mr.
President! [Indistinct shouting.]
The cameras.
I don't care.
It has been an honor, Mr.
President.
The honor has been all mine.
[Helicopter blades whirring.]
Man: This is a uniquely American problem.
The chief usher and his staff have just four hours to switch the White House over from one President Grant to the next.
And by the time they finish, the Oval Office will be completely transformed, ready to welcome its first female occupant.
[Camera shutter clicking.]
These can't all be viable suspects.
Quinn, I need one name.
Not 32.
Liv, at this point, all we have to go on is a rough location and a seating chart.
We're sorting through suspects, trying to narrow down those with criminal ties, sketchy backstories But this is Washington.
Everyone has a sketchy backstory.
You need to move faster.
We all have an inaugural ball to attend, and I need to be sure we're not being shot up or fire-bombed.
We don't all have to go to that ball, do we? Until we find a name, no one's going anywhere.
And don't you dare use that as a reason to stop trying.
- I'm not! - We have a problem.
This seating chart's not gonna help us at all.
It's out of date.
Look.
The seating chart has Mellie's kids here and here.
But those kids were never there.
No.
She decided she didn't want them on stage - at the last minute.
- So what does that mean? It means we have even less to go on than we had two minutes ago.
Our bad guy could've slipped into one of those seats, and we wouldn't know.
Give me that footage of Frankie's assassination.
Why? [Dramatic music plays.]
With projections for Texas United States of America.
Who gains the most if Frankie Vargas dies? I need to call my children.
Their father's dead.
Who has spent decade after decade helping fairer yet less competent men raise their hand on Inauguration Day? Vice President of the United States Luna Vargas.
Would kill for this job.
We have a very short list for Mr.
Ballard's replacement.
Think.
not comfortable bringing my children onto that dais.
Think.
There it is.
Damn it.
There it is.
There what is? My mother wasn't lying.
She wasn't aiming for Mellie.
[Camera shutter clicking.]
Olivia.
I wasn't Congratulations, Madame Vice President.
I'm just happy to be a part of the team.
I bet.
Let's talk.
Sit.
Please.
Though I may need to excuse myself soon to start getting ready for the ball.
You're not going to the ball, Luna.
I'm sorry? It's over.
Done.
Your plan failed.
Mellie's alive.
What I need to know is if there's a Plan B.
Think.
Before you utter your next statement.
Think.
And know that I wouldn't come to you unless I already knew the truth.
If you had evidence, I'd already be in handcuffs.
Not being threatened.
You're going to tell me about the entire plan Beginning to end.
Names of everyone involved.
Or we can take this to someplace more private and I can invite some people far more indelicate than I am.
[Sighs heavily.]
No.
Luna You can't hurt me.
You can't kill me.
You need me.
I'm the Vice President of the United States of America.
My approval rating is higher than the President's.
I'm the widow of a national hero.
An icon.
If something happens to me, Mellie's presidency is a non-starter.
I don't need a bomb.
I don't need another assassin.
Me.
I am Plan B.
Now get out of my house before I have the Secret Service throw you out.
Olivia: Luna's right.
We need her to push Mellie's agenda through.
And if she goes to jail, Mellie's entire first term is engulfed in scandal.
She's the first woman President.
There can be no mistakes! You're frustrated.
I'm pissed! We can't touch her.
It's done.
No! Don't say that! What choice do we have? The TV is broken.
Healthcare in this country Doctors say you're going to be okay.
They also said someone would be in to fix the TV.
[Scoffs.]
You were going to shoot Luna weren't you? So you sniffed out Luna Vargas.
Good for you.
That bitch really plays it, doesn't she? Everybody loves Luna.
[Chuckles.]
What are you gonna do? Nothing.
We're stuck with Luna.
She has all the cards.
So it's over.
You let it go.
No.
This isn't how it was supposed to be.
I was supposed to deliver the Oval to Mellie free and clear.
Why are you always worried about other people? Mellie? Mellie isn't sitting around worried about you.
What the hell do you care if a Latina sister gets over? Move on.
Walk away.
It's the White House! You don't just move on! You don't walk away.
But now we don't have a choice! Luna Vargas gets to be in that White House that I worked so Oh.
Now I see it.
What? This is about you.
That Luna bitch is stepping on your lawn.
The White House is your baby.
I earned it.
I deserve it.
Then, honey, do what you need to do to get your baby back.
You are half me and half that crazy man.
I don't see how anyone can fight you and win.
