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‘Scandal' Series Finale Ends More Happily Than We Thought Possible

We got a wedding, an impassioned speech, a major death, a Papa Pope showdown and a potentially beautiful future of this fictional USA

We spent a lot of the past few days speculating about how "Scandal" would end.

While we made a lot of jokes about jam-making and sun-standing, most of our speculations ended with everyone in jail, because after all, most of them deserve it -- even Charlie, who for some reason was the whole reason behind this plan for everyone to testify. We expected something less happy, at least. But for the most part, that was just about the best way that could have ended for almost everyone.

We got a wedding (congratulations, Charlie and Quinn! Or Bernard and Lindsay?), an impassioned speech (thank you David Rosen, Attorney General of the United States), a major death (RIP David Rosen, Attorney General of the United States), a Papa Pope showdown and a potentially beautiful future of this fictional USA.

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Originally, the plan was for all of OPA to testify against B613 and go to jail, with David Rosen to back them up. Olivia asked her dad for help as well, but he had no sympathy for her or her plan. He gave her a trust fund and the deed to his house and planned to skedaddle completely, but then David Rosen turned up dead of a "heart attack."

In reality, he was murdered by Cyrus with a poisoned drink, and then a pillow over the face.

That pretty much killed the plan, and while OPA would all go to jail, Cyrus would still get the Oval Office. Then, Papa Pope stepped up.

He faced down the congressional committee with the most Papa Pope speech to have ever been spoken, asking to testify as Rowan, his kill name.

He took responsibility for basically everything ever, preached on the race and privilege that created his role and the roles of the men in front of him and scared that committee so bad that all the other testimonies were redacted and Jake was arrested, put behind bars for pretty much ever.

Cyrus escaped unscathed, but Olivia essentially forced him to sign a resignation letter, banishing him from the government and his dreams of being president.

Olivia and Mellie then chatted on the White House balcony, wondering what they would do next. The answer was basically "Whatever you want." Mellie would go on to be the president she always wanted to be, and we saw her officially dating Marcus and signing a bill controlling assault weapons. Charlie got out of jail and rejoined his new wife and baby, and Abby and Huck mourned at the grave of David Rosen (Attorney General of the United States). Fitz' official portrait was unveiled, and then he met up with Olivia

All through the final scenes, we saw these two young black girls walking through the National Portrait Gallery, finally arriving at one incredibly impressive picture of Olivia Pope, painted upon the Constitution.

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And that's how it ended, with a poster we're going to need to hang up on the mantel we don't yet have in our living room and a few questions we may never get answers to. Were those girls just some extremely inspired young girls or Olivia's future daughters? What did Olivia go on to do that merited a portrait in the National Portrait Gallery?

Will Abby find something else to do with her life besides mourn David Rosen, Attorney General of the United States? Will Huck get to have a real life now? Can Quinn and Charlie manage to stop torturing people? What will become of all of Olivia's luxurious sweaters and coats? Can we have them?

"Scandal" aired on ABC.

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