This is it, the series finale of Scandal and the question on everyone’s mind is, what happens now that the country knows about B613? In “Over a Cliff,” Olivia and her friends testify before a committee about the existence of B613 and the horrible things that they’ve done or been a part of. They all still worry about the legacy and their future as they await the committee’s decision. Meanwhile, Cyrus goes over a cliff in a different way, and there’s no going back.
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Guaranteeing a Senate Hearing
Olivia meets with Lonnie Mencken, who tells her he’s not going to investigate B613 any further because he’s too compromised. Before she starts yelling at him, though, he offers her a Senate hearing with whatever resources she needs. However, he wants her to promise that Mellie will make gun control a priority. As soon as she agrees, Lonnie kills himself, guaranteeing her the Senate hearing.
According to Sally Langston on the Liberty Report, Lonnie’s suicide sent shockwaves throughout the White House and now a select committee will investigate B613. Cyrus summons Jake who wants a kill list on the committee. He says now that David Rosen is back in charge, they will go down.
David and Olivia prep Huck, Abby and Quinn on what will go on during the questioning. Everyone wonders what will happen to them, but are hopeful that Jake and Cyrus will go to prison. Later, Olivia meets with Papa Pope and asks him to join their fight and hand the country back to the people. He just hands her the deed to his house among other things and says he’s leaving. He tells her he won’t stand around while Olivia is enslaving herself to fix everyone else’s problems. She tells him he’s wrong and says after the investigation, everyone will be equal and the country will be better for it.
The Questioning
Shortly before the committee questioning, Marcus goes to see Mellie, who is with her first lady portrait. She worries that that’s the only legacy people will know her for, because she’s going to be impeached after she testifies. Then, they share a kiss — because why not?
Quinn, Huck and Abby all share their nerves before heading in for their questioning, knowing they will all end up behind bars. In addition to Quinn, Huck and Abby, Olivia, Mellie, Fitz, Tom Larsen and Hollis Doyle go before the committee and talk about all the horrible things they’ve done or know or hid about B613, specifically Jake and Cyrus. After the hearing, David says the committee will deliberate and then give its recommendations. He suggests everyone get their affairs in order.
Quinn requests a meeting with Charlie, who is still behind bars. After they reunite, she tells him what’s been going on and how she’ll probably go to prison, so she wants to marry him and make it official. Huck marries Quinn and Charlie (or Bernard as that’s his real name), in front of Abby and Olivia.
No One’s Bitch
As David walks to his car that evening, Jake is there. He threatens David, but David just puts his hands up and says he’s not giving in. He tells Jake he’s not his bitch – he’s the bitch of the United States. He adds that people will miss him, but no one will miss Jake. David tells Jake that he’s always someone’s bitch, and this time it’s Cyrus. He suggests that Jake try wearing the white hat for once, and decide to do something because it’s the right thing to do. David then walks away, and when he turns around, Jake is gone.
Later, when Jake goes to see Cyrus, he tells Cyrus that they are finished. Cyrus starts to yell at him, but Jake tells him that he’s a whiny seal who barks orders from behind a desk, and since he’s never actually killed anyone, he shouldn’t question why Jake does what he does.
Fresh off his high of telling Jake off, David is retelling the story to Abby, who worries about the investigation and going to prison. He tells her he’ll wait for her for as long as it takes. And then he gets a text from Cyrus, who wants to meet. Unfortunately, Cyrus is taking matters into his own hands because Jake wouldn’t kill David. So after Cyrus hands David a written confession, he pours him a poisoned drink and watches as he suffers a heart attack on the floor. And to make matters worse, since he is having trouble watching David die in front of him, he suffocates him to make it go faster.
