On Scandal Season 6, episode 7, which airs at 9 p.m. EDT Thursday on ABC, Olivia asks Huck to kill her father, Eli Pope. This is an extremely jarring move in the midst of recent events. Olivia and her father have long had a tumultuous relationship, with him once being the head of the secret government organization B613 and her being a Washington D.C. fixer who had an affair with the President of the United States. The two have clashed several times. However, it is likely Olivia will find out during episode 7 that her father killed president-elect Francisco Vargas, which viewers discovered in the previous episode.
Viewers learned that Eli once had a lover, whom he left behind to run B613. We meet the woman, named Sandra, during episode 7. However, it quickly comes to light that another secret government organization was using her to get access to Eli so they could ensure Mellie Grant won the presidential election. When it became apparent that Mellie would not win, the only solution was then to kill Francisco Vargas.
Eli took on this task himself, positioning himself under the podium as Vargas gave his victory speech after winning the election. After considerable tension, Eli shot him three times, while he had an accomplice pretend to shoot Vargas from a sniper position.
After the hit was complete, members of this new secret organization wanted Eli to continue with them. At first, he declined, ultimately killing Sandra to prove he could not be blackmailed with threats to the people he cares about. However, the agents then reminded Eli that he cares about his daughter Olivia and would be unlikely to kill her.
Olivia has been determined to uncover who killed Francisco Vargas. First, she thought it was Vargas’ running mate, Cyrus Beene and she did everything in her power to see Cyrus in prison. However, Cyrus was equally hell bent on proving his innocence. Currently, we don’t know how Olivia will find out about what Eli did, but we already know her reaction to the news. Episode stand to be extremely interesting, considering Huck’s history with Eli.
Will Huck kill Eli Pope? We will find out in the upcoming Season 6 episode 7, called “A Traitor Among Us,” which is best viewed on television or live online through ABC Live.
Scandal Season 6 episode 7 premieres at 9 p.m. EST on ABC.