Now that fall has officially begun, we have to say goodbye to the sunshine and warmth of summer, but get to say hello to new seasons of our favorite TV shows. One of the most anticipated fall premieres is the season four premiere of Shonda Rhimes hit show Scandal on September 25th on ABC.
From the way we left off season three, and some of the promos for season four, it looks like it’s going to be another fast paced, high intensity season for D.C. power player Olivia Pope. So in order to pick up where we left off, let’s have a refresher as to where we left off on season three. (For those of you who haven’t caught up yet with season three, or aren’t familiar with the series but might want to binge watch it online or on demand from your local satellite or cable provider, don’t read any further, this will contain spoilers.)
We last saw Olivia flying off into the sunset with Jake. This was obviously a godsend for people who aren’t team “Olivitz”, however we were left wondering if Jake was simply serving as a bandaid for Olivia’s (repeatedly) damaged heart. Another unsolved question was where exactly the plane was heading. At this point we’re going to have to base everything on the assumption she returns to D.C. because, well, there wouldn’t be a show if she didn’t.
As for Fitz, he’s under the intense pressure that comes with running for a second term of his presidency against his (former) vice-president who, live on national TV, acted as a hero after the bombing of the funeral he was supposed to speak at. As if that wasn’t enough, Olivia, for whatever reason, decided to tell Fitz about his father raping Mellie and the fact that his son might actually be his brother. Naturally Fitz rushes to her side, leaving Olivia in the dust (yet again). It turns out that Jerry is really Fitz’s son, not that it makes all that much difference since he starts to cough up blood on stage and ultimately dies during a rally for his father. At this point everyone believes that Maya (Olivia’s mother) infected him with a strain of meningitis that was recently stolen from a lab.
Olivia’s first reaction to the news of Jerry’s death is that it means Fitz will win. She’s disgusted at herself for having that type of reaction, and, in a sign of the growing strength of their relationship during season three, asks her father if that plane trip to a new life he offered her still stands, which he is all too happy to provide to her. Meanwhile Eli (her father) has gone on the hunt for Maya on order from Fitz, who’s willing to reinstate B613 if Eli kills her. He’s enlisted the help of Harrison to hunt her down after showing him that his former lover Adnan was murdered, presumably by Maya.
At this point we all have started to slightly warm to Eli. Maybe he’s been misunderstood? Maybe the harsh reality of his world made him like this? Well, any warming up to him was rapidly squashed when we find out that Eli not only murdered Jerry and Adnan to get Fitz to put him back at the head of B613 and to get Harrison to help him – his scheming, lying, and backstabbing has actually gotten him everything he’s wanted, including Maya, who’s now in the hold at B613 headquarters.
We also see the demise of the (exceedingly weird) relationship between Quinn and Huck when Quinn takes him to where his former wife and child live (after being given the information by a bitter Charlie). He lashes out at Quinn, but still rings the doorbell and gives his wife the shock of her life. Huck as a family man in season four will certainly be a nicer plotline than the twisted and dark relationship he had with Quinn, who completely went off the rails this season.
As for what to expect this upcoming season, for starters it’s going to return to its longer run of 22 episodes as opposed to last season’s 18 episodes (last season was shorter thanks to Kerry Washington’s pregnancy). This will mean things will (hopefully) not feel as rushed and jam packed as they were last season. It also means we’ll actually see more of Olivia this season, now that she doesn’t have to hide behind desks.
In the premiere we’ll see her return to D.C. after two months away on a beach with Jake. This has likely given the two of them to further develop with budding relationship, which will only prove to be more complicated with the return of D.C., and Fitz, in their lives. Mellie is still reeling from the death of Jerry, and we all know how unbalanced she is regularly, so I imagine Olivia is looking like a pretty good option to Fitz at this point.
We can also expect Cyrus to get what’s coming to him this season after Jake gave David Rosen all the information he needs to bring him down after learning he knew about the bomb at the funeral but said nothing because he wanted Sally to die in it. He’s a man with very little to lose at this point now that his husband is dead, so I expect him to veer to the dark side to fight Rosen.
Of course, all of our suspicions, theories, and hopes will be confirmed (or denied) on Thursday when Scandal premieres in its new 9:00 time slot. Gladiators will also more than likely get swept up into another one of the fantastic Shonda Rhimes-created shows that’s premiering after it; How to Get Away with Murder with the fantastic Viola Davis in the lead role.
