After the Amanda Tanner case takes a shocking turn, one-time friends Olivia and Cyrus take heated, opposing viewpoints, and Cyrus tries to help in investigating the personal lives of Olivia and her associates. Meanwhile Olivia and her team help a dictator locate his wife and children who have been allegedly kidnapped, and Quinn goes out with a reporter seeking information.
After a commercial plane crashes, taking the lives of all onboard, Olivia Pope and her "gladiators-in-suits" must defend the pilot from media and airline accusations; meanwhile, when Amanda Tanner goes missing, Huck calls upon his dark past to find her whereabouts, and Fitz seeks the help of the Vice President in order to pass key legislation despite their icy relationship.
Quinn's identity is finally revealed, and the more the Pope & Associates team learn about her past, the more they realize she could be their biggest scandal yet. Meanwhile, a senator seeks Olivia's help when his personal life is about to become a public disgrace, and President Fitz is stuck between a rock and hard place when Mellie and Cyrus put him in a very compromising position during a live television interview.
When a public figure is caught in a compromising position, Olivia and her team must do some heavy lifting, literally, in order to clean up the mess. But Olivia is still dealing with the ramifications of the judge's jaw-dropping verdict, and Abby continues to push for answers. In the White House, Cyrus and Fitz are forced to deal with a serious foreign policy emergency.
A paranoid government official drops a bombshell on Pope & Associates and even Olivia is caught off-guard with how high up this Scandal goes. Back at the office, unresolved questions about Quinn's background create tension amongst the associates. Meanwhile, despite Cyrus' best efforts to keep a lovesick President under control, things still manage to heat up between Fitz and Olivia when Olivia's old flame returns.
A DC college student goes missing and her grieving parents come to Pope & Associates for help. Meanwhile David is still investigating the Cytron case and gets help from a very surprising source; and in the White House, Fitz feels the pressure as Mellie proves once again that she's a political powerhouse.
When the wife of a governor is raped, the governor takes the law into his own hands and then asks Olivia and her team to come in and clean up his mess. Meanwhile, both Cyrus and the President are caught off-guard when Cyrus' husband, James, decides to return to his career as a journalist covering the White House.
Olivia receives an anonymous letter containing a coded warning which could expose Huck's dark past. Meanwhile another Pope & Associates secret has already been exposed and Olivia asks Harrison to step up and handle it. And in the White House, Cyrus and Fitz are dealing with the ramifications of Cyrus' husband's first front page news story.
After discovering the truth behind defiance, Fitz is still struggling to figure out whom he can actually trust. Meanwhile Olivia is trying to move on with her life, and she meets a handsome stranger, Jake Weston, who sparks her interest. But when she and Fitz are forced to be in the same room again, real sparks fly and things get heated. Back at Pope & Associates, the team handles a new case, and for the first time they're working with David Rosen instead of against him.
Olivia and the team are hired by an up and coming politician, Peter Caldwell, but this time instead of fixing a scandal, they're playing high-powered matchmaker. Meanwhile, David is trying to leave the past behind him, but when he feels like he's being followed, he finally turns to the team at OPA for help. Back at the White House, Fitz is still struggling with whom to trust and how to handle a delicate hostage situation, and Jake just won't take no for an answer when it comes to dating Olivia.
Olivia finds herself in the middle of a media storm, but this time she's on the opposing side of the oval office when Fitz's pick for Supreme Court Justice is caught in a torrid affair with Liv's new client, high-powered CEO Sarah Stanner. Meanwhile, Olivia and Jake continue their flirtatious relationship, while Huck takes Quinn under his wing and Harrison and Abby try to figure out where they stand with their friendship. Back in the White House, Cyrus and Mellie continue to fight for Fitz's attention, but someone else may already have it.
The team find themselves working for the devil when Hollis Doyle's daughter is kidnapped and held for ransom. Meanwhile, David is still in danger and is forced to seek shelter at Pope & Associates; Olivia and Jake take their flirtatious relationship to the next level even as the President continues to rely on Jake for intel; in the White House, Cyrus will stop at nothing to get back into the President's good graces; and Mellie's claws come out when she tells Fitz he needs to make some changes.
When details from an old case don’t add up, Olivia’s team must backtrack to figure out if they made a mistake. Worse still, this mistake has potentially put them all in serious danger. Meanwhile, Olivia and Jake’s relationship starts to heat up, while at the White House Fitz and Mellie’s relationship hits a new low.
Series star Joshua Malina narrates the one-hour special and dissects the rumors, lies and affairs that have made "Scandal" one of the most talked about shows on TV. Viewers will be able to catch up on their favorite characters and story lines from Seasons 1 and 2, and the most asked questions --#WhoisQuinn?, #WhoShotFitz? and #WhattheHuck -- will all be explained.
With Olivia's name out there as the President's mistress, both the White House and Pope & Associates face their biggest scandal to date, and a surprise allegiance is formed in order to get things handled. Meanwhile, Olivia's father, Rowan, will stop at nothing to carry out his orders and no one, including Olivia, can stand in his way.
Mellie is still trying to recover from the public backlash of the last year so she decides to do a hard-hitting news interview. Meanwhile, as Cyrus continues to plot against Sally Langston, we learn how Fitz, Mellie and Cyrus became a team. Back at OPA, Huck continues to push Quinn away, but Quinn's bloodlust could get her into some dangerous situations.
