Welcome to 'Scandal', gladiators! After a long few months where we've spent every waking moment debating Fitz/Olivia or Olivia/Ballard, and debating just who the hell Rowan really is, the season three premiere is back with a bang, entitled 'It's Handled' (after a popular catchphrase by characters in the show). And we're plunged right back into the world of Pope & Associates as they struggle to deal with a massive scandal that's rocked their own leader. Olivia Pope has been revealed by a tabloid journalist as being the mistress of President Fitz and the team go into immediate lockdown in order to protect Liv. Meanwhile, Liv is meeting with Rowan, her dad and B6-13 chief, who immediately assuages her fears about her dad being behind her assassination attempt and attempts to get her to leave the country and disappear in order to protect his daughter from becoming a sacrificial lamb. He also reveals that he tried to kill Ballard and that Liv got in the way. Rowan brings the confident Olivia to her knees, like a child, and scolds her, bringing her to tears. He is one scary, brilliant man and someone I'd love to have on my side during a public scandal. Olivia contacts Cyrus who tries to bring Cyrus back - he is her 'monster' and promises to bury the story but doesn't want Liv to run. The two friends share an emotional conversation, which is apparently enough to get Liv off the plane and into her father's rage. She fights back, bringing up her childhood as she makes her escape. Go Liv! Cyrus meets with villainous Vice President Sally Langston whose Christian faith is enough to make her go against the wishes of Cyrus in backing Fitz during the turbulent times. After bringing up his marriage to journo James and their adopted daughter Ella, enraging Cyrus, Sally finds herself alone with Fitz where he offers Sally a drink and admits he failed as a president. He asks Sally to buy him time so he can prepare his loved ones. At the offices, Liv is rescued from a barrage of reporters by Huck and addresses the team, telling them to manage their clients who are bailing ship and firing her. She runs damage control, trying to save all the clients she can but to no avail. She meets with David Rosen who comes to her office, the pair pretty friendly. David and Abby also share a mature moment, a little spark between the two being renewed (I am shipping them like there's no tomorrow). However, a TV viewer leaks footage of Fitz leaving Olivia's home, causing further damage and forcing Cyrus to start a 'kill folder' on Olivia. Cyrus meets with James, pricking his journalistic nerve in order to get them to work together professionally. James leads him to a bar where the Secret Service drink (and where their secrets come spilling as often as the beer). Later, Mellie tries her own tack in work with Cyrus, using the knowledge of the bar to press an agent for information, he revealing the fact he accidentally leaked information but not Liv's name. Harrison contacts Cyrus (is this the first time these two have met?) to get him to try and save Olivia. Meanwhile, Cyrus reviews the info compiled on Olivia and giving us plenty of background on her - Liv lost her mom at twelve and turned from a private school wild child turned college-educated political party girl. This is enough for Cyrus to spin the 'political slut' card, although he's clearly hugely uncomfortable. Olivia is contacted by her dad, the pair meeting. Liv asks about Ballard's location, which her dad refuses, trying to persuade her onto the plane. She later heads to her office, opens a file in her safe which leads to a secure government number and password. She exits her office, half a dozen cars following in order to distract them from which is the real one containing Liv. Liv is taken to an underground unit where she and Fitz meet face-to-face for the first time since the news broke, having used her 'fire alarm' to get this conversation. They discuss the situation, Olivia inviting Mellie to the pow-wow while Cyrus is pushed away by the agent who leaked the info. The three of them have it out, pushing aside squabbles in order to work out a plan which involves statements, photo-ops and an interview by James. I love the little details like the colour of Mellie's suit Mellie herself doesn't agree and cuts the plan down due to the fact it's that Fitz is in love with her, not just in lust. Olivia and Fitz make adjustments to help Mellie out. It's a taut, brilliant scene in which everyone seems on the verge of tears and rage in equal measure. After Mellie leaves, Fitz and Liv share a bittersweet hug that almost makes me ship them again. Awwww. Sally and Fitz talk in the aftermath, the former admiring the latter's commitment to his family and admits some home truths of her own - she's stuck in an unhappy marriage. Fitz tells her to condemn him public and crucify him as a politician in order to help her career. Mellie meets with Cyrus and plans to stop Fitz and Olivia - by working with the Pope & Associates team! The team unites to go against Olivia in order to protect her underneath Harrison's leadership by throwing Cyrus' nemesis, a political aide named Jeannine Locke under the bus and making her Fitz's new 'mistress' by leaking a video of her drunkenly admitting that Fitz is a cutie. It's shocking and quite sad that the innocent Locke becomes the sacrificial lamb and that everyone turns against her quickly, although the look of quiet rage on Langston's face is almost worth it. Fitz is angry but shocked to find that Mellie has discovered that he leaked Olivia's name himself through a trusted agent in order to try and get Olivia out of Mellie's grasp and to accept Olivia as his one true love. This couple are now officially at war with the Oval Office as their battleground. Scary times ahead, folks... Fortunately, Liv feels the same way as myself regarding the poor Jeannine and bursts into the Pope & Associates offices to furiously confront her team, later taking on the former White House analyst in order to help her. The white hat is back on, people, and it sure looks good. Cyrus finds Charlie in his home, a drugged James at his side, who escorts Cyrus to the B6-13 base where they discuss Operation: Remmington, the mission which Ballard and Fitz shared back in their Army days. The contents of the file are shocking enough to make the seasoned Cyrus gasp and say 'Oh my God'. An absolutely fantastic start to a fresh and innovative season and one that sees all the characters move forward - Olivia goes from child under her father's thumb to the White Hat Supreme, going forth to rescue the innocent woman who was sacrificed in her place while Fitz goes from caught in a trap to a man of war. The team don't get a lot to do, but Harrison steps up in his role as de facto leader, Abby's romance with David seems to get fresh hope, and Quinn's newfound darkness makes a brief appearance. MVP for the week has to be Emmy nominee Kerry Washington who dazzled us with new sides to Olivia that we haven't seen, including her background as a party girl (which was a great touch as I genuinely thought the Type-A Liv would have been so in her past). Honourable mentions go to Bellamy Young and Tony Goldwyn, their crackling on-screen chemistry making the scenes in the bunker awe-worthy. So, gladiators, that's it for another week, but I have to say - it was worth it after the long summer without Olivia and her gang. Let me know what you thought of the episode in the comments below and I'll see you next week for 'Guess Who's Coming to Dinner'. Exciting!