Baby, It's Cold Outside (Scandal)
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Episode 9
| "Baby, It's Cold Outside" | |
|---|---|
| Scandal episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 5 Episode 9 |
| Directed by | Tom Verica |
| Written by | Mark Wilding |
| Original air date | November 19, 2015 |
"Baby, It's Cold Outside" is the 9th episode and mid-season finale of the fifth season of the American political thriller television series Scandal. It takes its title from the 1944 song "Baby, It's Cold Outside" written by Frank Loesser.
It aired on November 19, 2015 on American Broadcasting Company (ABC) in the United States. The episode was written by Mark Wilding and directed by Tom Verica.
The episode was notable for featuring a scene in which Olivia Pope has an abortion, a scene which shocked and surprised viewers as her pregnancy was not revealed to the audience until the operation.
Learning that the senate plans to defund Planned Parenthood before the Christmas break Mellie stages an impromptu filibuster to block the bill from passing. Unprepared for the filibuster, she is on the verge of giving up when Susan Ross comes to the senate and Mellie yields the floor to her so that she can go to the restroom. While there she encounters Liv, who she realizes helped to orchestrate the break.
Meanwhile, Liv grows increasingly exhausted from playing at being the first lady for Fitz. Watching from the sidelines as Mellie performs her bold political act, Liv goes to get an abortion herself. Returning to the White House she and Fitz get into an argument and they break up. Returning home in time for Christmas she has her old, wine-stained, couch thrown out and a new one delivered.
Production
In 2017 showrunner Shonda Rhimes revealed that broadcaster ABC wanted to cut or alter the abortion scene before it was even shot but later backed down after Rhimes said she would go public with the editing: "I said,'Go ahead, alter the scene. We'll just have a lot of articles about how you altered the scene'".[1]
The abortion scene was set to Silent Night sung by Aretha Franklin. Rhimes also reached out to Franklin's team to make sure they knew the context of the scene and was told that the singer approved and supported the use of her music in the scene.[2]