Scandal: Cut series finale scene reveals Cyrus' fate

Warning: This story contains major spoilers from the series finale of Scandal. Read at your own risk!

Thought Cyrus got away with murder in the Scandal series finale? Fear not, he definitely got what he deserved — viewers just didn’t get to see that scene when it aired on Thursday.

During the finale, Cyrus (Jeff Perry) poisoned David Rosen (Joshua Malina) in his last-ditch effort to get Mellie (Bellamy Young) impeached. Unfortunately, he didn’t pay for his crimes, only forced to quietly resign after Rowan (Joe Morton) testified about B613, effectively saving the Gladiators from going to jail.

But ahead of a live table read of the series finale on Thursday night at the El Capitan, which benefitted the Actor’s Fund, executive producer Shonda Rhimes revealed that the table read would include an uncut version of the script, meaning those in attendance would see scenes that weren’t included in the version that made it to air.

One of the scenes omitted from the finale — likely for time — was during the final montage. Cyrus sits alone in his house when he hears a noise from the other room. Huck (Guillermo Diaz) arrives to get justice for David’s death, his famed torture toolbox in tow. So yes, Scandal fans, Cyrus definitely paid for his crimes in the end.

Other scenes omitted from the finale include one in which Mellie confronted Cyrus about killing David, which actually ended with him in tears while saying he’s the new POTUS — and not happy tears. The murder had officially turned Cyrus into a broken man.

Also, we heard brief scenes in which Olivia tried to prevent Rowan from testifying, but he insisted he was ready to own his role as Command of B613; Jake was quietly arrested in his home, deciding against fighting the agents; and Fitz (Tony Goldwyn) told Marcus (Cornelius Smith Jr.) he should run for office, offering to be his first backer. We find out he does go on to become a senator during an expanded scene when Mellie signs her gun reform bill.

Following the table read, the cast opened up about the series finale in a panel moderated by EW’s Henry Goldblatt, with Kerry Washington revealing that the cast found out about David’s death at the table read. “We all read it together,” she said. “We had no idea what it was going to be until we all sat down for the table read. We knew we were in trouble when we saw boxes of tissues on the tables.”

Preparing to say goodbye, executive producer Betsy Beers opened up about the show’s legacy, which she said was its relatable characters. “I just love to believe this is a show where people love the characters as much as they do,” Beers said. “I believe that there are no villains on Scandal and the thing I love most about the show is every single episode, every single season I fully identify with the dilemma that some character is going through.”

While the show’s legacy will live on in the hearts of Gladiators everywhere, Rhimes says she has no plans for the show to live on through a spin-off. “Scandal is finished,” Rhimes said. “I love everybody, I’d work with everybody in a heartbeat, but Scandal is finished.”

Read our postmortem with Shonda Rhimes, Joshua Malina, and Kerry Washington here. And check back for more Scandal content on EW.