It is no secret to anyone that knows me that I am a huge fan of Mellie Grant from Scandal, so this piece may seem as if it has some bias. However, just because I am a fan of this character does not mean that I don't see here flaws, nor does it insinuate that I hate certain other characters just because of my love for Mellie. I can take an objective look at the show as a whole without focusing in on any one person.
The reason for this piece is mostly directed towards the fandom, rather than the show. I would like to just say now that I am not attacking anyone. I don't want anyone to feel as if I am calling them out or attacking a certain group within the Scandal fandom. That is not the point. The point is to possibly offer a different perspective to a character who seems to be disliked for just about all of the wrong reasons.
Mellie Grant is someone with a lot of drive. We know that from what she has done to propel Fitz's career forward. Yes, she did lie and even cheat in a national election to make sure that her husband ended up in the White House. For a lot of people, her motives have seemed selfish, as if she only wants to take as much power as she can for herself. But, what if there was another reason? What if, Mellie did it because she actually loved Fitz?
I feel as if the connection between Mellie and Fitz is often overlooked, and personally, I am not a supporter of the "Mellitz" ship. However, it is very hard to deny that Mellie has feelings for Fitz--strong feelings. Basically, she has been in love with him ever since their marriage was arranged, and this isn't completely based off of assumption. The way she looks at him and the way she reacts doesn't scream power hungry. It screams in love. She has done so many questionable things to try and ensure that her husband will talk to her, like her, talk to her, and ultimately, stay with her. Most of her ploys, like stealing Cyrus' ideas or hiring Olivia back to run Fitz's reelection campaign, were all desperate attempts to hold on to her husband. Mellie stated that she thought the two would grow old together. No matter what affair he was having, she always thought in the back of her mind that he would stay with her in the end. Now, one could call this delusional, but it's relatable for anyone who has ever been in love with someone who did not love them back. If this is you, maybe you have more in common with Mellie than you think.
At the risk of making this seem like a "poor Mellie" article, I'd like to turn to some of the misfortunes in her life because those cannot be ignored. Mellie was raped by her father-in-law while Fitz was running for governor, but she wasn't able to tell anyone including her husband. She had to carry around that secret for 15 years. On top of that, she had no idea if her son was her husband's or her father-in-law's. It was such a burden for her to carry around that she literally wanted to die and tried committing suicide. Of course, she was not successful, but she continued to carry that around until she got closure 15 years later. It is no surprise that she threw herself into Fitz's campaign and worked so hard to help him. Even though she couldn't bear to sleep with him, and he screamed at her for it, she stood by him. She did the best she could.
There was also a time when Mellie realized that Fitz would never love her the way he loved Olivia. This was around the time that Andrew came back into the picture and professed the love he's held for Mellie for over 12 years. What you have to understand is, Mellie was living with a man who she knew didn't love her. In fact, most of the time, he despised her, so I guess you could say she was starved for love. And in come this man telling her everything she has wanted to hear from her husband for a decade. She fell for him, and she thought he was her chance. Unfortunately, he was a traitor, betraying Mellie, Fitz, and his country.
In addition to a broken heart, Mellie had to go through the loss of losing a child, and while she was still grieving, her husband yelled at her stating that he was basically fed up with her grieving. I understand that he lost a child and was able to push through, but everyone grieves in a different way. She had her child taken from her, and just two months later, she was expected to be all shiny and new again. The public was scrutinizing her and calling her crazy, and the one person she thought was on her side turned on her too.
Since then, Mellie was blackmailed by Olivia's father, betrayed by Elizabeth and dumped by Cyrus. Everyone she has trusted has left her. Her husband kicked her out of her home after she made a mistake, and he served her with divorce papers. Then Fitz lied to her and built her up just to compel her into doing an interview with him. Meanwhile, her senate seat currently hangs in the balance. Yes, this is because of her own decision to commit perjury, but she was basically looking for revenge on the man who had hurt her so deeply.
Like I said, I am a huge fan of Mellie, but I'm not trying to defend her. I am, however, trying to offer a little perspective. Maybe you dislike her because you're an Olitz fan, but that doesn't mean you have to hate Mellie. You can indeed be a fan of both. Or maybe you just think of her as a bitch, but maybe she is. Is that a bad thing? She's a person. She is strong and flawed and loving and scorned and driven and broken. She is a rape victim and a political animal and a mother and a senator. Mellie is complex, and it doesn't hurt to have a little perspective on characters you might not be too crazy about because maybe, just maybe, it'll offer a little insight into why they are the way they are.
