“Scandal” Season 7 lead star Kerry Washington recently opened up about Olivia Pope’s power struggles throughout the entire season.

Following Thursday night’s premiere of the hit ABC series, it became clear to audiences that Olivia wants to have as much power as possible. She managed to convince a senator to sign a bill that President Mellie Grant (Bellamy Young) is trying to pass in memory of the late Luna Vargas (Tessie Santiago). She is also doing a wonderful job at being the president’s Chief of Staff.

But when Quinn (Katie Lowes) asked Olivia for help on Quinn Perkins and Associates (QPA) first client, the latter learned that they were investigating a spy. Olivia told Jake (Scott Foley) about it, and he immediately suggested that the father of QPA’s main client should be killed. Olivia told Jake that he shouldn’t do it, but he still did, and Olivia wasn’t very pleased with this move.

Elsewhere, Olivia tried to indirectly encourage Vice President Cyrus Beene (Jeff Perry) to continue lusting for power. She employed the help of another senator who told Cyrus that he’s the best candidate the liberal party could ever have. But to the senator’s surprise, Cyrus said that he only wants what’s best for the whole nation and not just himself. It was later on revealed that Olivia was the one who asked the senator to trick Cyrus.

Meanwhile, even though President Grant is the most powerful woman in the United States today, Olivia tried to convince her that she’s better than her. Towards the end of the episode, Olivia gave Mellie a very lengthy speech on why she’s always right; why she should always trust her; and why the two of them should always stick together.

While speaking with Entertainment Weekly, Pope said that her character will face power-related issues in the upcoming episodes. At present, it seems that Olivia is the show’s biggest threat. But things can change in the near future. “I would say all of that’s possible. I think it’s never as if the person who sits on the throne is unchallenged – there’s always other people who want to be there. So I think part of what we’re discovering is, who can you trust?” she said.

“Scandal” Season 7 airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. EDT on ABC.

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