Everything You Need to Remember Before ‘Scandal’ Season 6 Starts

Kelly Woo
·Writer, Yahoo Entertainment

Gladiators, start popping that popcorn and pouring that wine — Scandal is finally … FINALLY … back.

Season 6 of the Shonda Rhimes-created drama premieres Thursday night after a long hiatus (made longer after a week delay for an Inauguration special). Last we saw Olivia Pope (Kerry Washington) and her gladiators was May 12, 2016. Scandal did not return this fall due to Washington’s pregnancy, so all that drama has been building up for eight excruciating months.

Watch a sneak peek of the Season 6 premiere:

It’s been so long, we wouldn’t blame you if you’ve forgotten some of what happened last season. The finale ended on a cliffhanger: Who will be the next president of the United States, Mellie Grant or Francisco Vargas?

The premiere takes place on election night, so we’ll get the answer right away. But what else was going on with the gladiators and their cohorts? Here’s a catch-up guide to all things Scandal-icious.

The State of Vermont

Kerry Washington and Tony Goldwyn (Credit: ABC)
Kerry Washington and Tony Goldwyn (Credit: ABC)

Olivia and Fitz reunite, seemingly for good, but their relationship is threatened when it goes public. Olivia calls on her team to “fix” their romance. Impeachment hearings lead the couple to consider marriage to avoid testifying against each other. They decide against that, but Olivia moves into the White House and essentially becomes First Lady — but that doesn’t make her happy. That and an unexpected pregnancy force Olivia to realize that she and Fitz are doomed. She gets an abortion and breaks up with Fitz. He doesn’t find out until the end of the season.

Revenge, Not So Sweet

Last season, Olivia was kidnapped as a plot to get Fitz to order the invasion of another country — arranged by former Vice President Andrew Nichols. Now, Nichols threatens to take it public. First, Olivia tries to pay him off, but when that doesn’t work, she beats him to death with a chair for tormenting and terrorizing her. But the act of murdering someone is a heavy burden that Olivia struggles with still.

Mrs. President?

Bellamy Young and Cornelius Smith Jr. (Credit: ABC/Getty Images)  
Bellamy Young and Cornelius Smith Jr. (Credit: ABC/Getty Images)

After Fitz and Mellie divorce, she wants to use her position as senator to pave a run for president. She hires Olivia to run her campaign, and together, they battle Susan Ross and Hollis Doyle in the primary. When new gladiator Marcus is put on Mellie’s campaign, they grow close — and almost kiss.

Command and Control

Joe Morton, Scott Foley, and Kerry Washington (Credit: Byron Cohen/ABC)
Joe Morton, Scott Foley, and Kerry Washington (Credit: Byron Cohen/ABC)

Season 5 started out with Rowan, aka Papa Pope, in prison for embezzlement. His real crime (among many) is that he blew up a bus full of jurors in a B-613 case. But Olivia teams up with Mellie to spring him from jail so that Rowan will make the impeachment hearings go away. Once free, Rowan engineers Jake’s marriage to Vanessa so that he can maneuver Jake into being Francisco Vargas’s vice presidential candidate. Olivia thwarts him — or did she? Jake might end up in the White House, anyway.

Beene There, Done That

After getting fired by Fitz as chief of staff, Cyrus needs a new show pony — and he decides upon the Democratic governor of Pennsylvania, Francisco Vargas. With his lackey (and lover) Tom, he creates a situation for Francisco to play the hero. He also steps in to run his campaign. Cyrus’s sort-of-fake marriage to Michael falls apart, and Michael leaves and takes their daughter. To get him back, Cyrus breaks up with Tom. And when the idea of Jake as their VP falls through, Cyrus steps in himself on the ticket. He’s determined to get back into the White House.

I Am VP, Hear Me Roar

When Lizzy North gets a new job as chief of staff to VP Susan Ross, she has a bigger plan: to stay in the White House with Susan as president. Lizzy also is secretly sleeping with David Rosen, but when Susan takes a liking to David, Lizzy encourages him to romance her and convince her to run for president. But Susan’s campaign implodes when she finds out David has been cheating on her (though she doesn’t know with whom). She breaks up with him, declaring she’s too good for him.

Huckleberry Quinn

Guillermo Diazand Katie Lowes (Credit: Tony Rivetti/ABC)
Guillermo Diazand Katie Lowes (Credit: Tony Rivetti/ABC)

With Huck still reeling from the B-613 jury massacre, and Olivia in bliss at the White House, it’s up to Quinn to take over the reins at OPA. They take on a few cases, but Mellie’s campaign is their biggest project of the season. They hire Marcus to help. Huck is still hurting from abandoning his family (again), while Quinn is still dating Charlie.

Scandal Season 6 premieres Thursday, Jan. 25 at 9 p.m. on ABC. Watch clips of Scandal on Yahoo View.