Character Development: Huck Has a Family, Scandal “Seven Fifty-Two” + ScRant of the Week 

A lot more of Huck’s history was revealed in flashbacks. We see him just getting back from a tour of duty. He’s happy. He’s in love. There’s a lightness about him even though he must have seen some horrendous things in Kosovo. Well, things were about to get better for him…and then worse. So much worse.

But the big shock of the episode (other than Mellie announcing she’s leaving the president) is that Huck had a family. He was genuinely in love and in an amazing relationship and they got married and had a child.

We also get the backstory on how he came to be in that elite torture group B613. He was basically given no other choice. Do it or be sent back to Kosovo. So he did it. We see Charlie mentor Huck and indoctrinate him into this scary new world. We see Huck torture a copious amount of men to get their secrets. And then they’re killed, wrapped up and thrown out like yesterday’s trash. It’s Dexter-style disturbing. You see the high he gets from it. That’s disturbing too.

But you also see that other side of him. When being interviewed for this new gig, he tells the man [David Meunier, Sgt. Strausser from Revolution and Johnny Crowder on Justified], he has no wife and kids. And that’s true. Technically. He doesn’t reveal he’s in a relationship. He stupidly thinks he can keep these two worlds separate. Eventually Kim [Jasika Nicole] gets pregnant.

The two marry and they start a life, even though she knows something was up with her man. She told him if she had to do this alone she wanted to know now. But he couldn’t let her go. That makes extra sense after finding out Huck was abandoned when he was three years old and was raised in a series of foster homes. There was no way he was going to abandon his child.

We also get to see how Huck became the dirty, disheveled, hairy, homeless guy we see him in flashbacks with Olivia. B613 broke him. They found out about his wife and kid and threw him into isolation until he admitted he had no family. How long did that take? I felt so bad for him. He wouldn’t renounce his family until he was completely broken. And then he blocked them from his mind and memories.

The whole time I was trying to figure out why Huck kept rambling 752 in the OPA offices (in present day). Nobody could get to him. They all tried and had a bit of some success before Huck slipped back into 752 mode. Olivia got to him. That’s not a shock. Huck remembered he had a family. And in the final Huck-centric flashback, we see why he is in that particular subway station every day. Because at 7:52, he gets to see a glimpse of his son and wife. Powerful stuff.

I was totally affected by Huck’s story. Guillermo Diaz is one amazing actor. It must have been so much fun and so emotionally draining to get to play every range of emotion in one ridiculously good episode. It makes sense that he actually had a great relationship. It was such a counter to the twisted one he had with Becky.

And I was so happy to see that this relationship was with guest star Jasika Nicole. On Fringe, we never got to see Astrid fall in love. So it was beyond amazing to get to see her Scandal character be in love with Huck. The two really had a good chemistry. And Kim — I imagine — is still alive. And her son with Huck is too. We could conceivably see them in present day. I hope this happens. Huck deserves some happiness. Even with all the darkness and the horrifying things he’s done, I truly believe he deserves happiness. That government group broke him and turned him into a robot killing and torture machine. They didn’t even care.

It was interesting how Charlie couldn’t terminate Huck, however. He told his “friend” to get out of there and disappear. And that’s what he did until Olivia saved him. Man, there’s just so much good Huck story. I enjoy every time we learn more about him. He’s a heartbreaking character. But the show does a good job painting a picture of this mysterious and damaged individual. Even with the layers peeled, he still gives this air of we still don’t exactly know who he is. It’s crazy. And Diaz is so good at playing those different layers.

We got four excellent Gladiator ScRants (Scandal Rants) that tried to get Huck out of rambling mode. It was ultimately Olivia’s plea that was successful. But which one was your favorite? It’s so weird. I loved each one even more than the one that came before it. So, with that logic, Olivia’s was my favorite. But let’s go over all of them:

Quinn talked about her life before it got so effed up. She talked her wedding and bridesmaids dresses and how she pictured a life full of babies and growing old and having a house with Jesse. She feels like it’s a movie now. And how losing that could have eaten her alive. “But you didn’t let me,” she tells Huck.

Abby talked about her life as the wife of an abusive husband, one that constantly told her she wasn’t worth anything. And she hypothesized how 752 is probably the number of things Huck’s done for Olivia “without ever asking why.” She also talked about how she stole the Cytron card from David Rosen. She was right about him. She was so happy she was right about him. But she stole the card and now he’s not going to love her the same way ever again.

I was particularly affected by Harrison’s speech to Huck. And how he was all talk and not much else. He ultimately said his talk “was all a game.” Meanwhile, Huck “lived the life of a warrior, of a man, of a real-life gladiator.’ He seemed to get emotional. And I did too. Harrison threw his support to Huck. It wasn’t enough to do the job, but he was affected.

As for Olivia’s Huck ScRant, it did do the job:

“Huck. Huck. I have to admit I’m not a person who gives change to a homeless guy on the Metro. I don’t do that. I don’t stop, which is–I don’t stop. But I stopped for you. You made me stop. It was your eyes. You had…the saddest eyes. They were sadder than mine. The thing is, Huck, you always say that I saved you. That’s not true. It’s not even close to true. I had been all alone for a very long time. There are moments, people who…somehow they convince me that I’m not wrong. That I’m not alone. That I have something to…people let you down. People hurt you. People lie. I’m all alone. Except for you. Harrison and Abby and Quinn are — we take care of them. We love them. But they don’t live on the dark side of the moon. They’re different. So Huck…I need you to snap out of whatever this is. Whatever happened to you, you have to come back to me. I need you. You are all I have. You are everything. Because I didn’t save you in that Metro station. You saved me.”

Wow. Olivia looks put together on the outside, but she’s basically saying she’s as broken as Huck is on the inside. I love their connection. Olivia and Huck are such an interesting relationship on this show.

So that’s our first ScRant of the Week. Our ScRant #2 of the Week? Fitz wants another chance with Olivia.

“This past year, I have learned only one thing. That I cannot exist without you. That I cannot breathe without you. That the man…I am without you is–I’m nothing. I’m nothing. And you are everything. And I need you to give me another chance. I demand another chance. We’re worth another chance.”

This ScRant was short but sweet and almost was enough to sway Olivia. After all, she turned around and started kissing him. But there’s so much hurt between them right now. She couldn’t fully give into him and grant him another chance.

Other Things We Found Out in “Seven Fifty-Two”:

• The man Jake’s been meeting secretly? In flashback, Charlie and the guy who interviewed and then locked Huck in isolation, reported to him. He’s a boss. The boss of B613? Does he work for a different super secret group now? How did Jake get wrapped up in this? I’m so confused.
• They decide to use Olivia as bait to draw Albatross out. Once again, is Cyrus the mole?
• Mellie’s taking Teddy and moving across the street. And she’s basically giving her husband an ultimatum. His family and his presidency or Olivia. Because Mellie’s going to start talking and claims that when she’s through with him, he’ll be toast.

Scandal continues to be highly addictive and scream-at-the-screen-worthy. It airs on Thursdays at 10/9c on ABC.