Hello Beautiful People,
Lately, my days have been getting longer, as in, there has been more things to do, and yet I’m still working with 24 hours. You all know what I mean. Sometimes, more often than not, there aren’t enough hours in a day. And sadly, last week, that meant that I had to wait to watch SCANDAL until Saturday.
I came home late from a day of interviews, rehearsals, shows, meetings, and dinner engagements.
Like, we’re talking four am.
But, I was wound, so I thought, let me relax with the latest episode of Scandal, A Woman Scorned.
HA!
Are you laughing yet?
Relax and Scandal cannot coexist in the same sentence. It just doesn’t make sense. And this past episode took everything to a whole new level. I may have yelled at the television several times. I may have thought that Mellie would not be so vindictive, I may have fallen in and out of love with Scott Foley. I’m still constantly perplexed by all that is Fitz; I am in utter awe of Tony Goldwyn, as he directed episode, too. And CYRUS! Oh, sweet Cyrus. He broke my heart. And it’s probably not what you think. But I’m not going tell you, because you should watch. It was by far my favorite episode to date.
I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again, Shonda Rhimes is an utter genius when it comes to television scripting. Genius. Pure. Freaking. Genius. There has not been one episode of Scandal that hasn’t had my brain whirling, my heart pounding, and my stomach in knots. The intensity of this show is absolutely palpable, from the writing, to the acting of the entire cast and crew, to the camera angles, and of course, Olivia Pope.
Yes, I realize that Olivia Pope (Kerry Washington) is part of the cast, but the character of Pope is so phenomenal she has to be penned twice.
I have yet to meet a female friend of mine who is not enamored with Olivia Pope. (Perhaps the haters are out there, but as always, take the negativity to another site.) So, was it about Olivia Pope that causes such admiration? Infatuation? What makes viewers across America cheer for the Gladiator in the White Suit?
Perhaps Kerry Washington said it best in an interview for the May issue of InStyle Magazine:
“So often, as a woman, you play the love interest,” she says, smiling. On our show I get to have a love interest.”
I believe that’s part of it, but I don’t think Washington is giving herself enough credit. Yes, she gets to have a love interest. But it’s so much more than that. In my opinion, Olivia Pope embodies one of the most complex characters seen on primetime television today. Olivia Pope is a champion for justice and kindness, and yet, she’s having an affair. Olivia Pope has a logical mind, and yet, there are times when her heart wins the battle of heart versus head, a battle that so many people know all too well. Olivia Pope loves fiercely & unapologetically. Olivia Pope is fearless, and yet she sometimes breaks. Olivia Pope is a brilliant legal mind, she does not apologize for intelligence, but she has the class and smarts to acknowledge a mistake when she needs to. It’s as if Olivia Pope is made up of bits and pieces of us all. Our dreams, our fears, our hopes, our wants, our desires, our mistakes – the challenges we face, the battles we overcome, the things we have yet to achieve – they are all part of Olivia Pope.
And that is due to a beautiful combination of the writing of Shonda Rhimes and the acting chops of Kerry Washington.
Tune in on Thursday, you know I will be, as will many of members. We’ll also be tweeting with the cast, which is pretty damn cool. Use the hashtag: #AskScandal, and follow us @TheWriteTeach.
Live, Love, Learn,