Eli Pope

“	You think the world is terrible with me in it. Wait 'til you see what it's like without me.	”
— Rowan to Olivia Pope^src

Eli Pope, also known as Rowan, is Olivia Pope's father. He was also the commanding officer for the CIA division of B613 until the former president, Fitz Grant, fired him and replaced him with Jake Ballard. After a brief absence, he regained his post as Command and took it back from Jake. He stayed as Command of B613 until Olivia and her team took down the organization and put him in jail.

History[]

Early Life[]

Eli Pope grew up as an orphan on the 'mean streets of Detroit' and worked 3 jobs to put himself in college to eventually earn a PhD in paleontology. (Dog-Whistle Politics).

When he first started working in the intelligence field, back when Olivia was younger, his cover was being a Curator of antiquities at the Smithsonian. He went to Princeton and graduated in 1967 just prior to being recruited by the CIA.

Season Two[]

His plan is to keep Olivia Pope & Fitz Grant apart from each other. He sent Jake Ballard to gain Olivia's trust and spark a relationship with her; he also instructed Jake to sleep with her. He wants Cyrus Beene to show the tape of Jake and Olivia making love to Fitz in order to keep Fitz away from Olivia. His intentions and true identity are unknown until his Olivia walks out of her apartment building into a media circus questioning her about being Fitz's mistress; his men pull her into a limousine where he awaits; Olivia responds... "Dad"!

Season Three[]

He then decided to send Olivia into hiding to protect her but as she's about to get on the plane she's convinced to stay by Cyrus. Rowan then shows Cyrus Beene the real Remington file. After Olivia finds out that her mom, Maya Lewis, is a major crime lord, She turns to Rowan realizing he knew all along that her mother was not who Olivia thought. He helps them for a while and he even brings in Olivia's mother who stabs him in the chest multiple times. He makes a quick recovery after. Shortly after getting out of the hospital, he forces Harrison Wright to give him all information on Adnan Salif and Harrison does. A couple of days after, he calls Harrison to his office and reveals to him that he had Tom kill Jerry Grant Jr. because Fitz Grant "took his child so I can take his".

Season Four[]

Rowan tries to pin the death of Jerry Grant Jr. and Harrison Wright on Jake Ballard by threatening and forcing Tom's confession. Olivia works to lobby Fitz to free Jake. Olivia visits Tom. Tom sticks to his original confession and also says that Olivia has been raised from Day 1 by Command. Olivia/Quinn pays a security guard to stab Tom. Tom rectifies his confession to the truth and Olivia plays the tape to Fitz. Fitz frees Jake and the three of them work to take down Rowan. Olivia leads Rowan to dinner as a trap but Rowan has B613 agents kill the snipers.

In "Where the Sun Don't Shine", Rowan sneaks into Olivia's apartment and yells at her for being ungrateful. Rowan brings a record (Stevie Wonder) in sentimentality and a gun, although it's unloaded, Olivia grabs it off the table and points it at her dad. Olivia pulls the trigger (with the empty chamber) much to Rowan's heartbreak. Olivia then visits her mother (who is now out of the hole) and Maya tells Olivia that she is "just like him" - running around with B613 boys and serving at the pleasure of the president.