[Camera shutter clicking.]
You're not gonna take the job.
If I took over now, it would be a disaster.
What am I gonna do? You're gonna hire me.
You were the Chief of Staff at the White House.
So I'll be the chief of staff at OPA.
Charlie: Robin? I don't know anything about kids.
[Chuckles.]
Me, neither.
But we'll figure it out.
Together.
You want to have a baby? Let's have a baby.
Over a cliff.
Over a cliff.
Honey, am I tripping? What's wrong? We're gonna have a baby.
Is what I'm guilty of - Go on and sentence me - [Laughs.]
I'll still be free - Whoa.
- Oh, sorry.
I'm sorry.
- Sorry.
- [Laughing.]
It's my turn To see what I can see I hope you'll understand That this time's just for me Because it's my turn No apologies I've given up the truth For those I've tried to please But now it's my turn If I don't all the answers At least I know That I'll take my chances And so I'll let it rain Because the rain ain't gonna hurt me So I'll let it rain Mellie: Cyrus.
Wake up.
Cyrus.
'Cause the rain ain't gonna hurt me What Oh, my God.
And I'll let you go What What What are you doing here? - Though I know it won't be easy - I need a date.
And you need a shave.
- It's my turn - But, I-I'm [Sighs.]
W-Why me? With no more room for lies Cyrus, I'm in charge of the whole country now.
All of it.
It's terrifying.
And the only person who can imagine anywhere close to what I'm going through is you.
Be my date.
To try and find my way Please.
- And if I should get lost - [Inhales sharply.]
[Camera shutter clicking.]
At least I'll own today You told me it's my, my turn Oh, oh, it's my turn Yeah And there ain't no use in holding on [Knock on door.]
When nothing stays the same I thought you could use some company.
- So I will let it rain - Liv? 'Cause the rain ain't gonna hurt me I know what we're gonna do.
And I'll let you go What is it? I'm late for the ball as it is.
Olivia: This won't take long.
I just wanted to let you know I found a way forward, a solution that works for all of us.
Oh? Okay.
Sure.
I'll humor you.
[Inhales deeply.]
You're going to die.
Tonight.
Here in this room.
Agents? Agents! Those agents? They're not yours.
They're not even Secret Service.
They're mine.
Hi.
Sit.
So, what, you want to try and cut a deal? A deal? No.
We're past that.
You're dying.
That wasn't a euphemism.
Enough with the threats.
You're not gonna kill me.
I'm the Vice President.
Raise your hand if you've killed a Vice President before.
He was Argentine.
It counts.
Mine was American.
But you're right.
We're not going to kill you.
You're going to kill yourself.
[Scoffs lightly.]
You're insane.
Even if I I-I'd never abandon my children.
You love them very much, don't you? Of course.
Take the pills.
You'll fall asleep, have a heart attack, and never wake up again.
Your kids, the world, they'll remember you as a saint.
Leave it to Jake? It gets messy.
He shoots you in the face, rips off your clothes, leaves you in a ditch.
You'll decompose, get picked over by animals.
When the cops investigate, they'll discover you're a murderer.
They'll call your death a revenge killing.
Those are the words your children will hear when they see your corpse on the news after they're told Mommy killed Daddy for power! - No, I didn't! - You killed your husband! - No! - You have to own it! [Gun cocks.]
I loved Frankie! I just I didn't want to be First Lady.
I didn't want to be trapped in that life.
So I I paid someone to make sure he lost, to make sure Mellie won.
And then they killed him! A funny thing happens after we commit an act as heinous as this.
We revisit it.
Justify it.
Lie to ourselves so we don't call it what it is.
I'm not lying.
Then why keep your kids off that stage on election night? Because you knew.
You knew the bullet was coming.
There you are.
Feels good, right? Not to hide anymore? [Inhales sharply.]
A president is most powerful the night he's elected and the day he dies.
Everything in between is Frankie would've had to govern.
Make compromises.
Me? Imagine if Jackie Kennedy had been President.
How unstoppable she'd have been.
They'd have given her everything she asked for.
Medicare.
Civil rights.
Things her husband wanted but never got.
And all because of those blood stains on her pink Chanel suit.
Frankie's ideas would have died on the vine.
I gave them a chance to live! I'm not pure evil.
Please.
[Crying.]
Oh.
You're not pure evil.
You love your kids.
You protect them.
Which makes this an easy decision for you.
Here.