Olivia and the team try to handle both uncovering the truth behind Operation Remington, while also managing a potential crisis with the Josie Marcus campaign. Meanwhile, Quinn falls further down the rabbit hole with Charlie, and Cyrus creates a plan to take down Sally, but doesn't think of the possible harm he could inflict on himself.
A well prepared Fitz gets thrown a curve ball during the first presidential debate, Olivia receives shocking news and is forced to make an extremely difficult decision, and the gladiators work with a powerful CEO accused of murder. Meanwhile, one dirty little secret could lead to deadly consequences.
Nearly two months after Olivia and Jake boarded a private jet to stand in the sun together, everything has changed. With another four years in the White House, Fitz and Cyrus are doing everything they can to make a positive impact on the nation. Meanwhile, Mellie struggles to cope with the loss of her son and the gladiators feel the impact of Olivia’s absence.
Olivia, still unable to believe that Jake is guilty, sets her eyes on Tom for additional information, and when Leo Bergen’s newest client causes a gut wrenching reaction, her associates spring into action. Meanwhile, Huck continues to play with fire, Mellie makes a power move and Elizabeth’s shocking alliance is revealed.
Fitz and Jake continue to fight over Olivia, but Olivia needs them to focus on the real prize, taking down Command. Meanwhile, Huck longs to connect with his family and Quinn continues tracking Kubiak. Back at the White House, Cyrus’ exploits finally catch up to him, but Elizabeth North's plan is much bigger than anyone ever expected.
With Rowan back in town, the stakes are at an all-time high for the team trying to take down B613. Meanwhile, Olivia gets a call that the mayor’s wife has been murdered and is asked to take on the case. Back in the White House, Fitz needs help getting a very important bill to pass, but when he looks to the VP for support, she proves that she’s not an easy pushover like everyone once thought.
Olivia and Fitz are back together again and enjoying every scandalous moment together while Cyrus, Mellie and Huck are all still dealing with the aftermath of helping Command. Meanwhile, when a visit from the Queen of Caldonia and her family turns into a tragedy, Olivia is hired to make sure the Royal family’s private life stays private.
The Pope and Associates team dives into a new case that takes Olivia out of D.C. and away from the President. Meanwhile, back at the White House, Fitz is determined to find who’s responsible for causing the latest turn of events, and Abby receives unexpected guidance from a master of damage control as she struggles to catch a break.
Eager to get answers, Jake unexpectedly crosses paths with someone he thought he’d never see again. Meanwhile, Huck and Quinn recruit a familiar face to help smooth over the media storm surrounding Olivia, and Fitz quickly finds out the true cost of mercy when he discovers not everyone fully supports his actions.
In the midst of Fitz negotiating a historic peace deal, Olivia must rely on her instincts when a guest of the The White House discloses powerful intel. Meanwhile, Jake uses Huck’s help to get closer to his target, and Cyrus takes matters into his own hands when he realizes he’s been shut out of the inner circle.
The election is in full swing, which means everyone is doing their best to take down their opponents, but when a potential leak threatens several candidates, they have to work together to keep their secrets safe. Boundaries are pushed and lines are crossed as we find out just how far some people are willing to go to protect themselves.
As Olivia deals with the aftermath of what she’s done, she finally finds out what exactly Jake and Rowan are plotting. But with their plans already in motion, Olivia is forced to make a gut-wrenching attempt to try and stop it. Meanwhile, in flashbacks, we learn more about Jake’s past and how he first got involved with B6-13.
President Mellie Grant hosts a state dinner for President Rashad of Bashran in a first step toward peace in the Middle East, and in case Mellie’s charm alone doesn’t work, Olivia secretly puts Jake to work so that they are armed with a back-up plan. Meanwhile, the team at Quinn Perkins & Associates attends the party in hopes to gain more high-profile clientele.
When Olivia agrees to join Fitz in Vermont for what she thinks will be a relaxing getaway, she is shocked to find that her closest friends have orchestrated a relentless intervention. Back in Washington, Cyrus finally reveals his suspicions to Mellie about Olivia and Jake’s extracurricular activities.
Mellie's plans to name Jake as her new chief of staff only propels Olivia to do whatever it takes to make sure that does not happen. Back at Papa Pope's house, Quinn becomes restless, wondering just how long Rowan intends to keep her and Robin hidden from the outside world. Meanwhile at QPA, Abby, Huck and Charlie decide that it's time to move forward with new clients when their first case leads to surprising intel.
Olivia, in the midst of moving on from the White House and gets an unexpected visitor — criminal defense attorney Annalise Keating, who seeks her help in fast-tracking a judicial reform class action to the United States Supreme Court. However, after Olivia’s recent fall from political grace, it’s going to be more challenging than ever to get the support they need. The crossover continues in How to Get Away with Murder S04E13: Lahey v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
After Air Force Two's extraordinary safe landing, Cyrus takes his victory lap as America's newest hero, and Mellie demands that the Oval stop at nothing until justice is served. Meanwhile, Liv tries to bridge the gap with the Gladiators by disclosing her theory behind the hijack and Cyrus's true intentions.