ABCBefore we go over the biggest bombshell from the Scandal season five finale, you can exhale: None of your favorites died or anything. To be honest, none of them really did anything too scandalous (at least in the world of this show).
By the end of the episode, we were left with our final candidates in the series' faux presidential election as both Mellie and Vargas chose their running mates. After a bit of a fight, Olivia wrangled Jake for Mellie—freeing him from his place under Rowan's thumb in the process. While at first Cyrus chose David Rosen for Vargas, once Mellie's campaign announced Jake's candidacy he realized he couldn't win with Rosen. In the final moments of the episode, we found out who Cyrus deemed worthy of Vargas' VP spot: Himself! One way or another, either Cyrus or Mellie will be back in the White House next year.
At first, Vargas wanted Jake to run alongside him, but once Olivia found out Jake was fighting to be freed from Rowan's control, she managed to free him (for now) by adding him to Mellie's campaign (their first choice didn't come through thanks to a shady, cocaine-dealing past). But Jake quickly realized he had just gone from being Rowan's lapdog to being Olivia's, and he wasn't happy about it.
Meanwhile, Fitz found out about Olivia's abortion—but somehow they didn't actually discuss it. He did tell her he respected her decision, but she thought he was talking about her choice to walk away from the White House and their relationship, not the abortion.
Other observations:
-David Rosen and Elizabeth North are doin' it again (now that Susan Ross has dumped his sorry ass).
-Cyrus debated breaking up with his boy toy hubby (and having him killed, as is Cyrus' way), but at the end of the episode abruptly decided not to—all the better for a VP candidacy, don't you think?
-Yas Mellie, YAS! Tell Fitz how badly you want the predisdency and how much you've earned it!
-How about that showdown between Olivia and Rowan (and Jake)? Rowan has not pleased that Olivia wrestled Jake away from him, but on the right side he didn't kill either of them, despite holding a gun to Jake's head. But clearly his anger will just go dormant for the time being, right?
-Olivia is dating neither Jake nor Fitz, and somehow that seems very right. She didn't formally choose herself, Kelly Taylor style, but it's nice that she doesn't have to be chasing a dream life with a dude and can focus on the other things in her life.