Dee Davis on 'Scandal': Here's to wearing a white hat ... or not

So last week Scandal was on hiatus and I was off riding elephants in Thailand (seriously, I was). And now this week, we're both back. Episode 19, I'm Just a Bill, promises the return of Olivia's father. And that doesn't bode well for the gladiators' plans to take out B613, nor for Olivia and her new flame, Franklin.

Seems possible that Franklin was already in bed with Olivia's father, Rowan. And that Rowan isn't above doing anything necessary to keep his daughter in line. Including taking down Fitz. So as we settle in with our popcorn, I'm not expecting anything less than another taut and twisty ride from Shonda Rhimes and crew.

Rumor also has it that Marcus (Cornelius Smith Jr.), the activist from the heart-wrenching murdered-teen episode, is back. And that could be another interesting twist as there was definite chemistry between him and Olivia.

So where does that leave Fitz? And more important (at least for me), Jake? Guess we're going to find out. Sooner or later …

Rowan is a little on the crazy side, don't you think? Well, maybe not in the normal sense, but in the world's most evil mastermind kind of way. And he's definitely got Olivia's number. Or at least he thinks he does. He believes that she's a poison apple straight from his tree. And she's just a little bit afraid he's right.

The 48-hour clock starts ticking, and Olivia's latest flame is a bit under the weather.

So, time for a gladiator meeting. Everyone's on board. Jake, Quinn, David … and Olivia, who is willing to take Fitz down if that's what it costs. But do we believe her? Meanwhile, Cyrus is hawking a bill. The Brandon Bill — rising from the flames of Brandon Parker's fatal shooting. Liz is playing friendly. And they've got the votes they need.

Enter Marcus Walker, our activist who is running for mayor. Something is rotten in D.C., though, and he's called Olivia for help. The current mayor's wife is dead, and Marcus was in the room with her. Dude? Banging the opponent's wife is never a good idea. But the gladiators are on it. Missing person beats dead body every time.

And there's a tied vote in bill land. It's time to appeal to the vice president. Who isn't as malleable as they'd hoped she'd be. She needs to read the bill — all 1,200 pages — even though the Senate is voting on the bill now. So while she's reading …

It's time for a little slice and dice from Quinn and Huck. Which, frankly, is getting to be a little too much for me. Although in this case it helps Marcus, who is totally freaked by this whole thing. And feeling guilty for the things he said to Olivia about Fitz, considering where he was just found and what he'd been up to. But Olivia has seen a heck of a lot worse.

"You call me and I save your life. So now you know what I'm about." Olivia defines herself in two sentences.

And the VP is still reading. The press is stirring the pot, trying to figure out which way she's going to vote. But she's got questions. Only Cyrus hasn't got time. Which is a problem, because unless she gets answers, she's going to vote no. Basically, she's going to be a thorn in their side. Cyrus calls in David. And after comparing her to a pigeon and a favorite monument (yup, you got the analogy), he sends David in to get her to commit to vote yes with the advice: Don't feed the pigeon.

Jake is checking up on Olivia. Or, more important, offering his support. Which, considering everything, is really righteous of him. They have a small moment, and then Liv answers the phone. Time to move on — to Marcus at the police station where he wasn't arrested and or Mirandized. And where Olivia explains, just this side of a threat, that Marcus Walker, candidate for mayor, isn't actually at the police station at all.

Back at Pope and Associates, we find out that Marcus' e-mail was hacked. The IP address is linked to the mayor. If it's true, the mayor is coming for Marcus. Marcus remembers that the guy who killed Natalie, the mayor's wife, was called Mickey.

David's with the VP. She's asking good questions. And her logic is somewhat convoluted but sound. David is a bit overwhelmed — but I suspect also intrigued. He reports to the president and Cyrus that he "fed the pigeon." The question is how that exactly will play out.

Next, David, a busy guy today, is questioning Jake. With Olivia present. There's a side note about "Remington" in the files. The operation to bring down a civilian plane. Rowan ordered 329 people killed to take out Liv's mother. Fitzgerald Grant, as we already know, but David didn't, was the pilot. Things just got a whole lot more complicated.

Olivia's walking the razor's edge. And so she calls Franklin, who has realized something not so wonderful happened to him last night — and now he wants out. Big-time. Wise man. But Olivia is very persuasive — especially when she's being Alex. So Franklin throws good sense to the wind, and Olivia gets exactly what she needs.

I still feel like the show is a little off track. But then sometimes you just have to trust that the writers know what they're doing and that sooner or later you and the characters will get where you're supposed to be.

And while we're trying to sort through the crazies, we cut to Mellie and the VP and her never-ending list of questions. I'm actually enjoying this character a lot. Hopefully we'll see a lot more of her.

Turns out, Mickey is actually a nickname for a certain big-eared man, who's the mayor's driver and connected with one of the biggest crime families in town. So now Marcus has a choice. Justice or his career. He wants both, but he has to choose.

We cut to the mayor's limo. Marcus has chosen his career. The mayor is forced to step down, and Marcus is the default winner. But Marcus can't do it. He has to come clean. I like the fact that he has to do that. That he, in the end, does choose justice. Although the cost is so high. Politics doesn't suffer fools. And in this case he made a bad choice that compounded into his own ruin. But maybe we'll see him rise again.

Push comes to shove and Fitz finally calls Susan Ross on her overzealous investigation of the bill. He orders her to vote yes. She balks. She isn't here to be his lapdog. She's here to make real change. I told you I liked her. She's a little preachy, but she's cool. And now she's leading the way. They're pulling the bill and they're going to make it better. Cyrus is losing it, but Fitz is feeling empowered.

Mellie's official! Running for senator. And Marcus confesses everything. Olivia says he should be proud of himself, but that's difficult when he knows that he has become political poison forever. But Olivia knows that he has made the right choice. That he has avoided falling into the dark pit that she lives in every day. Marcus triumphed and even though the cost was high, he'll find his way. Olivia helps him to see that.

Rowan is back. And Olivia is going to pick a side. But it isn't Rowan. She is going to fight for right. For justice. Justice is the point of the republic. Rowan called it. But not with the outcome he expected. We cut to the gladiators. And David: "Everyone always knows the right thing to do. The harder, more difficult part, is actually doing it." And the cost is going to be high.

OMG … I was right. Franklin is Rowan's man. And Jake is dead. And the rest of the team is in great danger. Olivia chose justice — and there is going to be fallout. Really deep, dark fallout.

I think I was much happier riding elephants. Seriously, they're sort of uncomfortable, but they never kill off their leading men.

Dee Davis is the bestselling author of 22 novels and five novellas. When not glued to her television screen, she can be found pounding away at her keyboard, trying to put words to one of the stories running around in her head. Find her at www.deedavis.com.