The bullet or the pills, Luna? Your choice.
[Inhales sharply.]
[Slurps.]
[Breathing heavily.]
Call me when she's dead.
[Door opens.]
[Door closes.]
What happens now? Now? We wait.
[Crying.]
Liv! What happened to you? You missed the parties.
I was there.
We must have just missed each other.
Here.
Sign these.
What is this? A thank you card to the chief usher and his staff Ah.
For moving you into the White House today.
Also, your first executive order.
Reserves a percentage of Pentagon funds in a blind emergency trust.
It's basically lunch money for Defense while we're waiting for Congress to approve your budget.
- Done.
- [Chuckles.]
Now, grab yourself a drink.
Join us.
- [Cellphone vibrates.]
- I would love to, but apparently, this woman's work is never done.
- [Cellphone beeps.]
- [Laughs.]
Oh.
Is it done? It's done.
B613? Fully funded.
Time to turn the lights back on.
[Sighs.]
[Door opens.]
[Footsteps approach.]
I'm here to make a few things clear to you.
One you have no hold over Fitz.
He's gone.
Two Mellie is mine.
Mine to advise, mine to protect Which is why I'm reconstituting B613 and will run it myself.
You're retired.
Three I love you.
I want Sunday dinners with you, to share this world with you.
I want a father.
But cross me again, and I will kill you.
If there's one thing you've taught me, it's that family is a weakness.
Hmm.
What is it you call yourself? Smart prey? [Scoffs.]
Well, that's what I've become.
No, you're not smart prey.
You're the predator.
I'll see you Sunday, okay? [Insects chirping.]
I wasn't sure you'd show up.
We said we'd drink about this when it was over.
Man of your word.
Mm.
It was Luna Vargas behind the attempt on Mellie, behind Frankie's assassination.
Luna? Peus, that Samantha woman They did the dirty work, but it was Luna calling the shots.
She thought her husband would have more impact dead than alive.
Man.
[Inhales deeply.]
Luna freakin' Vargas.
[Sighs.]
She does make a good point, though.
A president's far more powerful the night he's elected and the day he dies than at any other point in his presidency.
I've always believed that.
And Luna with those blood stains on her dress? It's like Jackie Kennedy in her pink Chanel suit.
Put her in the Oval, she'd be unstoppable.
Anyway.
Question for you now, if you haven't answered it already, is how to get rid of her.
What? Why are you looking at me like that? Liv This was you.
What are you talking about? Jackie Kennedy? The pink Chanel suit? The night he's elected, the day he dies? Unstoppable? It's exactly the way Luna put it.
You planted that seed in her head just like you're planting a seed now in mine, hoping I'll get rid of Luna and make you VP.
This is the ending you wanted.
[Laughing.]
Tell me something.
That executive order you had Mellie sign? That's not lunch money for Defense, is it? Sounds to me like we both got what we wanted.
Stay in town.
So you can drag me back to jail? So I can nominate you.
How does it feel to be the most powerful person in the world? Right.
It feels right.
Hi.
What are you doing? [Chuckles.]
What does it look like I'm doing? Olivia! I specifically told you your mother was not to be released.
- And yet, somehow - I released her.
Yes.
Because it needed to be done.
Any second now, my mother is going to meet with whoever paid her to assassinate Mellie, and when she does, all this will finally be over.
That's what you're telling yourself? - What if you're wrong? - I'm not wrong.
Fitz, I trust her.
You need to trust me.
Don't do that.
Don't do this.
Not tonight.
Not now.
Not here.
Tomorrow is the inauguration.
You're leaving tomorrow.
You move to Vermont, I become Chief of Staff.
This is it for us.
We're not spending our last night together fighting.
I won't have it.
Get over here.
Get.
Over.
Here.
You are very bossy.
And you love it.
[Sighs.]
[Shoes thump.]
[Grunts.]
[Giggles.]
Thanks, baby.
Where is your ladies' room? We've got something.
Looks like a hand-off.
Okay, he's moving.
Take him.
Hands behind your head.
Hands behind your head! On your knees.
She just gave me cash to leave.
I don't even know her.
Damn it! Come on, Mom.
[Guns cocking.]
[Camera shutter clicking.]
- Maya dug out her tracking device.
- Already? Liv thinks there's a reason she slipped her leash.
Asked for our help getting to the bottom of it.
To kill Mellie Grant.
Liv thinks Maya is trying to help us.
By killing Mellie Grant.
