katrinapavela:

I wanted to give Mellie Grant a slow clap for her performance at the end of More Cattle, Less Bull (305). Honeyyyyyyy…the words, the looks, the faux sisterwives urgency. Wow, Mellie. Wow. But I was not fooled for a minute. It is embarrassing for Mellie that Fitz so unabashedly loves, needs and seeks Olivia at every turn. That goes for both love and work. Even in the middle of mistressgate, Olivia and Fitz seemed to be united against Mellie. And in the above scene there is some reluctant resignation in Mellie’s words, but I cannot fully trust her. She doesn’t do anything without gain for herself. What you saw in that Mellivia scene was another world class performance. Maybe she thinks if Fitz can play that game, then she will play the same game with Olivia. After all, being an obstructionist in their relationship by outing the affair on national television proved to only backfire on her public approval ratings. Mellie can’t have that. Instead of beating them, she’ll appear to give her blessing.

Let’s re-visit Mellie’s drunken threat in Mrs. Smith Goes to Washington (303):

Mellie: “If your whore had died today, brave and strong protecting a congressman inside the Capitol, with a nation watching? Honey…the nails, the wood…the cross you would build and hammer her on. The worship you would feel for the rest of your days, down on your knees praying to St. Olivia Pope—that would be…[deep exhale] I’d lose. Our little war? I’d lose. I am spectacular, but…I can’t compete with religious fervor, so, no I was not hoping she’d be blown up today. I am not miserable that she survived. I am celebrating because Olivia Pope still walks this earth. She’s still alive! And as long as she’s still alive, she’s your flaw. Your Achilles heel. Which makes her my weapon. She’s the strings that if need be, I will pull to make my puppet husband dance. So, cheers, baby. I live to fight another day.”

That’s why I can’t trust her. So Mellie was not giving her husband to Olivia  because she’s given in to Olitz’s disgusting fairytale, or because she loves Fitz to a fault. Here’s the ugly truth about Mellie’s motivations: she’s a pimp in the Olitz relationship. Attempted pimping and Machiavellian manipulations sanctioned by Cyrus are the only ways in which Mellie stays relevant in a marriage to Fitzgerald Grant. She’s not evil, but she is desperate. She knows the painfully obvious truth about Olivia and Fitz. The dawn of that undeniable reality came in Happy Birthday, Mr. President (208) upon which, she confronted Olivia with Fitz’s missing flag pin. That scene serves as a great parallel to this one, and I will bring it in later in this piece.

Costume and Blocking

I felt so badly for Olivia. She power strut her little ass down that hallway thinking she was gonna see her man. She had a little smile and everything just as Tom opened the door, just before Mellie appeared. Then her face was like, womp, womp. Anyway, as we’ve seen, Olivia was wearing black and white. This usually signifies that she is in conflict with herself. She certainly wanted to be at the WHCD so that she could be near Fitz in some capacity, but also knowing that she could not be with him. Mellie is wearing maroon, a colour close to red, which she usually wears when she is feeling angry or slighted. It could also just be because it’s an official function and she’s a Republican. It’s also interesting that Mellie used Tom, someone Olivia has grown to trust and associate with Fitz, as opposed to Hal. So the manipulation started before Olivia even stepped foot into that room.

The Converstation

Mellie: “I like your new boyfriend. Is he married?”

Olivia rightly was like,

The first words that came out of Mellie’s mouth were actually the truth. They were just barely below the surface. She took the lid off that cauldron and that’s what came bubbling out. It’s easy for one’s real feelings to come out. It takes real skill and control to keep them at bay. The rest of Mellie’s  speech to Olivia was an act done to woo Olivia by using emotionally charged language.

Mellie: “I’d like you to come back and run Fitz’s re-election campaign.”

Olivia [shocked]: “What?!”

Mellie: “Do you remember what it was like four years ago, Liv? What we were like? Fresh and young and full of ideas. And now, four years later…my God look at us. Congress has stalled everything we’ve tried to push through. Approval ratings are in free fall. People want change. And of course that’s exactly what the Democrats are running on, but that’s…[adjusts her face from being caught up worrying about the mess she’s just laid out] I’m not even worried about all that. Anyone can fix that. That’s not why he needs you.”

Olivia: “Mellie—“

Mellie: “He needs you, Olivia! He is tired, and broken, and…it isn’t the job. It’s doing the job without you. He’s not alive when you’re not here. He can’t breathe when you’re not here. He doesn’t have the will to run, much less win when you’re not here because you…[deep exhale] You’re everything to him. He needs you.  So, I need you. Come back. Come back to us.”

The phone call Mellie overheard between Olivia and Fitz earlier in the episode was a manifestation of everything she just said. We’ve heard these sentiments play out between Olivia and Fitz in both the Rose Garden (208) and the hospital (219). Earlier in the week, I stated simply that the theme for episode 305,  More Cattle, Less Bull (a play on the very title, and a line taken from It’s Handled) was: the truth works. But in this case, Mellie is using the truth of the Olitz relationship to work to her advantage. She needs their truth in order to stay relevant while still being married to Fitz. Mellie has been trying all this time to be owned by someone, or something, but no one really wants her (h/t @schuyleresprit). She has nothing of her own, and at this point is totally dependent.

The one honest thing Mellie did say: “He needs you. So, I need you.” She’s pimping out her husband in order to get Washington’s best fixer on board the Grant re-election team.

