Some Scandal news that should excite fans of the break-out ABC drama series from Shonda Rhimes, starring Kerry Washington.

The Hollywood Reporter recently caught up with Rhimes and Washington, as well as Tony Goldwyn (Fitz), Bellamy Young (Mellie), Darby Stanchfield (Abby), Katie Lowes (Quinn) and Scott Foley (Jake) to preview what’s to come when the drama returns in the fall, for a 3rd season.

THR highlights 14 things they learned from that conversation, that fans should look forward to next season:

1. Rhimes notes that 22 minutes will have passed since the end of season two when viewers learned that Rowan, the head of B613, was Olivia’s father. As the family drama unfolds, the showrunner notes that Morton will most definitely return. As for who finds out about their relationship, that’s another story. “The ramifications of that dad moment? It’s huge,” Lowes teases.

2. “Olivia, with these two bombs of her name being leaked and her dad showing up, has a lot to navigate,” Washington says of Olivia’s incredibly complicated personal life right now. “You’re going to learn a lot about Olivia’s past; it’s really shocking.”

3. While Olivia ended things (again) with Fitz in the season-two finale, the former couple will look to navigate their new and very public “relationship” now that they’ve been outed in the season-three opener. “That is going to pose an interesting challenge for them that we’re going to see them try to deal with in the first episode back,” Rhimes says.

4. Who outed Olivia as Fitz’s mistress? Look for that answer to come in the Oct. 3 premiere. That reveal will serve as a springboard for the first half of the season in the same fashion that Quinn Perkins’ true identity did in the sophomore season starter. All eyes naturally are going to be on Mellie, who stands to gain the most from exposing Olivia as Fitz’s mistress. That typically would mean that Rhimes will likely go anywhere but the obvious. “Mellie is in a really tight spot,” Goldwyn says of the first lady. “Mellie is a tough lady, and one of the cool things about this group of people is they all want to win, and even when we think they’ve lost we discover they have some agenda. Even when Fitz thinks he’s been defeated, he’s got another move, and Mellie is very much the same way.” For her part, Young defended Mellie and noted that there are several people who could stand to gain from that information going public. “You’d be surprised by how many people have motive and opportunity and means,” she explains. “It’s an incredible hour of television of going on the ride to find out who leaked it, and you will find out in the first episode back. It’s the big giant domino and sets the whole season in motion.

For the other 10 items on the list of 14 things to look forward to next season, go to THR’s website HERE, and get even more excited about what’s to come, Gladiators!