This week’s Scandal brings the original OPA back together to fight against one common enemy–Cyrus

And just like that, we are three episodes away from the Scandal series finale. Can you believe it, because we sure can’t! This week the stakes continue to rise as Liv (Kerry Washington) joins the rest of the group to fight against Cyrus (Jeff Perry) and his scheming. Last week’s episode ended with Quinn (Katie Lowes) reaching out to Liv for help after Charlie (George Newbern) was arrested and framed for hijacking Air Force Two. It is quite the brutal episode for Charlie who, while under custody, is beat to a pulp as he is forced to confess to a crime he didn’t even commit. Thanks to Cyrus, the mastermind behind it all, Charlie not only confesses to the crime but also states that Mellie (Bellamy Young) was the one who ordered him to do it. In one fell swoop, Cyrus takes down any obstacles in his way, as he paves his path to the Oval Office. Why did Charlie sign the confession? Because Cyrus and Jake threaten Quinn life and left with no choice, Charlie makes the best decision he is able to, in order to save his family.

And if we thought Cyrus was the only villain in this week’s episode, then we are so incredibly wrong. Through a series of manipulations, Cyrus convinces Jake (Scott Foley) to help take down Mellie so he can ride alongside Cyrus on his way to the top. Has Jake truly gone over to the dark side? That is yet to be determined, but suffice to say he is well on his way. Liv joins the group as they try to come up with a plan to take down Cyrus. However, there is still plenty of resentment on Quinn’s side who repeatedly states Liv is only there for her fixer talents, and nothing more. However, there are subtle moments of the old Liv this week, a point that Huck (Guillermo Diaz) and Fitz (Tony Goldwyn) bond over.

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And within the chaos of the episode, Mellie finally gets some action in an intimate love-making session with Marcus (Cornelius Smith Jr.). At least she is able to release her frustrations in some capacity, right? We hope that they keep the momentum going and find a way to stay together!

Thanks to the coerced confession, Mellie is handed a subpoena and now is the target for the investigation into the hijacking. She realizes Liv has been telling the truth this whole time, and it leaves Mellie with only one option. The episode closes out with Mellie approaching Liv and asking her to be Command again–and to kill Cyrus Beene.

Could this episode have been any crazier?! Here to talk about Charlie’s confession, Mellie and Liv’s meeting, and Marcus and Mellie getting together is our Scandal roundtable. Let’s see what they had to say!

Mindset Podcast (@Mindset_Pod)– Podcast focusing on social justice and black culture

Dorothy (@DorothyJGentry)– Educator, journalist, Jeremiah’s mom

Lucy (@lampareaux)– Account manager, life enthusiast, New Yorker

Torri (@torrij89)– PA real estate agent, occasional photographer, and Shondaland fanatic since 2005

Julia (@DrJuliaPRS)– Plastic surgeon, food lover, movie connoisseur, music junkie, mother of cats, and child of God

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1. The episode went back and forth between whether Charlie would sign the confession or not. What were your thoughts on when he finally did? Yay or nay?

Mindset Podcast (@Mindset_Pod): I get squeamish at the violent/torture scenes on Scandal, so I was glad that Charlie signed the papers in that regard. Jake didn’t really leave him much choice, we all knew he wouldn’t let anything happen to Quinn.

Dorothy (@DorothyJGentry): OMG. So upset. I’ve grown to like Charlie. He’s part of the team. I don’t know how he is going to come back from that. SMH.

Lucy (@lampareaux): I was disappointed when Charlie signed the confession. Though he’s never exactly been part of Olivia’s favorites, I would think he would have her back. Unfortunately, it is not like he had much of a choice. Jake was not going to take no for an answer.

Torri (@torrij89): Though I’m not happy that Charlie fell for Cyrus’s threat and signed the confession, I understand why he did. Cyrus knew that Charlie would accept whatever beatings they threw his way because of his B613 training. But hurting Quinn would be something he couldn’t take being responsible for. If throwing Mellie under the bus would save his family, he was going to do it.

Julia (@DrJuliaPRS): Well, I think that was expected especially with how Jake reminded him of the fact that he broke rule #1 of B613… loving a person and having a family. I think this shows how sincere Charlie’s love is to Quinn and his baby girl. I wouldn’t have expected anything different.

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2. To save the love of her life, Quinn was willing to partner up with Liv. What did you think about their dynamic in this week’s episode?

Mindset Podcast: I think Quinn was totally justified in not trusting Liv (I’m still not convinced Liv wants the white hat back), but I was glad to see them talk it out, and I hope they continue to rebuild their friendship.

