Scandal Is Exhaustingly Good

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I did not finish the show and I know it does not give me the full right to critique it but I’m writing on it anyway. I was genuinely nervous about the direction the show was headed despite only having a season and a half left. Harrison (Columbus Short)had died, Rowan (Joe Morton) was scared, Olivia (Kerry Washington)was intense and power-hungry, Huck (Guillermo Diaz)was worried, Mellie (Bellamy Young) was becoming president, Marcus (Cornelius Smith Jr.)had joined O.P.A., Cyrus (Jeff Perry) had been sentenced with the death penalty, Charlie(George Newbern) had proposed to Quinn(Katie Lowes), Abby (Darby Stanchfield) was power-hungry and competitive, Jake (Scott Foley)was deeply troubled from being under one Pope to another and Fitz (Tony Goldwyn)was… okay actually, he seemed to be going through things from a peaceful self-reflective point of view. I had some thoughts while watching and searched their fates from a few YouTube clips to fill in gaps.

The show deals heavily with one’s moral compass using metaphors such as wearing the “white hat” and “standing in the sun”. It focuses every now and then on the importance of being the good guy & steering away from the darkness. This helps promote doing the right thing always.

I have various favourite moments:

Olivia Pope (known as “Liv”, “Fixer”, “Handler”)-I like this scene of her defending Marcus Walker at the police station. It showed her power, talent, and skill in a simple way. It also gained the respect of Marcus while reminding me how good she is at her job. There are moments Olivia falters, lets people down, or is confused about what to do but she never fails to assert her power, be resourceful and helpful. She’s had times like this as she runs her own crisis management firm, Olivia Pope & Associates (O.P.A) but this was a great moment.

Video Credit: Yolanda Mtintsilana on YouTube.

President Fitzgerald Grant (known as “Fitz”) and Olivia-After the many struggles of Fitz and Liv being unsure of what they wanted or didn’t, Fitz decided to show her the house he built for them. Vermont was their dream place to get married, have children and prosper. So, him showing her this house in Vermont is a visible depiction of his commitment to her. From the moment she called his marriage cold, he fell in love with her and has been persistent. This is a cute scene.

Video Credit: ILuvOlitz2 on YouTube.

Fitz and Liv-Fitz was recovering from being shot and made a presidential decision of addressing the people. He wanted to give them hope and ensure he was there for them while avoiding being replaced by Vice President, Sally Langston (Kate Burton). It was one of the moments he made a decision and was not backing down from it which I respected because he doesn’t always show much agency or power. It was great that Olivia forwent what Cyrus told her to do to support Fitz despite his poor state.

Video Credit: ILuvOlitz2 on YouTube.

Jake Ballard (known as “Command”, “Captain Ballard”) and Olivia-Liv previously tried pretending to be normal with Jake and this was one of her attempts at normalcy. She didn’t want to talk about their situation, her father, B613, or anything at all. She wanted to be at peace for once and not bother about any of that, which is understandable cause she had been through a lot. Jake got this from the moment she opened the door saying she looked happy. Liv got the Gettysburger they always eat, imported beer for him, and the ‘94 du Bellay wine she took when they were on the Island which shows familiarity. He understood how she felt and despite wanting to talk to her, he knew they needed a bit of peace and accepted it as they danced.

It is such a beautiful and pure scene with the lyrics of the song adding to the moment saying they shouldn’t worry about a thing. At this moment he realized he really loved her and said it. He had no regrets saying it but got to know she wanted both of them and did not want to choose (yet). This was one of the times she chose herself, it was good to see her be unbothered and happy. This was a great scene and one of the saddest too because, after all that, she was kidnapped and faced the most traumatic point of her life.

Video Credit: calm19 on YouTube.

