Scandal Season 5 Finale RECAP...

Season 5 Finale
"That's My Girl"

Mellie and Jake greeting their crowd at the Republican National Convention, just after announcing Jake officially as VP candidate on Mellie's ticket.

Soooo, in a nutshell...

Daddy Pope is pulling the puppet strings, yet again. He is just about the sole motivation behind most of the character's movements. From the very opening sequence of events, we see Jake poisoning his new father-in-law over drinks, because Daddy Pope told him to. He has been under the heavy thumb of Command just about all of Season 5, and it doesn't look to be coming to a close anytime soon.

Daddy Pope finds himself in Frankie Vargas' office, offering 30 million dollars of support to the campaign if they'll have Jake Ballard on the ticket as VP. Vargas loves the idea, Cyrus - as you can imagine - not so much.

Edison - Olivia's ex, and once upon a time candidate - shows up at OPA to deliver a message from Jake... " I want out." Jake is desperate to get from under Command's thumb, and having just come from under it himself, Edison sympathizes and delivers the message. To his surprise, Olivia is not moved and says all but "nope, sorry." Huck starts to get in Liv's head when he shows her the news of Jake's new wife's father's untimely "heart attack" - informing her of Vanessa's new half a billion dollar inheritance. Olivia knows her father is behind it.

Cyrus shows up to Liv's house uninvited and unannounced to tell on Rowan, informing her that her father high-jacked his campaign. Olivia is refusing to indulge Cyrus until he pierces her where it counts by reminding her that, "this election should be me and you... the student vs. the master", Cyrus pleads with Fixer Pope, while also reminding her of what she knows will happen if Vargas takes the presidency with her father holding the puppeteer reins.

After a moving "man up" chat with Huck informing Liv, that she needs to stop sneaking, but hit up Command and face off "like a gangster", she walks into her father's house and stands up to him - faces off with him toe-to-toe. He places Jake a gunpoint, trying to get inside of Liv's head, attempting to make her believe that Jake's blood will be on her hands. She outwits him and wins that battle, assuring Jake that he wouldn't dare kill him, because he is his son. Olivia waltzes right out of Daddy Pope's front door... but not before announcing that Jake has been placed on Mellie's ticket as the Vice Presidential candidate.

The Vargas campaign learn of this on the news, and that sets Cyrus in motion. With their VP candidate changing sides, what else is a dedicated campaign manager like Cyrus supposed to do to save the campaign except.... put himself on the ticket as the Vice Presidential candidate. That's right, in the middle of the Republican National Convention, Abbey walks up to Liv and informs her of who Frankie Vargas announced his running mate to be. Liv calls Cyrus just before he goes on stage. All Cyrus has to say in response is " Only one of us is getting back to the White House". And in response Miss Pope declares, "He's right... me."

Meanwhile, Daddy Pope sits in his cozy living room watching the Republican National Convention on television, with a likely vintage bottle of red wine. In a memory sequence we watch him remember his run-ins with his daughter, and at the end, he cheers to her and says - with a smile - "that's my girl".