Huck: Maybe Maya dug it out before the meeting in case they swept for bugs.
- Which means - Whoever hired Maya was nearby.
Folks, we're just hours away from watching history unfold in the nation's capital this morning, when Senator Melody Margaret Grant gets sworn in as the 45th President of the United States.
I'm sorry, we're not still talking about actually going through with this.
Have you seen the size of the crowds that have already gathered out there? And they're growing by the minute.
The genie is out of the bottle.
This inauguration is happening.
- What do you think? - My top men are on this.
Snipers on the rooftops.
Dogs on the ground.
Crowd-scanning tech even the conspiracy blogs don't know about yet.
I can't make guarantees But I can promise you this is the best-protected event - in human history.
- May I say something? If you're going out there, I'll stand by you, but I'm not comfortable bringing my children onto that dais.
And I don't think yours should be there, either.
No offense to either of you.
It's understandable.
Mellie, you need to make the right call here.
No children on the dais.
An extra security detail on my kids and Luna's.
However many snipers you have now? Double that.
And, Jake, you're running the operation personally.
Let's do this.
It's a quick draft, but it accomplishes what you requested.
Reserves a percentage of already-apportioned Pentagon funds in a blind emergency trust.
There might be some whining from the budget hawks, but chances are they won't even notice.
May I ask what you intend to use this for exactly? Something this last minute Must be important.
Thank you, David.
[Door opens, closes.]
The presidential motorcade has just arrived at the Capitol, where a record-breaking crowd of over a million people and growing have gathered to witness the swearing-in of the 45th President of the United States.
One noticeable absence on the dais today is Frankie Vargas's beleaguered running mate, Cyrus Beene, who chose not to attend or even comment on the inauguration.
You have to wonder what he's thinking right now.
[Chuckles.]
Oh, Noah.
Trust me.
You don't want to know what I'm thinking.
[Cheers and applause.]
[Patriotic music plays.]
Man: Ladies and gentlemen, the President of the United States, Fitzgerald Thomas Grant III.
[Cheers and applause.]
["Hail to the Chief" plays.]
Man: Present! ["Hail to the Chief" continues.]
Ladies and gentlemen, the Vice President-Elect of the United States, Luna Isabella Vargas.
[Cheers and applause.]
And the President-Elect of the United States, Melody Margaret Grant.
[Cheers and applause.]
[Applause continues.]
Hi.
It's good to see you.
[Suspenseful music plays.]
[Suspenseful music continues.]
You lay eyes on her, take the shot.
The new president is scheduled to be sworn in in approximately 10 minutes.
Let's make sure that happens.
Are these all the cellphones in the area at the time Maya disappeared? Yep.
The phone numbers, along with the registered names and addresses.
Cross-referencing the names with the Homeland Security database.
- No red flags.
- Maybe Maya's employer's using a burner.
Can you get names on these? Please stand as the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court administers the Presidential Oath of Office.
[Cheers and applause.]
Snipers report in.
All good here.
Nothing unusual, Admiral.
All clear from where I'm sitting.
[Dramatic music plays.]
- [Beeping.]
- This can't be.
It says one of the burners is at the Capitol.
Right now? Please raise your right hand and repeat after me.
There are a million people there.
We literally have one in a million chance of finding out who hired Maya? I, Melody Margaret Grant, do solemnly swear I, Melody Margaret Grant, do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States [Repeating.]
the Office of President of the United States [Cellphone vibrates.]
and will, to the best of my ability and will, to the best of my ability Mom? Hey, Livvie.
Could you do me a solid and move a couple of feet to your right? Mom! I'm pretty sure I have the crosswind figured out, but there's no telling what this bullet will do when it tears through a skull.
Wouldn't want to hurt you, too, baby.
- [Beeping.]
- Quinn: What? Huck: The burner's signal is coming from the stage itself.
One of the VIPs hired Maya to kill Mellie? The call's coming from inside the house.
Preserve, protect, and defend I am asking you.
I am begging you.
Do not shoot Mellie.
Do not kill the President.
Mellie? Who said anything about shooting Mellie? Chief Justice: the Constitution of the United States.
What Maya: You wanted a name.
I'm gonna do you one better.
It's handled, baby.
The Constitution of the United States.
Just tell me who it is.
Who is it? Move, girl.
You can come in, Mom.
Testify against them.
I'll protect you.
Protect me? [Chuckles.]
Baby.
That's not how motherhood works.
I'm going to protect you.
