Scandal wrapped up its seven season run with one last shocking episode that ended with Olivia Pope finally standing in the sun, and becoming president.
With B-613 being revealed to the public in last week’s episode, Olivia (Kerry Washington) meets with special prosecutor Lonnie Mencken (Michael O’Neill), who reveals Cyrus (Jeff Perry) and Jake (Scott Foley) have compromised him too much and he is unable to continue to investigate them. However he can get a Senate Hearing in place to expose them, if she promises to make gun control a priority once Mellie’s presidency is safe.
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Olivia agrees to his terms and he shoots himself in the head, securing a congressional investigation.
Jake and Cyrus fear their plan for Mellie’s presidency may be in danger after David Rosen (Joshua Malina), an ally of Olivia’s, takes charge of the investigation into B-613.
Olivia and the gladiators agree to testify before Congress to bring the secret organization down, but that could mean their downfall as well. Later, Olivia meets with her father, who as former leader of B-613, announces he is disappearing before he gets caught in the controversy.
During the committee hearings, Olivia and the gang confesses to all of their crimes, along with accusing Cyrus and Jake for all of theirs. Afterward, the committee must deliberate before deciding what will happen to them.
As they wait for their fate to be decided, Quinn and the rest of the team visit Charlie in prison and Huck (Guillermo Diaz) marries the fan-favorite couple, with viewers finding out Charlie’s real name is Bernard.
Things take a turn, however, when David finds Jake outside his office. David refuses to back down despite Jake’s threats, and after a beautiful speech only the Attorney General of the United States could give, he walks away unharmed, leaving Jake questioning his choices.
As David and Abby lie awake talking about what might happen after the committee gives their decision, David receives a text from Cyrus claiming he wants to make a deal. Cyrus gives David a signed confession for hijakcing his own plane to frame Mellie, but Cyrus then poisons him, and chokes him with a pillow to finish the job.
Abby and Olivia mourn David at the morgue. Without the Attorney General, the investigation is over, and nothing will stop Cyrus from taking over the White House. Refusing to back down, the gladiators decide to “act now, cry later” and figure out a way to bring the monsters down anyway.
But not before, Olivia and Fitz (Tony Goldwyn) spend one last steamy night together before she tentatively goes to prison.
The next morning, Olivia wakes and is shocked to find out that the committee postponed their decision, given that Rowan (Joe Morton) will testify before them. Rowan confesses to creating B-613 in order to keep the powerful in check, but he gets the committee to arrest Jake and blame him alone for everything, meaning Olivia and everyone else are free to gladiate another day.
Olivia visits Jake and apologizes for her part in prison, but he is simply grateful that someone would show up for him after his arrest after everything he did.
Back at the White House, Cyrus shares his guilt over murdering David with Olivia. She hands him his letter of resignation and he signs it before he walks away from the Oval Office together.
Later, Mellie offers Olivia her job as chief of staff back but she rejects it and leaves the White House behind forever.
The series comes to an end as Charlie is released from prison and reunites with Quinn and his child. Mellie runs the country peacefully, Abby and Huck mourn David’s death together and Jake dreams of happier days in prison.
As for Olivia Pope, the series comes to a surprising and bittersweet end with two little girls walking through the National Portrait Gallery to find a gorgeous painting of Pope, teasing she someday becomes President of the United States.
