As Scandal season 7 marches towards the series’ finale, it’s time to highlight a few characters who deserve special attention!

Olivia Pope, Mellie Grant, Fitz, Cyrus Beane, even Eli Pope dominate Scandal’s screen time. And while there is nothing wrong with that — they have great story arcs, we root for them to succeed and fail — there are a few other key players who deserve a bit more time before the series ends.

Season 6 championed this idea, perhaps unintentionally, with the retelling of Vargas’ election night tragedy, told through the eyes of several key players. At the end of the day, Scandal is an ensemble piece. While a few characters may take up more screen time than others, it is impossible to imagine this version of Washington, D.C. without Abby, Jake, Huck, Charlie, Quinn, or David.

Related: Scandal season 6 finds rejuvenation in repetition

Abby Whelan’s episode gave viewers a behind-the-scenes taste of the cost Abby is willing to pay to keep herself in a place of power. A few episodes later, Jake Ballard’s home life took center stage, revealing that B6-13 life might actually be a bit more relaxing than a night on the couch. In the middle of all of that, fans got a tragic look at Huck’s world, as he lets someone in for the first time and is left shattered once again.

The supporting team of Scandal have been holding their own in the background for years. And in season 6, they showed that they could not only go toe-for-toe with Olivia on screen, but they could carry their own episodes without her.

Here are a few of the characters we would like to focus on in the final season of Scandal.

Huck

Oh boy, can we get Huck a happy ending? Or is QPA his happy ending? Since episode one, Huck has gone through the ringer. We learn about his family, experiencing the pain he feels knowing he can never truly reconnect with them. As for a future outside of his previous family unit, after last season’s manipulation of his heart, it’s hard to root for him to seek love again.

With Olivia Pope still manhandling him as a loyal pawn on her personal chessboard, Huck needs to find a way to finally say, “thanks, but no thanks, Liv.” The depth of his loyalty to her is impressive. But there comes a time where his loyalty needs to run out.

Let’s get Huck out of Liv’s grip, and possibly, away from watching Quinn and Charlie plan their life together.

Quinn and Charlie

With a baby on the way and a new business to run, Quinn and Charlie are not lacking things to do this season. However, their conversations about whether or not raise their kids with awareness of the family business or not, cannot be relegated to one-liners during the course of client work.

The Scandal crew made quick work of getting Katie Lowes’ scenes shot early on as she delivered her own child ahead of the premiere. While her availability may have been limited for the final season, we hope that with enough foresight, Quinn and Charlie will figure out the perfect way to find their own unique sense of “normal” family life.

David Rosen

Oh, David. Poor, poor David. How does one count the ways we feel sorry for you? While David is not perfect, he has certainly taken one for the team over and over and over again. His logical arguments are often met with competing agendas from Mellie, Liv, Fitz, or really anyone.

Let’s see David win one!

Jake Ballard

Speaking of winning one, even when Jake is in charge, he is never truly in control. He has the loyal soldier schtick embedded in his DNA. It’s a hard thing to shake, as we see in Huck, from his days in B6-13. One thing that comes with that training is the ability to recognize unchecked power. In the season 7 premiere, Jake tests the waters, challenging Liv in small, yet effective ways.

Jake Ballard, oddly enough, is one of my favorite characters. He is hard to root for, easy to dismiss, but hold so much potential for a strong arc to carry him through the final episodes of Scandal. I hope to see him and Olivia spar a bit more to not only provide the conflict that Olivia needs this season, but to give him a greater purpose.

If we can’t get a storyline that breaks Jake out of his servitude, can we at least get him back to Eli? At least he was well-fed under his roof.

Never forget.

Abby Whelan

Favorite is a word I tend to throw around. MVP, however, is a descriptor that I reserve for someone who surprises me. I am still thinking about the Abby-centric episode from Scandal season 6 AND about her final speech to Quinn in the finale. Abby always got under my skin. She frustrated me because I could not pin down her objectives. I never knew what she wanted.

But, as it turns out, I was frustrated because Abby was frustrated. All that work, all those late nights, all those bloody bullets pulled out of a dead president-elect’s body — for what?
Who knows?

Abby figures out that with unchecked power and potential, comes tough choices. Challenges are not something Abby shies away from. But the comfort of QPA and regaining the trust and support of the people there, is going to be her biggest challenge yet.

I cannot wait to watch it play out.

Which character are you looking forward to watching in ‘Scandal’ season 7?

Scandal airs Thursdays at 9:00 p.m. ET on ABC.