The episode saw the departure of Columbus Short's character Harrison Wright, who was killed by Tom Larsen at the orders of Rowan Pope.

[8][9] Two months after president Grant's reelection, Olivia (Kerry Washington) has relocated to an island off the coast of Zanzibar and is living in secrecy with Jake Ballard (Scott Foley) under the name Julia Baker.

A mysterious letter arrives with a wine shipment containing only a news clipping on the murder of Harrison Wright (Columbus Short).

Upon her arrival, she learns that Olivia Pope & Associates is empty except for Quinn (Katie Lowes), who reveals herself as the sender of the letter.

Huck (Guillermo Diaz), taking the name Randy, is working as a counter clerk at an electronics store and refuses to talk to Quinn or Olivia.

She talks to Cyrus Beene (Jeff Perry) about how the Republican Party is getting impatient with Fitz's policies and "across the aisle" antics, in addition to a nomination of a Democratic Attorney General.

She also complains about raising money for campaigns, and how Mellie's (Bellamy Young) erratic behavior and depression since the death of her son has affected public perception.

Olivia, realizing that Senator Sterling isn't dead, calls an ambulance and contacts a lawyer to take the case.

[11] The episode featured the songs "Sunny" by Bobby Hebb, "Bridge over Troubled Water" by Simon & Garfunkel and "Window".

[12] The episode deals with each of the character's grieving the loss of Harrison as well as Olivia Pope's return to Washington, D.C., and how people have changed since her departure.

Portia de Rossi, was cast in a multiple-episode "top secret arc" starting with the premiere,[7] in which she played the head of the RNC, Elizabeth North.

On July 30, 2014, Kelen Coleman was reported to appear in the season four premiere, playing Kate Warner, the assistant of Senator Stephanie Vaughn.

Club mentioned how the storyline about B613 and Maya Pope plots had drained Scandal's resources, and that the premiere made a good job to focus on the core characters of the show.

Concluding on his review, he said " "Randy" demonstrated that Scandal, as much as its central character, is wise enough to know when its taken its loyal following over a cliff, and when its time to pull it all back together.