16. The Miseducation of Susan Ross

Following the first Republican debate, Olivia is presented with damaging information about an opponent and enlists the Gladiators to verify its authenticity. Meanwhile, David deals with fallout from his dating life, and Cyrus continues to work on his own political agenda.

Plot summary and ending

Spoilers ahead. Coverage follows the scope labeled below.

Complete story — includes the ending

Susan wins the Republican debate over Mellie and Hollis. After losing, the candidates begin to act in order to get ahead in the election. Mellie appears on Jimmy Kimmel Live! reading Mean-Tweets to establish a more down-to-earth persona in the media, while Susan does a sit-down interview with David proclaiming their love for each other. Olivia goes too far when trying to get dirt on Susan, leading Quinn to ask Abby and Fitz for help. Cyrus gets more trust from Senator Vargas after his brother Alex fails when he leaks Edison's secret about being in rehab.

Sources and content license

Source and revision history · Adapted from Wikipedia contributors, Scandal season 5. HTML formatting and reference markers removed. · Content license