Well, that was disappointing. 

For the most part, Scandal Season 7 Episode 8 was a goodbye to Quinn, and it would have been a poignant send-off if we got a glimpse her face before the car was blown up. 

This being Scandal, there are always crazy twists just around the corner.

At this stage, I still have a glimmer of hope that Quinn's alive. It's all down to the frustrating way the death has been handled. 

It was bad enough she was allegedly killed off-screen on Scandal Season 7 Episode 7, but showing her body apparently being burnt to a crisp without giving us a solid answer after such a long break is cruel. 

The only positive from it was that it brought the team back together somewhat and it was about time. It's difficult to assess whether Quinn is really dead because this could serve as the catalyst for Olivia to put that white back on and keep it on. 

If you watch Scandal online, you will already know that Olivia has gone off the rails of late. She's let the power get to her head, and that's put her in a downright gnarly position with much of her friends. 

Even though we know Quinn confronted Olivia, there's not a chance in hell that she would have put the hit out on her. Having Rashad killed off was bad enough, but there would be absolutely no semblance of the Olivia Pope we were introduced to on Scandal Season 1. 

It would be the storyline that would make me quit the show even there were a handful of episodes left to air. Olivia was grieving, and that was made evident in the way she was acting. Her guilt for arguing with Quinn before her apparent death came to the forefront.

Olivia taking the bottle of wine from Fitz before slamming the door in his face made me laugh out loud. Olivia sure likes to have her big glasses of wine, but I don't know how to feel about the subsequent hookup between her and Fitz. 

Will a spot of meaningless sex lead to something more meaningful? It doesn't sound all that romantic, does it?

Despite the horrible circumstances, it did feel good to see Olivia donning the white hat and hanging around her old stomping grounds at QPA. However, it's worrying to me that the show has not remained all that interesting since she departed the office. 

Fun fact: The series was supposed to end with Mellie becoming President of the United States. Maybe that would have been a wise time to go because Scandal Season 7 has struggled to keep things fresh on the creativity side. 

I loved the nod to the Quinn as all of her nearest and dearest shot the gun and reminisced about a moment they had with her. It's those type of scenes that would make you think Quinn was dead, but Shonda and her team are all about playing with expectations. 

On top of that, there was the twist at the close of the hour. I wanted to smack the TV when Charlie showed up at Rowan's under the guise of getting his job back. My heart sank when I heard the baby cry, and I do think it's Quinn's kid that's in the room. 

As much as I wanted Charlie to end Rowan's life, there's no way he can do so now. He needs answers, and killing Rowan is not going to get him them. With that said, Rowan needs to go the moment this storyline is over. 

That character should have been written out for good around Scandal Season 3. He's the most one-note character on television, and somehow the characters still seem to orbit him like he's the star of the show. 

Was anyone else jumping for joy when Huck revealed that he was skeptical of Olivia's motives? Huck is generally impulsive and paranoid, but it showed us just how far gone Olivia is that one of her most significant friends thinks that she would murder someone so close to her. 

Wait until Olivia finds out. She's not going to be impressed and let's just say she's going to have a few choice words for her "friend."

"Robin" was not great. It limped from scene to scene with about as much excitement as you'd get from a show that's been circling the drain for quite some time. I'm close to losing hope that we will get something in the way of a satisfying conclusion now. 

Other tidbits from the episode:

• Did the terrible subplot with Cyrus and Glackland need to be part of this episode? Their relationship is new, and it felt disjointed because the episode was all about the demise of one of the original characters. 

• It was classy of Mellie to show up and extend her condolences in person. I would say "Mellie for President," but she's already inside the White House.

• Abby and David are just the cutest. But please, don't allow them to get married before the series finale or we'll have to endure one of them being killed off just for the thrill of it all. 

Over to you, Scandal Fanatics! 

What did you think of "Robin?" Are you tired of the back and forth?

Hit the comments below!

Scandal continues Thursday nights on ABC!

Paul Dailly was an Associate Editor for TV Fanatic.Follow him on X.