Series producer Shonda Rhimes teased on Twitter Thursday afternoon that the “scandal really gets going” on Scandal season 4, episode 4, and indeed she was right.

The episode begins with Jake heading toward a car – ’til realizing it’s bugged – then walks away from it and triggers it to explode. Damn, Rowan isn’t messing around! Jake makes it back to Olivia’s a little late (“car trouble”) and can’t focus on dinner because of her father’s latest attempt at murdering him.

She can’t keep dinner on her mind for long either – she has to peel out of there to save the President’s daughter Karen from a party where she’s very, very sick. OP&A jumps into action – Huck disables all cell phones at the party, then Quinn and Olivia escort her outside, where a helicopter is waiting thanks to Cyrus.

All of Olivia’s efforts are for nothing, however. Someone at the party recorded the dirtiest sex tape Olivia has “EVER seen” – and it involves Karen (“All right boys, let’s go to Paris,” we hear Karen say in the video. And at that ladies and gentlemen, we have Scandal’s first Eiffel Tower).

In the Oval Office, Fitz learns of everything Karen did. Fitz asks Cyrus to find out how she purposely lost her secret service detail. He heads out of the room, and for the first time Olivia and Fitz are alone. There’s no time for much romance though – he asks her to find the kid who recorded the video (good thing they didn’t have a moment here – it’s too soon after what Karen did).

The next day, Quinn and Huck run into Abby, who wants to know why they’re at the White House. They won’t answer and it pisses her off because Olivia continues to undermine her.

Karen begins working with Olivia, Huck, and Quinn in the White House to figure out which two guys recorded the video. They spend hours working on the case and eliminating guys one by one. Karen eventually figures out one of them.

Speaking in private within the Oval Office, tears start to fill Fitz’s eyes when he asks where she’s been. “You just took off two months all alone?” he asks. She says she just needed to be alone, but doesn’t mention Jake’s presence with her. Olivia thinks her mother ruined them, seemingly forgetting all their other troubles.

Olivia bumps into Mellie, who’s shocked to see Ms. Pope back in her home. She won’t explain why she’s there, so Mellie goes to Fitz, who explains everything, but the First Lady is upset that Olivia is being treated like the mother figure in the White House. “Since Jerry died … you have mothered no one,” Fitz reminds her. After yelling more and revealing that Karen appeared in a sex tape, all Mellie has to say is, “A sex tape? She takes after her daddy, doesn’t she?” before walking out of the room. Oh snap!

Quinn goes to the burger joint where Bobby – one of the guys in the sex tape – works. She threatens to ruin his life if he doesn’t answer her questions, so he reveals that a person named Donald was the second person in the video.

Olivia brings Donald’s parents in, who reveal they want $2.5 million for the sex tape.

Fitz, of course, can’t believe they’re blackmailing the President. There are also other concerns on his mind: He’s disappointed he hasn’t been a better father, and needs reassuring that he’s not failing as a man. So he grabs Olivia and they start getting passionate with one another – until Olivia realizes she’s got dinner with Jake tonight. “I didn’t go away alone,” she tells Fitz. He backs away as he realizes who she went with, and he agrees to pay the blackmail money.

Olivia brings the money to the parents, but they suddenly try to squeeze another $500,000 out of the President. When they do, Olivia decides to turn the tables and promises to make up a story about them to ruin their lives. “These are non disparage agreements. Sign them, quickly, so I never have to see you again,” she tells them after we all know Olivia just threw them into a corner.

Things appear to get better for the First Family after Mellie forgives Karen for her mistake, but then Fitz learns that it may’ve been Tom who was responsible for Jerry Jr.’s death.

Tom calls Jake in a panic, and they agree to blame this on Rowan. Sorry guys, it’s too late!

Jake tries to approach Fitz to talk out the situation, but the President is already heading out of the office. As Tom starts to get interviewed, Rowan steps in to do the questioning as the President watches from another room. Tom tries to get the President to come into the room but Fitz acts like he’s not there. Rowan continues to drill him with questions.

After several tense minutes, Rowan pegs him for killing Jerry, then forces Tom to confess that Jake gave him the order to kill the President’s son.

“Sir?” Cyrus asks the President. “Do it,” he replies. Next we see Jake being escorted in for questioning.

Even though Jake tried to get Tom on his side earlier in the episode, his efforts weren’t enough to save him from being framed. Needless to say, we’re going to be feeling nervous all week as we wait to see what’s in store for Jake. Fitz will surely be eager to prosecute this guy, especially after learning Olivia is loyal to Jake. But can Olivia step in to save the day?

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

Scandal season 4, episode 5 airs Thursday, October 23 at 9 p.m. eastern/pacific on ABC.