'Scandal' Season 5 News, Spoilers: Edison Still Has Feelings For Olivia, Has 'A Few Secrets Up His Sleeve'
As in real life, the U.S. presidential race in ABC's popular political drama/thriller "Scandal" is underway.
In Thursday's episode, someone from Olivia Pope's (Kerry Washington) past made a surprising reappearance and added his name to the list of presidential candidates.
Edison Davis (Norm Lewis), Olivia's former lover, resurfaced as the second Democratic presidential candidate. In an interesting twist, his campaign is being supported by Olivia's father, Rowan (Joe Morton).
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Because "Scandal" exists in an America that has no Obama, Clinton, and Trump, Edison would be the first African-American president should he triumph in the upcoming elections. His candidacy is the latest in a series of parallels the show has had with real-life U.S. politics. In a previous episode, "Scandal" introduced Hollis Doyle (Gregg Henry), a presidential candidate very similar to billionaire businessman/Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.
Lewis recently chatted with The Hollywood Reporter about who inspires his character, whether or not Edison can remain morally upright throughout the campaigns, and how he now feels about Olivia, his almost-fiancee.
"I actually [based] my character around what Obama is," the actor told THR. "I try to be as elegant, gracious and smart — and have all the qualities that he presents in this world — I try to have embodied in Edison Davis. I hope that comes through subtextually."
As for whether or not Edison could maintain a clean campaign, Lewis said that though he expects there to be twists and turns in his character's storyline, "I think he's going to try and run a pretty decent and honest campaign."
The actor also admitted that he thinks his character still has romantic feelings for Olivia. According to Lewis, despite the fact that Edison is married, he still has "some sort of deep feelings" for his former girlfriend.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, "Scandal" co-executive producer Mark Fish spoke about how Olivia, who is backing Mellie Grant's (Bellamy Young) presidential bid, will handle Edison's candidacy.
According to the "Scandal" boss, although Olivia is supporting Mellie, she also believes that Edison will make a great president.
However, "This is 'Scandal,' so expect Edison to have a few secrets up his sleeve, one of which will make Olivia see her old friend in a brand new light," he teased.
"Scandal" airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET on ABC.
