Did Scandal's Jake Kill Frankie Vargas on Election Night?

When Scandal season 6 wrapped up the murder of Frankie Vargas with a neat little bow in only three episodes, we knew something was up. Last night’s episode proved our theory correct, as Jake Ballard (Scott Foley) and his murderous tendencies were unexpectedly thrown into the mix.

By the midpoint of "They All Bow Down," all of Twitter couldn’t stop asking whether the handsome B613 agent-turned-vice presidential candidate was actually the assassin who killed President-Elect Frankie. The installment gave viewers some contradictory hints in either direction, and everything circles back to the "murder" of Jennifer Fields (Chelsea Kurtz).

In a flashback we learn the NSA chief was pulled back into the clutches of Papa Pope (Joe Morton) following Mellie Grant’s election loss. The B613 commander ordered Jake to murder Team Vargas employee Jennifer Fields and then blow up her cabin.

This twist definitely makes Jake a suspect in Frankie’s murder, since he has the sniper skills to pull off the assassination and is back to his black-ops ways. But, his unexpected reaction to the Jennifer kill order makes it doubtful he actually pulled the trigger on Frankie.

Jake didn’t kill his target, although he did blow her cabin to smithereens. Instead, the spy hid the young woman in the creepiest cabin the woods ever, where she’s been staying for weeks.

If Jake was able to ignore Command and save Jennifer’s life, it’s unlikely he committed the highest form of treason. While Olivia Pope’s ex is probably off the hook, the episode did give us a look into who did complete Scandal’s first major assassination.

Papa Pope is visited by a mysterious and very angry woman (Cyrus Beene's real-life daughter Zoe Perry) who reveals her shadowy and previously unknown organization is behind the political murder. The only things we know about the cabal is they want Mellie Grant to be president, have authority over B613 (which has authority over the federal government), and are willing to kill Olivia to get what they want.

The trailer for next week’s Scandal episode, "Extinction," promises to reveal who’s the true killer in Liv’s mits is. In the video, the Pope & Associates queen asks someone, "Was it you?" We’ll start getting the red wine ready now for the inevitable OMG-worthy response.