Remember Tanya Steele's suggestions in her Trouble With Scandal piece at the end of last season, that generated lots and lots, AND LOTS of impassioned comments in response? (read it HERE if you missed it); here are the 7 suggestions Tanya ended the article with:

1 – A support system for Olivia Pope outside of her office (a family member, sister, brother, old college roommate… someone that she can commune with beyond the office), open up her world. This will give us a sense of her inner life, what sustains her, what motivates her.

2 – Let Ms. Pope control the interactions with her lovers. Don't allow her to be a woman of straw that bends in whatever direction her lover needs.

3 – Invite us into her background (childhood, teenage years).

4 – Take her out of the U.S. (always wonderful to see a woman abroad, out of her element, but, in control).

5 – Squash the relationship with the president. It's done. It's not that interesting or believable. We will learn much more about her as she attempts relationships with other, less powerful, men.

6 – For me, please do something with the black male "gladiator in a suit" (what happened to that phrase, anyway?). His fast talking, few minutes of screen time has become an annoyance. I know the brother has range, so slow his talk down and give him an interesting storyline. We have experienced everyone's story but his.

7 – Be fearless. Let Olivia Pope run the show. Don't let the show run her.

Will Shonda Rhimes and crew consider any of them for season 2?

Well, let's see, based on what we know thus far, from the ads we've seen, as well as previews and hints dropped:

#1 – Maybe; recall that Norm Lewis was cast in a recurring role as Olivia Pope's ex-boyfriend. He's not family, but he is someone from her past who isn't part of her office/work circle. At least, I assume so.

#2 – Can't really comment on, based on available evidence.

#3 – See #2; although tonight's episode is supposed to be told with some flashback, as some histories are revealed, so we might learn a little more about where Olivia's roots lie.

#4 – See #2, although it doesn't seem likely.

#5 – It's probably one thing that we can say with some certainty isn't happening. That relationship looks like it's far from squashed from the previews we've seen.

#6 – See #2, as well as #3, as it applies to Columbus Short's character.

#7 – See #2 again.

So lots of uncertainty there, as you can see. But we'll all be tuning in to find out, I'm sure.

I suspect tonight's debut will score numbers higher than last season's premiere episode.

The theme for season 2 of Scandal is apparently "Dirty little secrets always come out" as the new poster below states.

What secrets? The first one, which will be addressed in the first episode of season 2 next week, is who Quinn Perkins is.

What else? Well, taking a look at the poster, it's clear that things between Olivia Pope and the President definitely aren't over.

As showrunner Shonda Rhimes states:

"I think it's a very fraught relationship… I feel like that couple, they clearly have this relationship that is very permanent, that's not going to go anywhere, and yet the obstacles that keep them apart are huge and fairly insurmountable. [His wife] Mellie [Bellamy Young] is pregnant and there's a lot going on."

Also, Guillermo Diaz, who plays Huck, has said that his ex-CIA killer's past will also be further explored in flashbacks… to reveal Huck's past that will "just blow people's minds."

There's also the First Lady and her own motivations. Bellamy Young who plays First Lady Mellie has said that 

"Mellie wants to be president down the road, she wants eight years with Fitz, four years off then she wants to run, no joke… She's smart enough, she knows what it all entails, she definitely has a point of view and she wants to be in charge. She's not good at interpersonal relations, but she's great at the game… It's fine if he loves Olivia but Mellie just wants to be president, that's the bottom line."

Young also says that the season premiere will contain a "huge reveal" for her character. Hmmm…

And now that we know Cyrus is the mastermind behind Amanda Tanner's death, looking ahead to next season, will others eventually learn the truth, and will whomever does, play a significant role in season 2?

Rhimes had this to say in response:

The answer to both of those questions is yes. There's a level of power that Cyrus is playing with at this moment that allows him to distance himself from the actual acts of doing certain things, and possibly gives him a little bit of leeway in his mind. He really does think that he is doing what's best for the country. I absolutely believe Cyrus has a line that he won't cross. Cyrus is a patriot who really loves his country and really believes in the presidency. In a weird way, that's his flaw. His patriotism has taken him to some dark places.

Season 2 of Shonda Rhimes' Scandal, starring Kerry Washington, returns TONIGHT, September 27, on ABC, with a few cast additions/changes, like Norm Lewis signing up for a recurring role as Olivia Pope's ex-boyfriend, Elise Neal will play an attorney with secrets, Joshua Malina has been promoted to series regular, and Henry Ian Cusick not returning to the hit ABC drama for Season 2.

And as we did last season, we'll pick up with our Scandal talkback sessions, starting tomorrow morning.

Check out the poster below: