Just when we thought we were done with stressful election nights, here comes Scandal – 259 long days since our favorite gladiators last graced our screens.
The fan favorite finally returns tonight with what promises to be a (literally) explosive kick-off to its sixth season.
Ominously titled "Survival of the Fittest," the season premiere plunges fans straight into a very contentious campaign and election night that should feel pretty familiar to all of us right about now. Mellie (Bellamy Young) and running mate Jake (Scott Foley) are on the Republican ticket against Democratic candidates Francisco Vargas (Ricardo Antonio Chavira) and Cyrus (Jeff Perry).
Here's what else we know so far:
1. We find out who wins: We know from trailers that Mellie has won Virginia and the election will come down to California. In another trailer, Mellie tells Olivia "I am done running for president!" prompting Liv to reply that "I'm not!" But what does it mean? Did Mellie lose? The episode's tagline is "The balance of power is about to shift," so maybe that's a clue.
2. Someone might get hurt: We see a mysterious cabin explode in the preview and we have shots of both Liv and Abby (Darby Stanchfield) entering a hospital room. We may even get a glimpse of a body bag. And then there's that episode title. Was someone in that cabin? If so, who?
3. Flashbacks: Show creator Shonda Rhimes told Vulture this season would have a lot of them: "Because of the way we laid out this season, we really do have this beautiful way of telling this season this year where we're really stepping back in time and going forward in time and seeing things from different characters' perspectives," she said. "It's not really about crazy things happening to the characters, it's about where they come to after all this time ..."
4. Rowan is scheming:
And when is he not? After Olivia saved Jake from her father at the end of last season, Mellie chose him as her running mate. What Olivia doesn't know is getting Jake on the ticket (and by extension, Liv back in the White House), has been Rowan's plan all along.
5. Two interesting cast additions: Jake's wife Vanessa -- originally played by Joelle Carter -- will be replaced with Glee's Jessalyn Gilsig. Jeff Perry's real daughter, Zoe Perry, will join the cast in a recurring role, though so far, we don't know what that is.
Scandal returns Thursday night at 9pm on WFTV Channel 9.
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