Praise, Olivia Pope! Season 4 of “Scandal” has been jam-packed with drama -- from Olivia’s (Kerry Washington) kidnapping to Stephen Finch’s (Henry Ian Cusick) surprise reunion. However, the ABC drama is not done shocking viewers. Before the end of the season, fans can look forward to the return of two favorite characters: James Novak (Dan Bucatinsky) and Sally Langston (Kate Burton).

Both James and Sally have been missing in action for quite some time, but for very different reasons. On the orders of B613, Jake Ballard (Scott Foley) shot and killed James, Cyrus’ (Jeff Perry) husband, as part of a cover-up after he began looking into the death of Sally’s husband, Daniel Douglas Langston (Jack Coleman). Of course, James’ death was made to look like a carjacking gone wrong.

Meanwhile, Sally hasn’t been seen on-screen since Season 3 when she resigned as vice president and decided to run against Fitz (Tony Goldwyn) as an independent. Fans also can’t forget she was the one responsible for her husband’s death -- and the guilt over it apparently got to her.

So, how will these two characters return to “Scandal”? Unfortunately, James is not rising from the dead. According to E Online, he’ll be featured in a flashback episode that focuses on Cyrus. While no other details have been released, our theory is that the flashback will be related to Cyrus’ twisted new relationship with Michael (Matthew Del Negro). Cyrus and Michael, a prostitute, were forced to get engaged after their secret relationship was exposed. While the pair had a mutual attraction, their relationship had one small problem: Michael was hired by Elizabeth North (Portia de Rossi) to dig up dirt on the president.

Early in the season, Cyrus was very vocal about not wanting to disrespect his marriage to James by marrying Michael. But to save face and his job, Cyrus followed Olivia’s orders and “fixed” the situation by going public with their “love.” Could a wedding now be on the way?

Meanwhile, Sally might become a force again now that Vice President Andrew Nichols (Jon Tenney) is no longer a player in politics. Fans will remember that he suffered a stroke, thanks to Huck (Guillermo Diaz). Sally might try to regain her power seat -- or maybe she just needs Olivia’s help to “fix” something.

“Scandal” Season 4 is shown on ABC Thursdays at 9 p.m. EDT.

What do you think about the return of James and Sally to “Scandal”? Tweet your thoughts to @AmandaTVScoop.

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