Fans will have a lot of reasons to celebrate when "Scandal" season 5 release date arrives.
Not only Olivia Pope (Kerry Washington) and Pres. Fitz Grant (Tony Goldwyn) are back in each others' arms, she will also be reunited with her friends with whom she missed spending some time with in season four.
Last year saw the unofficial break up of the Olivia Pope and Associates. Harrison is presumably dead, Abie is in the White House and Quinn and Huck are on and off with each other.
Recent reports that among the first scenes to show when "Scandal" season 5 releases its first episode is the main characters in deep troubles with regards to their personal and non-personal problems. Good thing for them though is that they will have shoulders to lean on as series creator Shonda Rhimes confirmed gladiators will be working with each other again.
"Acknowledging that the show's central Gladiator conceit was sidelined a bit in Season 4 because "we were busy healing" Olivia, Rhimes says Season 5 will feature "the reconstitution" of Team OPA," TV Line reported.
"The Gladiators did gladiate," Rhimes adds of Season 4. "But they gladiated on a different scale and a different level. And the Gladiators scattered."
Indeed, Liv lost two key soldiers - Abby to the White House and Harrison to the Grim Reaper - so "a lot of times it was just Huck and Quinn gladiating by themselves," Rhimes notes. "And that wasn't the same dynamic.""
What are the events that will pull them back together? Recent "Scandal" season 5 spoiler said OPA are at their lowest point in their lives so that could be it, or maybe another threat from Rowan Pope (Joe Morton) who is confirmed to return in the show.
"That was a pretty harrowing place where the world had been blown apart for everybody except for Olivia and Fitz, who were left on the Truman balcony ... doing some kissin'," Rhimes said last month.
"But everybody else was in a fairly low-at-heart place. Mellie wasn't living in the White House because Fitz kicked her out. Jake said he was walking away. Quinn was thinking about killing Huck. Things weren't going so well for people, and we pick up right there in that environment."
"Scandal" season 5 release date is September 24.
