‘Scandal’ Season 5: Will Jake and Olivia Reunite After Fitz Breakup? | TVLine 

Having slowed its roll a bit since the uber-frenetic times of, say, Seasons 2 and 3, ABC’s

wrapped the first half of Season 5 with an impressively buzzy hour in which Olivia’s termination of a pregnancy (that we didn’t even know was in play) was

No, in addition to that conversation-stirring abortion, Olivia proceeded to break things off with Fitz (and thus end her

brief White House residency), while Jake executed a nagging adversary in cold blood and then reunited with Rowan, the orchestrator of many bad things happening to good-ish people.

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Previously, series regular Scott Foley gave TVLine a behind-the-scenes look at the cast’s reaction to the fall finale. Here in Part 2 of our Q&A, he shares his take on Jake’s big kill, the Rowan situation and whether Jake will (or

) welcome another chance at romance with Olivia.

TVLINE | Did you fear that Jake, when all was said and done, would spare Russell, and

I did. He had surprisingly let him off earlier this season, and I was worried that… with everything he had done to Jake, from stabbing him to now killing his wife [Elise, played by Mia Maestro], it’s just not in Jake’s character to let him go. I was

satisfied with the result that they ultimately came to. And look, it wasn’t just shooting this guy. He shot him

which is a huge, “You’re not coming back” statement.

TVLINE | Speaking of Elise, what a tease to being on Mia Maestro for just a couple of episodes.

…. I don’t know if it played out the way that they wanted it to, ultimately. I don’t know if she was meant to be around longer or not. Stories, like water, have a way of finding their level, and for whatever reason that storyline wasn’t… I don’t want to say it wasn’t

, but it worked for the story for her to be offed. It gave Jake a place to go and a reason to sort of search for Rowan again. It’s my opinion that at the beginning of this season, the relationship obviously was Olivia and Fitz, and they were looking for something to do with Jake. And with B613 not being [active], they gave him a wife.

TVLINE | I had faith, though, that they’d find something for Jake.

I’ve learned to always have faith, I know you hear this from all the people in the Shondaland camp, but they do amazing things, man.

TVLINE | They try not to make it seem like they’re servicing a character just to check off a box. They want it to have meaning,

That’s exactly right, A few episodes ago there was an episode where Josh Malina and Portia [de Rossi] weren’t in it, and not because they shouldn’t be but there was so much other story to tell. They’re not worried about servicing characters in order to service characters; it has to be an integral part of the story they’re telling that week, that season. And if for whatever reason it doesn’t fit, you’re not going to be there –

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TVLINE | In Jake’s final scene there, how did that house not blow up after he and Rowan walked inside? I thought for

] Yeah, it’s interesting the [camera] angles they chose to take. We did a couple takes where I stopped on the doorstep and sort of looked around as if to say “What am I doing?,” to acknowledge this “What the f–k?” moment. But I think the idea was that Jake had been searching for the source of Lazarus One, and Jake learned that Rowan was not it — and in so he was not

evil. That maybe the man that he knew pre-“the world blowing up,” before all the stuff with Olivia, the man who taught him, was still there. I think that, although Jake is hesitant, we all sort of want a mentor and a father figure, and Rowan has always been that to him. And it’s hard to get away from that.

TVLINE | In your mind, at least heading into that fall finale, how done is Jake with Olivia?

Oh god, dude…. I think because two episodes ago, where Jake found out that Olivia was the one who let Rowan out [of prison]… he had been very patient. He said, “You choose Fitz, you love him,” and she didn’t say, “No, I want to choose you.” He had tried to be the good friend throughout her ridiculous ponderings and questions about “Should I marry Fitz?,” but once he found out that she let Rowan out and Rowan then killed his wife, I think he was done. There were a lot of tweets and social media questions that night about, “Now it’s time for Jake and Olivia to get back together,” “It’s Jake’s turn to stand in the sun with Olivia….”

TVLINE | I’d hate for him to rush into that, though.

respect him for saying what he did and telling her that she’s become the woman he father always wanted her to be. I think there’s a large portion of the audience that felt that way and no one had said it to her, so I was so proud of him for basically calling her out on years of s–t. And yes, it took this catalyst of letting her father out of jail, but it was something that needed to be said. So I think that he’s done for now.

TVLINE | Maybe with enough time and space — and some groveling from her — he’ll say OK to coffee.

That’s what we need to do. “Oh my god — I swipe right and there’s Olivia Pope!”