Jake, Liv and Fitz-This scene is PERFECTION. It includes the two love interests of the show going back and forth. Jake was blamed to be the reason for Fitz’s son, Jerry Grant Jr.’s (Dylan Minnette)death. He was Command of B613 briefly and Tom Larsen’s (Brain Letescher)crime was pinned on him by Rowan. He wanted to show Fitz the proof of Rowan’s involvement before Tom’s interrogation but Fitz claimed to be busy as he was upset Jake spent time with Olivia on an island. This led to Jake’s interrogation and Fitz’s request for a confession despite not wanting to listen to him.

Fitz began punching him to get the supposed truth out of him but as Jake kept trying to explain to Fitz, he realized that he did not care if it was true or not. He realized this was about his time with Olivia and kept talking about it. Jake was imprisoned unjustly but freed when Olivia got the truth. So this scene is his hurt and pettiness portrayed which he deserves. His demand for Fitz to call him “Captain Ballard” instead of Jake is justified because of what he went through and how Fitz treated him. It’s hilarious because a clear line was drawn between them as he repeatedly demands the name change.

This name change is huge because they had been friends and Navy buddies for years but both love Olivia. Jake felt betrayed and demanded the name change be respected. It should be noted that Jake never called him Fitz here, he referred to him as Mr.President which respects his demand. I like that he asked Olivia for permission to kill her father because that’s respectful. He knows she might be hurt and wants consent on his decision because it would affect her. Rowan was a force no one knew how to deal with or end, so, it’s not surprising that many of the people he hurt and recruited to hurt others would want to end the cycle.

I like that he makes it known that he and Olivia are dating by telling Fitz he’s talking to his girlfriend and should not interrupt. I don’t remember a conversation between them to be dating but I thought it was cute nonetheless. He said it like it was nothing while asserting territory and Olivia was surprised by that. His statement that he would be killed first, then Fitz as a ploy to hurt Olivia shows his thought to be more important to her than Fitz or that he could be seen first. The fact they wanted to leave him down there while they plan could indicate they still want him out of the picture while strategizing how to take Rowan and B613 down in the guise of “protecting” him. This could be another form of imprisonment which he was worried about by his shock asking if they would “get together at night and strategize” and asking Olivia if she would get him out of there.

The smirk Jake made after Fitz said he would call him whatever he wanted and Olivia intervened strikes me as a one-upping move. The show makes it a point to show Fitz as Olivia is talking to Jake about how they are because we know it’s hurting him. Jake’s pettiness comes in again as he makes sure Fitz is aware that they have a thing, about one of their catchphrases and their time on the Island. Fitz finally called him “Captain Ballard” acknowledging the line as he said they didn’t need him but Jake’s resourcefulness brings him back. The looks between each other are deadly and the shake saying “No hard feelings” is ridiculous as they agree to put everything aside to fight Rowan. Jake knows he can’t hurt the President of the United States physically as he did him, so he did it emotionally.

Video Credit: calm19 on YouTube.

Cyrus Beene (known as “Cy”) and Olivia-This scene is beautiful and one of the truest moments of their friendship. Cyrus was an object of ridicule in the press for his affiliation with the sex worker, Michael Ambruso(Matthew Del Negro). He thought this brought great shame to the White House and his character. He resigned and planned to re-locate but Olivia was there to talk to him. She comforted him, empowered him and reminded him who he was. This was great as they showed their love for each other through the blurred lines of power and the presidency.

Video Credit: bring change on YouTube.

Leo Bergen and Abby Whelan (also known as “Gabby”, “Red”)-I like this scene because it showed Leo’s (Paul Adelstein) heart after his depiction of being cold and politically focused. He worked for Charles “Chip” Putney’s (Michael Trucco)campaign to be the Senator of Virginia and was winning but sabotaged it. Abby told him her ex-husband, Chip beat her numerously and mercilessly. This was a traumatic point in Abby’s life and the thought of that man having more power was frightening which could be seen when he confronted her at the parking garage. He was unapologetic asking she didn’t say anything to ruin his chances. Leo was very nice and did the right thing leaking it to the press. I was happy he did this instead of overlooking it which many people would have done for the good of their client.

Video Credit: ABC on YouTube.

