Scandal Hiatus Helper: 6 Things We Need to Know About Season 4 

Summer may be ending, but Fall TV shows are right on its heels. While there are plenty of shows to look forward to, Scandal is at the top of my list. I’m dying to know, just where is Olivia Pope? Based on what we saw in the season finale, I’ve got six other questions I want — no need – to see answered in this upcoming season.

1. How will Fitz react when he learns Olivia is gone?

Even though he’s won the presidency, Fitz’s world has fallen apart. And without Olivia, I think we’re going to see a darker, colder Fitz this season.

For now, at least, Fitz is back with Mellie. He is driven back to her when he learns his own father raped her years ago. Mellie seems a bit surprised at the affection, but is nonetheless relieved. Olivia is understanding, and we realize that there won’t be any jam-making anytime soon:

Olivia: “It’s okay. Vermont’s not happening. I understand. You can’t leave her now.”

Fitz: “Not yet.”

Olivia: “I wouldn’t want you, if knowing what you know, you left her now.”

But that isn’t the worst thing to happen to the Grant family. In this same episode, Little Jerry dies suddenly from bacterial meningitis, and it doesn’t take long for Fitz to learn that this was murder as opposed to some random occurrence. He’s told the person responsible is Maya Pope, Olivia’s mother. We see a dark turn for Fitz, when he essentially asks Eli Pope for her “head on a platter.” It’s the end of the episode that tells us what we really need to know. He has Mellie by his side as he cries on the floor of the Oval office, asking “Where’s Olivia?”

2. Will Huck reconnect with his family?

The last time we saw Huck, he had just arrived at his family’s home. He manages a small, “hi,” and his wife certainly looks surprised to see him. I hope Huck will get a chance to reunite with them, and I hope he doesn’t regret his visit. He was hesitant to begin with, telling Olivia:

“My family has a good life now… It’s better for them starting over starting fresh. It’s better for me. I get to be someone else. Someone new. Me leaving them behind. That was the best thing that ever happened to them.”

If Huck does reconnect with his family. What does that mean for Huckleberry Quinn?

3. Will Abby Stay with OPA?

Okay. So by now, most of us have heard that next season is slated to be “Abby’s Season.” I can only assume that Olivia’s abandonment is going to have a profound effect on her, especially since it was Olivia who saved her to begin with.

And certainly, Olivia will return at some point (hopefully soon). But after that goodbye, I don’t see Abby being very forgiving:

“No. I don’t accept this. You don’t quit. Olivia Pope doesn’t quit,” Abby exclaims. “Over a cliff, Liv! Over a cliff! We went over a cliff for you.” Olivia says her father will take care of them, but Abby just turns her back and says, “Go. Run to daddy.”

I’d really like to see Abby as the one in charge of OAP when season 4 returns.

4. What will happen to OPA now that Papa Pope is back in command of B613?

When we enter season 4, we know Eli Pope will be back in charge of B613—and that he will also hold some power of OPA. I wouldn’t be surprised if that meant he had a special power over Huck and Quinn, too. It turns out that Eli was successful with an elaborate scheme to get reinstated as command of B613, which included having Little Jerry killed (that’s right, it wasn’t Maya after all). And apparently, Olivia played right into his hand by getting on that plane. Clearly, Eli wanted her out of the picture.

As Olivia and Jake board their plane, Harrison is looking down the barrel of a gun. While it’s unclear in the scene whether or not he will be killed, the fact that the actor (Columbus Short) was let go from the show gives us that answer. Harrison will not be back. And that’s a problem, because he’s the only one who learned the truth about Eli Pope.

5. What’s next for Olivia and Jake?

Did you swoon a little when Jake asks to run away with Olivia? Even though I don’t think they should last indefinitely, I hope we get to see a relationship between Olivia and Jake in season 4. After all, Jake is willing to go with her, even though Olivia tells him that she is “in love with another man.” He doesn’t care. He still wants to be with her, and more than that, I think he’s just as ready to leave this world behind as she is. And so for now, they do just that — and they fly off into the sunset together.

6. Where is Olivia Pope, and when is she coming back?

Olivia won’t be able to stay away from D.C. for very long, especially once she learns the news about Harrison. But I’m sure her father will do everything in his power to keep her from finding out. In the meantime, Olivia is somewhere with Jake, and she’s doing some soul searching. When Jake asks why Olivia is leaving, she tells him what we’ve been thinking for a while:

“This is me doing what I do best. I’m handling this. I’m fixing this. I have been over every option. I’ve looked at it from every angle. It’s me. I’m the thing that needs to be fixed. I’m the thing that needs to be handled. I’m the scandal. And the best way to deal with a scandal is to shut it down.”

What will Olivia be like when she gets back?

Season 3 gave us quite an intense finale, to say the least. I’m excited to see what happens next when Scandal returns on Thursday, Sept. 25th at 9/8c on ABC.