Courtney Jones

Evaluation
From the very beginning I was hooked. With every episode even more
exciting than the previous one, how could anyone not fall in love with this
series? Scandal, a television show created by Shonda Rhimes, is currently
one of the most popular TV shows among teenagers, young adults, and
middle-aged adults. With strong and powerful female leads, the show tends
to specifically target women. Their fourth and most recent season averaged
9.19 million viewers! (http://tvseriesfinale.com) Although political
thrillers/dramas dont usually appeal to young adults, this one does; mostly
due to the scandalous nature of the show, especially since most of the
scandals involve sex and violence.

Scandal stars Kerry Washington as Olivia Pope, a DC fixer. She fixes

scandals for a living, but is involved in the biggest scandal herself; she is

having an affair with The President of the United States (played by Tony
Goldwyn). This is a very big problem seeing as he is married. And The
President. Fitzgerald Grant (whom close friends and dedicated fans call
Fitz) fell in love with Olivia while she was running his presidential
campaign. This love affair turns into a love triangle as soon as Jake Ballard
(Scott Foley) enters her life.

Olivia is the head of OPA (Olivia Pope and Associates). Those who work
for her call themselves her gladiators. They all owe her their lives as she
has saved each of them in some way; because of this, they do everything
she asks of them. A phrase often used when the team is about to take on a
dangerous task is over a cliff referring to the fact that they would follow her
over a cliff. The gladiators all have very unique personalities and
backgrounds. From the homeless ex-member of a secret spy organization, to

a woman accused of mailing a bomb to murder her boyfriend, the office is

full of interesting characters with their own story to tell.
Overall, the writers of the show are brilliant. The plot twists really keep
you on your feet and cliffhangers leave you wanting more. The TV show is
known for its fast paced scenes and fast talking. Although in most scenes
the fast talking achieves the writers desired result of making the
characters seem extremely smart and quick witted, it doesnt come naturally
to all of the actors and can sometimes seem forced. That being said, the
acting is actually very impressive and seems to progress each season;
mostly by the main characters Fitz and Olivia (Liv for short). Washington
and Goldwyns on screen chemistry is something that most actors cant pull
off. The affair is portrayed so beautifully that it has the audience rooting for
adultery-- for the most part. Fans of the show are divided by their love of Fitz,
and their lust for Jake. (If you couldnt tell, Im totally rooting for Fitz!)
Shonda Rhimes always puts her own agendas into the show. This
becomes most apparent starting in the third and fourth season and has
continued into the fifth. She has largely promoted feminist ideals such as
problems with rape culture and pay inequality, as well as race issues. The
episodes often seem to correlate with current events including shootings,
riots, government corruption, and even foreign affairs. One episode that
aired around the time of the Ferguson Riots highlighted a story of a black
man whose son was killed by a white police officer. In the episode, her
agenda was to portray the police officer as racist which stirred up a lot of
controversy.

Many compliment Shonda Rhimes on her use of diversity throughout

the show, but she had this to say in response: "I really hate the word
'diversity.' It suggests something...other. As if it is something special, or rare.
Diversity! As if there is something unusual about telling stories involving
women and people of color and LGBTQ characters on TV. I have a different
word: normalizing. I'm normalizing TV. I am making TV look like the world
looks. Women, people of color, LGBTQ people equal way more than 50
percent of the population. Which means it ain't out of the ordinary." (Human
Rights Campaign Gala speech)
It is really refreshing to watch a TV show that relates to current events
and doesnt leave out the realities of life. The show pushes boundaries and
helps the audience see situations from different perspectives that they may
not have previously considered. The writers never fail to deliver on the
twists, turns, and utter shock, which the shows fans have come to love-- and
I dont see them slowing down anytime soon. Just one episode has the ability
to make you feel every emotion there is! The fifth season just started and I
am always left counting down the days until the next week when it will air
again. I would absolutely recommend Scandal to anyone of appropriate age
and maturity.