Unpacking The Toolbox

It’s the Season 3 finale! And in a hilarious and epic send off, Paul Adelstein, aka Leo Bergen, joins Katie and Guillermo to break down some iconic quotes from the series. Plus, no season finale would be complete without covering the explosive moments leading up to Huck and Quinn’s tabletop scene and Jerry Grant’s death.  What do you think, Gladiators? Email us at UTT@Shondaland.com or leave us a...

Katie and Guillermo couldn’t be more excited to break down this super steamy episode, and who better to join them than the brilliant director who directed their first sex scene: Debbie Allen! Debbie shares her story from joining Grey’s Anatomy to directing for How To Get Away With Murder before they break down the full episode. Plus, some of the best (most anti-Quinn) Tweets of the Times.  What do...

The legendary Kelly McCreary shares her experience on Scandal before being cast in a long-term Grey’s Anatomy role. Then Katie, Guillermo and Kelly break down some iconic moments from the show including Mellie’s slap! But, not before they take plenty of time to pick out cheesy moments from Huck and Quinn.  What do you think, Gladiators? Email us at UTT@Shondaland.com or leave us a voicemail at 805...

Katie and Guillermo don’t have a guest this week. Why? Because the episode focuses so much on Huck and Quinn’s (creepy) relationship, that they decided they wanted to share their own stories about making out in a cemetery, fist fights and what they could definitely not get away with now on set.  What do you think, Gladiators? Email us at UTT@Shondaland.com or leave us a voicemail at 805-298-1474 t...

It was so hard for Katie and Guillermo to decide when to have Jeff join them on the podcast, but he is finally here! And he explores how Shonda Rhimes helped guide him toward finding Cyrus’ character before diving into one of the most heart-wrenching episodes of the season. Plus, Katie and Guillermo get awestruck multiple times from Jeff. What do you think, Gladiators? Email us at UTT@Shondaland.c...

Our own beloved James Novak (Dan Bucatinsky) joins to break down an infamous episode and what it was like to find out he was the one killed off. Plus, Katie and Guillermo explore James’ career while acting on Scandal and simultaneously writing on Grey’s Anatomy. And to wrap things up, Scott Foley shares his thoughts on the episode and having to kill James.  What do you think, Gladiators? Email us...

You asked and you we answered: President Fitzgerald Grant is back again this season to talk about his recent works in film, and what he thought of this season. Then, Katie and Guillermo break down one steamy episode as this season starts heating up with couples hooking up left and right. Plus, Katie relishes in some Tweets that hate on Quinn!  What do you think, Gladiators? Email us at UTT@Shondal...

Two words: Jimmy Kimmel. Not only do Jimmy, Katie and Guillermo gush about their favorite moments from Scandal history, they also cover some of the many appearances on late night TV and the pranks they performed on fellow Scandal cast. Then, Raamla Mohamed joins to talk about her time writing on Scandal and some of the unbelievable moments from this wild, wild episode.  What do you think, Gladiato...

Scandal co-star Columbus Short (Harrison Wright) sits down with Katie and Guillermo for an intimate conversation about the show and Columbus’ struggles. As Guillermo’s trailer-mate on set, Columbus shares some of his favorite memories of being on the show and how he got the job. Then, Katie dives into the difficult questions: What happened?  What was Columbus going through that led to his downfall...

In a jam-packed episode, guests Tony Goldwyn and staff writer Zahir McGhee join the show to share some never-before-heard info from behind the scenes. Katie and Guillermo learn how Sally Langton’s crazed speech was written and filmed, plus Tony reacts to being berated by Papa Pope.  What do you think, Gladiators? Email us at UTT@Shondaland.com or leave us a voicemail at 805-298-1474 to share your...

Special Guest and TikTok star Sabrina Brier wasn’t directly involved with Scandal (or was she?) but she might just know more about the show than even Katie and Guillermo as they dive into one of the most famous episodes of all time. They cover it all: The teeth, the lick, and yes, even fetching a water bottle for a famous director on set.  What do you think, Gladiators? Email us at UTT@Shondaland....

The one-and-only Shonda Rhimes joins the podcast this week to talk about her favorite moments of Season 3, the season she lovingly calls “The Hell Or High Water” season. Plus, did Shonda and the writers know where the series was headed? And then Katie and Guillermo break down the most horrific episode of Scandal yet! What do you think, Gladiators? Email us at UTT@Shondaland.com or leave us a voice...

