It can be difficult to keep up with all the crazy plot twists and sub-plots on Scandal, even if those are some of the things that make the show so great. So much has already happened in the first half of Season 3 so here's a handy guide to keep you updated on all major plot points until the political drama returns in a few weeks.
1. Momma Pope lives on: Viewers and Olivia were shocked to discover that her mom has been alive this whole time, contrary to belief that she died in a plane crash over 20 years ago. Liv discovers that her dad has been holding her mother in a super private cell. And she finds all this out after her mom shows up on her doorstep after escaping her prison! Talk about drama. After using her Presidential "connections" *cough cough*, Liv manages to sneak her mother out of the country, only to discover that Momma Pope is pretty much an terrorist and all around terrible mom. That's right. We find out that her mom purposely lied about the bomb on the plane to force her husband's hand. There was no bomb and 300 people died for no reason. Guess she's not getting mother of the year award any time soon. And In true Scandal fashion, we are left with a surprising cliffhanger that reveals Liv's mom made her way back to D.C. and is headed to the White House to cause more problems!
2. He without sin: Cyrus and Mellie, aka the Nightmare Team, come up with a plan to force Sally to abandon her dreams of being President. And Cyrus decides to use his own husband to bait Sally's closeted husband. Great idea, you guys. Tell a super conservative bible thumper that her husband is gay, because that'll end perfectly! And why not throw in pictures of him cheating on her as an added bonus? Despite Sally's shortcomings, it was a complete surprise to see she killed her husband after she confronted him about his affair with James. She calls on Cyrus for assistance in covering up her crime and kills all her hopes of running against Fitz in the next presidential election. However, nothing stays hidden forever, especially when the Vice President's spouse suddenly dies. It seems as if David Rosen might go up against the White House again after an Edward Snowden-like whistleblower brings him a copy of Sally's frantic phone call to Cyrus. You can't say Scandal isn't up to date on real-life political scandals.
3. Prodigal daughter returns and is promptly kicked out: Last season we saw Quinn's descent into an obsession with murder and torture, which is incredibly annoying and strange considering her previous life was ruined by a crazy killer. This season she's even more annoying and eager to start killin. Huck tries his best to deter her, but since Quinn is literally the most annoying character on broadcast television, she decides to take matters into her own hands and falls into cahoots with Huck's old partner in literal crime. She eventually finds out that talking about killing people is not totes not the same as actually killing someone and gives a key witness in the case of Olivia's missing mom a deadly injection. Then she has the nerve to be shocked that the poor guy died! What did you think was in the syringe that a crazy super-killer/spy from a secret government agency gave you Quinn? A super dose of Nyquil? She ends up being unwillingly recruited into B6-13. *eye roll* Huck eventually finds out about her treachery and gives her a few root canals for free, i.e. he totally tortures her. She offers to kill Rowan/Liv's dad for her freedom but fails at that as well. Quinn realizes she made a huge uh oh by betraying Olivia and tries to return to work as if nothing happened. Huck calmly (not really) tells her that the only reason he hasn't killed her is because of Olivia. She goes running back to Charlie with her tail in between her legs.
4. RSS Olitz. Full Speed Ahead: At the beginning of the season, Liv was ousted as the president's mistress and saw her life and career swirling down the drain. But due to some freelance work from Pope & Associates, Olivia was cleared of all charges and was free to continue her relationship with Fitz. However, once she found out that he was the one that shot down the plane that supposedly killed her mom, she called things off for the thousandth time. She tries her best to quit him and even destroys her mistress burner phone. But he's the most powerful man in the world and uses all his presidential clout to win Liv back. Fitz whisks Liv off to some grand house in New Hampshire and admits that he bought the house for them! Here's hoping he used his own money to buy that and not tax dollars. Could you imagine the Senate hearings on that?!?! She immediately forgives him for "killing" her mom and they make up in more ways than one. By the end of the mid-season finale, she's barking orders at Fitz like it's any normal Tuesday.
5. Started From The Bottom (of a Pit). Now We're Here: Jake has kind of been second fiddle to Fitz so far this season. He's constantly stood by Liv and tried to help with her mom while simultaneously trying to kill her dad. Never said their relationship wasn't dysfunctional. There probably isn't a single functional relationship on this show, but that's what makes for great television. After everyone discovers that Liv's mom is a bad guy, Jake puts his differences aside with Fitz and they work together to bring down Liv's dad. At first it seemed like they were going to kill him but what they had in store for him was honestly worse. Rowan returns from his detainment to learn that Jake is the new head of B6-13 and most likely, reporting directly to Fitz. Before taking over, Jake goes to see Liv and gives her a very strange goodbye but not without telling her he loves her. He may have given up love but now he's in charge of a team of super impressive killers. Can't help but feel that he's not going to stay very good for long though.
I've got a thousand questions for what's going to happen next, but I've narrowed them down to a few. 1.) What do you think Liv's mom is doing back in D.C? Is she going to try and hurt Fitz? 2.) Will Sally see jail time for her crimes and will James figure out what happened? 3.) And finally, do you think they're going to write Kerry Washington's pregnancy into the script? Sound off in the comments below.
Scandal finally returns Thursday, February 27th at 10 on ABC.
