'Scandal' Season 2 Finale: Kerry Washington Says You "Are Not Ready" For It

Scandal, the political drama about D.C. “fixer” Olivia Pope, is set for its season finale Thursday night at 10 p.m. on ABC. The primetime drama has flourished in its sophomore season, growing its viewer base over 20% since the pilot episode to 8.87 million viewers. Thursday night, fans are going to be searching for answers to many questions.

Why is David Rosen helping the mole Billy Campbell? Will David and Abby get back together when all is said and done? Is Abby secretly on Team David? Are the president and Olivia going to remain a secret couple? Are they going to run off together? Or are they going to be outed, with the “secret tape” that Capt. Jake Ballard handed over? Is there really anything going on between Huck and Quinn (#huckleberryquinn)? So many questions …

Scandal fans, also known as Gladiators, will likely receive some answers, but chances are, a lot more questions will be raised. No worries though, because Scandal was recently renewed for a third season.

So, what keeps Scandal fans coming back for more?                                               

The show first and foremost has great writing. Shonda Rhimes and her team have lured in viewers this season with unexpected plots and twists and turns: murder, kidnappings, love triangles, lying, stealing, cheating, rigging President elections. It is all unabashedly and unapologetically real and present in her characters’ lives. And the unpredictable storylines keep viewers guessing. Scandal fans’ expectations are relatively high at this point in the season, but Kerry Washington, who plays Olivia Pope, is confident that the finale will deliver. She tweeted on Wednesday, "U ARE NOT READY."

Furthermore, the Scandal cast members have an undeniable chemistry that electrifies our viewing screens each week. No one character is innocent on Scandal, not even the show’s protagonist, the fast-paced, intelligent and well-dressed Pope. Fans root for her and her team each week, as they continually dive head first into ever mounting pools of political chaos.

Besides Washington, there is notably, one other breakout star this second season. Jeff Perry, who plays the role of Cyrus Beene, the manipulative, strong-willed, yet like-able president’s chief of staff. Viewers know that Cyrus will say whatever he needs to say and do whatever he needs to do to keep President Grant in power, thereby securing his own power. Perry steals every scene that he is in. However, from the previews, it looks like Perry’s character runs into trouble in the finale. Maybe a heart attack, or an assassination attempt. It’s hard to tell. Viewers will have to guess, then watch and see.

Moreover, Scandal fans have turned to social media to share their theories, ideas and to express their love of the show. No one can ignore the buzz Scandal is creating online.

Scandal’s online conversation is contagious and highly addictive. The show has significant influence in the social media space, especially Twitter. Scandal fans tweet nearly 200,000 tweets per episode on a weekly basis. The cast members, writers (@scandalwriters), and even the hair & make up team (@scandalmakeup), join in on the online conversation.

Thursday’s episode will be bittersweet, because after it airs, a long, summer hiatus awaits. However, it will only leave Scandal fans hungry for more Pope & Associates when the fall season kicks off. Scandal, in its second season, has excelled as a consistently high-adrenaline, entertaining show. Thursday's season finale will likely deliver on all fronts.