Our Scandal recap looks back at big events and revelations that took place during season 3, episode 7.

In tonight’s episode of Scandal we learned how Mellie figured out how to get Fitz to run for California Governor, which led him to becoming president of the United States.

– Lights, camera, Mellie. The episode begins with Mellie giving a television crew a tour of the East Wing. She’s not enjoying the day but has to do it to help apologize for her husband’s affair so that they can look like a team for the election.

We flash back 15 years ago to Fitz and Mellie’s better days in Santa Barbara when they were trying to get pregnant. After Fitz’s father Jerry calls them downstairs, we see the couple meet Cyrus for the first time. Father Fitz wants to get his son into the California Governor’s office. “Our first step to the White House, baby,” Mellie says.

Back in the present, Mellie continues to shoot her television interview. We learn that she was raised in the south and moved to California after getting married. “I consider home to be wherever Fitz is.”

In another flashback, bearded Cyrus is giving Fitz and Mellie some strategy ideas to win the Governor election. Cyrus suggests he runs as a war hero but Fitz says he won’t run on his military experience. “It’s off limits, end of story,” he tells Mellie, his father, and Cyrus.

This upsets Fitz’s father, who yells at his son for going into the Navy. “You joined the Navy to spite me. I called in favors to distance you from the [Remington] incident as far as possible. So now it’s time to pay the piper. The only thing you’ve got going for you is that you are my son,” his dad says. Seeing this fight, Cyrus (who was straight and married back then) wants out of helping them. But Mellie isn’t going to let him get away so easily. “I will take care of it, come back tomorrow and he will be ready,” she promises him.

Mellie’s first step in handling the situation is going to Jerry, who drunkenly rambles about how good of a parent he is. He reveals that Fitz shot the Remington flight down, and this is news to Mellie. He says that there was a dirty bomb on board so he got the orders to shoot it down. The plane was reportedly going to be used to attack London, he says, adding that they had to say publicly that it was mechanical failure or there would’ve been lawsuits for years from the families who lost loved ones.

Jerry then starts making sexual advances on Mellie by complimenting and touching her. She pushes back, but he overpowers and rapes her.

We jump to the present where Mellie is yelling at Fitz for skipping the television interview he was supposed to do with her in the Oval Office. “The least you could do is be my friend, just a little bit,” she pleads with a drink in her hand.

Again we go to the past right after Mellie was raped. Fitz asks where she’s been and she makes up excuses but is noticeably disheveled.

In the present Fitz agrees to another attempt at the television interview. The reporter asks Mellie a tough question about poll numbers that show the country thinks she’s lost her mind (they think she went crazy when she went on TV several weeks ago and spoke about personal relationships). Fitz steps in and takes responsibility for his affair. He tells her later that he meant every word.

In a final flashback scene the morning after the rape, Mellie and Jerry are at breakfast alone. The latter apologizes and Mellie quickly accepts because she wants him to apologize to Fitz for yelling at him so her husband can “get back on track. Support him, support us,” she asks. Her trick works, and at a reception to toast his running for the California office Mellie tells Fitz in private that she’s pregnant. It looks like the father is Fitz’s father.

– Olivia is after the truth about Remington. At the start of the episode she gets a call but ignores it. At least, she tries to. She picks up after deliberating and hears Fitz on the other line. He’s worried about her. “You’re a stranger,” Olivia tells him, referring to the revelation that he is somewhat responsible for her mother’s death. The president asks her to stop seeing Jake because he’s got a price on his head for investigating Remington. He also asks her to stop digging.

Olivia decides to tell the team everything about Remington. “We have a new client,” Olivia says. Looking at the photo of the woman they’re representing, Quinn says it looks like Olivia. “It’s my mother,” Olivia confirms. She wants their help to figure out if Mama Pope was collateral damage or if it was done on purpose. The team is adamant about helping her, and early in their investigation they learn that the president’s father Jerry was the one who did the investigation into the plane crash. This is the first sign of a cover up. The news is brought back to Olivia, but she insists that they still need to figure out why the plane was shot down to begin with.

Continuing the investigation, Abby and Harrison are meeting with a gate agent and learn about a passenger named Omar who was taken off the plane. We eventually learn that the person named Omar was actually… Olivia’s mom, who at the end of the episode Rowan goes to visit in a holding cell.

– Quinn gets blackmailed. She’s at the gun range when Charlie shows up and tells her about a mission he’s on. Intrigued, she decides to go and watch him as he is also on a watch at a motel. When he spots her, he walks up and goes in for a kiss. “If you want to hang out tomorrow night, give me a call,” he tells her after. “Date” set!

Their night out is a job Charlie is on. He reluctantly agrees to let her help after she asks, but she quickly regrets this request. She goes in to inject a security guard with something to make him sleep, but it makes him foam blood out of his mouth. Charlie was seemingly not who she thought, because he’s actually working for B613 and has now recruited Quinn for the team whether she likes it or not.

The Veep is getting her ducks in a row: Sally meets with her husband and warns him not to cheat on her as she gears up to run for the high office as an Independent. You may remember that, during the last episode, hubby and Mellie were enjoying each other’s company during an intimate dinner.

What did you think of ‘Scandal’ season 3, episode 7?

Overall, it was a refreshing episode thanks to its major twists!

Check out a preview for next week’s episode 8 airing Thursday, November 21 at 10 p.m. eastern/pacific on ABC. In this first look we see glimpses of Olivia’s mother: