Scandal Recap Season 5 Episode 17: What Did Olivia Do to Andrew Nichols?

By Jim Donnelly

Apr 8th, 2016

Watch a recap video of Season 5, Episode 17

Welcome to the official Scandal recap for Season 5, Episode 17 “Thwack” episode (original airdate April 7, 2016). Abby (Darby Stanchfield) lets Fitz (Tony Goldwyn) know that one of the women he slept with, Lillian Forrester (Annabeth Gish), met with Andrew Nichols (Jon Tenney), who has recently regained his ability to speak. The once-comatose ex-veep is now talking about how the president went to war for his mistress. Let’s find out what happened on Scandal last night in The Gladiator Report!

The Gang’s All Here: The Andrew Nichols situation has everyone on edge. Well, almost everyone. Cyrus (Jeff Perry) is positively giddy at a secret meeting with Olivia (Kerry Washington), Fitz, Mellie (Bellamy Young), David (Joshua Malina), Elizabeth (Portia de Rossi) and Abby. He enjoys seeing them all sweat, as he has complete immunity. The others, however, need to pony up some serious bucks to keep the ex-veep from making a peep.

Mutual Disgust: Liz approaches Huck (Guillermo Diaz)to take care of things with Andrew. That’s not going to happen. In other news, Mellie’s visit to smooth things out with Andrew goes well at first. Then things goes south.

Monster Move: Abby isn’t onboard with the president’s plan to take the fall in the Andrew Nichols fiasco. Olivia lets her know that she’s not a monster and she can always come back to OPA. That’ll be fun, right? Maybe not. Abby pays a visit to Andrew. Olivia soon finds out why.

Papa Don’t Preach: Olivia asks Papa Pope (Joe Morton) for help keeping tabs on Lillian. Jake (Scott Foley) is on the case. Papa Pope assures Olivia that when her plan doesn’t work she’ll only have one option left. Olivia doesn’t believe that’s true until she pays a visit to Andrew and pulls up a chair.

Crossed Off:After the brutal bludgeoning of the former Vice President of the United States in a secret underground room beneath the White House (these things happen), the current President of the United States holds his ex-veep’s killer close promising everything will be okay. Abby enters the room. She’s horrified at the bloody scene. Olivia lays out all her next moves. She also gives Abby a warning.

Home Is Where You Hang Your White Hat: News of Andrew’s death from an unfortunate fall breaks. Fitz addresses the nation. As for Olivia, she gets cleaned up. Quinn (Katie Lowes)and Huck drop her at home. Not her apartment though.

Watch the Scandal Season 5 full episode "Thwack!" here. Watch all-new episodes of Scandal THURSDAYS 9|8c including the next episode, "Till Death Do Us Part" airing Thursday, April 21, right before an all-new episode of The Catch!

Woohoo! Scandal renewed for Season 6!

PREVIOUS GLADIATOR REPORTS

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Pencils Down

I See You

The Fish Rots from the Head

Wild Card

The Candidate

It's Hard Out Here for a General

Winter Finale

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Even the Devil Deserves a Second Chance