Scandal Season Finale Review: You Can’t Take Command

No, last night’s Scandal did not leave you with any of its usual cliff hangers or plot twists.

Some ongoing storylines were actually wrapped up, but that’s not to say that new ones weren’t put into motion. 

Stories that appeared final…

Operation Rowan/Papa Pope/Evil Command:  

The episode started with the Gladiators still attempting to take down B-613. This is happening while we are also watching Rowan blackmail Mellie into giving him “a list.” Well, the list turned out to be the jurors on trial who Rowan then proceeded to execute. This was the most graphic scene of the night: a bus full of people, slaughtered. Liv, Jake and the rest of the Gladiators play every last trick in their bag to try and take Papa Pope down and the rest of B-613.  However, when Cyrus got involved, it seemed that their take down would be impossible. 

In the end, B-613 actually does get taken down… by Command, himself! He destroys all evidence (including his agents) and tries to make off as a humble paleontologist working at the Smithsonian. 

Sorry… but Liv won’t let you get off that easy. 

Liv is able to sabotage her father, framing him for embezzlement and finally putting him behind bars. His chilling call of Olivia’s name one final time is brutal and oh so satisfying as her and Jake leave the jail and Papa Pope behind… and hopefully, forever.

Jake Ballard:

Is it possible that twice this season we have been threatened with the loss of our dear, Jake? Sure, this time he wasn’t stabbed to near death. But, at the end of the episode he declares that his mission of protecting Olivia is over. He also reassures Liv that he is in love with her… but he knows she is in love with “him.”  

Who could that be I wonder? 

Please, Scott Foley, don’t do this to us again! Fine, maybe Jake doesn’t get the girl in the end, but that doesn’t mean Jake has to leave for good, does it? 

Like I said, these storylines are only somewhat final. 

Plot Twists:

Mellie’s win and Mellie’s Loss:

Only 17 innocent people had to die for Mellie’s senate seat to stay intact. While she didn’t fully realize the content of this “list” Rowan needed, she took little time to feel any sort of remorse. The cold, heartless Mellie is back, fighting only for her two team unit with Fitz. She saved both her and Fitz from destruction… so of course Fitz will understand while she sent 17 people to their death. 

Oh wait…

Of course, here I am thinking after a season of watching Mellie go from grieving her murdered son, standing up to Fitz and the way he treated her, and coming above it all to run for senate, that maybe the old Mellie who was so fixated on winning was gone. 

My mistake. 

Of course flaws make for a more genuine and relatable characters. But, the word “flawed” means something else to those trapped in Shondaland. These characters only appear to learn lessons, but then fall back into their usual routines.

Which brings me to… 

Huck:

So, of course while Rowan calls all the shots, he gets someone else to handle his dirty work. And who other than Huck to do the job. He was the one to shoot and kill the jurors, something Quinn outs in the last few minutes of the show. 

I agreed with Quinn in this moment. His slaying really didn’t have much to do with the fact that his family was being threatened. Huck just likes to kill, plain and simple. She stopped herself from shooting Huck…this time. However, if Huck is going to stay on this show, I am hoping to see some changing aspects for his character and see him start to deal will his need to kill.

Who got owned?

Mellie:

While she may won Senator, she has lost her place in the white house when Fitz, very certainly, kicked her out. Will he go as far as to divorce her? I think that is a question to be tackled next season.

Cyrus:

The man we love to hate. Only every once in a while do we glimpse into a tender side of Cyrus. However, it is quickly overshadowed by his need for power and the lengths he will go to maintain it. 

When Fitz realized that Cyrus helped Mellie cover up her actions, he fired him right there on the spot. I have to say, watching Abby strip Cyrus of his badge was something I have wanted to see for a long time. Especially after he threatened David that he would hurt Abby if Olivia and Jake didn’t sign agreements to keep quiet about B-613. 

Not to mention that the only reason Fitz found out was because Elizabeth decided to spread that wealth of information to him. Now Elizabeth will warm Cy’s chair as she takes his place as Chief of Staff. 

It was announced earlier in the week that Portia De Rossi was promoted to a series regular for next season. However, I assumed that meant that she would still be linked to Mellie. Not that she’d be making herself comfortable in the White House. 

Now, for a moment Olitz fans have been waiting to happen for a long time…

Fitz and Olivia finally can start their lives together! Fitz returned home from visiting Olivia’s empty apartment to find her waiting for him on his balcony. While I am still team Jake… it was nice to have a somewhat happy, sweet and effortless moment between the two of them. 

I was almost grateful for a calmer last few moments of the season. This season has been jam packed with twists and turns and to be able to relish in the moment where Fitz and Olivia finally come together was refreshing 

Hopes for next season… 

Jake!  

Ok, besides that. I want to see Mellie and Fitz being pitted against each other. With Mellie now a Senator, I can see both of these power hungry characters going after one another on the regular. Something I think all Scandal fans would love to see.

I also want to see more inside the White House. This season was a nice break, staying mostly with Liv and her Gladiators outside of the walls of her kingdom. However, now that she is back with Fitz and with Elizabeth and Abby in the White House too, there will be new dynamics in play and we will see just how well they cope with each other.  

Thursday nights will be quiet ones for the next few months as Shonda Rhimes gears up for the next season. While the ending wasn’t the cliff hanger we all expected it to be, it’s clear that these new storylines being set up last night are just the beginning of some new and riveting Scandal. 

Until next fall!