Abby and Liv-This moment showed Abby’s power. Although she seemed different, I was briefly happy for her because she believed Olivia thought so low of her. Liv had said Abby should never cross her again and that she taught her everything she knew but also told Abby she believes she performs well at her job. They went to the same law school and were friends but Olivia had left hints leading Abby to believe Liv thought she was better than her. This scene was very telling from the silence Abby kept as Olivia rambled on to the emotions exchanged.

Olivia asked her if she was being coerced and said she should tell her ensuring she could help as she always does but Abby stood her ground saying she was reminded of her job and purpose at the Oval. Abby said she no longer worked for her to emphasize the difference between professions and power levels. Things got out of hand between them as they battled for who was more powerful after revoking Liv’s hard pass to visit the White House. Liv previously suggested Abby could come back to work for her if things went wrong at the White House.

At that moment Abby realized that she may always be Olivia’s, sort of owned by her. She refused to have that possibility of being lower than her and less respected by her again. As she worked at O.P.A she was occasionally left out of things and disregarded as many of them were but was offended by that. Abby was fed up at O.P.A but felt indebted to Olivia for saving her, so her going back did not feel like an option.

Video Credit: ABC on YouTube.

Rowan Pope (known as “Eli”, “Elijah”, “Papa Pope”, “Command”)and Fitz- This is one of the most, if not the most recognized and appreciated scenes from the whole show. Each of Rowan’s lines is delivered with so much gravitas. At this point, no one knew his true stance when it came to Liv’s mother, Maya Lewis(known as “Maya Pope”, “Marie Wallace”)(Khandi Alexander)but was blamed for her supposed death. He was captured, taken to the pentagon and interrogated to find out why he ordered Operation Remington. Fitz decided to use a different approach by telling Olivia’s father of their sexual relations in the most classless way. This was truly disappointing and disrespectful. The audacity to do this regardless of the purpose was just insulting, weak, and low for his character.

This prompted my idea that he probably perceived her this way coupled with the moment he called her a mistress despite always saying she was more than that and should never view herself in that way. No matter what he wanted to get out of Rowan, who does this?? There was no way Rowan was going to be that impacted by his comments when he could identify his daughter's emotional bait to fish him out. I liked Rowan’s answer.

It was striking and composed. It told of his low opinion of Fitz, his struggle, success and power in himself & the reputation and power of Olivia. He called Fitz a “spoiled, entitled, ungrateful little brat” as a person with a silver spoon all his life but still a disappointment of a person feigning for a response with cheap shots at what “a great lay she is”. His statement of being above Fitz’s pay grade refers to B613’s power in the world but I think it also refers to his personality. He thinks he is above Fitz in every way and the idea of him trying to go after his daughter thinking he’s in love with her is insulting. He called him a “boy” which belittles any inkling of power Fitz thinks he has which adds to the moment he told Olivia that everyone knows he’s not the one in power.

The moment Rowan said “you love that she is a door-marked exit”, I believed it. Fitz thought he did not earn the presidency, his father Jerry Grant’s (Barry Bostwick)comments hurt him and the idea of being in his father’s shadow offended him. I *saw a comment that Fitz was probably crying in the shower again and I laughed because that possibility is high especially when Rowan said “sadly BOY, I know everything about you, you disappoint me as a suitor for my daughter's hand”. He thinks so highly of his daughter and is consistently proud of her which shows throughout the series.

Video Credit: CollegeGirlKEY on YouTube.

Huck and Rowan-This was one of the first times Huck was unfazed by Command. I was happy he did not hit him despite being triggered. Huck accepted his family would be better off without him, which was sad but the right decision. Rowan kept talking about his wife, Kim(Jasika Nicole), and son, Javi (Jaden Betts)as Diego Muñoz.