Olivia: “Does he know what you are asking?”

Of course Olivia’s first thought would be about Fitz. She knows good and well Fitz would NEVER send Mellie to do his bidding, especially not when it comes to anything having to do with Olivia.

Mellie: “No, but he’ll get on board. Of course he’ll get on board. You and I, we’ve always wanted the same thing, Liv: for him to be the man we both know he can be. And after what we did, we owe him this. A chance to run on his own steam. And win.”

First of all, da fuq?  “After what we did to him”???? Mellie, if I remember correctly, you were eager to get on board with election rigging. You did not bat a finely curled lash because you wanted a seat at the big kids table so badly. You were thinking that it was a shot at yourdreams, not just Fitzgerald’s. Meanwhile, you and the rest of the Defiance Illuminati put the pressure on Olivia every which way you could. She was the only person actually looking out for the well-being of Fitzgerald, the man. I should not at all be surprised.

The thing is, Fitz and Olivia have already resolved this issue in Any Questions? (221) when Fitz was questioning if he had it in him, and if he deserved to ask the nation to run on his own steam. Mellie, again, where Fitz and Olivia are concerned, is redundant. Mellie has never expressed guilt over what she did in Defiance: not when she threw Cyrus under the bus as ring leader (214), or when Cyrus confronted her about Fitz’s knowledge of Defiance (215). Never. So the fact that she is feigning guilt in order to ensnare Olivia is…interesting.Danger, Olivia Pope. Danger!

Happy Birthday, Mr. President Parallels

Much of the Mellivia scene from above recalls a similar scene in Happy Birthday, Mr. President (208). Thesame orchestral music as was played during Olivia’s resignation scene in 208 could be heard. In both instances, the scene was intercut with Fitz making a speech. In 208 it was the SOTU. The music appears to signify Olivia’s leaving and (presumed) return back to the White House (though I don’t think she will return any time soon). Both conversations happened without Fitz’s knowledge. The major difference is that The 305 conversation took place in a private room. The flag pin conversation took place in public, in a busy corridor or the White House. This makes a huge difference in the stance that Mellie, as First Lady, was allowed to take. For anyone glancing their way, Mellie had to appear to be holding court. That certainly comes through in the scene.

 Mellie: “We all want the same thing: you, me and Cyrus. We’re a team. We got him in the White House, and we are going to keep him here. We are doing our patriotic duty, serving our country. Working for the greater good.  We just…go about it differently. I suppose.”

Meaning, Olivia should keep fucking Fitz, keep him in good spirits so that he can focus, and Mellie will make sure to play the entitled, doting, supportive wife. You can’t read the tension between the both of them. The shame of Olivia. The feigned superiority of Mellie. But you can see it in their body language, and hear it in the way they deliver the lines. They are both in a pickle because of their relationship to Fitz. Mellie has realized for the first time that Fitz’s fondness for Olivia runs much deeper than she imagined. It’s a fondness that threatens to usurp her position, not just as First Lady, but the very relevance of who she is. Mellie’s whole adult life, her very identity, has been built around her marriage to Fitzgerald Grant. I’ve repeatedly said, who is Mellie Grant without this marriage? I don’t think she knows, which is why she’s still married to someone who has repeatedly shunned her. The only way for Mellie to deal with Olivia’s prominence in her marriage, and threat to her identity, is to castigate her in the most demeaning way: refer to her as a whore. Repeatedly. Mellie sees Olivia as sexual labour there for her exploitation. I’ve explained why she does this in my It’s a Cold War essay, but I it bears repeating here:

“… in order to maintain her self-worth, Mellie demeans Olivia by calling her a ‘whore’. It’s clearly desperate because it’s her only means to claiming power…A ‘whore’ is a prostitute. So Mellie is attempting to render Olivia a prostitute—a sexual labourer who receives payment (actual money, or in kind favors) for their services. Mellie can rationalize Olivia’s role in Fitz’s life as a sexual labourer because Olivia would then also be serving Mellie’s own needs. This is why she invited Olivia to the State dinner in “Hell Hath No Fury” (103). She thought Fitz wasn’t sleeping well because he needed to get laid by his favorite ‘whore’: Olivia. “Happy Birthday, Mr. President”, with its references to the most infamous presidential mistress,  Marylin Monroe, re-emphasizes Mellie’s view of Olivia’s role in Fitz’s life…In order for Mellie to uphold her value (as wife, mother, ‘chosen’ one), she must proffer her virtue, and perhaps her Mayflower lineage over what she thinks Olivia can offer to Fitz. There is a racial anxiety that underpins this. This kind of dynamic harkens back to slavery, and it is deeply rooted in both racism and patriarchy that still exists.” 

And then as a means of showing who is in charge, Mellie gives Olivia a task:

Mellie [handing Olivia the flag pin]: “You’ll make sure Fitz gets this?”

Olivia: “Yes.”

Mellie: “Thank you, Olivia”

As much as I want team OFC back together and kickass partnership and sexiness on the trail, Olivia should not go back at the behest of Mellie. She’s proven herself untrustworthy. If Fitz absolutely needs Olivia’s help,then he needs to ask her. But let’s be real, it’s more compelling and contentious if they are on opposing teams, like real life political strategist (ex) couple Mary Matalin (Republican) and James Carville (Democrat). They vied against each other in the 1992 presidential election. It looks like, at least for now, Olivia won’t be joining the Grant campaign.

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