Over a Cliff
At news of David’s death, everyone worries that the fight is over, they’ll go to prison and the bad guys win. Olivia tells them that they are the only white hats left and they have to keep fighting. However, everyone has their doubts. Quinn goes to see Rowan and begs him to get her and her family out of harm’s way. He tells her that the only person he’s responsible for is himself, and wishes her luck. Olivia, on the other hand, shares her doubts with Fitz and fears that she’s the one who got everyone into the mess their in. And while that is true, Fitz assures her that everyone followed her by choice. Then, instead of talking, Olivia tells Fitz they should spend what little time they have left together doing something else.
The next day, Fitz gets a call that the committee has postponed its decision because a new witness has come forward. And that witness is none other than Papa Pope. As they address him as Eli Pope, he informs them that since he is speaking as Command, they should call him by his kill name, Rowan. He tells them he created B613 over 30 years ago in response to a need. He tells the committee that because of the white men in charge, the country was in a state of neglect and he needed to fix it. He testifies that he’s been responsible for every president and every important decision made, and that he’s responsible for the fact that the nation still stands, that he makes America great. Then, he tells the committee that they need to give the Republic someone — a face to Command — but that face shouldn’t be him.
News then hits that Jake, the leader of B613, has been arrested.
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Do Whatever They Want
With news of Jake’s arrest, everything the group testified is redacted, so, accordingly to Quinn, the good guys win. Olivia goes to see Jake behind bars, before he’s transferred to a maximum security prison. She apologizes for not leaving him on the island. But he says his freedom isn’t lost, as they can’t cage him.
According to the Liberty report, Mellie won’t be impeached. But before she gets back to work as president, Olivia gives Cyrus a resignation letter, which will be effective immediately. Before he signs it, he asks Olivia if she can still enjoy a drink. He tells her that he used to be able to enjoy a drink to take his mind off things, but now he can’t do that, which is not surprising, considering all the horrible things he’s done.
When Mellie asks what’s next and how will they restore the public’s trust together, Olivia tells her she’s done. She tells Mellie that she’s on her own, and she’ll be fine, as she’s done cleaning up other people’s messes. Olivia tells Mellie that she can stand on her own two feet and run the country the way she thinks it should be run. When Mellie asks what she’ll do, Olivia says, whatever she wants. As she walks away from the White House and through the National Mall, Fitz pulls up.
Then, in what I can only assume is a montage of what happens in the future, Charlie gets out of prison and reunites with Quinn and Robin, Huck and Abby visit David’s grave and Fitz unveils his portrait. In a few more quick clips, in I guess is a more distant future, Mellie works on gun control with Marcus as her advisor, Jake is alone in his cell, Olivia has a nice dinner with her father and two little girls visit the portrait museum and stare at a portrait of Olivia Pope.
For a final season that dragged a little bit, Scandal sure packed a lot into its hourlong series finale. I’m not surprised that Papa Pope came to the rescue again. But I’m happy that he didn’t do it violently, but rather in a way that was telling the truth and taking down one of the bad guys. Though Jake is basically a scapegoat, because everyone should have gone down. But then the series couldn’t end on a happy note.
I’m not convinced that B613 is actually done. I think in a post-Scandal world that Rowan convinced the committee to keep it running with him in charge, but still keep it a secret. Why not, right? That was the whole point of B613 – have it run secretly to keep the country in order. But I digress.
I was sad that David had to die though. The one guy who tried to do good the entire series, is the one guy who lost his life in the end.
I was sort of hoping that Olivia runs off with Fitz to Vermont, but there’s not reason not to believe that that didn’t happen. Since they do meet in the street, I can only assume they live happily ever after. But as much as I enjoyed seeing the characters I’ve grown to love over the past seven seasons, I found the finale anti-climatic. Sure, everything is wrapped up nicely with a bow, but besides killing David Rosen, nothing too crazy happened.
What did you think of the Scandal series finale? Do you think justice was served with Jake behind bars? Do you think everyone should be behind bars for their crimes? Do you think that Olivia ends up with Fitz? What about B613? Do you think that Rowan is still secretly running it? Let us know in the comments below.
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(Image courtesy of ABC)
Contributing Writer, BuddyTV
