Scandal, the hit ABC drama, returns on Thursday with a brand new episode for the first time in a month.

The newest clip for season 2 episode 16, titled Top Of The Hour, features a guest appearance by Lisa Edelstein. Scandal's lead star Olivia Pope (Kerry Washington) faces challenges with her new client, CEO Sarah Stanner (Eelstein) after the businesswoman had an affair with an associate of President Grant who is a nominee for the Supreme Court.

In a preview clip, shown below, Olivia and her team arrived at her client's home and told her that because of the scandal she is involved in, she needs to "lock all (her) windows, close (her) blinds" so her team can begin to cleanup evidence of the messy affair.

"You put out the trash today?...it needs to come in," Olivia's teammate Harrison told Sarah.

"I don't know what you're use to dealing with Miss Pope but we're just normal people," Sarah's husband told Olivia, to which she explained the following:

"The press is accusing your wife of having an affair with one of the most polarizing political figures in the news right now. So normal?...is over. Normal ended hours ago.

"Sarah, they're going to dig up anything and everything about you they can get their hands on -- your trash, your voicemail, your bank statements, your prescription history -- it's all fair game."

The other story lines in the episode include a conclusion to the disagreement between Olivia's colleagues Harrison and Abby. Their friendship became troubled during an episode when the team helped save their friend Davd Rosen, who was blamed for a murder he did not commit. Also, Jake is trying to pursue a romantic relationship with Olivia.

Scandal airs Thursdays at 10 p.m. EST on ABC.

Watch the preview clip for Scandal's new episode, Top Of The Hour.

Tags
Scandal, ABC, Kerry Washington