In a recent episode of 'Scandal' Season 4, one of the characters in the series has meet an untimely end.

In Episode 6, entitled "Innocent Man", Randolph Cooper, the show's analogue to Ronald Reagan, died. During his presidency, Cooper had survived an assassination attempt which left a bullet in his brain and his would-be killer in prison.

The alleged assassin, Leonard Carnahan, contacted Olivia Pope, claiming he's innocent. Meanwhile, the current President is being compared to Cooper, who has been lionized as the ideal modern Republican - which is a problem as he's decided to distance himself from Republican issues during his second term.

Meanwhile, Cyrus Beene is having an affair with Michael the sex worker/spy. Cyrus, who had been known for his ruthlessness, seems to be letting certain urges get the better of him. He's starting to make mistakes - like leaving his Blackberry out where Michael can go through it.

Back at Pope and Associates, Quinn and Huck are working on last week's cliffhanger: What does the key found in a dead teenager's guts open?

The answer turns out to be a locker full of pictures of Olivia Pope.

The episode also introduces Bitsy Cooper, the widow of the late Randolph Cooper. She visits the White House and talks to Mellie, claiming she was the power behind the throne during Cooper's presidency.

She also claims her husband had had undiagnosed ADD (just as Reagan had had undiagnosed Alzheimer's) the two women bond over wine and having ... sexually aggressive husbands. Bitsy found her husband's indiscretions useful, saying "After a while I was grateful. It gave me time to actually run the country."