Season 7

On February 10, 2017, ABC announced that Season Seven would be the final season of Scandal.^[1] The season premiered on October 5, 2017 and ended on April 19, 2018.

About[]

The season focuses on Olivia Pope and her new position as Chief of Staff of President Mellie Grant and the Command of B613. It also depicts Quinn Perkins as the boss of her crisis management firm Quinn Perkins & Associates, and its team, as well as staff at the White House in Washington, D.C., in their efforts to deal with and contain political scandals. Season seven has twelve series regulars out of which eleven return from the previous season and one new regular is added.

Season News[]

ABC confirmed that this season is the last season of Scandal. ^[2]
As of the episode "The Noise", the broadcast time of the show changed back to its original time slot 10|9c.
George Newbern joined the main cast in this season. ^[3]
Kerry Washington served as a producer in this season.
Katie Lowes was pregnant during the filming of the first half of the season and her pregnancy was written into the show resulting Quinn being pregnant.
The production of this season started in July 2017 and will be wrapped in April 2018.
The filming for the season started on July 24, 2017 and ended on March 17, 2018.
Scott Foley, Bellamy Young and Tony Goldwyn wrapped filming for the series on March 14, 2018.
George Newbern and Joe Morton wrapped filming for the series on March 15, 2018.
The last two episodes of the series feature the scenes filmed in Washington, D.C., where the show is set.
The table read for the premiere took place on July 19, 2017.
The table read for the series finale took place on March 2, 2018.
Some main cast members directed these following episodes in season seven:
- Kerry Washington directed the episode "The People v. Olivia Pope".
- Scott Foley directed the episode "Day 101".
- Darby Stanchfield directed the episode "The Noise".
- Joe Morton directed the episode "People Like Me".
- Tony Goldwyn directed the episodes "Pressing the Flesh" and "Allow Me to Reintroduce Myself".
TGIT worlds collided when Annalise Keating and Olivia Pope shared the screen during the two-hour crossover event. ^[4]
The cast of Scandal did a live table read of "Over A Cliff", the series finale, at the El Capitan Theatre in Los Angeles on April 19th 2018.

Season Overview[]

The final season follows the first year of Mellie Grant's presidency and how she adjusts to being the leader of the free world after everything she's been through previously. Olivia Pope finds herself struggling to balance both sides of being the most powerful person in the world: the white hat life as Mellie's Chief of Staff, and the black hat life of Command of B613, and her dip towards the latter strains her relationships with her friends and family, particularly after she orchestrates the murder of Bashranian President Rashad and his niece and nearly allows Quinn Perkins to be killed. Cyrus Beene, now Vice-President after Olivia and Jake Ballard forced Luna Vargas to commit suicide at the previous season's end, finds himself on the cusp of finally achieving the position he has desired for so long. Fitz Grant adjusts to his post-presidency life and his desire to establish his legacy. With Olivia having departed for the White House, Olivia Pope & Associates, now renamed Quinn Perkins & Associates (QPA) goes through a reboot, as Quinn and the remaining gladiators must now rebuild the firm's reputation from the bottom up. Soon, however, everyone is caught up in one last scandal stirred up by Cyrus that threatens to expose all of their various crimes over the past seven seasons to the public and land them all in prison or worse.

Cast[]

Main Cast[]

Supporting Cast[]

Season Recurring Cast[]

Guest Cast[]

Tina Huang as Madeline Stewart
Bess Armstrong as Senator Diane Greenwald
Viola Davis as Annalise Keating
Aja Naomi King as Michaela Pratt

Episodes[]

01 | 107

"Watch Me" October 5, 2017

Directed by: Jann Turner - Written by: Shonda Rhimes

One hundred days into Mellie's presidency, Olivia Pope is proving she can run the world; but to avoid an international incident, she may have to make her toughest call yet. Meanwhile, Quinn Perkins & Associates struggle to find their first client.

02 | 108

"Pressing the Flesh" October 12, 2017

Directed by: Tony Goldwyn - Written by: Matt Byrne

President Mellie Grant hosts a state dinner for President Rashad of Bashran in a first step toward peace in the Middle East, and in case Mellie’s charm alone doesn’t work, Olivia secretly puts Jake to work so that they are armed with a back-up plan. Meanwhile, the team at Quinn Perkins & Associates attends the party in hopes to gain more high-profile clientele.

03 | 109

"Day 101" October 19, 2017

Directed by: Scott Foley - Written by: Zahir McGhee

During the first 100 days of Mellie’s presidency, Fitz stays out of the limelight in Vermont where he takes up life as an ordinary citizen for the first time in years. Marcus joins the former POTUS to begin important work on the Fitzgerald Grant III Presidential Library.

04 | 110

"Lost Girls" October 26, 2017

Directed by: Nicole Rubio - Written by: Ameni Rozsa & Austin Guzman

While Liv is busy running the free world, the team at QPA works with an unexpected client to solve an important case. At the White House, Mellie prepares for the upcoming Nuclear Summit with President Rashad and Prime Minister Nazari.

