'Scandal' Needs Jake — You Hear Me, Shonda?

If you love insane plot twists but also love the beautiful hunk of man that is Scott Foley, last Thursday's episode of Scandal probably left you feeling a little conflicted, like I did. After the legal battle surrounding B613 seemed to have come to a head when Jake admitted to David Rosen that Fitz was, in fact, responsible for shooting down the civilian plane in the whole Remington debacle, I had a feeling that, in that moment, he officially had a target on his back. And I was right. The end of the episode saw Jake being stabbed repeatedly — by Olivia's new beau, of course — and it didn't look good. Obviously, there are a lot of questions here, but none more important than this one: Is Jake really dead?

Being that any fan of Scandal is well versed in the way things seem to work in Shondaland, it wouldn't be crazy to assume that Jake's officially a goner. I know, I know — I'm just as heartbroken about it as you are. Jake is my favorite character on the show, and not just because I like looking at Scott Foley every week. The good news? All evidence seems to point to Jake still being alive in the upcoming episodes.

He's In The ABC Promo Photos For The Next Episode

Of course, when ABC realized they uploaded photos that basically revealed a major spoiler, they deleted them, but plenty of fans caught them because nothing on the internet can ever truly be deleted. In the pictures, Jake's not doing well, but he's not dead, which is the best I can hope for at this point after seeing how bloody his tussle with Russell left him. And as you can see, Olivia's caring for him, which is so precious.

IMDB Has Him Listed For New Episodes, Too

It's worth it to consider the fact that he appears in these episodes in flashbacks or dream sequences, but still. It's something, right?

Scott Foley Has Been On Set Recently

Less than two weeks ago — long after his stabbing would've been filmed — Foley was tweeting photos from the set. These are all good things, right? Jake just has to be alive. He has to be!

It might be pointless, but I'm going to stay optimistic about this one. After all, Shonda Rhimes already killed Foley off once in Grey's Anatomy. Is she really capable of doing that to him again?

Wait. What am I saying? Of course she is.

Images: Nicole Wilder/ABC; Giphy