***SPOILERS***
Scandal is a television show on ABC, created by Shonda Rhimes, who also created How to Get Away With Murder and Grey's Anatomy. Scandal stars Kerry Washington as the formidable Olivia Pope, Washington, D.C.'s top professional "fixer." Her goal: to save reputations and manage crises, from the newest junior Congressmen all the way up to the President of the United States himself.
As such, Scandal is by far one of the greatest political television shows currently on air, what with the amazing storyline and the realistic parallels into our own political realities. Scandal is perhaps the cleverest mashup of crude comedy, serious politics, sexy romance and super secret spies ever to debut on T.V., and here are the reasons why.
1. The Stars and Their Characters
The cast of Scandal are some of the most effective performers that could have possibly been compiled into one television show. For starters, Kerry Washington is perfectly for portraying the brilliantly flawless, stunningly sexy and vivaciously dedicated Olivia Pope. The supporting actors which surround her only add to the grandiosity of the show. President Fitzgerald Thomas Grant, III, portrayed by Tony Goldwyn, compliments Olivia's character so thoroughly that they could truly be real-life lovers, not just on-screen soulmates. Others, such as Bellamy Young, who plays First Lady Mellie Grant; Darby Stanchfield, who portrays Abby Whelan; Katie Burton, who takes the role of Vice President Sally Langston; and Jeff Perry as White House Chief of Staff Cyrus Beene, all add fuel to the already-hot flame that truly makes Scandal an outstanding television show.
2. The Politicking
The show is rife with clever politicking, often at the hands of the brilliant Olivia Pope herself, the mastermind behind the optics and the ways and means in which to accomplish everything in Washington, D.C. When the President needs something pushed through, the first person he calls is Olivia Pope and Associates, Olivia's firm of professional fixers. All trained and certified lawyers, they get it done, no matter the cost. The politicking portrayed in the show is of such highest caliber of brilliance that I take notes so as to assist me in what will, hopefully, be my future career as a lawmaker.
3. The Comedy
4. The Romance/Love Stories
In my opinion, the central relationship in the tv show is perhaps the most epic love story since Titanic. It is a story about a privileged white man and woman who are basically involved in an arranged marriage by their fathers for political gain. It worked for two decades, but only until that privileged white man runs for President and falls in love with none other than Olivia Pope, the woman whom he claims to be his "soul mate." Other romances draw the viewer in just as much, but by far, the most pivotal relationship is that between Olivia and the leader of the free world. And let's be honest, the intimate scenes betwixt the characters are HOT.
5. The Music
The music in this show is PHENOMENAL. In the gif above, Olivia is seen dancing to "Don't You Worry 'Bout A Thing" by Stevie Wonder. It is not the only song by Wonder featured in the television show; "Signed, Sealed, Delivered" appears in multiple episodes, along with other songs by extremely famous singers/songwriters. Some other top-quality songs include "Bridge Over Troubled Water," "I Shall Be Redeemed," "Brick House," "Soul Man" and "Boogie Shoes." The significantly-placed music throughout the series serves no other purpose but to bolster the television show's overall feel, and it allows the viewers to connect with the characters by sending them into a groove while listening to some of America's classic hits.
6. The Political Parallels
The parallels drawn by creator Shonda Rhimes and her team of geniuses do not go unnoticed. Some examples of this include the attempted assassination of fictional President Cooper, which correlates with the attempted assassination of President Reagan on March 30, 1981. The caveat of this situation is that the shooter is eventually charged with homicide after Cooper passes away from complications caused by the bullet that remained lodged in his brain. Rhimes also includes more recent political scenarios. One such example is the Presidential race of 2016, which, in the television show, includes a privileged, pompous white businessman named Hollis Doyle (portrayed by Gregg Henry) to correlate with Donald Trump. Doyle is a provocateur, a man with little filtering skills, who stands on his own as an outsider of the political system, and uses the campaign slogan "Dare to Be Great Again." Doyle also posits that America needs to build a wall to enforce immigration control on the southern border of the United States, a proponent of Donald Trump's presidential campaign from day one. Rhimes' brilliance in including contemporary issues into her television show is yet another reason why Scandal is such an outstanding piece of fiction.
7. The Realities
Unfortunately, and all too often in America, many stigmas are still realities, especially in regard to minorities and even women. One such example is when Olivia's father, the exquisitely-forceful Eli, reminds her of a lesson he taught her as a young girl: that, as a woman of color, she has to be "twice as good to get half of what they have." The "they" Eli referred to is white men. Another example is when a young Black boy named Brandon Parker is gunned down on the streets of Washington, D.C. by a cop who claimed the boy pulled a knife on him. It turned out that the cop, a white man, planted a knife on the body of the deceased to cover up the murder. In today's America, realities (or fears, depending on where you are standing) like these are still taught to members of minority communities by relatives and close family friends. They are taught to never give someone in power, whether it be a cop or a teacher, any reason to suspect them of wrongdoing, to always keep their heads down and their noses clean to avoid a terrible fate like that which Brandon Parker suffered. I think the point creator Rhimes was intending to portray is that America needs to revisit these stigmatizing minority issues that face our country still to this day, and to not only recognize that they still exist, but that they need to be addressed, head-on.
Shonda Rhimes proves, once again, that her vivacious intellect and brilliance dominates that of her competitor's television shows, and that she can expand and open the minds of those whom watch her shows. In my opinion, Rhimes is one of the greatest creators to date, and Scandal certainly takes the cake as the best political show still on air today. Each and every episode I watch, I learn more and more political strategies and maneuvers, as well as insightful compromises and backdoor dealings in the name of getting things done. With each episode, yet another ethical dilemma is brought to the forefront of the characters' professional and personal lives, and forces the viewer to remain glued to the television set, just to find out what's going to happen next.
Scandal will be remembered for generations to come.
