Katherine Heigl's character Charlie will be facing more troubles when "State of Affairs" returns for its first episode of the second half of the season. The official synopsis for the eighth episode of the espionage series dubbed as "Bellerophon" reads:

"Sixty-five photos of national landmarks suddenly surface, all featuring the är rissãlah symbol. Meanwhile, a college student claiming to be an är rissãlah operative breaks into the White House. The 7th floor team works to figure out the identities of the picture takers as the hunt for Al Moosari continues. Charlie (Katherine Heigl), now in Yemen, desperately tries to make contact with her asset while evading the Yemeni secret police. Nick's (guest star Chris L. McKenna) masked captor lets him go only to lead him to his next mission. Back at Langley, Lucas (Adam Kaufman) takes the lead on the interrogation of a potential, and very controversial, är rissãlah member. At the same time, President Payton (Alfre Woodard) must make a hard choice between getting a much-needed win or holding out for her long-term goal of killing Sheikh Hakam."

On the other hand, in the next episode titled "Ghost," Derek Ray's character Jack Dawkins returns after being declared missing in the past episodes. It turns out, Jack is still alive, but he is still in danger unless he is rescued from the hands of The Revolutionary Forces of Colombia (FARC). Jack is detained in a prison cell in Panama, and the rebels are asking for a ransom in order to set him free. Charlie and the rest of the CIA have to find out exactly where he is in order to rescue him. 

Meanwhile, Charlie is back in Langley to spearhead the operations in Bellerophon, while her role as a press briefer in the White House is taken over by Maureen, played by Sheila Vand. However, Maureen seems to be struggling with her new job as President Constance Payton's (Alfre Woodard) communications assistant. 

It is also reported that the president and her husband Marshall, played by guest star Courtney B. Vance, have a divided opinion about Jack's scenario, since Marshall wants to use it as a political advantage over Senator Kyle Green, played by Melinda McGraw. But Marshall's intentions are actually shady, since it is earlier implied that he and the senator are working together. 

"State of Affairs" returns on Jan. 5.