This was a very sensitive spot for Huck enough to make him hit or kill him but he didn’t. Huck was able to keep his “guy” inside and I was happy for him because he was having difficulty doing that. Instead, he hurt him emotionally which surprisingly made more of an impact. He might not be able to “take command” but he definitely made an impression. At this point in the show, greater powers than Rowan were being hinted at. He was scared, so being killed by Huck would be the safest bet. In this show, death always seems to be peaceful, easy, and kind because “there are worse fates than death”. Huck talked about how Olivia was berated and battered by the media.

He talked about which “white boy” he would approve for her and called him a failure of a father. Regardless of Rowan’s hard shell, he loves Olivia so much and these words killed him inside. This was one of the times his expressed sadness made an impact on me. The other time was when he was disappointed that Olivia would even consider shooting him. He was so saddened and despite his dark side, he is not too bad a dad.

Video Credit: Asavela Makhwembe on YouTube.

David Rosen and Susan Ross-David (Joshua Malina)did not do well in this relationship right from the start. He gave her a rejected gift for Elizabeth North(Portia de Rossi), cheated on her, and lied to her. I like the Susan Ross(Artemis Pebdani) character. She had great intentions, was for the people, unpretentious, loving, confident, self-aware, aware, a proud mom to her daughter, Casey(Caitlyn Leone), and stood her ground.

This scene of her breaking up with David after the lies in the relationship felt right and I like that she said she was aware of all her characteristics. I was happy for her even though she was sad about it. She said she deserved someone who believed in her instead of doing something she CLEARLY objected to when mentioned earlier. She wanted actual change and did not want to comprise her morals. I respected this character so much especially when she sat down with the President, Fitz to add things to impact actual change through enforcement for the Brandon Bill. She did not just vote regardless of the numerous people that told her to. It was very telling that no one had read it fully but all wanted to pass it because it would add to the President’s appeal and legacy. She is a great person and Vice President.

Video Credit: ABC on YouTube.

Quinn Perkins(often known as “Robin”), Liv and Huck-Quinn was not present as she normally is and no one noticed. This was very unfair because she always wonders what’s wrong with everyone, where they are, or is trying to help them. She became the heart of O.P.A protecting and searching for each person after a brief disbanding. It’s not unusual for her to expect the same or even a lit bit of concern because something horrible could have happened to her. I was happy she lashed out at them because it’s only right to look out for each other. I *saw something about her taking over O.P.A and I believe it was a good decision.

Video Credit: Television Club on YouTube.

Stephen Finch and Liv-This was a REVEAL. I knew it would come at some point but I was still happy it happened. Abby did a great job finding him and orchestrating this whole thing to save Liv. It was beyond calming to see Stephen(Henry Ian Cusick) and see that he would be the person taking her. Stephen was in the original set of Gladiators at O.P.A. . It is such an endearing scene as you have feared for Liv’s life and even more when he held her saying she was okay with him. You could see the pain from her trauma and fear being kicked into Gus (Chad Donella)after she shot him. She went through a lot and finally had it end positively.

Video Credit: CollegeGirlKEY on YouTube.

Fitz and Mellie’s relationship.

I like numerous things about this show, however, this show made us encourage an affair while depicting the wife to be some putrid depression-inducing monster. To Olivia choosing someone other than Fitz would seem to be a betrayal as she said and I sort of understand this because:

• of all they had been through (history).
• of all they went through in their history.
• of the consistent sneaking.
• Fitz’s dependency on Liv.
• the precious Doux Bébé “sweet baby” ring Fitz gave her.
• he declared war to save her.
• she has had positions in his campaigns
• of the Vermont dream.
• of the house they have.
• of the two press cycles of Olivia being his mistress.
• of his depression when he couldn’t find her (as she was on the Island)
• of his consistent attempts to leave everything for her etc.

Yes, they loved each other which is great but this man was married, a father, and THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, he couldn’t be more unavailable. Everyone acknowledges this. Olivia knows this but still follows through with it because they keep coming back to each other. Of course, they come back to each other, SHE WORKS FOR HIM and can’t stay away from the White House. She has a burner phone for him and people have called her back to get involved with him if he is down including his wife. When she didn’t or wouldn’t, she was okay apart from the fact most of her clients were high profile which increased her chances of seeing him but did not guarantee it. He was willing to give EVERYTHING up for her including the office they all cheated and worked hard for.

