Scandal is known for its labyrinthine twists and turns, and its fall finale ended with a doozy: Jake Ballard (Scott Foley) discovered that Olivia Pope (Kerry Washington) had seemingly been kidnapped. Two agonizing months later, the show finally returns to TV tonight, with Olivia still MIA. Foley, who yesterday talked about being dropped from the show four years ago, opened up to TV & Not TV about Scandal’s return and the search for Olivia:

Does Jake feel responsible for Olivia’s disappearance?

I think he does. I think given his position in life, his job, his employment and the nature of who he is, I think he’s very protective of Olivia, and for that to have happened, basically under his watch, is pretty troublesome for him.

What would he go through to find her?

I think he would go through everything to find her! I can’t tell you exactly what he’s going to go through to find her!

What can we expect in tonight’s episode?

The first two back are going to jump in right where we left off, so you’re going to see what happened to Olivia, where she went, who took her, how we get her back. You’re going to see Jake working with the Gladiators to get her back, you’re going to see Fitz dealing with his Vice President, Andrew, and all the crap they’ve been dealing with. You’re going to see the return of Mellie. She’s no longer “Smelly Mellie” or “Fucked Up Mellie,” she’s Mellie and pulling strings in the White House. You’re going to see David Rosen dealing with his new job as United States Attorney General, you’re going to see Abby straddling the line between the White House and OPA [Olivia Pope & Associates] and succeeding in both. You’re going to see Cyrus helping the President out.

Why should Olivia end up with Jake over Fitz?

Why shouldn’t Olivia end up with Jake? I believe that Jake is the better choice. He’s available, he’s not married, he’s willing to give up everything. And he believes in them. However, there’s something to be said for maybe fate, maybe true love, maybe meant to be. I think Fitz and Olivia have something that is unquantifiable and no matter how far away they get from each other, they’re always going to be dealing with that.