Dare to be better than Olivia Pope
Over a cliff.
I remember the first episode ofScandalI watched.
I wanted to be a Gladiator.
Credit: Eric McCandless/ABC
I wanted to address scandals.
I wanted the best for Amanda Tanner, even if shewasFitz second sweet baby.
I was excited becauseScandalwas doing something that hadnt been done in over 30 years.
It placed a black woman at the helm of a lofty ship and set it sail.
And as a writer and purveyor of television, we can split hairs.
Locking Olivia in an underground bunker and selling her on the black market?
But thats the point, right?
If youre reading this, you didnt sign up to go over a small sand dune.
Not even a lofty plateau.
You said, Im going to go over a cliff.
You said, Im ready for the cliff.
So lets resolve it.
Straight over the cliff.
But now, its raining.
And Olivia has met Lonnie in a warehouse, where he is offering her a Senate hearing.
All that Lonnie wants is that if Mellie stays president, she will make gun control a top priority.
She agrees, but with that, our boy Gary Clark/Lonnie shoots himself.
That launches us over to Sally Langston atThe Liberty Report, where she reports on his suicide.
The suicide means that there will be an investigation, and guess who is vowing it will happen?
Nice to see you again, long lost friend.
Of course, with this investigation, David Rosen is back in charge.
Jury is still out on that (no pun intended).
Next up, Olivia heads over to the Tidal Basin to meet Rowan.
Shes nothing but a slave to the government, in his eyes.
Once shes done,no onewill be in the shadows.
Everyone will be in the sun, whether they like it or not.
As Abby calls David to tell him about the wedding, guess who is in the parking garage?
Just that robot man Jake.
Remember when he didnt kill David and killed James instead?
we all know him to be now.
Hoo girl…this is foreshadowing.
He says, Im not your bch, Jake Ballard.
David lives because Jake has no true allegiance or support.
Is it fair to say that Jake has been redeemed?Absolutely not.
Jake is part-robot, part-Twitter-meninist who complains about women leading them on.
But at this moment, Jake does the good thing.
Lets call it White Hat-adjacent.
Back at Cyrus office, Cy confronts Jake, but Jake informs him that he didnt do David in.
And Jake walks out.
Thats not great because ol Beene (why have I not made this joke 1,000 times before?)
is not one to back down from a challenge.
For the moment, Cyrus is stuck with David Rosen, and David?
Well, hes made it home to Abby, where he should be.
He tells her that hell wait for however long it takes, even if she does go to prison.
But at the moment, David gets a call from Cyrus he wants to deal.
Cyrus is ready to make a plea for the hijacking.
David meets with him and offers him a drink, and all I can do is scream.
Its clearly poison, but David cant hear me because Im on the other side of the screen.
But tonight, on this final night, it looks like we lost David Rosen.
Cyrus is a monster, guys.
You dont kill a man who made it throughThe West Wing.
Dont be fking morbid.
Next thing you see, Abby is with Olivia, Quinn, and Huck at the morgue.
Abby immediately knows that its a trap, and yall.
This is only halfway through the finale.
I cant help but feel that Shonda is going to go full Quentin Tarantino and pull a full massacre.
Abby is going to lose her mind, right?
When Huck says that hell take care of it, Olivia demands, No more blood.
If David is gone, were the only good guys left.
Eh, feels like that ship is sailed, sister.
Do you have a nice blood-stained fedora I could wear?
The only thing thats ever held him back is being Olivias dad.
Sitting with Fitz, Olivia finally admits thatsheis the problem.Thescandal.
Choose an option:AorB.
So Fitz simply says, Take off your clothes.
While thats happening, Rowan hears the news about Rosen.
Why is that important?
Well,let me tell you.
The committee has postponed their decision because theres a new witness: Rowan.
Not Eli Pope, the civilian that everyone knows.
Rowan, Command of B6-13.
And you know that speech-giving thing that Rowan does?
Well, its in full effect.
Did you hear a scream in the distance?
It was me.All me.
And Olivia pulled him out of it.
But Jake doesnt blame her for it.
Because as Jake quotes wiser words than his own, Freedom is never lost.
I am always free.
They cant cage me.
With that, Olivia says goodbye to Jake.
The next day, Rowans statement has had quite an impact.
Its a poignant style move from the costumers because is there really any escaping her evil?
On the balcony of the White House, Olivia says that they have to discuss what comes next.
In this moment, it feels like Mellie and Olivia were always meant to find each other.
But when Mellie says that they should figure out the future together, Olivia declines.
Its time for her to take a step back.
Mellie will be fine on her own.
Quinn, Charlie, and Robin reunite.
Fitzs presidential portrait is unveiled, and Mellie signs a law enforcing gun control alongside Marcus.
Jake sits in jail fantasizing about Olivia (still kind of creepy, but,sure).
Abby and Huck head to the cemetery to honor Davids memory.
Rowan and Olivia have dinner, and eventually Fitz meets Olivia outside the Capitol.
Is it theScandalwe started with?
Its no case-of-the week.
Theres no big reveal, or even an overarching story that brings us to the end of each season.
Thats kind of the point ofScandalthough, right?
That the scandal becomes more than we can handle?
The onegood guyfrom the show, David Rosen, is dead.
And that is what the other side of the cliff looks like.