05 | 111

"Adventures in Babysitting" November 2, 2017

Directed by: Oliver Bokelberg - Written by: Severiano Canales & Tia Napolitano

Olivia and Mellie assert their power like never before; meanwhile, Cyrus is working on congressional approval to declare war in Bashran, and QPA is keeping close watch on President Rashad’s niece.

06 | 112

"Vampires and Bloodsuckers" November 9, 2017

Directed by: Jann Turner - Written by: Chris Van Dusen & Tia Napolitano

The Gladiators come together to celebrate Quinn and Charlie’s big day, but events take a turn when Quinn goes missing. Back at the White House, Mellie meets with the Bashrani ambassador to deal with the aftermath of President Rashad’s assassination.

07 | 113

"Something Borrowed" November 16, 2017

Directed by: Sharat Raju - Written by: Mark Fish

The first half of the epic final season ends with shocking revelations and jaw-dropping events that will leave everyone reeling.

08 | 114

"Robin" January 18, 2018

Directed by: Daryn Okada - Written by: Juan Carlos Fernandez

On the midseason premiere, the fallout from Rowan’s desperate act affects all of Quinn’s loved ones, including a guilt-ridden Olivia.

09 | 115

"Good People" January 25, 2018

Directed by: Nzingha Stewart - Written by: Shonda Rhimes, Jess Brownell & Nicholas Nardini

The harrowing events that transpired in Rowan’s basement are revealed, from the moment Quinn was kidnapped to the earth-shattering gunshot that rocked Olivia to her core.

10 | 116

"The People v. Olivia Pope" February 1, 2018

Directed by: Kerry Washington - Written by: Ameni Rozsa

When Olivia agrees to join Fitz in Vermont for what she thinks will be a relaxing getaway, she is shocked to find that her closest friends have orchestrated a relentless intervention. Back in Washington, Cyrus finally reveals his suspicions to Mellie about Olivia and Jake’s extracurricular activities.

11 | 117

"Army of One" February 8, 2018

Directed by: Allison Liddi-Brown - Written by: Austin Guzman

Mellie’s plans to name Jake as her new chief of staff only propels Olivia to do whatever it takes to make sure that does not happen. Back at Papa Pope’s house, Quinn becomes restless, wondering just how long Rowan intends to keep her and Robin hidden from the outside world. Meanwhile at QPA, Abby, Huck and Charlie decide that it’s time to move forward with new clients when their first case leads to surprising intel.

12 | 118

"Allow Me to Reintroduce Myself" March 1, 2018

Directed by: Tony Goldwyn - Written by: Raamla Mohamed

In the midst of moving on from the White House, Olivia gets an unexpected visitor in criminal defense attorney Annalise Keating, who seeks her help in fast-tracking a judicial reform class action to the United States Supreme Court. However, after Olivia’s recent fall from political grace, it’s going to be more challenging than ever to get the support they need.

13 | 119

"Air Force Two" March 8, 2018

Directed by: Valerie Weiss - Written by: Severiano Canales

When Cyrus and David embark on a trip to Lisbon for the digital piracy summit, their plane is hacked, leaving their friends and colleagues on the ground little time to save them.

14 | 120

"The List" March 15, 2018

Directed by: Greg Evans - Written by: Jess Brownell & Juan Carlos Fernandez

After Air Force Two’s extraordinary safe landing, Cyrus takes his victory lap as America’s newest hero, and Mellie demands that the Oval stop at nothing until justice is served. Meanwhile, Liv tries to bridge the gap with the Gladiators by disclosing her theory behind the hijack and Cyrus’s true intentions.

15 | 121

"The Noise" March 29, 2018

Directed by: Darby Stanchfield - Written by: Raamla Mohamed & Jeremy Gordon

When Charlie is taken into custody for the hijacking of Air Force Two, Quinn is faced with an important choice. Meanwhile, Cyrus is pulling the strings behind closed doors and sets out to recruit Jake to join him on his quest for the White House.

16 | 122

"People Like Me" April 5, 2018

Directed by: Joe Morton - Written by: Chris Van Dusen

On the heels of her commitment to turn over a new leaf, personal turmoil strikes Olivia once again when Mellie demands that she get rid of Cyrus once and for all.

17 | 123

"Standing in the Sun" April 12, 2018

Directed by: Jann Turner - Written by: Mark Fish & Matt Byrne

Cyrus and Jake’s mission to take the White House reaches a new level of deceit when Liv is called to testify against Mellie.

18 | 124

"Over A Cliff" April 19, 2018

Directed by: Tom Verica - Written by: Shonda Rhimes

With the existence of B613 exposed to the world, the Gladiators make the ultimate sacrifice in order to take down Cyrus and Jake – but how far will they go to get justice?

Promotional Photos[]

→ For more images from Season Seven, see the Category:Season Seven Images page

Behind the Scenes Photos[]

→ For more images from behind the scenes of Season Seven, see the Category: Images from Season 7 BTS page

DVD[]

The Scandal Season Six / Seven DVD was released as a boxet and released in region 1 on August 28, 2018 in region one on August 23, 2016 and then released in region two on October 23, 2016.

Bonus features include: