“Scandal” Recap: “A Stomach for Blood”

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ABC/John Fleenor(LOS ANGELES) — Thursday night’s Scandal episode, “A Stomach for Blood,” begins on election night. After Frankie Vargas is shot, Abby and the president are whisked away to safety.

At the White House, Abby, who appears in shock, finally answers her phone, and learns her worst fear: she’s connected to the death of Frankie Vargas.

Before the election, Abby sets up meetings with potential donors about funding the president’s library. During a donor lunch, Abby meets a man and woman from the “Fund for American Renewal” who offer Abby $300 million to join their team, which they say means a path to the presidency. 

Although Abby’s intrigued, she tells them no. Later, she considers it and asks Cyrus how he knew Frankie was the right person for the presidency. Immediately, Cyrus knows she’s interested being president and tells her she’d make a great candidate. However, Cyrus gives her the reality of the job, which means the president will not be happy with her and she will feel abandoned.

Back at the office, the president tells Abby that he’s interested in having her run his foundation in Vermont. Abby says no and tells him he needs to continue to make a difference, not retire. 

Fitz argues that he’s served his time and he’s moving back home. Upset, Abby calls back the donors and tells them, “I’m in.”

In a flashback to election night, the donors warn Abby that they will call her again after a big event occurs. When Vargas is shot, Abby knows they are behind it. They tell her to go to the hospital and lock it down, and if she doesn’t they will report the $300 million she received, which came from a suspicious bank account linked to Korea.

Abby figures out a way to go to the hospital and lock it down. There, she is told by a donor ally that she must swap the bullets in Frankie’s body with some sniper bullets in an envelope. She says no, but is then blackmailed by being told her boyfriend is being held hostage — and changes her mind.

In an effort to swap out bullets, she calls an independent doctor to perform the autopsy against the president’s orders. When he leaves, she swaps the bullets, including the one she has to dig out of Frankie’s body to retrieve.

She hands off the bullets to the donor ally who says Abby will get her boyfriend back if their mutual “friends” are pleased.

Back at home, Abb finds Leo injured but OK. He barely remembers a thing.

Abby is called back to the office where she learns that the donors are framing Cyrus. She tries to get the charges dropped to no avail. She then goes over to Attorney General David Rosen’s house to come clean, but the donor woman, called Samantha, shows up telling her to back down.

Abby holds her ground and tells her that David is coming out and she will expose her to him. However, when David opens the gate, he greets Samantha with a kiss. Abby learns they are in a relationship and walks away upset.

Back at the White House, Abby decides to visit Cyrus to let him know she believes him and she plans to get him out of jail. 

She then bargains with the donors asking for a trade — Cyrus for Jennifer Fields. The donors agree, however when the trade happens, Huck also is shot and left for dead.

Scandal returns next Thursday night at 9 p.m. on ABC.

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