‘Scandal’ Season 5: A New Gladiator is Coming — Spoilers | TVLine 

Olivia’s been Gladiating with a veritable skeleton crew on

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TVLine has learned that Liv in the near-ish future will finally get down to the business of filling one of the two vacant positions left by the dearly departed Harrison and now-White House press secretary Abby. And in a twist, I hear the new hire will be a familiar face to

watchers — i.e. it’s a character Liv has previously crossed paths with (a guest star

Who’s the familiar face that’s about to get the coveted gig? That’s for me to know and you to speculate about in the comments.

Marcus, the community activist from two previous episodes. If they were trying to make that less than obvious, they failed.

Agree. Marcus now that his political career is trashed.

Right? Who else would it be? They foreshadowed it when they mentioned her saving him last week’s episode. Apparently, she’s “saved” all the gladiators at OPA

Well to be fair, that is true. From Harrison, to Quinn, to Huck, to Abbey. Liv helped all of them, even saved their lives.

Olivia used to have a team of lawyers working for her at OPA; this season she has had a team of ex-Black Ops agents. It will be good to have more of the former around again.

I was thinking the same thing. I honestly hope it is Marcus. I think he would be an interesting addition.

I agree. I absolutely hope it’s him. I think he’d make a great addition, and it would be great for someone at OPA to be disconnected to B613 and Defiance and the White House, for the first time in a long time.

Exactly what I thought. It’s been pretty damn obvious.

I’m glad there’s not chance whatsoever of it being Lena Dunham, thanks to Huck. It will be Marcus I’m sure, he’ll be a great addition.

Eh, he’s cute. I’m fine with him on the team. As long as they don’t slice him, dice him, or put a drill to him.

Agreed. Those scenes are very disturbing. And I’ve had about enough of them.

Hoping it’s Cornelius Smith, Jr. character, Marcus

Yes, he played Mellie’s fixer, for one episode,when she was going to leave Fitz. He looked a little different (sandy hair), so that’s why you might not remember him.

I always wondered why he was only on for one episode. He had a great line: “I’m very good at my job, Mrs. Grant, but I can’t make your husband love you.”

I’d love that! One cannot have enough Barrowman. But isn’t he a little busy with Arrow though? The way they set things up on that show it seems like he’ll be more involved in the next season… unless they kill him off in the finale, of course… Anway, I’ll always say yes to Barrowman!!!

I don’t think it’s him, though. He was on one episode of Scandal but he and Olivia never crossed paths. He only talked with Mellie.

You’re right; I don’t remember the crossing paths either. I’m going to try to find that episode on Netflix to check.

I would love to see him, way more than Cornelius Smith, but will he have time with his role in Arrow?

He’d clash with Liv at every turn plus I like him on Arrow.

YAAAAS!! Although I think he’s still pretty tied up with Arrow.

It’s gotta be Marcus, played by Cornelius Smith Jr., right? They set it up perfectly: he wants justice, he knows what Pope & Associates is all about, and his political career is over. A job at OPA is the closest he’s gonna get to politics.

About damned time Olivia hire someone to replace Abby and Harrison. I say Marcus or Russell. And I’d like to see OPA in business attire again. Time for Huck and Quinn to dump the truck driver flanel shirt, jeans and steel-toe boots look

Well to be fair to Quinn, she can’t be running around in a suit and heels while she’s stuffing bodies into suitcases. But I agree, once in a while she could clean it up.

I somehow don’t think Russell will be breathing enough when they finish with him to be of much use as a Gladiator.

Amen for that. I can’t wait for Russell to die the swift death he deserves. He’s the one character I would willingly throw to Huck for a removal via “classic fluff and fold”.

I was thinking this too! I’m hoping IRS her because it would make for great TV. Especially bc of the drama between her and Huck.

Adelstein is a regular and writer on Bravo’s Girlfriend’s Guide to Divorce so I doubt it. But that would be good…

He’s a regular on Girlfriend’s Guide to Divorce is what they were trying to say but the phrasing is a bit confusing.

Oh God no, I can’t stand that slimy dirtbag. If she hires Leo I’m outa here.

I’m at the point where I have to stop myself from FF every time he is on screen.

