Scandal: The Complete First Season

I started watching Scandal mainly to support Kerry Washington. I am not a big fan of Shonda Rhimes other shows, so I did not hold out hope beyond my standard three episode trial period. Scandal however is a show that sucks you in and keeps you anoxiously wanting more. The storylines, each week has a new case of the week, but there are two primary stories that neatly play out, develop and dove tail with several of the COTW. The ways in which the stories play out keep you guessing and coming back for more.

While KW is clearly the focal point of the show and she does a fabulous job of carrying it, the supporting players add the necessary meat to Scandal to make it must see television. Tony Goldwyn of Ghost fame is fabulous as the POTUS, and together, he and Washington combine to make the hottest couple I have seen on either the big or small screen in quite some time. Bellamy Young as the FLOTUS is like a smiling coiled viper, in the best possible way. And they are just the beginning of the terrific cast that rounds out this show. From Cyrus, to Steven, to Huck, all of the players are top notch and their excellent casting serve to make Scandal a terrific show that if handled right and given a real chance by the network could become a phenomenal and long running series.

I hesitated on buying the season because it was only seven episodes, but am glad that I made the purchase because rewatching enables you to clearly see the clues that were laid out for the viewer. Naturally, upon second watching, some scenes take on a new and deeper meaning knowing how things play out, some make you wonder how you missed them the first time around, others have,you wondering if you are seeing things differently based on knowing what happens. In essence, it has all the elements that make a good mystery worth repeated viewing/reading.

My one negative is the insipid Quinn character who walks, talks, thinks, and acts like a deer in the headlights. I don’t know if Rhimes wants us to feel protective of or sorry for Quinn, but I personally find that I can’t stand the character, and I feel that if she were to disappear from the canvass not only would I not notice, but the show would be greatly improved.

“Grey’s Anatomy” creator Shonda Rhimes has come up with another winner with her new series, “Scandal.” Few TV programs can beat “Grey’s Anatomy” in terms of substance, quality and acting, but “Scandal” ain’t too shabby. It debuted on ABC on April 5, 2012.

The storyline revolves around a former White House communications director, Olivia Pope, (Kerry Washington), who now runs her own crisis management firm, Olivia Pope & Associates – a business with a particular twist. Her clients are those well known figures, usually political, who get themselves into deep doo-doo. Think Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky, John Edwards and Reille Hunter, Richard Nixon and Watergate, etc. The catch here is that Olivia and her team of “gladiators in suits,” have to believe in their clients’ innocence before they take the case. Olivia is regarded as the best “fixer” in Washington.

Ms. Pope’s team are all self proclaimed “weirdos,” – you have to watch the show to see how weird. One has to be out of the main stream to be hired by Olivia. The cast of her co-workers/employees are: Harrison Wright, (Columbus Short ). Harrison worked for a firm whose CEO was prosecuted for insider trading. Harrison was sentenced to a relatively long prison sentence because of his association with the firm. Olivia defended him pro bono because he was innocent of all charges, thus terminating the jail time. This earned her Harrison’s eternal loyalty.

Abby Whelan, (Darby Stanchfield), works as an investigator in Olivia’s firm. Abby was married to the son of a former Virginia governor. She left him when he beat her in a drunken rage. Olivia got a tire iron and broke Charles’s kneecap. She also helped Abby get the best divorce attorney in the state to help her get out of her marriage. Abby is also extremely loyal to Olivia.

Quinn Perkins, (Katie Lowes), a new employee, is definitely not who she claims to be. Some of the episodes deal with Quinn’s identity and the serious problems she has with the law.

My favorite character, Huck, (Guillermo Diaz), is totally “strange.” Another extremely loyal team member, he works as a tech guy in Olivia’s firm. He is willing to do anything she asks of him. Olivia found the homeless Huck while she was working on a presidential campaign for the same candidate who is now president. She is VERY involved with our head of state. Anyway, she took a shining to Huck and brought him coffee every day. Prior to knowing Olivia, and after serving in the Marines, Huck was blackmailed into joining a top secret C.I.A. program called B613, where he was trained to torture and murder American “traitors”.

Non-Pope employees but reoccurring characters include: Cyrus Rutherford Beene, (Jeff Perry), White House Chief of staff; Fitzgerald Thomas Grant III “Fitz,” (Tony Goldwyn), as of the President of the United States; First Lady Melody “Mellie” Grant, (Bellamy Young), David Rosen, (Joshua Maline), Assistant US Attorney; Sally Langston, extremely conservative Vice President of the US.

Season one focuses on the lives of the team members, the relationship between Olivia and the president (her former employer).

The downside of “Scandal” is that the episodes and dialogue seem to run on cocaine. Everyone talks fast and the pace is beyond fast. It is really necessary to pay attention because you can miss something important if you blink your eyes twice in a row. Eventually, one gets used to the pace

Kerry Washington’s character, Olivia Pope, is partially based on former George H.W. Bush administration press aide Judy Smith, who serves as a co-executive producer.
JANA

Me impesiono mucho la primera parte de Scandal sus actores, el papel que desempeñan,me encanta el papel de Olivia Pope quien con su astucia, y sagas inteligencia logra llevar definitivamente a la silla presidencial (al candidato en cuestion futuro presidente de los EE.UU al poder)y sin proponerselo tambien roba perdidamente el corazon de este hombre,donde a pesar de que es casado se enamora irremediablemente de Olivia al punto de que por ella titubea si seguir luchando por la presidencia o abandonar el camino al poder por amor.es una apasionante,fascinante e inquietante historia de amor que cuando empiezas a verlas ya no puedes volverte atras hasta que llegas al final y tambien resulta electrisante que el presidente de America se enamora locamente de una Afroamericana es genial es una mezcla de poder,lucha por amor,inquietudes,insertidumbre,locura pasion y demas hay de todo un poco os recomiendo a todos, es fascinante la serie y la desenfadada mezcla de el futuro presidente con Olivia Pope lo hace encantador

Le 5 stelle sono sia per la serie in sé, che io e mia moglie abbiamo trovato molto avvincente (sto ordinando la seconda serie!), che per la qualità dei dischi e la rapidità di consegna.