'Scandal' Recap: What Did Your Daddy Do?

— -- On the season finale of "Scandal," the race to the White House got tricky and treacherous -- with some surprising picks in the end.

It opened with Jake having a father/son-in-law chat with his wife's father. And then the father died suddenly as Jake, who engineered the poisonous death, watched him keel over before calling for help.

Cyrus’ henchman/lover Tom located Michael and his baby daughter. They are resuming a life of single dad and daughter on the other side of town.

As the convention season got into overdrive, the pressure was on for each camp to vet and make a decision about VP candidates, which presented a myriad of challenges.

Edison showed up at Olivia’s office to tell her about Jake’s secret message to “save him” from her daddy’s diabolical clutches. She rebuffed him but Huck asked her to reconsider.

Meanwhile, Eli showed up to the Vargas' campaign office promising to throw $30 million into their war chest. Once Frankie exited, Eli told Cyrus that he wanted Jake Ballard on the ticket. Cyrus, in turn, ran to Olivia for help. She warned him that both of them know what her father is capable of. He disclosed to her the staged Vargas hostage encounter and how Eli was holding that over his head.

Fitz read Abby’s black folder file, which contained Olivia’s medical records and the information about how she aborted his unborn baby. He couldn't believe it was true and stormed out of Abby’s office.

David Rosen’s name was also thrown in the hat for Vargas’s VP. And of course Elizabeth was chomping at the bit for another route to power now that Susan jumped ship. David had a blasé attitude about it.

Mellie hit the roof when she read the advance speech that Fitz was planning to do during the grand finale of the Republican National Convention. It was too long and too much about him. She confronted him on the empty convention floor and read him the riot act about how much of an arrogant, presumptuous ingrate he is and how she worked hard to get where she wants to be.

Olivia met Jake in a parking lot to tell him that she will help him. She soon devised a scheme to poison the water about Mellie’s leading VP candidate. She dreamed up an idea to make Jake Mellie’s No. 2.

Tom offered to kill Michael for Cyrus and play the househusband role with Ella. Cyrus didn't seem too sure of that.

Huck told Olivia the only way she can rescue Jake was to go in there with guns blazing: “The only way to take over Command is by becoming Command.” And she did just that, but it didn’t go over as well as she envisioned, at first, when she showed up to Eli’s home to take Jake from him. Eli put a gun to Jake’s head. In the end, Eli’s two kids walked out unharmed.

When the news reports confirmed that Jake would become Mellie’s VP, Cyrus’ wheels started to spin. He told David that he’s not getting the call. And in the end, Cyrus put Michael back into the picture with their daughter -- and he became Vargas’ vice president, after cold-heartedly telling Tom that it is over and he’s out.

When the time came for Jake to appear at the RNC, Jake was hesitant and wanted out. He said he’d rather flip burgers at Gettysburger and live a normal, unremarkable life with Olivia. But Liv was repulsed. She replied, “Mediocrity is not an option for me ... and neither should you.”

A few moments later, Olivia had to pick her face up off the floor when she found out that Cyrus is Vargas’ VP. And she started having flashbacks about everything her father has done and continues to do.

The end scene showed Eli having a glass of wine at home watching how it all played out -- apparently in his favor.