Scandal. While Thursdays have always been a primetime slot for great drama, ABC and Rhimes ruled every time slot from 8pm-11pm. For three hours, fans traveled from hospitals to law class then to the White House.
Each episode and character brought the masses inside the nasty political side of Washington DC. Each character added their own special spice to the show and while they all worked in close zones with one another, no one was alike. Here are the 10 fan-favorite characters of the hit TV show Scandal.
Abby Whelan
Abby wanted to be Olivia so bad, fans figured a full out war was coming between the two. But to understand her plight, you had to understand her past. Stuck in an abusive relationship, Abby had honors and figured that all she was cut out for. But here comes Liv who saves the day and from there, they were as tight as sisters. Abby wanted and deserved more and was not going to let anyone stand in her spotlight.
With Abby in the White House, she made her point. However, it was not without its issues. She was blackmailed, disrespected, ignored and yet, she took it all in stride. In the end, she realized the same ting Olivia did before her-- OPA was home.
Quinn Perkins
Quinn had to change her name due to being framed for killing her boyfriend and five other people. She's a former junior operative at B613 and learned from two of the best in Huck and her husband Charlie. At the beginning of Scandal, Quinn was as quiet as a church mouse. Once she got her foot in the door, her character grew.
Unlike Abby, Quinn wanted to be the other side of Olivia Pope. She wanted to be the one who fixed the problems. She would later take over OPA. Quinn could be ruthless if need be then show a sensitive side. What was weird about her travels is that the person who wanted to give her the death penalty (David Rosen) would grow to become one of her.
Fitzgerald Grant
Love or hate him, Fitz was a solid president. Which President actually had a backbone? Fitz hid his, but when it was time to unleash the beast, he did. The most powerful in the USA was ready to risk it all for love. In the eyes of Mellie and Eli, that made him weak. In a sense, yes. Let's not forget that Fitz was ready to walk away once he found out about Defiance.
He was always straightforward with Mellie. Didn't back down to Cyrus and didn't care about the power that Eli had. He was reserved and that gave him the presence of being weak. He's has been shot, lost his son, got divorced while in office, lost his woman to his friends and watch as his ex-wife became President.
David Rosen
The death that shook Scandal fans. Rosen was the odd man in the beginning but he became one we loved and trusted. He wore the white hat better than Liv. His morals were tested but he held his ground. It wasn't until OPA got their hooks in him that Rosen began to bend the law to get what he and the team wanted. Was he wrong? Yes. But in his eyes, he had to play crooked as the entire Washington DC never played fair.
As he rose to the title of US District Attorney, Rosen had power in his hands that he never flaunted it as if he could crush careers and lives. That's what made Rosen so special. For the better part of the series, he was actually one of the good guys.
Jake Ballard
The son that Eli Pope never had. He was brought in to keep an eye on Liv but ended up falling in love with her. During that time, Jake was just another normal guy with ties to the White House. However, just like Huck, he was hiding a beast that when unleashed, could reign terror on anyone and any place.
What Jake desired and had a hard time coming to with is that he wanted to be Eli. He was sneaky and somehow, he got away with more dirt than anyone on Scandal. But unlike Fitz, he couldn't handle the heartbreak of losing Olivia.
Cyrus Bean
As great as Liv was with devising plans, there was no one better than Cyrus Bean. What couldn't he do if given five extra minutes to think? From Defiance to placing his candidate in danger to even having him killed, Cyrus was an evil genius. His true issue was he was too smart for his own good.
Cyrus built Fitz up then managed to scam America into giving him the throne. In the beginning, Cyrus was the guy we wanted to win for various reasons. However, somewhere in the middle of it all, he became the villain we never saw coming. Even so, he walked away from it all with a slap on the wrist when it should have been him in Rosen's grave.
Huck
Beware of the quiet guys sitting in the corner. Most of the time, they're the ones you need to be worried about. For Huck, this was his MO. Quiet on the outside, but insides he hid that monster. A former member of B613, Huck was trained to kill, torture, be tortured and take commands as if his mom was giving the orders.
His loyalty to Liv was unmatched by anyone on Scandal. Even when Liv was wrong, Huck was by her side ready to defend her honor and decisions. A man without a family found one with OPA and he was not going to let anyone come in between that, not even the family itself.
Eli Pope
Any scene Papa Pope was in, he more than likely stole it. His monologues were some of the best written for TV and his portrayal of the man you loved to hate had no boundaries. Eli ran one of the best units in US history and never wanted the respect that came with it. Instead, he hid in the shadows and watched as others took credit for the work he and his team had done.
What often goes unsaid when mentioning Eli is that he was a single parent who happened to raise what many considered the most powerful woman in the United States. There was no double-crossing him as vengeance was an attribute of his.
Olivia Pope
There are still some fans who are torn when it comes to describing Liv. She started as a home-wrecker then ed the White House only to keep the affair going. Even after leaving, they didn't stop. She became friends with the ex-wife, then slept with the best friend. But through it all, Olivia Pope was plastered on our TV screen as the hero. She would later say that she was the villain.
With all that said, we still wanted Liv to win. We wanted her in that position of power. We wanted Olivia to get the best of her dad and Jake. She wore the white hat and at times she didn't deserve it but she made sure she and her team won. Were there moments of weakness? Yes, but Liv rose above them and came out on top with not a smear on her famous white suit.
Mellie Grant
Think about her character for a minute. She was raped early on by her father-in-law. Was cheated on by her husband with the mistress constantly around and being thrown in her face and lost one of her children to gun violence. At some point, even the strongest of people will crack under that kind of strain. Most fans hated her because she was viewed as a rival.
Mellie was intelligent, beautiful and just a county girl in the White House. She did her work in the community and took on any negative press that came here way. And how did she respond to it all? She kept moving forward and became the first female President of the United States.