SPOILER ALERT! (stop reading if you don’t want to know what happens in this episode)
It’s a Jake centered episode and we finally get some background on how he fell into Rowan’s clutches. You just might change your opinion about Jake after this one. Read the recap below!
In flashbacks we learn that Jake grew up in an abusive environment where his father beat his mother and raped his sister. He was recruited (by force) by Rowan to serve in a special unit (B613) while he was in the navy after almost being discharged for punching a fellow officer in the face. We even learn that his name isn’t really Jake Ballard but Pete Harris and was changed as part of his B613 contract. Jake initially goes into training stubborn and resisting authority. This leads to a confrontation where Rowan had to knock him out a few times to get him to get on board. After hitting him a few good times he hands him off to Charlie who after repeated hits stops and Rowan announces that he’s going in the hole.
After the hole Rowan puts part of his sister’s rape on him because he didn’t do anything to stop his father from doing it. He gets him riled up and tells him to do to him what he couldn’t do to his father but it won’t change anything because there’s no redemption. He tells him he won’t hurt him but he will protect him. He tells him his father isn’t there he is and he’s his family. He hugs him and tells him he’ll take care of him just let his father go and Jake does crying in Rowan’s arms. Jake graduates from training and returns home immediately killing his father then returns to Rowan.
Olivia is still at Rowan’s beating herself up about what she did to Andrew. Rowan tells her that no one is investigating his death so she’s in the clear. He tries to get her out of the bed but she doesn’t bite at anything he throws at her. He finally tells her that they’ve moved up Jake and Vanessa’s wedding and they’d love for her to be there. Liv finally gets out of bed and goes on a run where she meets up with Huck and Quinn. We find out this whole thing has been a charade. They’re still trying to figure out what Jake and Rowan are using Vanessa for.
They realize they’re planning a big high profile wedding so Liv decides she needs to exploit Jake’s weakness which is her. She starts by telling Jake she can’t go to the engagement party that’s being held at the White House because that’s where she killed Andrew. He tries to tell Vanessa he’ll meet her there but she flips out because sh thinks Liv is more than a friend and they’ve been spending too much time together. Rowan intervenes and Jake tries to tell him they should slow down but Rowan isn’t hearing it.
Jake returns from the party to find a drunk Liv with lots of questions. Jake joins her and she tells him that she thinks he doesn’t really want to marry Vanessa, he’s just doing what Rowan wants. She gets him to confess he doesn’t really love her but then he realizes she’s been lying about being distraught. He tells her that Rowan is working to get her on Edison’s ticket as the VP candidate. He confesses that he still loves her but she’s never chosen him and asks her what he’s supposed to do. She tells him he can’t marry Vanessa and retreats to her room only to leave it and find Jake in the hall and they end up sleeping together.
The next morning she asks him if he’s still getting married and he asks her if she wants him to. She tells him that she doesn’t know how she can protect him from her father. Jake tells her that he doesn’t want to marry Vanessa he wants to be with her and asks her if she wants to be with him and she runs to his arms. They go to OPA to devise a plan for Jake to get out of Rowan’s clutches and she tells him that he has to publicly jilt Vanessa at the alter.
At the wedding Rowan tells Liv that he knows what she’s planning and if Jake doesn’t marry Vanessa he will slit his throat. He tells her he’s already lost his daughter (Liv) and he’s not going to lose his son. She goes to tell him she can’t do it and he asks her what happened but she tells him she doesn’t want to be with him. Jake keeps asking and she tells him he’s too weak, a side piece and too needy and she would tear through him. He tells her she’s scared but she tells him she’s not he’s just pathetic. He asks her why she’s doing this and she tells him that she’s in love with Fitz and she doesn’t love him. She will always love him because Jake is a lesser version of him. She rushes out of the church and Jake goes through with the wedding.
Some takeaways…
- So Jake’s childhood was disturbing. It actually explains a lot, that along with the flashbacks of how he got involved with B613. It also makes me feel sorry for him. Totally wanted to cry when he teared up during Liv’s speech about how he wasn’t good enough.
- Rowan is a horrible father. Yea he loves Live but he pretty much disowned her this episode and replaced her with Jake. Although he had already kind of replaced her this was pretty bad. Forcing your daughter to do something by killing someone she loves is almost as bad as Jake’s father.
- I’m not sure if Liv and Jake will find their way back to each other. Part of me wants to believe that he knows she did what she did because of Rowan but then again you never know. Y’all know I’m Team Jake so there’s that. Hopefully this doesn’t get too messy and they can work it out.
What did you think about Jake’s past? Does this make you like him more or less? Let me know below and on Twitter!
