ABC The Scandal season three finale left us with a few questions, thankfully Jimmy Kimmel got us answers from Shonda Rhimes. Well, some sort of answers.
Warning, spoilers.
The episode ended with Olivia Pope (Kerry Washington) and Jake (Scott Foley) jetting off into the sunset on a private plane, ready to start a new life in the sun together, thanks to Papa Pope (Joe Morton). Oh yeah, Papa Pope orchestrated EVERYTHING. He arranged the murder of Fitz's son, the downfall of B613 on Jake's watch, etc. Seriously, he was the puppet master to end all puppet masters. And Maya Pope (Khandi Alexander) is still alive, chilling in the hole.
The two main questions we have now:
Is Olivia really done? Can she really quit Olivia Pope and Associates? "She did quit her job, you might watch her on the beach somewhere. We'll have to see next season…There's that last look after she chooses to ignore the phone call from the White House when she sort of says she's sure to Jake and then she looks out the window when you can really see that she's not so sure," Rhimes told Kimmel.
With Olivia off into the sunset, Abby (Darby Stanchfield), Huck (Guillermo Diaz) and Harrison (Columbus Short) were left standing at OPA, lost and rudderless. Viewers last saw Harrison with a gun in his face after he figured out Papa Pope's master plan.
Is Harrison dead? "You know I can't tell you that," Rhimes said. The question is extra weighty after several very public headlines about Short's arrests and marriage.
Rhimes is no stranger to killing off characters. "I think it's always really hard to kill off somebody who has been on the show for a long time, who you've gotten to know. You're obviously closer to some than others, but it's hard," she said. "That call is always the worst call to make. I do it myself. You really have to have the topic sentence ready…The first you have to say is you're going to die and here's how and we love you."
Not everybody handles it like a champ. "Some people get upset. I mean, people love their jobs," she said. "For me, it's never easy to say goodbye to a character, it's really always about a story…I feel like the grim reaper sometimes…All the actors sort of know that's a possibility and it's just not fun to do."