So help me God.
Now, if you would move that big bubble head of yours Wait! [Silenced gunshot fired.]
Chief Justice: Congratulations, Madame President.
[Cheers and applause.]
Target down.
I repeat, target is down.
Olivia: Mom? Mom! Your mother's been neutralized.
What does that mean? Dad, what did you do? Did you kill her? She's still breathing.
She was on our side, Dad.
I was going to get a name.
It's over, Olivia.
[Cheering continues.]
[Crowd chanting "Mellie".]
President Grant is just passing the National Archives on her way up Pennsylvania Avenue, toward the presidential reviewing stand, where she will preside over the parade from outside the White House.
Once the parade is over, President Grant will join her children in saying goodbye to their father, who in a mere few hours will be boarding Marine One and bidding farewell to the White House.
[Laughs.]
Hey, Teddy, would you go find your big sister for me? Thanks, buddy.
Who the hell authorized that? You should be grateful.
Grateful?! My mother was helping us! Now she's in surgery, fighting for her life, unable to tell us who her actual target was.
She was pointing a gun at Mellie.
She was pointing a gun at the person who hired her, and if my father hadn't shot her If your father hadn't shot her, Mellie would be dead That's not true! Enough.
Do I need to remind you how much money the federal government spends every day to keep a President safe? $2 million.
That wherever I go, there's a man following me with blood.
My blood.
That I ride in a car that can literally launch grenades.
Its windows are five inches thick.
Its doors weigh the same as the doors on a 757.
Was your mama there to kill me? [Sighs.]
I don't know.
But what I do know is that I have a valet and a dresser waiting for me to finalize my outfit for the ball.
For the other 44 presidents, that took all of 10 minutes.
But for the lady president, that means choosing a dress that will impress the New York fashion blogs without insulting the Washington conservatives.
So, rather than sit here and discuss all the ways I might die today, I'm gonna go pick an outfit now so that I can be done with that nonsense and focus on what's really important Running the damn country.
[Door closes.]
[Door opens.]
I've got David Rosen on the phone for you.
He said you'd know what it was about.
I'll take it in the hall.
[Door closes.]
[Door opens.]
Inauguration seating chart.
No questions asked.
If you need anything more from me Abby, wait.
I need you to take over OPA.
You're leaving? Where are you going? Somewhere normal.
Where I can start over.
Have a regular job.
Bake brownies.
Be on the PTA.
You can't bake brownies and be on the PTA here? And what about Charlie? Have you even told him you're pregnant yet? [Sighs.]
Look, I love Charlie.
But he doesn't know how to be normal.
I had a life before this.
A-A boring, vanilla life.
I know how to do it.
Charlie it would kill him.
[Sighs.]
Can I think about it? Just don't take too long.
What do you need? Olivia: You called Fitz earlier.
Why? And this morning in the Oval? What was that about? I saw the log, David.
You were the last one to see him before he left for the Capitol.
- What did he want? - It was nothing.
Nothing? There was an executive order he wanted me to draft.
- What kind of executive order? - Some budget thing.
Show it to me.
I can't.
Hmph.
Mellie recently asked me if she should nominate a new AG.
My instinct was no, we should keep you, but now I'm wondering if we might be better off with a fresh face.
What do you think, David? Olivia: Were you ever gonna tell me? .
003% of previously-apportioned Pentagon funds, quietly transferred to a blind emergency trust.
To the outside world, completely harmless.
Barely noticeable.
- To you, however.
To me - Olivia.
The money's going to fund a reconstituted B613.
Isn't it? What did my father say to get you to do this? What was his angle this time? Are the two of you working together now? I did what I had to do as President of the United States.
We need protection like this now more than ever.
You know where this road leads, Fitz.
You've seen it firsthand.
It's gonna be different this time.
- Why is that? - Because I'll be running it.
So that's how he did it.
[Scoffs.]
That was his promise.
And you bought it.
What I did was take matters into my own hands.
He manipulated you.
He will work against you at every turn.
And when the time is right, he will try to seize control And how would that be any different from the past eight years? You think someone hasn't been trying to seize control or, in one form or another, replace me? You just described every single day I've spent in the White House, Olivia.
This is my chance to effect real change.
To make a real difference.
You, of all people, should understand that.
[Softly.]
I wanted you to stay.
What? I was going to ask you to stay.
To forget Vermont.
I didn't want you to leave.
I wanted you to stay here.
- With me.
- Well, guess what.
Now I am.
Yes.
You are.
Now you are going to run the organization that ruined my father's life.
And mine.
I wanted you to stay.
But not like this.
I can't watch [Sighs.]
[Door opens, closes.]
If you're just joining us, we're looking at a live shot of what is now formerly Marine One, awaiting President Grant, who will make his proper farewell to the nation - any minute now - Liv.
You shouldn't be here.
Is there ever going to come a time when you don't tell me what to do? You need to go out there.
Board your chopper.
You know, for your fake goodbye.
Make your fake jaunt off to Vermont.
Have you given any thought to how you're gonna spin your return back to D.
C.
yet? Are you gonna move your foundation here? Use it as a front for the new and improved B613? Smart.
Yeah.
But unnecessary.
I rescinded the order.
Told David to destroy it before anybody could see it.
I said it was just an oversight.
A rash judgment call.
Which it was.
I couldn't do it, Liv.
You were right.
I'm always right.
That's it? What do you want me to say? You're a good man? Yay you? You saved me.
I didn't.
You saved me.
Fine.
I saved you.
Thank you.
Liv.
I can't stay.
I have a foundation to run.
And you have a world to change.
Of course.
I'm not faking this goodbye.
[Inhales deeply.]
This one's for real.
[Sniffles.]
Okay.
It's for real.
Okay.
[Somber music plays.]
Goodbye, then.
Man: Mr.
President! [Camera shutters clicking.]
Woman: Mr.
President! [Indistinct shouting.]
The cameras.
I don't care.
It has been an honor, Mr.
President.
The honor has been all mine.
[Helicopter blades whirring.]
Man: This is a uniquely American problem.
The chief usher and his staff have just four hours to switch the White House over from one President Grant to the next.
And by the time they finish, the Oval Office will be completely transformed, ready to welcome its first female occupant.
[Camera shutter clicking.]
These can't all be viable suspects.
Quinn, I need one name.
Not 32.
Liv, at this point, all we have to go on is a rough location and a seating chart.
We're sorting through suspects, trying to narrow down those with criminal ties, sketchy backstories But this is Washington.
Everyone has a sketchy backstory.
You need to move faster.
We all have an inaugural ball to attend, and I need to be sure we're not being shot up or fire-bombed.
We don't all have to go to that ball, do we? Until we find a name, no one's going anywhere.
And don't you dare use that as a reason to stop trying.
- I'm not! - We have a problem.
This seating chart's not gonna help us at all.
It's out of date.
Look.
The seating chart has Mellie's kids here and here.
But those kids were never there.
No.
She decided she didn't want them on stage - at the last minute.
- So what does that mean? It means we have even less to go on than we had two minutes ago.
Our bad guy could've slipped into one of those seats, and we wouldn't know.
Give me that footage of Frankie's assassination.
Why? [Dramatic music plays.]
With projections for Texas United States of America.
Who gains the most if Frankie Vargas dies? I need to call my children.
Their father's dead.
Who has spent decade after decade helping fairer yet less competent men raise their hand on Inauguration Day? Vice President of the United States Luna Vargas.
Would kill for this job.
We have a very short list for Mr.
Ballard's replacement.
Think.
not comfortable bringing my children onto that dais.
Think.
There it is.
Damn it.
There it is.
There what is? My mother wasn't lying.
She wasn't aiming for Mellie.
[Camera shutter clicking.]
Olivia.
I wasn't Congratulations, Madame Vice President.
I'm just happy to be a part of the team.
I bet.
Let's talk.
Sit.
Please.
Though I may need to excuse myself soon to start getting ready for the ball.
You're not going to the ball, Luna.
I'm sorry? It's over.
Done.
Your plan failed.
Mellie's alive.
What I need to know is if there's a Plan B.
Think.
Before you utter your next statement.
Think.
And know that I wouldn't come to you unless I already knew the truth.
If you had evidence, I'd already be in handcuffs.
Not being threatened.
You're going to tell me about the entire plan Beginning to end.
Names of everyone involved.
Or we can take this to someplace more private and I can invite some people far more indelicate than I am.
[Sighs heavily.]
No.
Luna You can't hurt me.
You can't kill me.
You need me.
I'm the Vice President of the United States of America.
My approval rating is higher than the President's.
I'm the widow of a national hero.
An icon.
If something happens to me, Mellie's presidency is a non-starter.
I don't need a bomb.
I don't need another assassin.
Me.
I am Plan B.
Now get out of my house before I have the Secret Service throw you out.
Olivia: Luna's right.
We need her to push Mellie's agenda through.
And if she goes to jail, Mellie's entire first term is engulfed in scandal.
She's the first woman President.
There can be no mistakes! You're frustrated.
I'm pissed! We can't touch her.
It's done.
No! Don't say that! What choice do we have? The TV is broken.
Healthcare in this country Doctors say you're going to be okay.
They also said someone would be in to fix the TV.
[Scoffs.]
You were going to shoot Luna weren't you? So you sniffed out Luna Vargas.
Good for you.
That bitch really plays it, doesn't she? Everybody loves Luna.
[Chuckles.]
What are you gonna do? Nothing.
We're stuck with Luna.
She has all the cards.
So it's over.
You let it go.
No.
This isn't how it was supposed to be.
I was supposed to deliver the Oval to Mellie free and clear.
Why are you always worried about other people? Mellie? Mellie isn't sitting around worried about you.
What the hell do you care if a Latina sister gets over? Move on.
Walk away.
It's the White House! You don't just move on! You don't walk away.
But now we don't have a choice! Luna Vargas gets to be in that White House that I worked so Oh.
Now I see it.
What? This is about you.
That Luna bitch is stepping on your lawn.
The White House is your baby.
I earned it.
I deserve it.
Then, honey, do what you need to do to get your baby back.
You are half me and half that crazy man.
I don't see how anyone can fight you and win.
[Camera shutter clicking.]
You're not gonna take the job.
If I took over now, it would be a disaster.
What am I gonna do? You're gonna hire me.
You were the Chief of Staff at the White House.
So I'll be the chief of staff at OPA.
Charlie: Robin? I don't know anything about kids.
[Chuckles.]
Me, neither.
But we'll figure it out.
Together.
You want to have a baby? Let's have a baby.
Over a cliff.
Over a cliff.
Honey, am I tripping? What's wrong? We're gonna have a baby.
Is what I'm guilty of - Go on and sentence me - [Laughs.]
I'll still be free - Whoa.
- Oh, sorry.
I'm sorry.
- Sorry.
- [Laughing.]
It's my turn To see what I can see I hope you'll understand That this time's just for me Because it's my turn No apologies I've given up the truth For those I've tried to please But now it's my turn If I don't all the answers At least I know That I'll take my chances And so I'll let it rain Because the rain ain't gonna hurt me So I'll let it rain Mellie: Cyrus.
Wake up.
Cyrus.
'Cause the rain ain't gonna hurt me What Oh, my God.
And I'll let you go What What What are you doing here? - Though I know it won't be easy - I need a date.
And you need a shave.
- It's my turn - But, I-I'm [Sighs.]
W-Why me? With no more room for lies Cyrus, I'm in charge of the whole country now.
All of it.
It's terrifying.
And the only person who can imagine anywhere close to what I'm going through is you.
Be my date.
To try and find my way Please.
- And if I should get lost - [Inhales sharply.]
[Camera shutter clicking.]
At least I'll own today You told me it's my, my turn Oh, oh, it's my turn Yeah And there ain't no use in holding on [Knock on door.]
When nothing stays the same I thought you could use some company.
- So I will let it rain - Liv? 'Cause the rain ain't gonna hurt me I know what we're gonna do.
And I'll let you go What is it? I'm late for the ball as it is.
Olivia: This won't take long.
I just wanted to let you know I found a way forward, a solution that works for all of us.
Oh? Okay.
Sure.
I'll humor you.
[Inhales deeply.]
You're going to die.
Tonight.
Here in this room.
Agents? Agents! Those agents? They're not yours.
They're not even Secret Service.
They're mine.
Hi.
Sit.
So, what, you want to try and cut a deal? A deal? No.
We're past that.
You're dying.
That wasn't a euphemism.
Enough with the threats.
You're not gonna kill me.
I'm the Vice President.
Raise your hand if you've killed a Vice President before.
He was Argentine.
It counts.
Mine was American.
But you're right.
We're not going to kill you.
You're going to kill yourself.
[Scoffs lightly.]
You're insane.
Even if I I-I'd never abandon my children.
You love them very much, don't you? Of course.
Take the pills.
You'll fall asleep, have a heart attack, and never wake up again.
Your kids, the world, they'll remember you as a saint.
Leave it to Jake? It gets messy.
He shoots you in the face, rips off your clothes, leaves you in a ditch.
