The ABC series Scandal was full of, well, scandals of all kinds. Following the story of badass Washington fixer Olivia Pope and a team of associates as her crisis management firm, along with her work with the White House and political scandals, it aired for seven seasons and kept viewers glued to their TVs to see what Olivia, and those around her, might do next. Alongside all of the politics and drama, there were also plenty of relationships. Some were illicit affairs and others innocent relationships and marriages. Some were for the wrong reasons, some for the right. And some were perfect matches for one another while others were just totally odd pairings.
Here are five relationships that fans were rooting fur in the series, and five that they rejected.
Olivia and Fitz: Rejected
It’s clear there was solid chemistry and passion between these two that was undeniable. But they just seemed all wrong for each other. Not only was Fitz married, but he was also the President of the United States, and Olivia worked for him!
There were just so many reasons that they should not have been together. And while fans loved to see their passionate reunions, they also, deep down, rejected this pairing as one that could ever work long-term.
Olivia and Fitz: Behind
Yes, fans both rejected and were behind the Olivia and Fitz relationship. As noted above, there was an intense passion between them that most people only ever dream of having with another person. They looked out for one another, and no matter what they did, they kept getting drawn back into each other’s arms.
It was a forbidden love type story that was enough to give viewers chills and, for some, simply scream at their TVs in hopes that Fitz would finish his term and Olivia would put her firm aside and move in with him to the country where they could make that jam they talked so much about.
Cyrus and Michael: Rejected
This “relationship” was just wrong from the beginning. Michael was a male prostitute who was hired to seduce White House Chief of Staff Cyrus to stir up, that’s right, a political scandal. But when Cyrus was threatened with the story, he simply married Michael to suggest that it was true love and not a scandal at all.
They were forced to live together, and while Michael longed, at one point, to have a real relationship with Cyrus, he ended up being more like the lonely housewife. Cyrus was all about business. There was no love between these two, and viewers could see it.
James and Cyrus: Behind
Before Michael, Cyrus was married to James, a journalist who posed too much of a threat and was shot in the back of the head by Jake Ballard.
While the couple constantly argued, both with busy careers and James wanting to have a child while Cyrus seemed reluctant, they were good together. James seemed to be the only person who was able to ground Cyrus and make him look at a bigger picture. And let’s face it: they were adorable together, and were a true power couple.
Fitz and Mellie: Rejected
Fitz and Mellie had a marriage of convenience. Things hadn’t been well with them for some time, but as a man running for president, they had to keep up appearances. And then once in the White House, they had to continue the charade.
Mellie had long given up on the love, though much of it had to do with Fitz’s father raping her early on in their relationship. She was focused on power and cultivating her own run for president. Meanwhile, Fitz was more focused on, well, Olivia.
Mellie and Marcus: Behind
Mellie was ready to move on. And while she was primarily focused on building her resume and looking good for voters as she prepared to run for president, civil rights activist Marcus seemed to catch her eye.
It was a sweet relationship between the two, who, once they got to know one another better, shared a mutual respect. Marcus knew what Mellie had been through and wanted to show her how she deserved to be treated. So it was sad when Mellie broke it off, thinking Marcus was just using her to get ahead when he genuinely wasn’t.
Huck and Quinn: Rejected
Huck and Quinn worked together at Olivia Pope and Associates, both sharing an affinity for computer hacking, covert operations, and torture. Yes, torture. They made great pals, but a romantic relationship? It just didn’t fit. They felt more like brother and sister.
So when they briefly got together, fans cringed at the bizarre thought. It was one thing when Huck creepily licked her face when he was threatening to kill her. But a romantic rendezvous? Uh, no. It didn’t make sense, and made things awkward for a short time after.
Quinn and Charlie: Behind
Charlie, a B-613 employed spy, was first the enemy. But there was a spark between he and Quinn that turned into something more, even if it was after Charlie framed Quinn for murder. But they began a sweet yet odd dating process where they hung out at a gun range and talked about covert operations.
Eventually, they got married and had a child, and Charlie joined Olivia Pope and Associates, and later Quinn Perkins & Associates, and became both a family man and a covert spy.
Olivia and Jake: Rejected
At first, the Olivia and Jake relationship seemed like the saving grace for Olivia – she finally found someone to get her mind off Fitz and who wasn’t attached to anyone or anything. However, as we learned about Jake’s connection to B-613 and Olivia’s father who ran it, along with how badly damaged and brainwashed Jake was, fans put a big “no” stamp on this one.
Jake was unhinged, blindly loyal to Olivia’s father, and was more of a robotic killer than a human being. I mean, he was even spying on Olivia when they first started hooking up! Olivia deserved more than that.
David and Abby: Behind
David and Abby were probably the sweetest relationship of them all. David was the Attorney General and Abby a member of Olivia’s team. At first, David was only using Abby to get information on Olivia. But then they teamed up on their quest to look into Olivia and began a loving and romantic relationship.
Viewers were angered when Olivia broke them up by making Abby, who was abused in a past relationship, think David had abused an old girlfriend. She eventually found out the truth, and they continued to go on-again, off-again until his untimely death.