Scandal’s End: S7 Ep18 – Over A Cliff – Series Finale (RECAP)

April 23, 2018

Over A Cliff – Series Finale (RECAP)

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Seven seasons of popcorn, wine and hashtags came to a rather placid ending. Last Thursday Scandal aired its series finale, putting the lives of our gladiators and the Republic on the line. Who survived following Olivia Pope off the cliff?

With the B6-13 bomb off, Olivia begins to field the debris. She meets with investigator Lonnie to weigh their options. While implicated within the hacking of Air Force Two, he cannot bring the case forward. But he spins a way to bring forth a judicial hearing – recusing himself from the investigation. Sadly this method is lethal as he commits suicide in front of Olivia.

Courtesy of Variety

Given no time to grieve, the team prepares their testimonies before the counsel. From Defiance to Minister Rashad’s death, B6-13’s various acts are all corroborated. Including the fact Cyrus Beane conspired to hijack his own plane. With this evidence David Rosen has the power to convict Cyrus.

Both Jake and Cyrus realize they’re on the ropes. Cyrus gives Jake the command to eliminate their hindrance: kill David Rosen. Reminiscent of James’ murder in S3, Jake faces David in a parking garage, gun in hand. Somehow Rosen finds the strength to talk Jake out of it, citing once again how Mr. Ballard is nothing more than a lap dog. Command. Fitz. Olivia. Mellie. And now Cyrus. All have led the dog by a collar.

When Jake fails the mission, it leaves Cyrus to pick up the slack. He texts David stating he’s ready to comply. Being the server of justice, David agrees. But we all know it’s a trap. During their meeting Cyrus offers David a glass of wine, citing the same scenario Olivia used when holding Cyrus hostage. Two sips and David is writhing on the ground for air. As Cyrus watches David struggle for life, he seeks to end the suffering. He smothers David with a pillow until his body moves no more.

Courtesy of spoilersguide.com

When the news reaches Olivia’s team, they’re told David succumbed to a heart attack. But they all know the truth. Imagine the purest of them all losing his life for justice. Devastated Abby fights her mourning to remind them they have a job to finish. To make sure Rosen’s sacrifice isn’t in vain. Still facing potential life sentences, the team moves quickly.

Quinn and Charlie exchange nuptials in prison. And Olivia seeks advice from her father. The ever-so right Rowan questions why Olivia constantly sticks her neck out for these others who don’t care about her. But something Quinn says to him sticks. Her mentioning of family spurs him to make Command’s final stand.

Rowan testifies before the counsel, as B6-13’s head honcho. In another epic monologue, Rowan Pope decries the irony of America’s every decision being controlled by a black man. The very apparatus of white privilege and complacency awarded to these gentleman sitting before him was al crafted by someone once thought of as three-fifths of a human being.

Courtesy of spoilersguide.com

Papa Pope’s act shifts the arms of justice. Jake Ballard takes the fall and is sentenced to a long prison stint. On the other hand, Cyrus agrees to resign. And while he faces no criminal charges, David’s blood on his hands has darkened his psyche.

As for the rest of the players, everyone received a happy ending. Mellie remained POTUS and signed a new gun control law, with Marcus Walker by her side. Charlie reunited with Quinn and his daughter, fully exonerated. Huck and Abby move on, paying their last respects to Rosen. And as much as viewers hated it, Fitz and Olivia departed D.C. on their way to Vermont.

Not the nail-biting conclusion many expected from a series with more “OMG” moments than the current administration. But nonetheless a signoff to one of this generation’s most influential TV series. Scandal changed the way we experienced television. It also change the way the industry thought about Black women in front and behind the camera. And while there is more work to be done, it blazed a trail for many other gladiators to follow.

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