The Real 'Scandal' - That Isn't Discussed
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Pope and Fitz's chemistry is undeniable. (ABC)
When it comes to Olivia Pope there is no time for games. Expect honesty – brutal at best, expect haste, precision and discretion. Do not ask who, what, where, when or why. Keep all opinions to yourself because against her you will lose all arguments, you will forfeit all battles. She is dedicated, headstrong, tenacious and unapologetic. She is the epitome of a strong black woman. Despite this, her character can leave one to wonder whether she reinforces stereotypes or revolutionizes the image of black women on TV and in America.
Pope represents the possibilities but also the limitations of a black woman in America.
“Scandal,” a political thriller television series on ABC, follows the work of D.C.’s most sought after crisis management firm, Pope & Associates, and the salacious entanglements that jeopardize the lives of their high profile clients. Owned and operated by principle consultant Olivia Pope (Kerry Washington), who immaculately protects the public images of the nation’s elite. Concealing secrets and fixing problems, Pope struggles to balance her job with a dark secret of her own. As the former White House Communications Director for Republican president, Fitzgerald “Fitz” Thomas Grant III (Tony Goldwyn), she left behind her esteemed position because their love affair became too overwhelming, seriously threatening both of their careers. Despite their separation, however, the two cannot seem to sever all ties, forcing Pope to choose between her personal desires and the welfare of the entire nation.
Washington’s prominent role has sparked the conversation of whether “Scandal” represents a new era of television and updates the image of black women on network television. When questioned by the New York Times, Washington spoke about the show’s inclusivity of all genders and races rather than focusing on the captivating image of a black woman presented to viewers every Thursday night. “I think the success of the show speaks to how we have become more inclusive as a society because the fans of the show span all different races and ages and genders,” she wrote in an email.
Pope’s character is loosely modeled after Judy Smith, former George Bush administration press aide and crisis management specialist who represented Monica Lewinsky and a number of other high-profile cases. Smith currently co-executive produces the series with creator Shonda Rhimes.
Rhimes is the first African-American woman to create and executive produce a top-10 network series ("Grey’s Anatomy"). Kerry Washington has also made history as the first African-American woman to have a lead in a network drama in almost 40 years. The first was undercover cop, Teresa Graves, who starred in “Get Christie Love!” which premiered in 1974. Nevertheless, race and ethnicity, are rarely (if at all) discussed, both during and behind the scenes of “Scandal.”
On December 6th, in the eighth episode of the second season, “Happy Birthday Mr. President,” race relations were briefly referenced, and in a striking manner:
Pope: Somehow I’ve become this person, who…I have no words!
Fitz: We are together. That’s all that matters.
Pope: Really? Because I’m feeling a little, I don’t know, Sally Hemmings, Thomas Jefferson about all this.
Later Fitz confronts Olivia saying her comment was “below the belt.” “You’re playing the race card on the fact that I’m in love with you?” he asks. Card or no card, race is an unavoidable aspect that adds complexity to the show.
The series is a success, no doubt, but its success among particular audiences has been discussed as infrequently as race is on the show. According to Neilson “Scandal” is the highest rated scripted drama among African-Americans, with 10.1 percent of black households tuning in during the first half of the season.
Pope’s team of consultants (“gladiators”) is comprised of Harrison Wright (Columbus Short), an African-American lawyer, Huck (Guillermo Diaz) a Latino former C.I.A recruit who was in Black Ops and now serves as Pope’s tech guy and two white women, Quinn Perkins/Lindsay Dwyer (Katie Lowes) saved from a scandal disclosed in the season two premiere, and Abby Whelan (Darby Stanchfield) who work as investigators.
The cast is ethnically diverse and the stories original, two elements Rhimes’s series are well known for. So why – when a successful black woman is placed in a rare relatively positive role – are comments from Rhimes and Washington specifically regarding her race and its impact on viewers difficult to elicit? Especially when reality shows like Bravo’s “Real Housewives of Atlanta,” VH1’s “Basketball Wives,” and “Love And Hip-Hop” that negatively portray black women as ill-mannered gold-diggers, were eating up cable network ratings before “Scandal’s” arrival?
Perhaps Rhimes would prefer her show to be praised for a compelling story line in which a black woman stars, rather than a show about a black woman. Perhaps Washington wants to be regarded as a talented actress loved by all audiences, rather than solely black audiences. Or maybe both are worn out by the race conversation, or weary of the multitude of directions the conversation could go in with “Scandal” as its platform. But as a black woman who has been both proud and tired of unofficially speaking for black women across America in and out of the classroom, I find it impossible not to address the groundbreaking elements Rhimes and Washington seem to neglect.
Olivia Pope reiterates and redefines.
She is a walking contradiction – a progressive one – but a contradiction.
By and large, Pope is not Sally Hemmings, simply because she is not a slave. Fitz does not own her. He does, however, colonize her thoughts. Their chemistry (electrifying even to those who have been cheated on) causes her to make bad judgments. Their love enslaves Pope. Or so she says later in the episode after Fitz asks if her “below the belt” comment (that belittles their relationship) is about his wife Millie and her premature awareness of their affair:
“I smile for her and I take off my clothes for you. I wait for you. I watch for you. My whole life is you. I can’t breathe because I’m waiting for you. You own me, you control me, I belong to you,” she says as tears well up in her eyes.
Fitz is quick to do the unthinkable and interrupts Pope as he completely disagrees with this ownership she speaks of:
“You own me! You control me! I belong to you!” he shouts. “You think I don’t want to be a better man? You think that I don’t want to dedicate myself to my marriage? You don’t think I want to be honorable, to be the man that you voted for? I love you. I’m in love with you. You’re the love of my life. My every feeling is controlled by the look on your face. I can’t breathe without you. I can’t sleep without you. I wait for you. I watch for you. I exist for you. If I could escape all of this and run away with you…there’s no Sally and Thomas here. You’re nobody’s victim Liv. I belong to you, we’re in this together.”
As Olivia was left speechless, Twitter (the social media platform that “Scandal” viewers dominate weekly) blew up with reactions to the dramatic scene. One viewer praised the scene construction saying, “Rhimes is so smart.”
Rhimes’s use of a historical reference in an unconventional manor, as it removes the physical and leaves the emotional sense of enslavement between Olivia and Fitz is brilliant, although not convincing. Despite how the “Sally and Thomas” reference is used, no matter how long ago the relationship took place, the root of the show; the root of the scandal is the relationship between the white president of the United States and a black woman.
Viewers are engrossed by their love because it is inconceivable in every aspect. The love is real and genuine. Their love is visceral; you can feel it off of the screen. But off of the screen it is not real.
Perhaps since the “race card” is danced around on screen, there is no need for it to be addressed off screen.