You'll decompose, get picked over by animals.
When the cops investigate, they'll discover you're a murderer.
They'll call your death a revenge killing.
Those are the words your children will hear when they see your corpse on the news after they're told Mommy killed Daddy for power! - No, I didn't! - You killed your husband! - No! - You have to own it! [Gun cocks.]
I loved Frankie! I just I didn't want to be First Lady.
I didn't want to be trapped in that life.
So I I paid someone to make sure he lost, to make sure Mellie won.
And then they killed him! A funny thing happens after we commit an act as heinous as this.
We revisit it.
Justify it.
Lie to ourselves so we don't call it what it is.
I'm not lying.
Then why keep your kids off that stage on election night? Because you knew.
You knew the bullet was coming.
There you are.
Feels good, right? Not to hide anymore? [Inhales sharply.]
A president is most powerful the night he's elected and the day he dies.
Everything in between is Frankie would've had to govern.
Make compromises.
Me? Imagine if Jackie Kennedy had been President.
How unstoppable she'd have been.
They'd have given her everything she asked for.
Medicare.
Civil rights.
Things her husband wanted but never got.
And all because of those blood stains on her pink Chanel suit.
Frankie's ideas would have died on the vine.
I gave them a chance to live! I'm not pure evil.
Please.
[Crying.]
Oh.
You're not pure evil.
You love your kids.
You protect them.
Which makes this an easy decision for you.
Here.
The bullet or the pills, Luna? Your choice.
[Inhales sharply.]
[Slurps.]
[Breathing heavily.]
Call me when she's dead.
[Door opens.]
[Door closes.]
What happens now? Now? We wait.
[Crying.]
Liv! What happened to you? You missed the parties.
I was there.
We must have just missed each other.
Here.
Sign these.
What is this? A thank you card to the chief usher and his staff Ah.
For moving you into the White House today.
Also, your first executive order.
Reserves a percentage of Pentagon funds in a blind emergency trust.
It's basically lunch money for Defense while we're waiting for Congress to approve your budget.
- Done.
- [Chuckles.]
Now, grab yourself a drink.
Join us.
- [Cellphone vibrates.]
- I would love to, but apparently, this woman's work is never done.
- [Cellphone beeps.]
- [Laughs.]
Oh.
Is it done? It's done.
B613? Fully funded.
Time to turn the lights back on.
[Sighs.]
[Door opens.]
[Footsteps approach.]
I'm here to make a few things clear to you.
One you have no hold over Fitz.
He's gone.
Two Mellie is mine.
Mine to advise, mine to protect Which is why I'm reconstituting B613 and will run it myself.
You're retired.
Three I love you.
I want Sunday dinners with you, to share this world with you.
I want a father.
But cross me again, and I will kill you.
If there's one thing you've taught me, it's that family is a weakness.
Hmm.
What is it you call yourself? Smart prey? [Scoffs.]
Well, that's what I've become.
No, you're not smart prey.
You're the predator.
I'll see you Sunday, okay? [Insects chirping.]
I wasn't sure you'd show up.
We said we'd drink about this when it was over.
Man of your word.
Mm.
It was Luna Vargas behind the attempt on Mellie, behind Frankie's assassination.
Luna? Peus, that Samantha woman They did the dirty work, but it was Luna calling the shots.
She thought her husband would have more impact dead than alive.
Man.
[Inhales deeply.]
Luna freakin' Vargas.
[Sighs.]
She does make a good point, though.
A president's far more powerful the night he's elected and the day he dies than at any other point in his presidency.
I've always believed that.
And Luna with those blood stains on her dress? It's like Jackie Kennedy in her pink Chanel suit.
Put her in the Oval, she'd be unstoppable.
Anyway.
Question for you now, if you haven't answered it already, is how to get rid of her.
What? Why are you looking at me like that? Liv This was you.
What are you talking about? Jackie Kennedy? The pink Chanel suit? The night he's elected, the day he dies? Unstoppable? It's exactly the way Luna put it.
You planted that seed in her head just like you're planting a seed now in mine, hoping I'll get rid of Luna and make you VP.
This is the ending you wanted.
[Laughing.]
Tell me something.
That executive order you had Mellie sign? That's not lunch money for Defense, is it? Sounds to me like we both got what we wanted.
Stay in town.
So you can drag me back to jail? So I can nominate you.
How does it feel to be the most powerful person in the world? Right.
It feels right.