, or for any other show? Email insideline@tvline.com and your question may be answered via Matt’s Inside Line.

I’m fine waiting for the Jake/Liv slow burn reconciliation. I’m still thrilled he called her out because she needed to hear it.

There is no slow burn or fast burn. Jake is a useless character who has no chemistry with Olivia – Kerry Washington and Scott Foley together have no heat and look awkward in love scenes. The show is wasting valuable air time on Jake for no reason except to keep boring Scott Foley as a cast member. Lazarus One was the ridiculous B613 with a different name.

Jake, a killer of innocent men and women (James, Shelby from the NSA, female reporter and others mentioned in the grand jury trial) being a HYPOCRITE and calling out Olivia for the death of his assassin wife was not praise worthy. Olivia needed to ream Jake’s ass which she started to do in the Oval office. He has no grounds for dumping on Olivia who has kept his useless ass alive.

For the love of God, Shonda needs to end the B613 story line and get rid of the Jake and Rowan characters so the show can focus on OPA handling cases and dealing with DC politics.

And Fitz, who has also murdered countless men and women (the judge, all those innocent people on the plane) is better for Liv?

I agree that Rowan needs to go, though. And Jake is one of my favorite characters on this show, alongside Mellie. Those two are the reason I keep watching.

Fitz was a military pilot following orders to shot down a plane being used for a terror attack who would have been charged and faced court martial for not doing his duty. That is not the same as being an assassin. Jake could have silenced James and the women without killing them as Rowan said when he told Jake he was incompetent. Jake only killed James to get back at Cyrus for treating him like a peasant.

As for Verna who killed an innocent mother, Brita Kagen and tried to kill Fitz, she deserved to die – lets call it self-defense. LOL

When the show focuses on Jake and Mellie, it suffers which is why the critics did not like season 3 and 4. They have nothing to do really unless tied to Olivia which then pulls Olivia away from OPA. These are two characters we need to see less of not more with their repetitive whining.

I want the show to go back to being Olivia and OPA centric – more of Marcus, Huck, Quinn, Susan, Abby, Cyrus, Charlie, etc. Folks who are interesting.

OMG Carol, I am SO SO with you. When have you EVER watched a show where an actor (non-acting at that) has actually played 5 or 6 different characters (sucked at all of them) just to keep him employed/relevent at the expense of the OTHER GREAT actors & the popularity of the show? Good lawd, just when I thought we were FINALLY going to end that silly, tired @$$ B613/Daddy issue BS, SR ended our Winter Finale with EVER last ORIGINAL spy, how stupid was that. And if I hear one more person ATTEMPTING to equate Fitz shooting down a plane via Naval orders to ALL the killing & murdering that Joke/Jerk/Ochoke has committed, I’m going to scream. SF is about as USELESS as they come & it’s time for him to go ANYWHERE but Scandal.

What slow burn reconciliation? Olivia does not love Jake or want to be with him romantically. We’ve seen the Olitz history and their burning desire for each other but Liv never showed that for Jake.

I so enjoyed Jake calling Olivia on her bs, i see angry hatefuled sex in their future.

Then you are as delusional as shonda if you think the rating aren’t going down. Nobody with common sense what to see that no chemistry on screen smh

Olivia and Fitz have already done the angry hot sex in the closet. Honestly the guy who plays Jake is not a good enough actor to pull that type of magnetic chemistry with Kerry.

After 3 seasons, I still don’t get the point of Jake on this show. And it doesn’t make sense that a guy that kills people and has done some crappy things to Olivia himself, is calling her out on anything. No matter how much the writers sweep Jake’s actions under the rug, this is still the guy that choked Olivia. So don’t get how anyone could possibly want to see Olivia do some grovelling to him.

I would never wish unemployment on an actor so I genuinely do hope his next project comes asap and that it cater to his talents and his abilities but the truth of the matter is that Jake could not drop dead soon enough or fast enough for me. And I hope Cyrus caps him. Him murdering James and then holding him as if he were his friend were one of the most unsettling, sociopathic scenes I’d ever witnessed on television (and then came the House of Cards season 3 finale but I digress). Jake has been iredeemable for me, from that day on.

I never feel this strongly or negatively about TV characters but I want him (and HoC’s Doug Stamper) six feet under.

HELL NO!! Why is Jake still on the show? Scandal was better when it was about f the case of the week and WH. Jake, Rowan and B613 need to go.

I say “yes” if for no other reason that I so hate to see Olivia the insipid jerk Fitz.

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