I’d love that too but he’s a regular on his own Bravo show and he’s definitely not a guest on Scandal so I doubt it’s him

You owe me a new keyboard! You made me spit out my soda all over this one! ROFLMAO!!!

Love that :) and the dynamics between her and Huck and being involved with Andrew and indirectly the kidnapping plus being a hard-core conservative would bring some good debates between the regulars :)

Marcus or Elizabeth North. I’d love for them both to…

I hope it’s Marcus from last week’s episode. He had great charisma, was memorable, and seems to wear the ‘white hat’. One of my favorite guest actors they’ve had on Scandal, in my opinion.

I would love for Marcus to join the team. He’s the type of person that Olivia needs, someone who’ll abide by their sense of truth regardless of the costs.

The actor that plays Rosen is a series regular.

definitely think it’s Marcus as well, unless Olivia turns Russell into a double agent working against her father and hires him.

She wouldn’t be able to trust Russell as far as she could throw him.

remember jake was also hired by her father to seduce her, and she learned to trust him. maybe she could get russell to turn on her father as well. I mean papa pope did shoot russell, so russell knows papa pope is cray cray.

The actor who plays Russell was recently signed as a regular for another show, so I don’t think we’ll be seeing much more of him on Scandal.

Goody gumdrops. Kill him off along with Rowan.

I would prefer the vp. That’s one smart lady. Plus, she’d bring some naïveté to the team.

She is this week … But this is Scandal we’re talking about … Never know what she’ll be next week

I LOVE Susan Ross! Best new addition by far.

It should be marcus AND elizabeth. They need more than one new face. And both characters would be great additions

Definitely Charlie given how he was with the team in the previous episode. Now that B613 is definitely going to burn down, Charlie will have no occupation, so of course Quinn bargains for him with Olivia and he’s officially in OPA!

Possibility #2: Portia De Rossi’s character. Since her wife is in love with the show, and now that Mellie’s campain is coming to an end, she will have no occupation.

side note: what did Portia De Rossi’s occupation in Scandal anyway?!

I was just thinking that. What if it’s Charlie? I don’t trust him and I like him better as a free agent who offers temporary support. But I suppose if it’s done right I could make peace with it.

Just posted something similar :) my gut’s telling me it would be Charlie. But reading other posts, I’d love it if Portia too were made a series regular.

Marcus Walker, Liz , Charlie and maybe Leo are the names that come to mind.

I feel like Marcus is the easy answer. Nothing in Shondaland is that easy. Usually.

I hope this means we are going to get back to fixing real problems from real people. I am so tired of B613 and Olivia’s daddy issues…enough! Let’s see the Gladiators back in action saving someone other than themselves!

Out of left field option: Sonya Walger. They’d have to get past that issue of her being in jail and all, but she, Abby & Liv did all go to law school together. Plus I love the idea of Desmond and Penny both having worked at OPA.

Hold up… he said someone who was a guest star on the show and is not a series regular. He didn’t say someone who

never was a series regular. Soooo…. maybe Stephen??

didn’t olivia already ask stephen to come back and he said he was happy where he was. of course he can change his mind, i would love him back at OPA.

As much as I’d love Stephen, Henry Ian Cusick is pretty busy with “The 100″, being a series regular and all, so I doubt he’ll have time to come back full time…

True; I was hoping The 100 would be cancelled just so he could come back to Scandal. Am I a bad person?

Charlie…that would be cool. But it’s probably Marcus

I hope it’s the real Olivia Pope because I don’t know who this woman is.

It’s definitely Marcus…he would be a great addition

I so wish it would be Stephen but I don’t think that’s likely. Lizzie Bear though seems a strong possibility. Marcus seems too obvious. Liv would never trust Russell since he works for her father. Maybe a former OPA client?

Duh, its Marcus, they didnt try to hide it from us.

I think it is Charlie. Marcus has been signed for another show, so he is out.

It HAS to be Marcus! They have chemistry and the same ‘fight the good fight’ ideals. I honestly can’t even think of anyone else it could be

At first I thought, Marcus too, but then it occurred to me, well why not Charlie? Thinking about it now, bit by bit, he has been getting more screen time and from a writing POV, turning him into a series regular would be that much easier, as he already has ties to Quinn, Huck, Jake and wouldn’t flinch at any of the Galdiator-y things he’d have to do in the name of the job.

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