Dorothy: Very emotional. Very necessary. Quinn upset at having to need her again. Still not sure if they should trust each other or put themselves out there again and be vulnerable to each other. Quinn has every right to be upset and hard-nosed with Liv. Glad Liv finally owned up to what she did. Glad she said those words: I’m sorry and that she has lost her way. Now let’s move forward…

Lucy: Quinn is still hurt Liv would pull the plug on her. We love Quinn and Liv’s exchange, they have always been the best teammates, but their dynamic will not be back until Quinn is able to forgive Liv. This episode gave us a snippet of what it would be like if Quinn and Liv were friends again but unfortunately, we’re not quite there yet.

Torri: Quinn had no choice but to show up at Olivia’s door and partner up with her because she knew Olivia would know what to do. For yet another episode this season I’m annoyed with the way Quinn is behaving towards Olivia. Her attitude and behavior are making me not want her to survive the finale. Sorry, not sorry.

Julia: I think it was overdue. I think Liv hadn’t really confronted Quinn about the regret. They hadn’t really talked about it and I was glad to hear them be honest and not continue on the back & forth of hurt feelings. This was mature because I think we can all recognize that people can go YEARS (or never at all) without having an honest conversation about wrongdoings.

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3. Jake made some frustrating, questionable, and shady decisions this week. Do you think he has officially gone over to the dark side? Why or why not?

Mindset Podcast: Oh, Jake…always the henchman, never the boss. I used to feel bad for Jake. He was always treated like some sort of pet by Eli and then Olivia, but now I have no sympathy for him. He’s just as power-hungry as everyone else on the show; he just keeps getting the short end of the stick. Honestly, Jake may be more desperate than Cyrus so we may need to keep an eye on him.

Dorothy: I don’t like Jake. Never have. But I’m not entirely sure he is over to the dark side yet. He loved/s Liv. I wouldn’t put it past him to be doing this to help Liv and Mellie and take down Cyrus. I just can’t believe he would do this. So I’m not sure.

Lucy: Jake has always been part of the dark side. It’s just a matter of when he chooses to be on which side. He’s masterful at playing both sides of the game and this episode was evidence of that. Let’s not forget he’s a B-613 alum so he knows how to dance in the dark.

Torri: This supposed power grab from Jake was so confusing to me. Just last season he didn’t even want to be nominated along with Mellie for VP. I’m hoping everything is just an act on his part because why on earth would he want to be on Cyrus’s side.

Julia: Man, he’s jealous as all get out. I’m actually glad Cyrus played on that. I was always curious how he felt about everyone else getting by and him sorta swinging in the wind. It sort of made me laugh because we always hear about how women make emotional decisions when this mess right here was the MOST!!! You know, I still think Jake isn’t all in for Cyrus. I would be surprised if he isn’t looking out for number one for once. Perhaps this will be his opportunity to get close to Cyrus and take him out.

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4. Mellie finally got some action this week! What are your thoughts on her and Marcus hooking up?

Mindset Podcast: Meh. I’ve never really understood the Mellie/ Marcus thing, but good for them!

Dorothy: I told you. I was all for them from the get-go. They’ve always had chemistry and I so wanted and needed them to get together. I knew what was going down. I love it and them. Go MelMarc!

Lucy: Finally! Mellie needed some and I was over Liv getting in the way. Mellie and Marcus have a spark that’s undeniable, I’m happy to see them rekindle their love. Maybe something could happen now that Fitz is in DC. Hopefully, Fitz and Marcus put a pause on Vermont and the President can have a boyfriend.

Torri: Finally is right! For me, I’m just happy she got some from something other than a device that needs batteries because she was due!

Julia: I had a full, hearty laugh at that opening scene of her laying in bliss with those golden, “soap-opera” tones on the screen. I was happy for Mellie. For a second though, I was like “So, Marcus and Michaela won’t be a thing?!?! Hmmm…”

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5. The moment between Huck and Fitz talking about the old Liv was so precious, right? What did you think about their conversation and do you agree with them?

Mindset Podcast: I think Huck and Fitz mirror the skepticism and yet hope that a lot of viewers feel toward Liv. Liv went really dark, so I understand Huck and Fitz (the two men who love her most) not fully trusting what they’re seeing until they spoke to each other. It was a very sweet moment!

Dorothy: Going into this episode I was still grudge-holding with Liv. But I see little glimpses of her remorse of what pain she caused and how she is truly sorry. I believe that they both want old Liv back, so much so that they are TRYING HARD to see the old Liv that they want back.

Lucy: Of course, we all fell in love with the White Hat wearing Queen. It’s a shame she’s had to change to get what’s necessary done. If there were a way for us to get old Liv back before the series finale…We’d ALL be game for it.

Torri: Fitz and Huck’s convo was cute and I agree with them that the “old” Olivia is back. The two of them love Olivia and just want what’s best for her.

