A lot of "Scandal" fans are already excited to catch the season 5 premiere of the Shonda Rhimes political thriller next month.
Viewers are highly anticipating another round of bigwig crisis management expertise brought to the table by Olivia Pope, played by Kerry Washington, and her associates, also known as her "gladiators."
The season 4 finale of "Scandal" left a lot of loose ends, causing viewers to have high expectations for the season 5 premiere. Not a lot has been reported about the plot twists for the upcoming season, but there are a few fan theories and speculations that could be worth examining.
One of these speculations is: will Scott Foley's character, Jake Ballard, have a new love interest in "Scandal" season 5?
Since season 2, it seems that Jake Ballard has always been Olivia Pope's second choice next to President Fitzgerald Grant, played by Tony Goldwyn. Even if loving Fitz could be the worst decision Olivia Pope could ever make - Fitz is always too busy running the country, not to mention, he's married - the crisis management expert just can't seem to make hersef to love Jake Ballard who's always waiting in the wings.
Previous seasons have shown that Jake Ballard has a lot to offer Olivia Pope in the love department. He was dedicated to protecting Olivia even though she was in love with some one else.
In a previous interview, Scott Folley expressed his thoughts about the season 4 finale and how things are likely to change for the upcoming season.
"This is the finale to what I think has been a really great season," Scott Folley told Yahoo! TV.
"It wraps a bunch of things up. It also opens a door to what I think will be a better season next season. They're leaving a lot of things up in the air. There are a lot of roles that are going to shift."
When he said "roles that are going shift," was Scott Foley talking about a change in Jake Ballard from being a lovesick puppy chasing Olivia Pope around to a man who's involved in an actual relationship where he receives as much love as he gives it?
Fans will have to tune it to "Scandal" season 5 to find out.
