Scandal season 4, episode 16 found Lena Dunham guest-starring opposite Kerry Washington on the hit ABC drama.

Tonight’s episode certainly had its dark moments, but by all accounts it was one of the show’s more entertaining episodes thanks to Dunham’s role and that surprise death.

Kinky Sue

The episode cold opened with Abby yelling at Leo because his sexual escapades have been chronicled in a new tell-all by Susan Thomas (Dunham). Abby goes to Olivia for help and knows the book is legit because the “Dust Buster” name referenced in the book belongs to him. (What could that even mean? Urban Dictionary says it has to do with cocaine, but does Leo hit the hard stuff?)

Olivia decides to take up the case because she doesn’t want Abby to be thrown under the bus by the press. Ms. Pope goes straight to Susan (Dunham), whose acting at first feels comparable to her Scandal skit on a recent Saturday Night Live. Olivia spooks Susan out of publishing it and considers the situation handled.

…But it’s actually not handled. Susan shows up at Olivia Pope & Associates a few minutes later and demands $3 million from whoever doesn’t want the book published. Susan then yells at Olivia for asking the author to back down from free speech just so she can avoid being labeled a whore. “You’re weak,” Susan tells Olivia while telling her that she had once looked up to her. “You and Ruth Bader Ginsberg — that’s all we’ve got!”

Unwilling to step down despite Susan’s good speech on women’s rights, Olivia decides OP&A should ask the 17 men (code named in the book with colorful titles like Agent Orange, Sit and Spin, Slapjack, Butterfinger, Motorhead, Rawhide, Joystick, Thruster, The Gulch, Rough Rider, Spanky, and The Doctor — Who is David Rosen) to all chip in so they can pay Susan off.

The kinky men arrive at OP&A and are told they all have to each contribute $175,000. Naturally they’re livid, and David orders none of them to participate because Susan is extorting them. “I’m warning you as Attorney General of the United States, do not do this!”

Short on options, OP&A decides to learn more about Sue so they can come up with a new solution. That evening, inspired by Susan’s book, Olivia decides to hit up the bars in search of a man. The experience backfires when she goes to the bathroom to freshen up for a man she meets but has flashbacks to her captivity.

The next day, their research into Sue pays off. Olivia tells Susan that this book exists because she’s angry at her old boss, who sexually abused her. To make matters worse, when she reported the abuse, she was fired from her job.

Then, in an about face because of these recent revelations, Olivia starts handling Susan. She helps the author go to court over her horrible boss and vows to make sure he gets fired from his job. It was great to see Olivia helping her after all — this is the girl power Susan wanted from Olivia!

Shortly thereafter, Cyrus and Olivia meet in the park, where the Chief of Staff has $3 million to pay off Susan and save Abby. Olivia refuses the cash as well as another offer to work in the White House. Cyrus is a little upset because he wanted the manuscript — the dirt would’ve come in handy. Olivia is disgusted by D.C.

Huck and Quinn stop by Susan’s to drop off the lawsuit paperwork and discover “Double Stuff” is threatening her with a knife. They scare him away, but Huck grabs the knife and slices Susan in the throat so he and David Rosen no longer have to worry about her ruining their B613 case. Were we the only ones laughing hard during this scene? It’s hilarious that Scandal killed Lena Dunham.

Interestingly, when Quinn returns to OP&A, she refuses to tell Olivia who killed Susan.

Meanwhile, Abby and Leo decide to pay tribute to Sue by having some kinky sex. “Get the butter,” Abby orders. And they’re not the only ones having fun that night — Olivia decides to have some sex with the man she met earlier in the episode at the bar.

Elsewhere…

– Mellie announces she’s running for Senator of Virginia and wants Leo to be her campaign manager, but Abby pushes that idea away in light of the recent allegations made by Susan. Later, Lizzie asks that she become Mellie’s campaign manager, and the First Lady accepts!

– The other ends of Olivia’s love triangle — Fitz and Jake — are meeting in the White House regularly so the president can receive updates on the condition of their favorite woman. Jake is keeping from him that she’s getting into bed with a new, six-packed man.

What did you think of ‘Scandal’ season 4, episode 16?

And what did you think of Dunham’s role? Though we were unsure what her presence would be like, we ended up enjoying her part on Scandal.

Check out a preview of next week’s episode in which Cyrus may end up getting hitched: