Olivia Pope Dares to Be the Actual Leader of the Free World — Not Mellie — in Scandal Season Premiere

In Scandal‘s seventh and final season, it may be the first 100 days into Mellie Grant’s administration, but Olivia Pope is still the most powerful person in the free world.

While Kerry Washington‘s character is running the nation’s capital (with or without the white hat), one thing remains the same: her contentious weekly dinners with Eli Pope (Joe Morton) over expensive red wine.

“So Mellie is in formation, happy to let you hold all the cards, wield all the power, happy as your puppet,” Papa Pope tells his daughter.

“Mellie and I are a team,” Olivia retorts before her father and former B6-13 Command rebuttles: “You don’t play team sports, never have. Not well anyway.”

“Dad it’s my turn. I’m changing the rules. This, what I’m doing, is better,” Olivia foreshadows.

Morton’s TV alter ego makes his return as a failed candidate for the father of the year award with yet another epic monologue.

“You are like looking into the window of my past. You are me. No matter how much I try, all I could create was me. There is a reckoning coming for you, Olivia,” he warns.

“You think you have it under control. You think you have all the power buttoned up inside you, behind your eyes, lighting you up. But one day you’ll glance in a mirror and discover that some of that power is missing. The lights are going out. You’ll have difficult decisions to make. Do I want that power back? Whom I’m willing to hurt to get it. Now I can say this because I know you cannot have it all, Olivia.”

“Watch me,” the all-powerful political adviser dares.

Written by creator Shonda Rhimes, the season premiere, titled “Watch Me,” follows Mellie’s 100 days into her presidency, and Olivia is making moves to run the world, but an international incident may force her to make her biggest risk yet.

Scandal premieres for the last time on Oct. 5 at 9 p.m. ET on ABC.