Summary

One in this drama/political thriller about the Pope & Associates crisis management firm in Washington D.C.

President Grant is admitted to James Madison Hospital for gunshot wounds sustained in front of the birthday gala, along with several others who also sustained injuries. Olivia tries to see him in the hospital as Mellie has a nervous breakdown and starts screaming at doctors. His condition is quite serious and it is unclear whether he will survive. Edison is placed in a secure bunker along with several other key politicians, and he calls Olivia to find out more about President Grant’s condition. Olivia finds a bloody lapel pin which was worn by President Grant when he was shot; she recalls purchasing it for him just prior to his inauguration. She also recalls events immediately following the inauguration, including witnessing Cyrus arguing with James about his inability to bring him to the inaugural ball. Cyrus goes to attend but Olivia decides not to. During the ball President Grant slips away and has a private meeting with Olivia in the Oval Office. He comes on to her, but she points out that it would not be appropriate for them to engage in sexual relations in the Oval Office. She rebukes his efforts, although he claims that he cannot help himself. They end up having sex on the desk in the Oval Office.

Vice President Langston is located and she orders that she be taken to the lawn of the White House despite being advised of security concerns. There she holds a press conference asking the nation to pray for President Grant’s recovery. Cyrus meets with Vice President Langston to berate her for her reckless actions, and Olivia decides to assume control of various White House staff in order to try to manage the growing crisis. Vice President Langston insists that the country requires leadership while President Grant is incapacitated, but Cyrus notes that the letter of the law specifically forbids her from exerting presidential authority for the time being. He tries to convince her to go to a secure location for her own protection. Olivia recalls the first few days of President Grant’s administration, when an issue came up involving Verna’s nomination for the Supreme Court; part of Langston’s concession agreement during the campaign was that she would have priority in terms of justice selection. President Grant also learns from Hal at that time that there is a camera in the Oval Office which recorded his tryst with Olivia, but that Hal decided to erase the tape and told no one of its content. Olivia, Cyrus, and the rest of the staff help President Grant to formulate his State of the Union Address, and he notes that he wants to focus on his comprehensive immigration policy; Olivia instead recommends shifting the focus of the speech to young voters and providing credits towards college education for them. Olivia and President Grant continue their affair throughout the early days of his administration.

While on a walk with Cyrus, Olivia tells him he should call James, recommending that they resume their relationship. Cyrus feels that his position as leader of the Republican party is at odds with his homosexuality, but Olivia believes that he should value his relationship above all else. One night Mellie and President Grant informally visit Olivia to discuss the State of the Union Address, and they end up having dinner together. In the present day, Olivia holds a press conference on behalf of the White House, announcing that President Grant is in surgery and in critical condition. She deflects much of the questioning about him and dismisses the notion that Vice President Langston has taken over. Olivia recalls becoming frustrated with the state of her relationship with President Grant and wanting to get out of it. She feels extremely uncomfortable and doesn’t want to talk to President Grant about it. Verna criticizes Olivia and Cyrus for seemingly going back on their promises to get her onto the Supreme Court. Olivia receives word about a reporter investigating voting irregularities in Ohio, and she asks for more information about this. She calls in Huck and asks him to find out about the reporter, who he says got information from Jesse at Cytron. Huck is still homeless and Olivia offers to take him in to her own home and get him cleaned up. Olivia discusses the situation with Hollis, who tells her that Jesse has been calling him lately.

That night, President Grant encounters Olivia in the White House Rose Garden alone, and she goes on a tirade about the secrecy of their relationship and the vast obstacles that prevent them from being together. She claims that he is in “control” of her, but he counters that it is she who “controls” him; he notes that his deep love for her is at odds with his desire to be an “honorable” and forthright president. In the present day, White House Press Secretary Britta Kagen dies, as she was one of the bystanders shot alongside the president. Olivia discovers from Edison that Vice President Langston has been lobbying cabinet members in an attempt to get them to declare her as the new president. She is only two signatures away from securing this position and Olivia scrambles with Cyrus to stop her. Olivia notes that Mellie could make a public statement and allay people’s fears about President Grant. She confronts Mellie and tells her about the situation with Langston. Despite her animosity towards Olivia, she immediately agrees to help. Olivia searches through the White House closet to get Mellie something to wear, and breaks down crying when she finds an old sweatshirt belonging to President Grant. This brings back another memory, involving President Grant showing her the original copy of the United States Constitution. She admits that she is in love with him as deeply as he is with her.

In present day, Mellie holds a press conference and tries to dispel rumors about the inevitability of President Grant’s death, assuring the public that he is still their leader. In the past, Olivia and Cyrus try to convince Langston to help sway opinions surrounding President Grant’s college tuition proposition. She tells them that she has selected Bradley Hargrove as her nominee for Supreme Court justice, and they reluctantly accept this outcome. Cyrus takes Olivia’s advice and tries to reconnect with James. James is still feeling hurt, but Cyrus gives him an inside track on the story about Hargrove’s nomination. James’s investigation reveals that Hargrove has a record of juvenile delinquency, and an enraged Langston tries to get Olivia and Cyrus to manage the situation. This makes Hargrove’s nomination all-but impossible, and Langston suspects that Cyrus is responsible for interfering with the nomination. Olivia learns about the Cytron explosion and confronts Hollis about it. She is horrified that he committed murder in order to fulfill her request. Hollis feels no moral compunctions about his actions, viewing the deaths from the explosions as nothing more than “collateral damage” and justified as necessary to maintain Grant’s presidency. In present day, Mellie and Olivia learn that the doctors were able to remove the bullets from President Grant and relieve his inter-cranial pressure, but that he is still unresponsive. They can do little other than wait for his condition to improve, although his fate remains uncertain.

Olivia sits down with Cyrus to try to determine how to deal with Langston’s attempts to usurp power, but Olivia suddenly snaps and yells at Cyrus. In the past, Olivia discovers that Cyrus proposed to James, and that James accepted. In private Olivia informs Cyrus that Hollis was responsible for the Cytron explosion and for framing “Lindsey Dwyer” for it. Cyrus believes that there is nothing they can do, as they cannot jeopardize Grant’s administration in this manner. He believes that Hollis ultimately is not a threat and that the deaths at Cytron and the framing of Dwyer are tragic but necessary; he tells her that they must “move on.” Mellie talks to Olivia and reveals that she found President Grant’s pin at the National Archives, and says that she is suspicious that President Grant went there without bringing her along. Olivia tries to explain but Mellie will not hear of it, talking in vague terms about their “patriotic duty” and subtly implying that she is aware of their affair. President Grant delivers his State of the Union Address to great success and fanfare. Olivia leaves a notice of resignation on President Grant’s desk, along with the pin, and he discovers both of them after the address. Back in the present day, Langston assumes the presidency by gathering enough cabinet signatures, angering Cyrus to no end. Olivia visits Mellie at President Grant’s side and gives her the pin, which she places at President Grant’s side. The FBI produce a vague description of what the shooter might look like. Unbeknownst to anyone, the shooter is apparently Huck. Includes commercials.