Of all three Shondaland shows I watch (“Grey’s Anatomy,” “How To Get Away With Murder” and “Scandal”), “Scandal” is my favorite. Between the complex characters and the intense cliffhangers, “Scandal” is the perfect show for both the romantic and the drama fan. The season finale blew my mind, and I’m honestly pretty angry that they didn’t air the fictional election at the same time as our actual presidential election. Due to the lengthy hiatus, my predictions for the coming season have been brewing for quite some time. I’ve been eagerly awaiting the return of Thank God it’s Thursday (TGIT), the nickname for the drama filled Thursday nights on ABC, and after a slight delay due to the inauguration, I’ll be on the edge of my couch on Jan. 26.

Caution: spoilers ahead, so if you’re still catching up on Netflix, stop here.

The scuffle over the VP spots for both Francisco Vargas (Ricardo Chavira) and Mellie Grant (Bellamy Young) was endlessly entertaining. Each candidate’s VP pick changed at least three times during the season finale, and I was shocked when Cyrus Beene (Jeff Perry) left his boyfriend and went back to his husband and child to take the VP spot for Vargas. Beene has been a constant source of surprise in the past five seasons, and the season finale was no exception. Beene has fallen out of my good graces, as I can find no redeeming qualities in his character anymore, and I’m hoping that the show’s writers can find some way to give Beene back some of his morals, but I’m not optimistic.

I loved that Olivia (Kerry Washington) finally stood up to her father and freed Jake (Scott Foley) from his evil wrath, but I think that the way she did it is going to blow up in her face in the coming season. Jake didn’t really want to be back in the political sphere as Mellie’s VP pick, and I think he will resent Olivia for it,  just as he rebelled against her father. I’ve always been a fan of Jake and Olivia’s relationship (despite backlash from Olitz shippers), so I’m hoping they can remain friends despite Olivia’s refusal to run away with Jake during the convention.

In addition to seeing the election results, I’m also looking forward to seeing how Fitz adjusts to a civilian life, and if he goes after Olivia in his post-presidential life. The presidency, and its associated power, has always been a barrier to Fitz and Olivia’s happiness as a couple, so I think if Mellie loses the election, and Olivia isn’t working in the White House, Olitz might actually have a chance to be a real couple. Knowing Shonda, and her tendency to break up perfectly good couples, I have little hope for the success of their relationship.  
With a brand new season on the horizon for “Scandal” and big stakes events coming up in the worlds of the other Shondaland shows, all Shonda Rhimes fans owe it to themselves to be tuned in for the TGIT premiere of “Scandal” and the mid-season premieres of “Grey’s Anatomy” and “How To Get Away With Murder” at 8 p.m. on ABC.