Mellie, the first lady of "Scandal," has done everything possible to see that her husband becomes the President of America. Fitz's father had raped her and she has kept quiet about that, too. She is very much aware about Fitz and Olivia's relationship and has accepted it like a bitter pill. Mellie refuses to leave Fitz's side despite knowing that Fitz does not love her. The love-less life of the first lady is going to light-up in the upcoming episodes of "Scandal" Season 3.

As reported earlier, Jon Tenney has been roped-in to portray Mellie's potential love interest. The introduction of Tenney's character is likely to flare-up the conflict between Fitz and Mellie. Bellamy Young had said to TV Guide that this love interest "will throw a wrench in the works in the very best of ways."

The new character will not just rattle Fitz, but is likely to make love to his wife. Columbus Short revealed to E! Online that the first four episodes "are literally, you're going to need respirators. It's crazy. Short's co-star, Darby Stanchfield, added that the first lady has "some really good, steamy stuff coming up."

The actress also indicated that in the new episodes of "Scandal" Season 3, viewers will get to see more of Short, who plays Harrison. "We finally get to see a lot more rollout for him, which is great.

As reported earlier, the focus of the upcoming episodes will centre on Presidential election campaign. Fitz's re-election will be a major issue in the new episodes. The remaining eight episodes might also deal with Mom Pop, Jake as the new command, Rowan's next move and Sally's murder of her husband. Also, Olivia and Fitz's relationship will continue to grow, as they entwined in odd ways.

"Scandal" Season 3 returns on February 27, 2014, with episode 11. This season consists of 18 episodes. The episode 11 is called "Ride Sally Ride."