Kerry Washington dishes on the Scandal season finale. 

How would you describe the season finale?

Pun intended: Explosive! (Laughs.) One of the craziest things about this season's finale is that you'd think at this point it would be impossible to shock us as a cast anymore, but we were floored after this table read. It gets crazier and crazier in the most wonderful way. Even the writers were excited about it during the table read. [Showrunner] Shonda [Rhimes] kept saying, "It's only Act 2! It's only Act 3!" because we couldn't believe how much story was being exploded in each act. It's quite a ride.

Cyrus knows there's about to be a major explosion with key White House people in danger. Does he have doubts about not warning anyone beyond Fitz? Might he turn to Olivia?

Those questions will definitely get answered in the episode, for sure. The finale features the final day of the election. We'll deal with that incident and move forward.

Olivia's father is clinging to life, and there's about to be a major explosion. How will Olivia handle being torn between her parents? 

It's really interesting. I feel as though so much of her journey always has to do with balancing both her professional life and her personal life. But where we are now in the series, there's so much gray area because balancing the election and her own personal crisis involves all of it. It's all now because of B613, because of her parents, because of the White House, because of Jake. It's all become the same level and radiations of the same crisis.

Regardless of what happens, will Olivia have the chance to have closure with one or both of her parents? This really goes back to both of them feeling that Fitz isn't the right guy for their daughter.

It's so intense! It makes me laugh whenever I think of the intensity of that table scene. Can you imagine sitting at a table with your mother and father and they've pulled knives on each other?! It's such a complicated relationship. Olivia is definitely fighting for some semblance of clarity and having her life be handled (laughs).