Scandal, the ABC show of 2012 and now of 2013 has got me on the edge of my seat. Shonda Rhimes is playing with my heart, body, mind and soul and I will sue her ass dammit! I mean, I hate TV, I gave up cable just because I cannot sit still for any other annoying TV series out there but days after I had called my cable provider to pick up my cable, my sister and I discovered Scandal. I wasn’t going to keep the cable for Scandal alone, so I let them have it. HuluPlus came to the rescue, thank goodness or who knows what may have happened to me. I may have turned myself into a fly in my neighbors family room watching Scandal and flying around happily during the commercials, oh goodness. What am I doing? I am never this goofy, I never write ish like this on my blog but honestly, I repeat, Shonda Rhimes is going to be in so much trouble if an episode like this week airs again. That lady held nothing back, she took an entire nation on a rollercoaster ride through the gates of hell. Or why the heck would you make Cyrus Rutherford Beene strip naked and he even hired an assasin to kill his husband? Holly Geez! Or turn the holy mother Theresa “Justice Verna” into Judas Iscariot? Or wait, you did David Rosen like that? I know he has issues, but damn! Abby finally finds love and just like that it’s gone? And most of all my dearest Olivia Pope finally willing to wait for Fitz only to get smacked in the face with all the name calling? Oh my and I really don’t have to believe this dark romance that’s coming with Fitz and Mellie. And I really want to be happy for Mellie as someone who has being through similar experiences but she really needs Jesus. And all this in one episode????? Shonda Rhimes is the queen of Television America, I am sorry but this lady has got the magic key.
The ‘gamechanger’ episode was similar to a reactor on a runaway reaction where the temperature, pressure and volume rise so quickly that none of the variables are controllable and unstoppable.
Couple of things I need to get off my chest. I am so happy for Mellie, just for one reason – marriage. Marriage in itself is a hard institution, and add to that equation dirty politics and you are really in for a battle. She is an intelligent but manipulative lady that I truly believes loves her husband. There are couple of instances where you see how deeply she cares and hopes that Fitz will find his way back to her heart. She is his biggest supporter and the first person to remind him that he is nothing without her. It is a love/hate relationship for her with Fitz because she is so brilliant, ambitious and steel-like in nature that she cannot stand that Fitz is not tough enough, so she chooses to be strong for him. She overlooks his exuberant nature, extra-marital affairs and chooses instead to put politics, the American people, her own ambitions for her husband above her marriage. Mellie is truly the one who is making all the sacrifices here. She holds the key to his presidency. If Mellie should spill one drop of her secrets to the press, he is out. And she says that clearly here when he clearly pushed her too far.
“I need to make some plans. For my future after your first term is done because you’re never going to make a second term. Clearly, you’re a once around the ballroom kind of President…
Olivia Pope. I’m talking about Olivia Pope. You took her hunting? Really honey? She could be facing federal prison, but you need to spend a few minutes with your girlfriend. It’s sweet if it didn’t mean the end of your political career because you won’t make it to a second term. I will make sure of it because I need to make some plans for my political future. (laughs) And I do have a bright, bright political future. The sweet lawyer who gave up her career for her husband, suffered a miscarriage, then had a late in life baby while being the First Lady that’s GOLD. That’s a future President! That’s a hell of a second act and America loves a second act! Get over her. GET OVER HER! You see her again and I’ll blow you away. I’m an excellent shot, remember?”
However, Olivia Pope is the character I am most interested in. She is a woman, strong yet vulnerable. I really love what Shonda Rhimes has done to Olivia’s character. Shonda shaped Olivia’s character to reveal the true insides of strong courageous women who though are powerful on the outside, are vulnerable on the inside. They have feelings, they are emotional, empathetic and they listen. Olivia Pope combines well what the true face of feminism looks like for a woman who is ruthless in her dealings but truly cares about people. That is the image of feminism that no one has talked about yet. We talk about radical feminist who want to be like men, but we very rarely talk about women in their power who use the powerful tool of vulnerability to dig deeper into the core of everyday challenges, and solve real problems. I am not sure what the future holds for Olivia Pope in this series but I hope that she is able to preserve her dignity. As someone who is against extra-marital dealings, I would like to see Olivia Pope come back stronger, bigger and better. These past episodes I have been uncomfortable with the ‘mistress’ background to her prestigious role, and that fear came when I saw the disappointment and pain on her face when Fitz dared to say “screw” and “mistress” in thesame sentence, that was below the B E L T! But the reality is that she is a mistress and when push comes to shove, and your life is on the line, the mistress is the first to go. Briauna puts it so well below
So I know in the Olitz ship we don’t like to call Olivia the mistress but that’s what she is. In this back nine, that ‘s how Fitz is going to treat her: as his mistress.
Olivia has always referred to herself as the other woman, as his mistress and now Fitz going to treat her accordingly. Olivia had numerous times to claim her rightly title as his true wife, but instead she chose to be this mistress. She could have ran away from him in 1.07. She had the chance to fess up about the rigging up she didn’t. Nope, instead she chose to run and hide and remain the mistress.
While his treatment may seem harsh, as if he is using her for sex but that’s what you do with the a mistress. That’s what she wanted and that’s what she’s getting: mistress treatment. Not love of my life, I want to have smushy babies with you, I exist for you treatment. That type of treatment has flown down south for the winter and won’t be back for a while.
So welcome to the new world where Olivia truly is the president’s mistress.
Fitz is clearly over on the dark side now too, and we see truly that he would have said yes as well if he had a say on rigging the election. He didn’t blink twice while taking the oxygen mask off Verna, or did he? #BULLFITZ
How did you react to the ‘gamechanger’ episode of Scandal?
Continued Reading:
- How Michelle Obama Combines Motherhood & Feminism
- Is Your Professional Behavior at Work Adversely Affecting Your Conduct in Family Setting
- Financial Goals – No time to Think, Reflect or Relax?
- The Story of Who I already am
- ‘Lean In’ is a Feminist Manifesto that Focuses on Changing the Ratio in Leadership and Politics
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
OMG – great summary. I am a faithful Scandal watcher – mostly from abc.com because of my schedule. I LOVED this episode – kept me on the edge of my seat! Cyrus plotting to kill his husband…I was SO hoping he wouldn’t go through with it, and then…the outright LIE to David Rosen. Brilliant!
Abby risking her heart to get that data card – successful, but what a COST!
Huck breaking it down – yep, I’ll kill him for nothing, but you can’t ever come back here…you can’t live two lives…was he talking to himself as well?
Gladiators in Suits – never a more apt description…I felt bad for Olivia – and I shudder to think of what her revenge will be for Fitz treating her the way he did. That was ridiculous – after all they’ve been through, to treat her that way. She’s shattered right now – and she let Addison go! Fitz and Mellie – though they are married – that’s one HELL of a turnaround…they are going to be a formidable team.
Can’t wait for the next episode!
Dianne,
Same here. I am eagerly waiting to see what happens after 10 months. I am assuming that neither one of them (Olitz) will be healed from the chaos of the last episode. But I also believe that Fitz needs to work on his marriage, his presidency and start showing some responsibility and accountability for his actions. Like Verna said, he is pampered, clueless and needs to wake up. Politics is not for the faint of heart, and I guess he learned that lesson when he had to take someone’s life to secure his legacy. I am so excited for Thursday!!!