10.5M tune in for 'Scandal' Season 3 finale

NEW YORK, April 18 (UPI) -- About 10.5 million viewers tuned in for the Season 3 finale of Scandal, the steamy political thriller series starring Kerry Washington and Tony Goldwyn. ABC declared the ratings the show's "strongest-ever season finale numbers." Last year's season capper was seen by 9.1 million viewers.

Thursday's explosive episode saw Goldwyn's character, U.S. President Fitzgerald Grant, win his bid for re-election, but only after a personal tragedy won him the country's sympathy and votes. The show also ended with his soul mate, Washington's crisis management goddess Olivia Pope, leaving on a plane with another man.

A total of 697,436 tweets were counted throughout the episode, which wrapped up a season that generated more than 7 million tweets, the network said.