Scandal: Joe Morton Talks Rowan's 'Powerful' New Enemy, Advises Fans to 'Strap In' for Thursday's Killer Reveal

Scandal has served up plenty of tasty twists during the past six seasons, but Thursday’s (ABC, 9/8c) promises to be a real doozy: the reveal of Frankie Vargas’ killer.

RELATEDScandal‘s Scott Foley on Jake’s Explosive Reveal, Rowan’s New Enemy

“Whenever these moments come in Scandal, I think you should just strap in, get a nice bottle of wine and get ready for whatever’s going to happen,” Joe Morton (aka Papa Pope) tells TVLine.

While Morton remains tight-lipped about Rowan’s potential involvement in the president-elect’s assassination, he will admit to having a hell of a time playing the show’s alpha baddie.

“It’s great getting to play a villain because all things are possible, especially with a character like this, who will go to any lengths to achieve what needs to be achieved,” he explains, though he shrugs off the “scariest guy on TV” moniker I attempt to give him. “There are a bunch of us, apparently. There’s the guy who wears the black hat, then there’s the guy on House of Cards.”

RELATEDGrey’s Anatomy, Scandal and HTGAWM Renewed for 2017-18 Season

And last week’s episode gave us one more potential addition to that list: the mysterious red-dressed woman who managed to put Rowan in his place, while make it seem like he was inconveniencing her.

“I’m not quite sure where that’s going,” Morton says, “but it’s always interesting when you see someone very powerful … having to go through the slings and arrows, the ups and downs of being powerful. It’s an interesting journey to follow. For someone like Rowan, I’ll be interested to see if in fact he’s beholden to someone else. Is it just this woman, or is there a much larger organization that might be out there in the world?”

Either way, he’s just happy that Rowan is still standing: “On many other shows, I think I would have been killed off by now,” Morton admits. “But because he’s Olivia’s dad, I’d like to think he holds a special place in the fabric of Scandal.”

Who do you think killed Frankie? Drop your theories in a comment below.

Launch Gallery: <i>Scandal</i> Season 6 Photos

Related stories

Dancing With the Stars: Who Will Win Season 24? We've Set the Odds!

Scandal Recap: Who Killed Frankie?

Grey's Anatomy's Sarah Drew Talks [Spoiler] as Jackson's Father and That Big, Non-'Super-Romanticized' Twist

Get more from TVLine: Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Newsletter