Scandal Season 7: Everything You Need To Know!

We went in some crazy directions on Scandal Season 6 as Olivia tried to get the truth about who killed President-Elect Vargas.

It put her and everyone she cared about in the firing line, but it all worked out in the end, and Mellie found her way into the White House. Obviously, Olivia was by her side and will be in her ear with her two cents every step of the way.

So what's in store for Scandal Season 7? Click through the slides to get up to speed on everything we know about the show's final season.

Scandal returns on Thursday, October 5 at 9/8c on ABC.

Remember you can watch Scandal online right here via TV Fanatic. Get caught up now!

1. Olivia Has Power

Olivia has finally made her way inside the coveted walls of the White House and has a whole lot of power. She is Mellie's Chief of Staff and is the leader of the new B6-13. This will make for some testing times for Olivia because she will likely turn back into Dark Olivia for much of Scandal Season 7. Whoever has crossed her in the past should probably watch their backs.

2. Quinn Perkins & Associates

Olivia left Abby the key to the kingdom when she vacated her office. It will be called Quinn Perkins & Associates, and Olivia will no longer be involved with it. It's a fun and exciting time for Quinn. She's pregnant, engaged and has been given a striking vote of confidence from her former boss.

3. Abby Is Gladiating Again!

Abby will continue to make up for her involvement with PEUS by working at QPA, Darby Stanchfield confirmed to Entertainment Weekly. “She is the Chief of Staff at QPA — Quinn Perkins & Associates,” Stanchfield revealed. “She’s Quinn’s right-hand person. They’ve even moved Abby into the office right next to Quinn’s.”

4. QPA Is In Trouble

Darby Stanchfield confirmed to Entertainment Weekly that Quinn leading the charge is coming with its own set of problems. “Right now, QPA has a branding crisis on their hands,” Stanchfield says. “Everybody knows who Olivia Pope is in this town, but nobody knows who Quinn is, so the Gladiators are trying to hustle up work and find clients. That is the first hurdle.”

5. The Poster Is Awesome!

The official poster shows Olivia sitting, staring into the darkness. There is light on her and she's armed with a white hat. We're going to assume Olivia is going to wind up being a beacon of light that will fix everything wrong. Yes, it will likely come after she's done a few crazy things.

6. Episode Order Confirmed

Scandal Season 7 will consist of 18 episodes and is scheduled to conclude in early 2018.

7. New Faces - Shaun Toub and Jay Hernandez

According to TV Line, Shaun Toub (Homeland) and Jay Hernandez (Nashville) will recur during Scandal Season 7, but there was nothing revealed about their characters. The season is shrouded in secrecy, so we're going to assume they will be big characters.

8. Mellie Is Prepared for Criticism

Bellamy Young confirmed to Us Weekly that Mellie is fully prepared for the criticism that will go her way when she makes decisions from the Oval, but stresses that she will feel good because Olivia is by her side. “She knows that whatever she does will produce commentary about what she wore or how her hair looked. But she feels invincible with Olivia by her side,” she said.

9. Scott Foley Will Direct

According to TV Line, Scott will once again direct an episode of Scandal. He will take the reigns of Scandal Season 7 Episode 3.

10. Post-Presidency Fitz

Scott Foley may be direction Scandal Season 7 Episode 3, but TV Line has confirmed the episode will focus on what Fitz is getting up to now that he's no longer the President of the United States.

11. The Jumping Off Point

Scott Foley spoke to Us Weekly about Scandal Season 7 and teased how the season would kick off. “This season starts 100 days into Melly's [Bellamy Young] presidency, we don't know where Fitz is, we assume he's in Vermont taking some time off. Olivia is her chief of staff, Cyrus [Jeff Perry] is the Vice President. So it's going to be a really interesting season, they're going to turn the dial up a bit.”