By Peter Lesser (staff@latinospost.com) | First Posted: Sep 26, 2013 01:07 PM EDT

The capital is up in arms. The aftershock of the country’s biggest scandal has left our nation crippled. An affair in the Whitehouse. It hasn’t been the first time, but we were all proved wrong when we thought it would be the last. The integrity of our top officials has been jeopardized for the last time. Who can we trust if not the ones who lead us?

Of course, we’re not talking about President Obama, but rather Olivia Pope’s affair with the president in the hit series “Scandal.” It might not be as exciting, but fans of the show are desperately waiting to see how the nation reacts and begins to heal from the astonishing news. Now as it gears up for its third season, more details from the set help paint a clear picture of what’s to come.

Olivia may be the president's forbidden fruit, but it's her co-workers who will bear the weight of the major scandal in the season premiere. "It makes it hard because they go from being people who manage other people's crises to people who have to manage their own crisis in a big way," Kerry Washington told TV Guide. "When Olivia herself is at the center of it, it really challenges everybody. It's hard for them to figure out what their roles are. If she's the client, how can she be the boss? Who gets to make the rules?" 

Now that Olivia has been outed, "She is no longer the fixer," Bellamy Young tells TVLine. "She is like the client. Mellie is the fixer in her own mind. We're looking at a reelection campaign, so I've got to handle it because we need four more years. And Mellie has a very particular idea about who a scapegoat should be, what a strategy should be, how to push it all under the rug so we can get past it and get reelected. Of course, it will no doubt blow up in her face as Mellie's plans inevitably do." 

And most importantly, “Scandal” is beefing up its political powerhouse cast. According to TV Guide, Jack Coleman, who has played the perennial villain in series like “Heroes,” “Castle,” and “The Vampire Diaries” will join the team for a recurring role. Unfortunately, and not too surprisingly, the details surrounding the role remain unclear, but it’s confirmed that he will begin his stint in October.

Additionally, Sally Pressman will be joining the show for a multi-episode Season 2 arc who will engage in a secretive and potentially dangerous marriage. The exact details surrounding her character are unclear, however, she’s expected to make her debut in November.

"Scandal” will return to ABC for its third season on Thursday, October 3.