After multiple back and forths, and the realization that life is short he decided to fully go for this. He was the support of their relationship which she seemed utterly frightened of.

A brief timeline of how this went:

He divorced Mellie, started dating Olivia officially, moved her into the White House, she was the acting first lady, he proposed to her, she rejected, then accepted, then didn’t go through with it, aborted their baby, He came to the realization that she liked him unavailable and she came to the realization that she preferred it when she was the mistress and she left the White House.

She didn’t like being in a powerless role doing the trivial tasks of a first lady such as table setting, conversing, etc. that Mellie normally would do. At this moment they seemed to realize the three of them worked doing each part sort of in a three-person relationship but Mellie did not benefit in any way.

Fitz felt that Mellie lost love, faith, and interest in him. He thought he was being punished and unloved by her in the past because she was now with Andrew Nichols(Jon Tenney). He makes it clear that he would have never gone looking for anyone else while blaming her for the failure of their marriage.

She couldn’t say that she was raped by his dad and consistently had pains questioning the true paternity of her son as he kept blaming her. As Fitz was unaware of the truth, he thought she was just being mean to him but this was a lot of blame, and times like this are when I feel bad for Mellie. She is not that bad a person. She has been through tough times most of it alone and Andrew was the person that cared for her back when she wanted to overdose and end her life. So, I understand her having affection for him because he seemed to be the only person that cared. She became less focused on marital or sexual needs and all in for political causes. If Mellie was that terrible and conniving like they make her out to be the affair could be justified as an escape from his entrapment to most people but she wasn’t that bad.

Video Credit: CollegeGirlKEY on YouTube.

Olivia interrupting was rude. She could have waited a bit, no matter what. He’s here demanding answers from his wife which could lead to something and she disturbed that. No matter the love they have for each other, I felt this was the right response. She thought she could calm him down by calling him, Fitz at this moment but it was a private moment and should have been treated as such. It is also horrible that Fitz got to know about Mellie and his father from Olivia instead of his wife which depicts Olivia’s position always being in the middle of them. He apologized to Liv but didn’t to Mellie. She looked as though she wanted to say something but it was so hurtful to utter and didn’t get the chance to. This is not something just anyone should know and the fact she couldn’t get to tell him as she was hurting was unfair despite not wanting to.

Video Credit: Andy Granko on YouTube.

ANOTHER EXCELLENT SCENE. I was so happy Mellie got her moment to talk to Fitz about all she has been through in this marriage. Mellie had been the object of blame, shame and made out to be a monster since the beginning of the show. She was made to seem negative for her political ideas and wanted her marriage and family to be tight-knit. She lied severally but like everyone, “I serve at the pleasure of the President” which she accepted regardless of happiness. As the show progresses, I realized she was probably one of the most innocent people compared to others. She tried numerous times to fix the marriage by doing things together but to no avail.

She was insulted when Olivia saved her daughter, Karen (Madeline Carroll) from a dilemma because she was her mother. She probably felt Olivia took her husband and cannot take her daughter but she is always made to deal with things because Olivia is good at her job. She became Senator of Virginia and he helped her saying they will be a team until she was President.

She tried explaining why she gave a list of jurors to Rowan posing to be a sponsor but he kicked her out of the White House without just hearing. She never knew Rowan, what he was capable of and what he had done but she knew she had to do what he wanted to save her family. I felt he had A LOT of nerve saying she had blood on her hands when he did as well. Fitz was angry at Mellie for trying to get him impeached but was open to the world about his affair inconsiderate of how she would feel as he blamed her for getting into a “fabricated marriage with the only woman” he’s ever loved.

