'Scandal' season 5 news, spoilers: Mellie's morals to be tested, reveals Bellamy Young

"Scandal" aired its much-anticipated midseason premiere on Thursday, Feb. 11, and in it, fans of Olivia Pope (Kerry Washington) found the former First Girlfriend hooking up with former flame Jake Ballard (Scott Foley) who, surprisingly, now holds a top job at the NSA.

In the absence of both Olivia and former First Lady Mellie (Bellamy Young), U.S. president Fitz (Tony Goldwyn) is depending more and more on White House Press Liaison Abby (Darby Stanchfield). Meanwhile, Mellie, who is campaigning to be the next president, is getting help from Olivia, with whom she has a complicated history.

While there has been a lot of talk about the fallout from Olivia's abortion and subsequent exit from the White House in the ABC drama's 2015 midseason finale, as well as the rekindling of her romance with Jake and Fitz's ticking "time bomb," not much has been said about Mellie, who is shaping up to be a major player in season 5 following her filibuster victory last year.

With her previous involvements in election fraud, could Mellie somehow manage to run a clean campaign now that she is the one in the presidential race?

"I definitely think her idealism is intact, because, in some ways, it's her first job," Young told Entertainment Weekly. "She still is naïve in some regard, still believes that just by sheer willpower, hope, and determination you can make things happen. But I would imagine that as we face this whole spring season, her morals will be tested repeatedly. That seems inevitable."

Could it be the fear of having the skeletons in her closet revealed that propels Mellie to play dirty?

"She's definitely afraid of her history," the actress revealed. "Mellie thought she had worries ... but to step into a presidential campaign is just to get those tiny stars thrown at you from every side 24/7."

"Scandal" airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. on ABC.