The first season comes to a close with this seventh episode. In the last episode, we witnessed Billy Chambers, chief of staff to the Vice President, stab the reporter Gideon in the neck with a pair of scissors. This episode opens with Quinn returning to Gideon’s apartment with bagels. She walks in, sees Gideon on the floor bleeding out, and freaks. She attempts to help her fallen boyfriend by pulling the scissors out of his neck. (While Grey’s Anatomy fans are yelling, “Nooooo!”) Unsure what to do, she calls Olivia.

Olivia: We can’t call the police.

Quinn: Why? When someone dies you call the police.

Olivia: Because if we call the police they will find out who you really are.

Wait, what??

Scandal has been pretty Olivia-focused this season, which isn’t a bad thing. Kerry Washington gives a demanding performance as the Washington fixer, but it has left many, many questions regarding the supporting cast. Quinn, for example, is a load full of questions. She came onto the scene in episode one as a means to introduce Olivia. We really don’t know anything about her. In the brief flash-backs the season has had, none included Quinn. Now this. Who is this girl?

Abby: We broke the law for her.

Huck: Olivia hired her. Olivia knows who she is. That makes her worth protecting.

Despite that, the group cleans Gideon’s apartment, leaving no evidence that Quinn was there. When they are done, Olivia uses Gideon’s phone to call the police. In the meantime, Billy returns to his office in a daze. He decides to enter a press conference regarding cult killings in Georgia and announce that he was Amanda Tanner’s
boyfriend, that the President slept with her, rejected her, and that is why she killed herself. He goes on the talk show circuit in D. C., talking bad about President Grant. He also releases the sex tape telling the press that it is President Grant and Amanda Tanner
(but we know that it is Fitz and Olivia). Olivia is called into the White House to fix it.

After a round of conversations about Olivia coming out and saying it is her on the tape, Fitz saying it will resign, and Cyrus not accept any of it, Olivia sends Fitz to Georgia to be President. The idea is to put the attention back on the cult crisis, not on the President’s sex life. Olivia’s team puts the pieces together enough to figure out that Billy killed Gideon. Olivia walks into the men’s room while he is in there.

Billy: I know you didn’t come in here to use the men’s room. You might as well say it.

Olivia: You’re a murderer.

Billy: I…I’m not proud of that.

Billy adds, “By the time I’m in prison, Sally will be President and will be the finesest
President.” All of this for the last three years has been about getting Sally into the Oval Office. Sally opens a letter from Billy during a cabinet meeting and gasps aloud when she reads it. She knew nothing of what Billy was doing, but doesn’t offer any support
to the President, either. It is clear that she will use this crisis to her advantage, if she can. First Lady Mellie Grant blames the whole thing on Olivia. Why? If Olivia had not broken Fitz’ heart and left him vulnerable, Billy Chambers wouldn’t have put that shiny red Amanda apple in his face. Mellie, to say the least, is pissed. Mellie and Olivia have a come to Jesus moment. Olivia will no longer be called to fix things for the administration. Mellie is taking things into her own political savvy hands. She goes on 20/20 to say that it is her on the sex tape and that she is now pregnant. How dare Billy Chambers invade their privacy like that? Truth is, she is not pregnant, but she will be . . . . .?

The President asks Sally to give him her support. She rattles off on a few things, basically refusing. The President hands her a folder that Olivia prepared for him. It turns out that Sally’s beloved teenage daughter had an abortion. Something that will cause Sally’s supporters to rally against her. It’s a nasty political move, but one that works. Sally’s go on camera showing her support for the President. We don’t find out who Quinn is in this episode. In fact, Olivia holds tight and will not even tell her team who Quinn really is. This causes a tension amongst the team. Some are willing to follow Olivia wherever Olivia goes. Others don’t think they should work so hard for someone they don’t know. U. S. Attorney David Rosen (Josh Malina) who has had this give and take with Olivia all season, becomes more and more curious about who Quinn is. Mostly
because she was seen coming and going from Gideon’s apartment. He comes to take her in (David investigating Gideon’s murder is just one of the side stories in this episode). He has figured out who Quinn really is. So, who is she? We have to wait for Season 2.

What we do find out in this episode is that Charlie was hired by Cyrus to kill Amanda. Charlie shows up at Cyrus’ home on a Sunday to tell him that he is leaving town and that Cyrus will need to wire the rest of the money to him. We also learn that Huck has tasted his own life just enough to want it back. “I can take care of Billy for you,” he tells Olivia, who quickly tells him that she does not want him to kill Billy. But Huck is more clever that. He goes to Charlie and tells him that Billy may not be as loyal as Charlie is, implying that Charlie should take care of Billy. As Olivia leaves the White House and passes the security guard, the guard says to her, “When you walk through these gates, everyone breathes a little bit easier.” As the scene closes, Olivia leaves her pass with the guard, indicating that she will not be coming back.

This final episode of the season, while a short one, has set up endless possibilities for season two.