Scandal Episode 2.06 Spies Like Us

A man rushes down the sidewalk to hand over a package to his neighborhood postal carrier. The mail truck turns the corner leaving the man standing on a peaceful suburban street. BANG! The man shoots himself in the head. The package he was so anxious to send off before committing suicide is addressed to Olivia Pope. There's sheet music inside. Huck quickly determines this is actually a coded message asking for protection for a group of covert operatives. He knows the people on the list are spies because his name is amongst them.

The man who committed suicide was a case officer for a top secret, CIA-funded program known as B6-13. Huck wants to disappear to keep his friends safe. Olivia is not about to let that happen. The team learns that an international master hacker named Nigel Sarnoff is set to release information that will devastate the intelligence community. Olivia scores a video chat with the guy through his lawyer. She realizes that Sarnoff doesn't have the goods yet. One of the spies on the list will be providing him with the info. That's why Olivia tells Huck to assemble all of these highly-trained killers in her office so they can plug the leak.

Huck uses short wave radio frequencies to contact his former colleagues. One by one they arrive. Maggie is a mother of three who was nicknamed "Wink" due to her need to keep one eye closed during her sniper days. Paul is a college professor. Melvin is a doctor. Betsy owns a B&B. Finally, there's Charlie. He's the killer we first met in Season 1's "Crash and Burn." All spies are asked to surrender their guns. Olivia tells them to stay put while she works to stop Sarnoff from destroying the new lives they've all built. In other words, she wants them to resist the urge to kill anyone.

Quinn monitors the spies via a surveillance feed. She details all their phone calls. The only call Huck makes is to his new girlfriend, Becky. The spies know that someone in the room is the leak. Quinn realizes that they didn't surrender all of their weapons, as everyone has a gun pointed at someone else. Harrison dials up enough courage to talk everyone into lowering their pistols until his boss returns. Olivia learns there's been a payoff to a Swiss bank account with numbers that match a prescription Melvin called in. The good doctor is the leak.

Harrison intercepts the secret files Melvin was planning to sell. The spies want to kill the traitor amongst them. Huck makes an impassioned speech as to how he likes a woman who will never know he's a killer. He believes Melvin just wanted to free himself of his past. He just wanted to feel normal. BANG! Wink shoots Melvin dead in the head. Everyone liked Huck's speech, but it wasn't enough to save a traitor's life. The spies all spring into clean-up mode as Huck sits in stunned silence. He later tells Olivia that his spy nickname of "Spin" is short for "Spinster" because his colleagues never thought he'd meet anyone. They were wrong.

Cyrus is furious that James wrote a front page, above-the-fold article about Hollis Doyle that includes private conversations they had while in bed together. Needless to say, the energy tycoon isn't pleased about the article either. Cyrus and Olivia agree that Hollis has been unhappy since "Defiance." They both fear for James's safety. He needs to be shut down. That's why Cy pulls the sympathy card on his husband smack dab in the middle of the Oval Office. His plan works. James vows to back off his Hollis Doyle crusade.

David and Abby realize that Doyle Energy, Cytron and the voting machines that were discussed in "All Roads Lead to Fitz" are part of an initiative that would create a pipeline from Canada to the Gulf. They also realize that they are in the point in their relationship where Abby can have her own drawer at David's place. In other news, Harrison has been lobbying for Stephen's old office along with Abby and Quinn. He also wants Olivia to know that he'll do whatever she needs done with no questions asked. What she needs is for Abby and David to not be together. Harrison assures her that this will be handled.

Harrison hands over an envelope of cash to a woman named Theresa Dunn. He then pushes Abby into doing a background check on her new boyfriend. He makes it seem like he's truly concerned about her as a friend. Abby takes the bait. She learns that David beat his ex-girlfriend, Theresa Dunn. None of this is true, but Abby believes it to be so after the woman lies about it. Heartbroken, she returns to the office where her boss gives her a shoulder to cry on. Olivia also manages to hide the fax that came in from the Board of Elections in Defiance County, Ohio. Harrison looks disappointed in himself as he walks by while moving into his new office.

In random news, Huck continues to listen to short wave radio signals for hidden messages, as is likely the case for all of his fellow spies. Charlie makes a call to someone saying that he's back in town and looking to do business. As for Olivia, she has been casually dating Senator Edison Davis though she's still thinking about Fitz, who is out of the country. This doesn't stop her from pulling Edison inside her place for a night of passion after an emotionally draining day. Finally, David is devastated after what went down with Abby. He shifts his focus back to his investigation which may lead him to Cyrus Beene's husband, James.