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Scandal: Discussion Thread


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I didn't get anything out of the interviews that I've read where Shonda Rhimes discusses this show. I recall one where she seemed surprised when the person conducting the interview suggested that Olivia and David (I may have the character's name wrong but he's played by Joshua Malina) have chemistry and wanted to know about those two getting together. Her response seemed to be one of surprise that anyone even thought that. In another interview she mentions the chemistry and plays the "who knows?" game (at least that's how she came across to me).

I can't take any of what she said seriously specifically because in discussing Mellie's scene with Olivia, she implied that Mellie was the one in power and controlled her husband's affairs which is clearly not what was depicted. That would mean that she would have found Amanda Tanner appropriate and also implies that she controls her husband's emotions. What's funny with my disagreeing with her take is that she's the creator of the show so she ought to know better than this viewer but I can only go by what I saw and if that's what she meant to convey then she missed with me at least. Backstory on Fitz and Mellie's marriage might support what she said to some extent. They would have to show that Fitz was truly in love with Mellie at one time or even just have him express that was the case and that she pushed him away. But unless she has the ability to make him love her at will then she doesn't control him. All that scene did was show how powerless Mellie actually is as compared to Olivia. She was on her way out and Olivia could have technically walked off into the sunset with Fitz since he was willing to give everything up for her and Cyrus gave Olivia clarity then Stephen reinforced it. Those who root for the wife over the mistress were thrown a bone because the wife appeared to be triumphant but the heart of that show is the Fitz/Olivia dynamic so they are going to continue the friction.

What I would like to see is the greatness of Fitz. I felt as if everyone was busy telling the audience that Fitz was born to lead the nation and a lot was put into showing how powerless he is when it comes to love and to being able to come and go as he pleases. His decision to go and see Olivia and his decision to leave it all behind seems to be the only two decisions that he was able to make on his own. Everyone is busy making him into their ideal and telling him what to do and how to handle things. I'd like to see some scenes where he makes an executive decision and everyone else has to carry it out just as an illustration of his natural ability to be that world leader and of why all of these sacrifices are necessary (specificaly why he's not meant to be happy).

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I think that next season Fitz will be shown to be a great President or at least a determined one. One thing, that was said in that interview that I believe is that having Olivia throw back his decision to resign in his face will change him. I expect to see him stronger and more ruthless next season. Of course, in a few episodes, I expect he will forgive Olivia and they will be back together.

I thought Cyrus' comment about Fitz "not meant to be happy" was so exaggerated. True, he is not meant to be happy right now, but there is no reason that he and Olivia cannot be together once he is out of the White House if that is what they both want. When Fitz was talking about a man who is not President not having options, I had a moment's happiness for them, but he must be crazy leaving the country to be run by that nutjob Vice President.

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Fitz will probably be angry and within an episode or two, Olivia's team will do something that ends up directly or indirectly helping him.

I'm interested in seeing how they work out the pregnancy angle. For some reason I don't think the two of them will have a baby together.

Their first episode should pick up right where the finale ended since it would be logical for them to reveal who Quinn is from that moment. But it could very well be months down the road with a scene thrown in that refers to back to who she is.

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I thought of the possibility of Olivia getting pregnant. I suppose it could happen, but it would depend on how long the show lasts. I do see them hitting the sheets next season somehow, somewhere. There is no way that they will be able to stay away from each other for very long.

I have got to say I don't care who Quinn really is because I have no interest in any of the other characters. I just don't find the problems of the 1% and their enablers interesting.

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I'm better off not giving this show much thought because then I'll notice the flaws. Mellie blamed Olivia for not being there for Fitz and having him end up with Amanda. She should have saved her husband from Amanda since she has that kind of power.

The show thrives off Olivia and Fitz's relationship. The formula for that is to continue brief moments between them. You're probably right about there being some interaction between them other than the one minute, at some point during the next season.

A pregnancy would be too messy. Maybe they will end up together when the show ends (if there is enough notice).

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Some of the other characters will probably be developed as dictated by whatever scandal they are trying to avert.

