Scandal: Discussion Thread

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“SCANDAL”

From the creator and executive producers of “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Private Practice” comes a drama revolving around the life and work of a professional crisis manager and her dysfunctional staff.

A former media relations consultant to the President, Olivia Pope (Kerry Washington) dedicates her life to protecting and defending the public images of our nation’s elite. After leaving the White House, the power consultant opened her own firm, hoping to start a new chapter -- both professionally and personally -- but she can’t seem to completely cut ties with her past. Slowly it becomes apparent that her staff, who specialize in fixing the lives of other people, can’t quite fix the ones closest at hand -- their own.

“Scandal” stars Kerry Washington (“Ray”) as Olivia Pope, Henry Ian Cusick (“Lost”) as Stephen Finch, Columbus Short (“Stomp the Yard”) as Harrison Wright, Guillermo Diaz (“Half-Baked”) as Huck, Darby Stanchfield as Abby Whelan, Katie Lowes as Quinn Perkins, Tony Goldwyn (“Ghost”) as President Fitzgerald Grant and Jeff Perry (“Grey’s Anatomy”) as Cyrus.

“Scandal” was written by Shonda Rhimes (“Grey’s Anatomy,” “Private Practice”). Rhimes and Betsy Beers (“Grey’s Anatomy,” “Private Practice”) are executive producers. Paul McGuigan is the director. “Scandal” is produced by ABC Studios.

Favorite new show of the mid-seas, anyone else watching?

How is nobody on here watching this?

This show is amazing. Best scripted network series in a long time, IMHO.

How is nobody on here watching this?

This show is amazing. Best scripted network series in a long time, IMHO.

ITA! It's wild fun. It's like a perfect mystery novel. I'm thinking of going spoiler free just so I can enjoy all the twists and turns and I NEVER go spoiler free. This show is firmly in my Revenge/The Good WIfe/Mad Men/True Blood column. After Off The Map I was expect more of the same from Shonda but this is more Aaron Sorkin without all the pretense.

I'm so glad I started watching this show!! I almost didn't even give the show a try because I'm already watching too many shows, but luckily CityTV's site still had the first four episodes up, so I gave it a shot -- if the first episode wasn't up, I probably wouldn't have watched. I really like the cast too, and Kerry Washington is hot.

The dialogue reminds me a lot of "Sorkinese" (Aaron Sorkin dialogue) though it's not as clever or funny, but it's still good. It's quick and as "power monologues" (loved Abby's "I'll follow you off a cliff" speech to Olivia).

http://www.tvfanatic.../shows/scandal/

Olivia: I did what I had to for my client. I made a tough call. You don't like it, Abby, too bad. It's my name on that door, not yours.

Abby: Don't talk to me about tough calls or names on the door...When Charles fractured three of my ribs and broke my jaw and threw me out into the snow in my nightgown, Olivia Pope took a tire iron and broke his knee cap and got me the best divorce attorney in the state and got me out of that marriage. It's what Olivia does. It's who you are. You are the gladiator. I would gladly follow you over a cliff, but you've gotta show up. You gotta be a warrior. You don't get to pick and choose when the real Olivia Pope walks through that door. You made the wrong call.

And here's another power monologue by Cyrus:

Olivia: You seem awful chipper about all this, Cyrus.

Cyrus: I am. I am. I'll tell you why. I'm a workaholic and my sweet husband doesn't let me work on Sundays unless there's a war, which is why I hate Sundays and I really hate to garden. So you can see why I'd be excited because there is, in fact, a war. There's a bloody, scary war starting right now.

Olivia: You and I are going to war? That's what you want? Fine.

Cyrus: [laughs] Oh. no. I'm sorry. I wasn't clear. This isn't my war. You know who sent me here The President of the United States sent me here, to this office, to deliver these piles of dirt. I'm not the general. I'm not the bad guy. I'm just an errand boy who doesn't have to garden anymore. President Fitzgerald Thomas Grant III has declared war on you, Olivia, and he does so with the full force of the White House and the legion of men and women who work in the United States government. May God have mercy on your soul.

Finale = AWESOME!!!!!

This show totally works for me as a soap because of what a romantic Fitz is. I never would have thought of the POTUS as a hopelessly romantic man but Tony Goldwyn plays the man in love role well in this show.

I honestly don't care about whether anything else on the show makes that much sense because he's awesome in this role, imo. And I actually do like how Bellamy Young plays Mellie. They make me have no desire whatsoever to see their characters "fix" their marriage. She did a great job in making Fitz sound like a piece of property that she can give out and take back as the mood suits her.

As of right now, episode 6 is my favorite. Besides all of Fitz's swoon worthy lines about being a coward and not waiting for her to show up, Harrison's scene with Mellie's toe sucking friend made me laugh.

Poor Billy went to all that trouble and still ended up having to lie and lose. Cyrus firing the Press Secretary was perhaps the most believable and best scene because you don't just let a staff member with whom you did not consult, come in and hijack the press briefing.

This show has plenty of flaws but it's extremely entertaining and the seven episodes helped keep it from getting off track.

No. I could care less who Quinn really is but it does show how easy it is to generate curiosity in nothing. Seriously, she's not the reason I watched any of the episodes and she's never going to be the reason I watch so I don't care but some people do so it worked as a cliffhanger plot device in that regard.

@Wales

I agree! I like Q, but she is a bit of a dunce. The show is extremely enteraining. FLOTUS is a G! I love her! POTUS and Liv are swoon worthy! And I'm a total doofus because I didn't know Cyrus was gay with a partner until the finale. Has this come up before? I think it's brilliant and Cyrus rocks!

Love the soundtrack!

ANDREA

Edited May 20, 201213 yr by ChitHappens

For whatever reason, I stopped watching ABC shows at some point so I don't even recall how I happened to see an ad for this show. Anyway, I decided I would watch the pilot and I wasn't sure that I'd watch again but I thought why not. I missed a few episodes because I forgot that it was on. They showed Olivia going to his house in the fourth episode but I don't know if it was brought up prior to that since I missed some shows. I love Cyrus although I wasn't keen on his insistence that Fitz declare war on Olivia and his lying about each to the other. I guess that scene in the finale where Fitz tells Cyrus he's mad because his girl Olivia fell in love with him is supposed to explain Cyrus' actions. He was hurt when he found out about them and he wanted to drive a wedge between them so that he could get his work wife back in some way.

The song that they use for Fitz and Oliva works well ("No Time Outs" by David Holmes from the "Out of Sight" Soundtrack in case you didn't already know and were interested).

Edited to make a correction regarding the song. It's actually called "The Light" and it's by The Album Leaf ("Into the Blue Again"). "No Time Outs" was from their love scene in episode 6. There might be other songs used from "Into the Blue Again." Chad Fischer is listed as the composer of the theme music. I guess I haven't paid enough attention to the music but Ilike both of the songs I listed above--especially "The Light."

Edited May 20, 201213 yr by Wales2004

This show totally works for me as a soap because of what a romantic Fitz is. I never would have thought of the POTUS as a hopelessly romantic man but Tony Goldwyn plays the man in love role well in this show.

I never heard of TG before this series and now I'm a fan. He's such a good actor. I love how he acts with his eyes - you could see his emotions.

And I actually do like how Bellamy Young plays Mellie. They make me have no desire whatsoever to see their characters "fix" their marriage. She did a great job in making Fitz sound like a piece of property that she can give out and take back as the mood suits her.

The First Lady is becoming such a fun role to watch! "I'm taking my husband back." I loved what she said to Olivia, how if she stayed, the Amanda situation would've never happened.

Poor Billy went to all that trouble and still ended up having to lie and lose.

I hope he's not dead.

Cyrus firing the Press Secretary was perhaps the most believable and best scene because you don't just let a staff member with whom you did not consult, come in and hijack the press briefing.

Cyrus is totally my favorite character. He's such a badass and now apparently a killer! Nice revelation at the end there. I also liked his line to the President: "Some men are meant to be great, they're not necessarily meant to be happy."

No. I could care less who Quinn really is but it does show how easy it is to generate curiosity in nothing. Seriously, she's not the reason I watched any of the episodes and she's never going to be the reason I watch so I don't care but some people do so it worked as a cliffhanger plot device in that regard.

Was anyone else yelling to the TV, "DON'T PULL OUT THE SCISSORS!" She's so stupid. LOL I really hope the revelation of her identity is interesting because she's the weakness part of the show.

I agree! I like Q, but she is a bit of a dunce. The show is extremely enteraining. FLOTUS is a G! I love her! POTUS and Liv are swoon worthy! And I'm a total doofus because I didn't know Cyrus was gay with a partner until the finale. Has this come up before? I think it's brilliant and Cyrus rocks!

Yeah, there's been mentions of Cyrus being gay in previous episodes. Though I'm not sure if that's public knowledge.

Edited to make a correction regarding the song. It's actually called "The Light" and it's by The Album Leaf ("Into the Blue Again"). "No Time Outs" was from their love scene in episode 6. There might be other songs used from "Into the Blue Again." Chad Fischer is listed as the composer of the theme music. I guess I haven't paid enough attention to the music but Ilike both of the songs I listed above--especially "The Light."

"The Light" is really good. I think that's Fitz/Olivia's theme song.

Tony Goldwyn totally acts with his eyes. He was the bad guy in Ghost. He's also the grandson of Samuel Goldwyn of Metro Goldwyn Mayer (MGM Studios).

ANDREA

No. I could care less who Quinn really is but it does show how easy it is to generate curiosity in nothing. Seriously, she's not the reason I watched any of the episodes and she's never going to be the reason I watch so I don't care but some people do so it worked as a cliffhanger plot device in that regard.

I find Quinn to be the least interesting of the gladiators but we know so little about any of them that I'm willing to withold judgment to see if she's got a back story that measures up.

I finally got around to watching the first couple episodes. It is definitely not my kind of show and I still don't like Kerry Washington as an actress, but I just found out that it is the first show with a Black woman lead on tv in like 20 years so I am thrilled that it did well enough to get a second season. Hopefully, it can build an audience.

The one thing that gripped me was the love affair between Olivia and Fitz. I The actors have killer chemistry and look good together. I watched their scenes for the whole season on YT. Damn, their intimate and lovemaking scenes were hot as hell. Even though, I think that Fitz is the biggest scumbag, I totally believe that he loves Olivia desperately. I honestly can't blame her for being unable to resist him. It reminds me of The Thornbirds, where Ralph loves Meggie more than anything in the world, but his ambition costs them both everything. I'll check in next season to see what happens between Olivia and Fitz.

I agree completely Ann! Never cared for KW, but this love story made me embrace her. The chem is for the record books.