O! M! F! G! The Scandal season 4 finale is the craziest, twistiest, most insane episode the show has ever produced. It’s a nonstop, runaway train of shocking revelations and endings. And, somehow, Olivia Pope gets everything she’s ever wanted. And the fans do too, so long as you aren’t shipping for her and Jake.
People get arrested, people get released from prison, there are a ton of murders and a few shocking betrayals, someone gets fired, someone gets a promotion and it all ends with e great big kiss.
Papa Pope Blackmails Mellie
Papa Pope, claiming to be billionaire donor Damascus Bainbridge, meets with Mellie, aka Foxtail. He hands her a file filled with all of the dirt he has on the Grants, from her affair with Andrew Nichols to Operation Remington.
It’s glorious to see my two favorite characters on this show in a scene together. They’re both awesome in this opening where all “Damascus” wants is a list.
Jake Ballard Testifies
Jake testifies in front of the grand jury, and per David’s request, he spills the beans on Operation Remington, when Fitz shot down a plane and the event that essentially started B613.
The grand jury loves him and afterwards, Olivia calls up Fitz. He’s incredibly happy of all the current accomplishments and they have a fun, light-hearted conversation, Except Olivia knows she’s a part of the biggest scandal that will undo Fitz’s entire legacy, so she struggles to pretend to be happy for him.
The Grand Jurors Are Murdered
That list Papa Pope wanted Mellie to get for him? It was the names of the members of the grand jury investigating B613. And now all 16 of them are dead. So is the sweet stenographer lady. David gets the message and gives all of his files to B613 files to OPA, because he’s not willing to die for justice.
In the White House, Mellie confesses to Cyrus that she was responsible for the dead grand jurors. He’s mean and dismissive at first, but when she tells him about how Damascus knew about Operation Remington, Cyrus figures it out and offers to take care of it.
Olivia Works with Her Mom
Olivia has a total breakdown and she desperate wants to take down her dad once and for all, gladiating for herself. So she goes to see her mom in prison because she’s the only person who was every able to trick Rowan. Mama Pope isn’t very helpful, mocking her daughter for believing the world revolves around her. But she does have one helpful bit of info: Command has many, many enemies, but none of them even know that he exists.
The CIA vs. B613
Armed with Mama Pope’s info, Olivia takes the B613 files to the CIA Director. She gets the CIA on board with believing in a shadow organization that’s been running operations for 30 years because Jake is there to explain all of the awful things he’s done.
CIA Director Lowry agrees to arrest Rowan, but Papa Pope is meeting with Cyrus, who seems to agree that stopping the grand jury was for the best. Cyrus has always leaned heavily towards evil, but in this finale he’s completely on the dark side. Cyrus then goes to the CIA Director and threatens to take her down if this secret comes out, so she decides to arrest Olivia and Jake instead.
Cyrus Threatens Abby
In order to get Olivia and Jake to recant their statements about B613, Cyrus brings in David and threatens to have Abby killed if he doesn’t do exactly what Cyrus wants. David goes to Olivia and Jake and forces them to sign statements recanting their allegations about B613. David knows that if they don’t, not only will Jake and his mom go down, but they’ll bring in the rest of OPA. His threats work so Jake and Olivia recant and are released.
Olivia Kills Command
After being released, Olivia gets a call from her dad. He thanks her for finally helping him kill Command. He had Virgil, the fake JAG lawyer from last week, kill the few remaining people who knew he was Command, blowing up the B613 files too. And then Virgil was killed.
Now no one knows about Command and Rowan is effectively dead. He’s just Eli Pope, a paleontologist at the Smithsonian. Even Mama Pope gets handled as Cyrus lets her out of prison in exchange for signing a document vowing to never reveal that her husband was Command. So…good job, Olivia? Command is dead, but Papa Pope still won.
Eli Pope Gets Arrested
OPA is disappointed that Rowan got away, but when Huck mentions the $2 billion he has from B613, Olivia comes up with a brilliant idea. She sends an anonymous tip to the police who arrest Eli Pope for embezzling from the Smithsonian. Rowan, aka Command, might have infinite power, but Eli is just a doddering paleontologist. Olivia and Jake gloat as they leave him behind bars. It’s like when Al Capone got taken down for tax evasion.
Huck Is the Bad Guy!
At OPA, Quinn confronts Huck because she knows that he was the one who killed the grand jurors. Yes, Huck is working for Papa Pope again! Quinn pulls a gun on Huck, who claims he had to in order to protect his family. Quinn thinks that excuse is crap and threatens to kill him. Sadly, that’s left as a cliffhanger and we have no idea if Quinn actually killed Huck. Let’s hope we don’t have another Harrison situation on our hands.
Fitz Cleans House
Mellie wins her election and becomes a Senator from Virginia. However, during her acceptance speech, Elizabeth North, who Mellie confided in about the blackmail file, spills the beans to Fitz about what Mellie did. She even shows Fitz a picture of Mellie with her donor, aka Papa Pope.
Fitz tells Mellie that he knows about the grand jurors and he is ashamed of what she did. He’s so mad that he kicks her out of the White House. Yes, Mellie is finally out. But that’s not all.
Fitz also knows about everything Cyrus did in this episode. And he’s had enough, so Cyrus, his chief of staff, gets fired! As he packs up his things, we see that Elizabeth North is the president’s new chief of staff. Wow, that clever minx, she knew exactly what she was doing when she “accidentally” told Fitz about Mellie.
Olivia Chooses Her Man
After a long day’s work, Jake walks Olivia back to her apartment. But instead of going inside, he tells her his mission is complete. He promised to keep her safe and he did, and even though he’s in love with her, he also knows that Olivia loves “him.”
Jake leaves and later, Fitz shows up at Olivia’s apartment, now free from Mellie. He knocks, but there’s no answer. He sadly goes back to the White House and walks out onto the balcony.
AND OLIVIA IS ON THE WHITE HOSUE BALCONY!
Yes, in a movie that made me happier than when Rachel got off the plane in the Friends series finale, Olivia is there on the White House balcony. He’s free, she’s free and now they can do whatever they want. So they kiss! They kiss hard. And she jumps into his arms as the camera zooms out.
In a brilliantly ironic twist, their make-out is accompanied by the song “Here Comes the Sun.” Sorry, Jake fans, but the Sun is not coming. Instead, Olivia chooses Vermont. Olivia and Fitz have their happily ever after.
For now. That’s how Scandal season 4 ends, but there’s no way everything works out. What, is Fitz just gonna divorce his Senator wife and have Olivia move into the White House as his girlfriend? What fresh hell will Elizabeth North unleash now that she’s the chief of staff? What will Cyrus do? Will Abby every find out the truth and get back with David? Is Jake gone for good? Will Eli get out of jail? What’s Mama Pope up to now that she’s a free woman? Did Quinn kill Huck? Did Huck kill Quinn?
There are so many questions, but I’m more excited than ever to see how Scandal answers them when season 5 arrives in the fall.
(Image courtesy of ABC)
Senior Writer, BuddyTV
John watches nearly every show on TV, but he specializes in sci-fi/fantasy like The Vampire Diaries, Supernatural and True Blood. However, he can also be found writing about everything from Survivor and Glee to One Tree Hill and Smallville.
