Season 15, Episode 1: Welcome to W.T. Friday's!

A new season of SCANDAL! has begun...this time set in the wild, cutthroat world of the restaurant industry!

Last Week in SCANDAL!
Episode 1: Welcome to W.T. Friday’s!

Michael Cash, manager of the popular restaurant W.T. Friday’s, was holding a meeting with the assistant night shift supervisor Perry Fickler, to discuss the lengthy list of suggestions from Sam Friday (grandson of founder W.T. Friday). Among Sam’s recommendations, he urged them to replace the urinal cakes more often. Michael furiously protested that they couldn’t afford such extravagance, until Perry calmed him down by offering him a Mountain Dew.

Lois, a convict who had been assigned to the salad bar as part of her work-release program, was washing dishes when Santiago the busboy arrived. When Santiago pointed out that she was doing his job, Lois suggested that he just supervise her as she finishes. Thrilled by his unexpected (and unauthorized) promotion to supervisor, Santiago went power-mad and immediately issued a performance evaluation. Lois then began flirting with him.

Nipsey the waitress approached local “street entrepreneur” The Professor to discuss the recent car break-ins in the restaurant parking lot. Outraged that she’d assume he was guilty because he’s homeless, the Professor declared that he didn’t need to steal because he has security, proudly showing her his silver carrying case. When she asked where he got it, he sheepishly admitted “A car.” As Nipsey opened the case, the Professor explained that it was a portable phone from the ’80s. Nipsey was awestruck when she realized it wasn’t just a phone FROM the ’80s…it’s a phone TO the ’80s.

Sam Friday was talking to Pat Anderson, an old-timer customer who remembered Sam’s grandfather W.T. (“He expects a lot of you…and he thinks you’re gonna fail him.”) Sam explained that, even though he didn’t work there and had no actual authority over the restaurant, he still believed that his heritage gave him a say in how it was run. Pat told Sam that he needed to assert himself, and to build himself up by tearing Michael down.

Santiago went to Michael’s office with an evaluation report on Lois. Michael pointed out that not only was Santiago not a supervisor, but a 45-page document on dishwashing was overkill. Michael warned Santiago not to overstep his bounds, or he’d attract the attention of the immigration authorities. He then explained that he had to hold Santiago back for his own good.

The Professor went to Lois for advice, explaining that he wanted very much to be part of the W.T. Friday’s establishment. Lois replied that she wasn’t truly a part of the restaurant, but only a prisoner…and she’d rather be back in her cell than stuck here. They contemplated some way of switching places.

The other customers grew impatient as Nipsey took Pat Anderson’s incredibly long-winded, elaborate order. Fed up, Nipsey told Pat he was getting a hamburger. Pat passive-agressively apologized for making her do her job, then offered to go out to his station wagon and shoot himself. Nipsey told Pat that this was why nobody else ever waits on him, then suggested that he come in on a Tuesday afternoon, when there’s no rush and he can ramble on to his heart’s content.

Sam Friday went to the manager’s office to talk to Perry. Sam believed that Michael was slacking on the job, so he wanted Perry to spy on him. Perry remarked that if he wasn’t so heavily medicated, he would hit Sam for asking him to betray a friend. Sam retorted that Michael was nobody’s friend. Just then, Michael came in and asked them to get out of his office.

Santiago led Lois to her sleeping quarters, prompting her to reminisce about her youth, growing up in a hothouse in Alabama where the flowers bloomed just for her. Her story gradually lulled Santiago to sleep.

Perry went to persuade Nipsey to join him against Sam, but had great difficulty working up the courage to talk to her. He finally got around to telling her about Sam’s “rules,” but Nipsey pointed out that Sam had no standing in the restaurant, so all his suggestions can be ignored. Perry worried that Sam was planning to get rid of Michael one way or another.

Pat was out in the alley, looking for his silver case, when he found the Professor using it as a pillow. Pat woke up the Professor and warned him of the phone’s power. The Professor asked just one favor…he wanted to use the phone to call his past self in the ’80s.. Pat warned him that tampering with the past could have disastrous ramifications, but the Professor pointed out that he already lived in an alley, so how could things get worse?

As Michael walked out to his car, Sam demanded to know where he was going. Michael explained that he was going to pick up urinal cakes, but Sam accused him of going off to sleep on the job. Fed up, Michael handed Sam his car keys and told him to go pick up the cakes himself.

Pat asked Nipsey if there were some way to exile the Professor from the restaurant. Upset, Nipsey declared that the Professor was her mentor. She explained that he kept her safe by walking her to her car at night, and Pat suggested that he could do that for her. They realized that they both just wanted what was best for the restaurant. Then they started singing the “Family Ties” theme.

At the salad bar, Perry pointed out to Lois that she was out of parmesan croutons. She dramatically declared that she would remember and attend to the problem. When Perry asked about her grandiose manner, she explained that she had a theatrical background. He asked her to recommend a play about revenge, prompting her to re-enact a scene from her one-woman show “She’s So Angry.” Perry replied that he meant a REAL play.

Santiago crept into the office, where he found Michael standing over a pool of blood and a pair of shoes. Michael explained that, after Sam pulled out in his car, there was a terrible accident. Michael revealed that he had pulled Sam’s bloody body out of the wreckage, then disposed of it by dissolving it in Clorox. Santiago confessed that he had cut the brakeline to Michael’s car in revenge for Michael’s treatment of him…but he never expected anybody to get hurt, he just thought it would result in a comically slapstick “Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride.” Bonded by their mutual guilt, Michael and Santiago agreed to keep Sam’s death a secret between them.

TO BE CONTINUED…