‘Scandal’ Is on Netflix, and the Series Finale Is Still Disappointing

After seven seasons of cleaning up the salacious messes of Washington D.C.’s most prominent politicians, crisis manager and ultimate fixer Olivia Pope and her fearless gladiators finally set their weapons down in the series finale of Scandal. Audiences became invested in the juicy and downright bonkers storylines featured in the smash-hit series, which ran for 124 episodes and included countless jaw-dropping moments.

Featuring a stacked ensemble cast led by Kerry Washington, Tony Goldwyn, Scott Foley, and Katie Lowes, Scandal became a bona fide TV sensation during its small-screen reign and won numerous accolades, including a Peabody, NAACP Image Award, and a Primetime Emmy. Its series finale debuted on April 19, 2018, and polarized longtime fans who felt underwhelmed by the last episode and the way series creator Shonda Rhimes tied up loose ends. Let’s revisit the Scandal finale now that the hit show is streaming on Netflix.

Olivia and Her Gladiators Bid ‘Scandal’ Fans Farewell

After years of taking devoted viewers on an emotional roller-coaster ride, Scandal finally came to an epic and shocking conclusion on April 19, 2018, in a grand finale that remains polarizing over seven years later. Though she started proudly donning her iconic white hat and keeping the secrets of the nation’s elite tightly under wraps, not only fixing problems but also fixing people, Olivia fell victim to what happens to countless heroes in popular shows: a fall from moral grace. To redeem Olivia and her past sins in the final season, many fan-favorite characters got the short end of the stick.

Let’s get into the nitty-gritty: killing off Attorney-General David Rosen (Joshua Malina) when he was quite literally the only honorable person left in Washington D.C. was unnecessary and downright ridiculous, especially since he was poisoned and smothered by Cyrus (Jeff Perry), whom he knew was gunning for him. Series mastermind Shonda Rhimes defended the decision to take out David, telling EW at the time: “[David] was really the last good, pure person there. And for that to happen, he was the last hero they had left, and in that sense, it felt necessary.”

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Loyal fans of Scandal couldn’t help but disagree. While David was able to evade death the first time around by talking Jake (Scott Foley) out of shooting him, the perpetually scheming Cyrus stepped in to get the job done and proved once and for all just how terrible he truly was. David’s death marked the elimination of the show’s last morally conscious character, and we weren’t even given time to properly mourn him. Speaking of characters who deserved justice, Jake took the fall for all the gang’s misdeeds involving B613 and was sent to prison in the finale, which is absurd since he only briefly ran the elite CIA division, and Rowan should have been the one locked away.

Justice Isn’t Served in the ‘Scandal’ Series Finale

While there was no denying it was time for Olivia to earn back her white hat, the fact that the famous fixer didn’t have to truly atone for her actions and darkest secrets and managed to emerge scot-free didn’t feel right. To prove the existence of B613, Olivia and her fellow Gladiators were given no choice but to come together and confess their terrible actions, with Papa Pope (Joe Morton) even showing up to admit to Congress that he was the driving force behind B613 and the puppet master to everything that had gone down throughout the show’s run.

Somehow, everyone involved (Olivia, Huck, Quinn, etc.) managed to be exonerated for their actions regarding B613, and poor Jake (who no doubt had skeletons of his own) took the fall for everything while the rest of them happily skipped off for the next chapter of their lives. Most of the characters who committed horrendous acts throughout Scandal‘s seven seasons escaped any severe consequences, and there was no cold, hard justice served or a comeuppance for people who did some seriously messed-up things, from murder to blackmail and everything in between.

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Though it’s hard not to be pleased that Quinn (Katie Lowes) and Charlie (George Newbern) were able to get married and have their happy ending with their daughter, and Cyrus got exactly what he deserved by being booted from the White House as Vice President of the United States, it still didn’t feel like enough. The ending for the frustrating will-they/won’t they couple Olivia and Fitz (Tony Goldwyn) is also up for interpretation, as is whether Olivia ends up as POTUS after all the work she’d done in Washington D.C. While many may be thrilled that the heroine came out triumphant, there’s no denying she shouldn’t be making jam with Fitz in Vermont any time soon. Stream Scandal on Netflix.