The effects of Olivia Pope (Kerry Washington) and President Fitz's (Tony Goldwyn) relationship will be felt in the next episode of "Scandal" season 5.
Based on the sneak peek for the episode titled "You Got Served," Olivia's admission that she and the US president are having an affair will take a toll on both their personal and professional lives.
In one of the clips released by ABC, Fitz is facing impeachment, and his wife Mellie (Bellamy Young) will be getting the support of other female senators to make sure that her philandering husband will be kicked out of the White House.
Fitz meets with Attorney General David Rosen (Joshua Malina), White House Press Secretary Abby Whelan (Darby Stanchfield), and Chief-of-Staff Elizabeth North (Portia de Rossi) to discuss their next steps in dealing with the impeachment complaint.
The US president believes that he did not commit any impeachable offense, but his staff believes that he needs a lot of explaining to do in order to remain in the Oval Office.
"This isn't a normal trial, Mr. President. It's a political trial. Congress is prosecutor and judge and jury. They decide what an impeachable offense is and they decide if you've committed one. If you survive these hearings you're still president. If you don't, you're not," Rosen reminds the obviously distraught Fitz.
Rosen also reminds the president to stop reaching out to Olivia since it will do more harm than good. According to Rosen, the president might also be charged with obstruction of justice, witness tampering, and perjury, which can be grounds for a prison sentence.
Olivia also seems to have a different plan to deal with her current predicament, based on the promo trailer for the episode. She also seems to ask for advice from her former lover Jake (Scott Foley), who said, "If you do this, you will be tied to the White House for the rest of your life."
Will Olivia stand by her decision to continue with the affair, or will she step out of it as soon as possible?
"Scandal" season 5 episode 5 airs on Thursday, Oct. 22, on ABC.