There were numerous claims she didn’t love him, which she never agreed to but people think should be the reason Mellie deserves pain. He thinks the worst of her every time and tries to frame her as the bad guy. When she was grieving her son’s death, he helped tend to her but gave up after 2 weeks. She tended to him all those years and put up with all she did. He told her to return to actual Mellie and not some version of herself.

When she did, he was not happy with something she did and she reminded him he didn’t like the real Mellie. When Olivia told her Rowan was her father and he killed her son, she cried in the hallway and was left there but became friends with Liv because of her desire to run for Presidency. Mellie is very strong for putting all these aside to focus on the main objective every single time. She deserved so much and I was happy she finally blamed him after all she endured. He continued helping her as a friend and teammate but that may have been short-lived. I was happy she got a divorce from Fitz. I wished she was not associated with them anymore but she is a part of the cast and part of Olivia’s game.

The couples: Olivia and Jake (OLAKE) and Olivia and Fitz (OLITZ).

I liked Jake with Olivia more than Fitz and Olivia because Jake was single and their scenes were better. I *saw that their relationship was one of equals and I agree. It was clear that they loved each other but Jake was not going to be stepped on because he was in love with her. Arguably, his presence around her could be considered as being stepped on because she consistently goes to Fitz. Olivia preferred to always have the power in things which could be a reason she liked Fitz. He always acted with her opinions, so it seemed she was President. I started hoping for Jake to be with someone else other than Olivia. It was sad that Elise Martin (Mía Maestro)came back into his life after he thought she was dead only to be actually killed.

Jake and Olivia had great moments of love and friendship, despite having the same figurative father. The “our father” dynamic was very strange but because they didn’t grow up together, their “family” was based on Rowan’s behaviour towards them, his love for them and the way he shaped them. It could be argued that Olivia might as well have been one of the B613 agents on an assembly line. I *saw that someone on the team said Fitz was a fantasy and Jake was reality. Also, I *saw someone say Olivia probably knew Jake was best for her but has love and commitment issues as he’s her true love and they are soulmates.

Jake was SINGLE, well until Elise showed up and he claimed to be married to her. He made it a point to joke about it telling Olivia her type is married men which she laughed at but did not dispute. Their plan to run away again was disrupted by Rowan stating the importance of Jake marrying Vanessa Moss(Joelle Carter)which he did. I know Liv married Fitz at some point but I don’t think it worked out. Some people were not always in favour of Fitz but not much of an opinion of Jake (from what I remember). Olivia’s parents did not like Fitz for her. Maya said he gives her so much pain and Rowan disapproved of Fitz but I believe Liv and Fitz had a hopeful reunion at the end of the show.

The main characters that did not deserve their storylines:

They all had their demons and many with bloody hands. This fact keeps them all on an even playing field by association or execution.

Jake

I don’t believe Jake should be reduced to a murderer (only). He was trained to kill and had a “guy” within him just like Huck. He was one of the very first recruits and experienced so much as well as had to do so much as Rowan’s favourite. He is probably the saddest of the main characters. I know Huck went through some things and so did everyone else but this man had been sad since childhood, This is a brief timeline:

His father was violent to his mother frequently and raped his sister, he joined the Navy, he was blackmailed and beaten to join B613 to avoid jail time, he killed dad, re-joined B613 and felt there was nowhere else for him, had so many missions, dated and married Elise, mourned her supposed death, punished by B613, fell in love with Liv, was rejected multiply, beaten by Fitz and jailed, re-mourned Elise, wanted a better life but was trapped etc.

Jake’s backgrounds as Pete Harris and as Jake have been depressing. He has been tied by the unending shackles of Rowan and always ordered to do things often against interest or will. He always took orders or did things to continue the progression of the plan. He became a monster when he became Command just like Rowan and Olivia.

