ABC's "Scandal" season 6 opened with a bang last week, and, as expected, showrunner Shonda Rhimes shocked viewers with the show's twist. President-elect Francisco Vargas (Ricardo Chavira) was shot dead on the night he won his candidacy, leaving the presidential seat vacant. Olivia Pope's (Kerry Washington) prime suspect is no other than Vargas' runningmate, Cyrus Beene (Jeff Perry), and she has vowed to make him pay for it.

"Given the mood of the country these days, we moved on to something more optimistic," Rhimes told TV Insider. "I wanted to make sure we told a story that felt good."

In the recently released promo for episode 2 of the current season, titled "Hardball," Mellie (Bellamy Young) and Abby Whelan (Darby Stanchfield) start to believe Olivia's theory that Cyrus had something to do with the death of Gov. Vargas. Unfortunately, President Fitzgerald Grant (Tony Goldwyn) will not be easily convinced. Before the premiere episode concluded last Thursday, he already decided to endorse Cyrus as the new President of the United States. Fitz chose Cyrus over Mellie despite of her resolve that she wants to be chosen as the next President.

Also shown in the episode 2 promo is a very angry Olivia telling Abby that Cyrus will go to prison for what he did. Obviously, Olivia is bent on finding the necessary evidence in order to pin Cyrus for Gov. Vargas' death. Ultimately, Olivia wants Mellie to sit in the Oval Office.

What happens then to Fitz when the new President takes over? In the same TV Insider interview, Rhimes gave hints as to what will happen to Fitz, saying, "Everyone will miss him when he leaves office, but he's still evolving as a human being." She also added, "The man never really wanted to be president. Who will he be without these women, this job, this power? 'Scandal' has a lot of ground to cover between Election Night and Inauguration Day."

"Scandal" season 6 episode 2 will air on Thursday, Feb. 2, at 9 p.m. EDT on ABC.