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Outside of Fitz and Olivia, the stories and the characters' actions make me roll my eyes. I feel like I am losing precious brain cells. I was such a fan of The West Wing that I find this soapy approach absolutely ridiculous. I could not get over the little things like Cyrus and others never knock when he enters the oval office and the way he speaks to Fitz is unbelievable.

I don't think that Mellie has that kind of power over Fitz any more, if she ever did. He has no desire for Mellie. She is his work partner that is all. As horrible as Mellie's comments were, I thought she was right. Olivia is the woman that Fitz loves. She is the only one who could stop Fitz from turning to inappropriate women who could and would be willing to destroy him. Olivia leaving made him vulnerable to Amanda's attention. But on the other hand, Olivia cannot be responsible for Fitz's behavior or existence. He has got to grow up a bit.

If I was in charge, I would do a pregnancy just to make it extremely messy for Fitz and Olivia. This would make it impossible for Olivia to untangle herself from him. I would also limit the show to five seasons. Over the next four seasons, Cyrus' involvement in Amanda's death should slowly unravel. This should be the scandal that takes Fitz down. I think all these people need to have their crimes and sins exposed.

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I think I gave away the majority of whatever brain cells I had yesterday somewhere between "Secret Life...." and "Single Ladies." I have no excuse at all. I never watched "The West Wing" but I have seen a couple of reviews where it was mentioned and also "The Good Wife." I don't see this as a political drama though. It's more like a backdrop to me. The open door thing is totally soap. No doors are locked unless there is a need to show someone picking a lock. Seeing the name Silas reminded me of why I gave up on "Heroes." Anyway, I'm fine with Cyrus since he is responsible for seeing the potential in Fitz and making it happen.

The other characters help to give Olivia a bit of personality. They do exaggerate her magnificence but maybe they serve to reveal something about her. I generally like the way they handle the scandals except the torture and what may have been done to Billy.

He believes her to be the love of his life so they are tangled no matter what. They don't need a baby for that and a baby doesn't have to keep anyone attached anyway. Attachment is a choice for the most part. In her world, she'd probably see the baby as a reason to stay away and he would see the baby as an excuse for her not to stay away.

I don't see this show with five seasons in its future but if it gets that far and stays interesting then good. They need a good season premiere to draw in more viewers and keep the ones they have.

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I think if they stick with 13 episode seasons that Shonda wants, then the show will have a much longer shelf life. It will be like a serial telenovela and this does very well on cable network. We'll see how it does on a broadcast network.

Oh, I corrected "Cyrus," Not sure why I called him Silas.

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ITA that 13 episodes are sufficient. Having a limited number in the 10-13 episode range seems to generally make writers work more on their storytelling. Although, that didn't work at all with Hawthorne where too much was either crammed into a single episode or the viewer was supposed to fill in the blanks.

The interview was good except for the obligatory race question. At least Christie Love wasn't mentioned.

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It does not always guarantee success, but I find that the shows that I like on cable that have short seasons have better storytelling. With only 10 to 13 episodes, there is no time for the writers to go off on tangents or indulge themselves, or do filler episodes because each episode counts and must build towards an explosive finale. I think that as long as Shonda keeps the focus on Fitz and Liv's love for each other and struggle to stay away from each other, then everything will be fine.

Hawthorne was a bloody mess by the second season. I don't know who wrote it, but I heard the rumor that Jade had her fingers in every aspect of the show. With a far more experienced producer like Shonda, I cannot imagine Scandal going that route.

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I was thrilled when Hawthorne was canceled. It had gotten so bad by S2. I stopped watching it about halfway through the season because I just wanted to hold Michael Vartan and tell him everything was going to be alright.

I'm okay with the 13 ep seasons. Or in the case of some shows, longer seasons that have a break in the middle. That's why I've never bought the insistence that soaps have to be daily. Audiences will adjust IF they are getting what they want. True Blood basically does 13 episodes a year. Mad Men was gone for 18 months.

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LOL! I adore Michael Vartan also so it was painful watching him having to play out that terrible writing and then have his character lose out to cadaverous Marc Anthony. By the end, I was just glad that Michael was getting a steady paycheck for his suffering.

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