What better episode to guest star the one-and-only Bellamy Young than the origin story of how Mellie became Mellie? This week, Bellamy, Katie and Guillermo deep dive into the making of the famous flashback episode – Cyrus’ hairdo, big Jerry’s despicable act and stories about shooting (and re-shooting) scenes due to an unplanned tanning accident. What do you think, Gladiators? Email us at UTT@Shond...

What do RuPaul’s Drag Race and Scandal have in common? It turns out, quite a lot! Season 13 winner, Symone, was (and still is) a Scandal superfan. Symone joins Katie and Guillermo in gushing over highlights of the series, including some facts about the show that Symone knows more details about! Then, Katie and Guillermo break down a very emotional episode as Olivia confronts the truth about her mo...

Since Scott Foley, aka Jake Ballard, was notorious for fart noises in set, which spread through the rest of the Scandal cast, it’s only appropriate that this episode comes with a content warning: Gas. But when Scott, Katie and Guillermo aren’t discussing mouth noises, they deep dive into how Scott got cast on Scandal, then RE-CAST on Scandal, and the infamous basketball scene with President Fitz. ...

The unbelievably famous and talented Melora Hardin joins Katie and Guillermo as they break down her guest appearance in a classic case-of-the-week episode. Guillermo is shocked (and horrified) to learn that Melora hasn’t watched TV in 22 years. And Katie gushes over an up-doo French Twist while Melora shares her experiences getting cast on Scandal and The Office. What do you think, Gladiators? Ema...

In a new case-of-the-week style episode, guest star Cynthia Stevenson joins Katie and Guillermo to break down an explosive episode. Plus, Katie shares some secret info about Kerry Washington’s time on set. Then Cynthia talks about her style of method acting while Guillermo gushes over a new favorite horror movie connection.  What do you think, Gladiators? Email us at UTT@Shondaland.com or leave us...

Katie and Guillermo are no strangers to working on the weekend from their time on Scandal, and they’d record any time day or night, or over a cliff, for the one-and-only Kerry Washington. Kerry shares never-before-told stories from her newly-published book, and deep dives into the development of Olivia’s character. Plus, the OPA team answers your burning fan questions. What do you think, Gladiator...

We’re back through Hell or High Water! Shondaland royalty, director Tom Verica, joins Katie & Guillermo for the inaugural episode of Season 3 to discuss Kerry’s unbelievable acting in this episode, and the shocking reveals of Papa Pope. Plus Guillermo and Tom reminisce about a blooper with a shake-weight, and Tom shares his favorite recording session from his time on Scandal. Then Katie asks T...

We’re back through Hell or High Water! Unpacking The Toolbox premieres with brand new episodes every Thursday starting April 11th.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As Quinn gets the spotlight of this week’s episode, Katie and G gush over some of their favorite moments including a never-before-shared story about an rewritten line from the pilot. But wait – there’s always room for a mid-way tangent about Rosie O'Donnell, before they get into some of the best Tweets of the season so far.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kicking off the first of what’s sure-to-be many amazing guest star interviews, Katie and Guillermo invite Sam Page (Will Caldwell) to dig into his experience on set as a short-term star. Katie and G can’t stop laughing at Huck’s stank in this episode, and Sam admits how nervous he was working with Kerry Washington. And was an unfortunate first table read the reason it took Sam almost ten years to...

This is a special episode for Katie and Guillermo, and not just because the episode's title is secretly a bad word. This is the first time we see Huckleberry Quinn, and both Katie and Guillermo are questionably attracted to depressed-angry-sexy-post-bullet-head Fitz. Plus Katie breaks down Fitz and Olivia's hottest sex yet… inside a church maintenance closet at baby Fitz's christening. Classy! See...

Nobody Likes Babies, originally meant to be the season finale, was a turning point for the show – There’s no going back after the events in this episode, with Fitz’ dramatic choice. Katie and Guillermo unpack the twists and turns with the esteemed Debra Mooney, AKA Supreme Court Justice Verna Thornton, including diving into Debra’s acting history and what she was really doing in the coffin during...

Adam Shapiro who plays the infamous Jesse Tyler joins Katie & Guillermo to relive life on set, getting blown up and what it’s like to be married to another actor on Scandal… Katie! Plus, Katie and Guillermo merge their love for food with their dislike for rodents as they talk about eating… Guinea pigs. And, Jesse’s death marks the first (chronological) member of the Scandal body count, a brand...