'Scandal' May Have Just Killed Off An O.G. Gladiator

It wouldn't be Scandal if a main character on the show wasn't in major peril, and now that we're in the midst of the show's final season, of course the drama's been cranked up a notch. After Thursday's winter finale, fans had one major question on their mind: Is Quinn really dead on Scandal? After she went missing on her wedding day, Olivia finally discovered that Quinn was being held hostage by Rowan, and it could have ended in her being killed.

Much like anytime something sinister happens in the Scandal universe, of course Olivia's devious parents were involved — was anyone actually surprised by that reveal? After searching hospitals and examining dead bodies to find out if they were Quinn, Olivia met up with her father, who revealed that he's the one who has Quinn, and he will only give her back in exchange for his dinosaur bones. But of course, it's not just dinosaur bones to Rowan — it's a symbol of the power that he could wield over Olivia if she gives into him. And we've all seen how that goes in the past.

And after Olivia's heart to heart with her mom, it became obvious why Olivia wasn't giving those bones to him that easily. There on the couch, all cozy in satin pajamas while being kept under lock and key by Rowan, she dropped a big piece of reality: If Olivia truly considered Quinn a friend, the bone exchange would have already been made. But if Quinn was killed, all of Olivia's dirty secrets would die with her.

But even though seeing Olivia as command has shown her as someone who might not always make the white hat choices, that she has in the past, she's not about to sink that low, either. Talking to Jake, she acknowledged that Quinn being killed would make her life easier, but that doesn't mean she's going to let her die. You know, even if she took her sweet time to make a rescue plan — so long, in fact, that Olivia actually got summoned to her father's house to make the decision with a gun pointed to her head. What will it be, Olivia? Quinn's life, or her father's freedom?

As we've seen on this show many times before, it all came down to a showdown between Olivia and Rowan. Olivia thought that Rowan was bluffing, and when Olivia called in a kill order to B613, Rowan thought the same of his daughter. But then, after disappearing in his house, all Olivia could hear was three gunshots and a scream.

At first, it was totally confusing: Did he seriously just kill Quinn? Did he kill himself? But then, Rowan reemerged, unscathed, so he's definitely not dead — but if it wasn't him, who is? It could have been Quinn, or maybe, it could have been Mama Pope... or possibly even someone else entirely. This is Rowan Pope we're talking about, after all; would anyone really be surprised if he had multiple hostages in his home?

Knowing Scandal (and Rowan), it doesn't seem like he'd really kill Quinn, so there's a good chance she's still alive. He usually has something much more creative up his sleeve than following up with his threats. That would be too simple for Rowan.

Unfortunately, Scandal doesn't return for a long time — two months, to be exact. We won't find out who died until the show is back on January 18, but it doesn't look like Quinn's story is over yet. Besides, after all of this, fans need to see her and Charlie walk down the aisle. All this buildup couldn't have been for nothing, right?