Scandal season 7 episode 16 video: Could Cyrus die before finale?
Coming up on Scandal season 7 episode 16 on ABC Thursday night, there is a situation brewing that is one of the most dangerous and controversial for Olivia Pope to date. This is the part of the series where we arrive at a tipping point and her legacy is sewn up.
In the sneak peek below (via TV Guide), Mellie Grant presents a choice to Kerry Washington’s character — kill Cyrus or not kill Cyrus. She wants her to go through with it, whether it be for the “good of the American people” or what other sort of insane reason that she wants to make up in her head for going through with the act. It’s obvious why Mellie wants him dead, given that he may very well be the biggest threat that she has faced through the entirety of her Presidency. So long as Cyrus is still around, what that ultimately means is that someone is gunning for the Oval. She also knows that she cannot have her hands on it given the investigation into her that is already underway because of the incident aboard Air Force Two.
Olivia is the perfect person to commit the act in Mellie’s mind — she’s ruthless, she’s bold, and she’s not afraid to do something big if she carries with her the assumption that it will benefit her cause in the long run. Yet, this is also not the same exact Olivia Pope who we’ve seen through most of season7 to date. This is an iteration of the character who is at least trying to be better and to turn over a new leaf. She’s trying to improve herself and show something resembling personal growth. A big part of that comes in not killing people.
Maybe viewers’ opinions on what Olivia should do here are mixed, but we don’t want to see Olivia pull the metaphorical trigger on Cyrus. We know that this is something that she easily could do, but at the same time that doesn’t mean that it’s the best thing for her to do. In the end, both she and the rest of the show is better of fighting for redemption and giving us a story that swings another way in the end. Olivia ending the series as a full-blown assassin is, at least to us, not a satisfactory way to tie together this long, complicated narrative. That’s mostly just sad since we have long felt as though she’s something more than that.
With all of this in mind, here’s to hoping that Jeff Perry’s character finds a way to survive this episode, no matter how we feel about Cyrus as a person. He’s despicable, but there are certainly some other ways to punish him beyond just death.
What do you think is coming up on Scandal season 7 episode 16 and do you think that Cyrus could actually be killed off before the finale? Be sure to share right now in the attached comments!