Julia: I can understand the hesitation to believe that she’s back. I thought it was a nice honest conversation. Everyone was having honest conversations tonight! It was great! Well, most people…

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6. Watching Cyrus be evil and scheme was ridiculously frustrating in this week’s episode. Do you think he’ll succeed or will Liv and the gang stop him before it’s too late?

Mindset Podcast: Cyrus’s schemes have never really worked, but he’s getting pretty close this time! With Liv working with the team again, I don’t think Cyrus will be able to take the White House.

Dorothy: Hard to call. Would be too easy for them to win and stop him. I wouldn’t be surprised if he succeeded and got the Oval. I don’t want Charlie to die. I don’t want Cyrus to get the Oval. I hope they stop him but it’s difficult to tell right now.

Lucy: Cyrus has been gunning for that office since Season 1. I don’t think he will succeed, the Scandal series finale that I see ends with either Mellie or Liv on the seat. Cyrus does not have the heart of gold we need in a President. Cyrus has too much fun playing on the dark side and he’s not always willing to play fair. We get that sometimes politics is unfair but Cyrus takes too much joy in it.

Torri: Of course Olivia and company will stop him! Cyrus has always been a scheming SOB but his new evil plan to get him the White House will never work. He’s relying too much on Lonnie Mencken for his plans to go through and that guy looks a bit unstable and easy to crack. I’m just happy Mellie finally admitted that she missed having Olivia in her corner. Because even when Olivia was power hungry and running both the White House and B613, she always had Mellie’s best interest at heart and warned her that “the men” would try and take her power away. Millie should have believed Olivia then.

Julia: I am a firm believer that Cyrus is going to die. I don’t know how or by whom, but he must be taken out. I’ve always thought he was suspect from the get-go. I think they’ll redeem Mellie before it’s too late.

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7. Mellie wants Liv to be her Command again–and kill Cyrus Beene. What did you think about that plot twist and do you think Liv will do it?

Mindset Podcast: You guys know I wanted Liv to be Command, but it looks like she wants to put the darkness behind her. I think she wants to be back in the White House, but I don’t think she’ll kill to do it. I think she’ll find another way to get Cyrus out of the White House.

Dorothy: Woohoo!! I did not see that coming. Love it! I don’t know. Liv just “got back” from being crazy Liv and now she has to go back to the other side again. I can’t call this one. I just don’t know. Can’t wait.

Lucy: It’s the only way to get rid of Cyrus. We know Cyrus will not stop until he gets the office. The best opponents we have against him are Jake and Liv, and Jake has already joined his side. Mellie was right calling Olivia, but I’ve got a feeling that maybe Rowan is better for the job. We know Liv has the balls to kill her best friend, but for her to assassinate her old mentor, the person who taught her game–I don’t know, that’s a different story.

Torri: Mellie asking Olivia to kill Cyrus is crazy unfair. One minute they want Olivia to be “herself” again, and the next moment they want her to kill. Honestly,` I wish Olivia would tell them all to figure it out on their own and go about her blissful life, but I know that’s not who Olivia Pope is. She cares too much about the “Republic” to just let Cyrus get away with his wrong doings but she’d rather he rot in jail before having him killed.

Julia: So this is an issue especially with Liv being about doing what’s right. I really don’t know. I definitely think she won’t kill Cyrus and she won’t be the person giving the order to kill Cyrus… and let’s be honest, we haven’t seen Papa Pope in a minute. There are so many other people who could do the job and I wouldn’t think less of them. Also, I think Liv may take Command again, but do it right this time.

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Final Verdict: The quest to take down Cyrus pushes Mellie to ask for Liv’s help

Mellie approaching Liv in the final moments of this week’s episode is haunting but almost feels justified. After years of Cyrus’ scheming and planning, Mellie is at her wit’s end and finds herself left with only one option–to get rid of Cyrus once and for all. And to top it off, she asked Liv to be the one to do it. This is a pivotal moment in the series because Liv has completely broken down and is trying to repent for her mistakes. Now we are left wondering if she will take on the task Mellie has given her or walk away from it once and for all. There are only three episodes left in the series and Scandal is truly upping its game. We’re not strangers to this specific storyline but the writing and the acting is giving a unique feel to this season. Perhaps it’s because as the audience we know the story is coming to a close and there is a lot riding on how the series will wrap up its loose ends, but whatever it is, we are so in for the ride.

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Heading into next week, it remains to be seen if Liv will take this opportunity to befriend Mellie again, even if it means killing Cyrus. She is in a desperate situation and wants her friends back but it all may come at a very heavy price. And where is Papa Pope during all this? The fact that he has remained in the background, quiet and M.I.A. is a point of concern when it comes to Scandal and if the past is any indication, we can expect to see him appear just as things start to get crazy. Where things will go in the final three episodes is a mystery, but we cannot wait to see where the path to the Scandal series finale takes us!

Scandal returns Thursday, April 5th at 9/8C on ABC.