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Scandal Postmortem: Shonda Rhimes Answers Burning Questions!

[Warning: This story contains major spoilers from Thursday's episode of Scandal. Read at your own risk!] President Fitzgerald Grant is less than a day out of his coma and he drops the dreaded "D" word! That's right, Scandal's Commander in Chief (Tony Goldwyn) wants to do the unthinkable while in office: divorce his wife Mellie (Bellamy Young). Does Fitz's new lease on life mean he hopes to get back together with Olivia (Kerry Washington)? And seriously, can Scandal actually pull off a presidential divorce? TVGuide.com hit the set of Scandal during ABC's winter press tour to get the scoop!

Natalie Abrams
Natalie Abrams

[Warning: This story contains major spoilers from Thursday's episode of Scandal. Read at your own risk!]

President Fitzgerald Grant is less than a day out of his coma and he drops the dreaded "D" word!

That's right, Scandal's Commander in Chief (Tony Goldwyn) wants to do the unthinkable while in office: divorce his wife Mellie (Bellamy Young). Does Fitz's new lease on life mean he hopes to get back together with Olivia (Kerry Washington)? And seriously, can Scandal actually pull off a presidential divorce? TVGuide.com hit the set of Scandal during ABC's winter press tour to get the scoop!

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Can the President actually get a divorce?
Telling Mellie he wants a divorce was not a fleeting comment. "We will see him make an effort to see if divorce is possible," executive producer Shonda Rhimes told reporters. Still, not everyone will believe him. "Some people will assume this is part of the accident and some people will think that it is very, very real. I think he's done pretending. For a very long time, he's been a man who has wanted to be done pretending and hasn't had the opportunity to walk away from this life that he feels caged into. He's a man who has everything and hates having everything. He tried to do it once last season, but now he feels that this is really his chance."

What will Fitz's relationship with Olivia look like now?
"It's going to be complex," Rhimes says. "Him saying, 'I want a divorce,' to his wife... puts him in a hopeful, excited place where he thinks that anything is possible. Whether or not he continues to believe that anything is possible remains to be seen."

Will Hollis' (Gregg Henry) role in the attempted assassination of Fitz be uncovered?
Rhimes says they're "going to unravel what was behind the assassination attempt "soon." And if you're still curious as to how Hollis fits into Fitz's life, Rhimes says, "Hollis and Verna [Debra Mooney] were part of Fitz's father's world and that's where they came from in the first place. Hollis is the money guy, the first big donor. In our writers' room world, he's one of the Koch Brothers. For us, that's how that started."

By stealing the election, Olivia crossed a major line. Can she be redeemed?
"I think Olivia has always been an anti-hero," Rhimes says. "It is a very dark journey. I don't think that Olivia Pope is a good person doing good things. We talk a lot about the fact that she says, 'The white hat is starting to feel like it doesn't fit my head anymore.' I think that's very true."

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When will America's baby be born?
"America's baby is coming sooner than you think," Rhimes says of Mellie and Fitz's bundle of joy and adds that the birth will certainly have an impact on Fitz's decision to get a divorce. "It will have an interesting effect, an effect that maybe is not what you'd anticipate."

Is James (Dan Bucatinsky) done investigating the rigged election?
James would give up his quest if he and husband Cyrus (Jeff Perry) got their baby, but that hasn't happened yet. Baby Beene/Novak fell by the wayside when Fitz got shot, remember? "There's really interesting stuff coming with James and Cyrus," Rhimes says. "One of my favorite scenes I've ever written in my entire life is coming up with James and Cyrus. It's a big one and it's about all of that. A lot is revealed."

Do you hope Fitz and Olivia will get back together?

Scandal airs Thursdays at 10/9c on ABC.