There are times they want to portray him as a bad person such as the deaths of the B613 agents willing to testify but he was going after the real killer and protecting them. He had a desire to not kill, to be normal and peaceful but didn’t seem to get it in the best circumstance. Jake seemed to be a pawn for the Pope’s. They both claimed to love him and used him when they could. I *saw that Jake could probably escape the supermax prison if he wanted to after being trained by the Navy and B613 but he finally seemed to be at peace replaying the good times with Olivia and paying for everyone’s involvement and crimes. Also, I *saw someone say they wished they saw more footage from the Island and the show could have ended better for him showing him back on the Island in peace with or without Olivia. He deserved better.

Mellie

Melody or Mellie went through a lot. I think the supposed lie about her having a miscarried child could be true and she never told Fitz. I know it was one of the “major” things that painted Mellie to be horrible but i think it could be possible and she didn't tell Fitz because they weren’t that close anymore. She was a bright, scholarly woman that was reduced to being evil and heartless. All she went through:

her father had a mistress, left her family and created another one which brought Harmony (Lauren Bowles)her halfsister, raped by her husband’s father, the crippling curiosity of the true paternity of jerry, unloved and unsupported, guarded, desire to do more with her life as a top-class lawyer, cheated on consistently, hurt, had to accept the mistress, still unloved by her husband, rejected when she tried, cheated on consistently, still had to accept the mistress, rekindled sought affection with Andrew, the loss of her son jerry, ridiculed in the press, hurt again, had to work with Fitz as partners for a while and lost that, kicked out of home, divorce, still hurt, keep trying to accept the mistress, had to work with the mistress, etc.

I believe she ended up with Marcus which can be great because she deserves love. She deserved better and probably did get better.

There were some aspects of Olivia I found interesting:

• The clip of everyone trying to take Olivia down as Command while questioning her about Quinn is very telling. People started seeing a “guy” in Olivia too which was scary and unidentifiable as she craved winning Mellie’s election. The fact that she’s being referred to as “the monster that you really are” in this scene is absolutely frightening to know how bad she became. She tried talking about whatever happened not being on her hands as every Command has a duty. She directs it back to everyone saying they all did bad things after criticizing Huck. She was scared about being ambushed and immediately went with emotional manipulation that didn’t work. This is shocking to watch because I felt as though it could lead to this after Andrew’s death and other factors.

Video Credit: PC Gamer DttV on YouTube.

• Olivia wants to save everyone. This is not necessarily bad but an observation. Being the saviour often grants her favours and loyalty from people like Jake and the other gladiators that would go “over a cliff” for her because of what she did for them. This shows the power dynamics of most of her friendships and relationships. The structure of the two couple names, OLAKE and OLITZ could indicate the power in both. Consciously or subconsciously “Olivia” begins both couple names. This could indicate the structure of the relationships and her desire to be in charge or have power which the characters noticed. This could support the moment Fitz told her she can’t fix or handle him because that is not how to love people. Also, Jake had said he had gone from being Rowan’s “bitch” to her’s because he went from one controlling Pope to another.

• Rowan had told her to bring people into the sun and help people. To do that, she would have to descend into the darkness. However, she would need some sort of guidance or control to avoid getting swallowed in it which seemed to have happened eventually depending on how affected she was.

Regardless of these, Olivia Pope remains a beacon of greatness, skill, beauty, style and so much more.

Scandal ran from 2012–2018. The show is so good and another renowned one by Shonda Rhimes. They won several awards but everyone was particularly happy for Joe Morton’s Emmy win to appreciate his excellent Rowan Pope character portrayal.

Video Credit: rp58641 on YouTube.

The Pope parents were claimed to be reuniting from the A different World set to this one.

I wrote about another of Joe Morton’s characters, Byron Douglas III from A different world.

I know Scandal is a Thriller which they do not fail on because it can be very intense but it is also inspired by renowned crisis manager, Judy Smith.

She has made amazing strides as the real-life “fixer”, as an inspiration, and as an expert crisis manager with phenomenal advice and details which could be viewed from her website. I know the show based select cases on some of her cases and obstacles.

This show and the person it’s based on are great examples of representation and excellence. The cast of the show is remarkable and the monologues are amazing. It is an absolutely great watch.

*Everything I saw was from YouTube comments.

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