The last episode of "Scandal" Season 4 ended on a shocking note. Jake went to President Fitz to tell him that it is Rowan who ordered Jerry's murder, not Mom Pope. And, Tom executed that order. But at the end of the episode, he got arrested for that murder. It is Rowan who made Tom point the finger at Jake. He earlier ordered Tom to kill Jake in a car blast. Jake, however, escaped, without a scratch.

Jake tried to make a deal with Tom. He told him that Rowan would kill him as well. Later, a senior security official told Fitz that there is some discrepancy in Tom's schedule. Two days before the election, he was seen at Fort Detrick, however his duty was at the White House. This made Fitz suspect that Tom may have something to do with his son's murder. The President called Rowan to interrogate Tom. This gave Rowan an opening to manipulate the situation. Tom blurted out that it is Jake Ballard who ordered him to kill the President's son.

According to TV Guide, the real culprit is unlikely to get caught soon. Brian Letscher, who plays Tom in the show, said to TV Guide, "You always think it can't go on any longer, but they twist it in a way you didn't even think of." He called the B-613 command Rowan a "master manipulator." There is no doubt that Rowan knows how to manipulate a situation. In "Scandal" Season 3 finale, he won the trust of the President after the death of his son, framed Mom Pope for Jerry's murder, got back his B-613's command crown, and his daughter agreed to get on his plane and disappear. When Harrison figured out his game, Rowan ordered Tom to kill him.

As Jake was the command of B-613 for a brief period, it would have been difficult to kill him, so he frames Jake for the murdered that he ordered. It will be interesting to see how Olivia reacts when she gets to know that it is Jake who ordered Tom to Kill Jerry. This pointing of finger at Jake is going to trigger the ripple effects. According to Letscher, it is going to "affect a lot of people in ways he never imagined."