You have to hand it to Shonda Rhimes, creator of the political thriller "Scandal," for knocking the white hats off of our heads. "White Hat's Off," the Season 2 premiere, offered the true identity of Quinn Perkins (Katie Lowes), and it was something totally unexpected. The last two minutes of the episode also revealed the shocking connection between Quinn's boss and her real identity.
Quinn Perkins is suspected bomber Lindsey Dwyer
During the first few minutes, Quinn is revealed to be Lindsey Dwyer, a woman suspected of sending a bomb to her estranged boyfriend at a software company. Accused of the crime, Lindsey said she panicked and checked into a hotel. Claiming she was struck from behind, Dwyer said she woke up in the Grand District, a Washington, D.C. hotel, with her new identity laid out in front of her.Everything changes in six months
Set six months after the Season 1 finale, "White Hat's Off" shows the things that have changed in D.C. since the end of the previous season. Lindsey/Quinn has been languishing in jail while Olivia Pope (Kerry Washington) and her associates worked on her defense. First Lady Mellie Grant (Bellamy Young) also is carrying a baby, a development that White House Chief of Staff Cyrus Beene (Jeff Perry) thinks is a political bonanza.The glass windows that serve as a white board in Olivia's offices have been getting a workout, as well. Besides the persons of interest in Lindsey's case, Olivia and her team are called upon to help Congressman Shaw from, as he and his staff put it, "the great state of Rhode Island." Olivia finds a way to turn Shaw's sex tape scandal into a windfall for the congressman.
Setting the stage for Season 2
The Quinn Perkins/Lindsey Dwyer plot thread looks like it will dominate Season 2 of "Scandal." The handy Huck (Guillermo Diaz) spends hours going over old surveillance footage of the front door of the Grand District. In a shocking revelation, Huck turns out to be the one who moved Lindsey cross-country to D.C. His efforts were actually intended to wipe his connection to Quinn from the tapes.Before the fade to credits, Olivia is revealed as one person behind the creation of Quinn Perkins. Olivia made one phone call that helped Lindsey get acquitted, so Olivia must be working with a problem solver that is even more powerful than herself.
Thank you, Shonda Rhimes, because this is getting good.
