RIP James!

ABC's Scandal said goodbye to one of its key players Thursday.

The episode picked up immediately after last week's cliffhanger and, before the opening credits rolled, revealed if either David (Josh Malina) or James (Dan Bucatinsky) had met their maker at the hands of B613 Command Jake (Scott Foley).

After narrowly escaping a hit from Cyrus (Jeff Perry) in the past and later turning on his chief of staff husband, it was White House press secretary James whose luck finally had run out as Emmy winner Bucatinsky's recurring character was shockingly killed off.

Doing his part to guard the Republic and ensure that Cyrus, Mellie (Bellamy Young) and Sally (Kate Burton) didn't go down for the vice president's slaying of her husband, Jake sets up James' murder to look as if he were the victim of a carjacking gone awry, but burying victims Vanessa and Shelby.

Olivia (Kerry Washington) teams with David, whom Jake insists frame the guy he provided to take the fall for James' death. It's all part of Olivia and David's long play to bring down B613, but it comes at a price: letting an innocent man go to jail for James' slaying.

Meanwhile, Fitz (Tony Goldwyn) follows Cyrus' lead, flipping and backing gun control in a political move that earns him an immediate uptick in approval rating and gives Sally the gun vote. (Of course, this comes after Mellie and Jon Tenney's Andrew lobbied the gun advocates and turned their political visit into a sexual romp!)