That huge death on Grey's Anatomy was but a trial run for the carnage that's to come in the Season 4 finale of Scandal next week, if the cast is to be believed. Grey's Anatomy viewers were emotionally devastated two weeks ago when Shonda Rhimes killed off a beloved character with a car accident. Look, Rhimes fans know by now that no one is ever safe, but the one-two punch of the Grey's death and Jake Ballard's fake-out "death" on Scandal the week before was almost too much. And now comes the news that the upcoming Scandal finale "You Can't Take Command" three characters will die. Well, at least three.
Those words are straight from the mouth of cast member Guillermo Díaz, who portrays Huck on the political thriller. In an interview with People, he warned that "the audience is just going to freak out when they see it," that "it's one of the most explosive, ridiculous finales of the show," and that viewers should expect "more than three" deaths.
So which characters are not much longer for this world? Let's start with which ones are definitely safe: Olivia Pope, for one. (Duh.) Also, I would argue that Jake's recent brush with death decreases his odds of dying in the finale. Rhimes got to savor all the tears of the fans who thought he was dead once — surely she's not so greedy she needs to taste them a second time, right? (And let's face it, kicking Scott Foley off your show would be the worst possible decision ever.)
Also probably safe? Huck and Quinn. The reason? Simple math. OPA is already down two gladiators now that Harrison's dead and Abby's working at the White House. Those are two vacancies that still need filling, and Rhimes won't make the job harder on herself by making it three. (In fact, one of those empty slots should be getting filled fairly soon.)
OK, so who will die? I think I've got it narrowed down to the three likeliest candidates:
Franklin Russell (Brian White)
So this one's kind of a gimme. There's no way Russell's making it out of the finale alive, right? I mean, if Olivia or Jake don't kill him, then surely Papa Pope will take him out as punishment for failing. You don't stab the show's eye candy in the abdomen seven times (but somehow not fatally) and get away with it.
Charlie (George Newbern)
Poor Charlie's practically had the sword of Damocles hanging over his head ever since he arrived on the show. For someone who's supposed to be a top secret government agent/lethal hit man, he's quite bumbling, isn't he? From constantly being one-upped by his B613 betters Jake and Huck to his icky relationship with Quinn, it sort of feels like his character has run his course.
Rowan "Eli" Pope (Joe Morton)
Morton won the Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series last year for his portrayal of Papa Pope, so it would undoubtedly be a blow to see him go. Olivia's evil father has been an integral recurring presence on Scandal since his late-Season 2 introduction... but the conflict between Rowan and his daughter has been building to this climax, and I'm not sure where the writers would go with this particular storyline if he makes it out of the season alive. You can only have Olivia and Rowan spar for so long before it starts to feel repetitive. I'm calling it now: Papa Pope will be the big death of the Season 4 finale.
But Wait, There's More...
Notice what these three characters have in common? They all work (or worked) for B613. I predict that "You Can't Take Command" will end with the complete dismantling of the super-secret agency, clearing the decks and setting up Season 5 with a clean slate. Kerry Washington seems to imply that something game-changing will go down in the episode, and the completion of the long-dangling B613 arc would definitely qualify. "This finale episode, I mean, I just… I turned to Shonda [Rhimes]. I was like, ‘Where do we go from here? Are you for real? Now what?’ It’s crazy," the star told Variety.
What about the fact that Díaz specifically said "more than three"? Assuming the actor wasn't using hyperbole, who else will be in a body bag by the time the credits roll? There's one clear answer...
David Rosen (Joshua Malina)
(More like "I wear the red shirt," amiright?)
You know that Papa Pope and B613 won't go down without a fight — there's bound to be at least one casualty on the White Hat side. And who's closer to the fight than the crusading Attorney General? He's been gunning for the agency for ages now... and he may just have to sacrifice his life to see it finally brought to justice.
Of course, this is Rhimes' world and she's surprised us before. Absolutely anything could happen with the curtain falls on Season 4, if you think about it.
Images: Nicole Wilder/ABC; niveaserrao, jo-magueijo, scandalmoments, scandalabc, meowmccall/tumblr
