Scandal is back and hotter than ever. The provocative TV drama had Scandal-lators everywhere asking one searing question all summer long: “Where is Olivia Pope?” On Thursday, Sept. 25, they found her when ABC premiered its fourth season of Scandal.
Shonda Rhimes, executive producer of the riveting TV scorcher promised not to disappoint by providing viewers with more of the OMG, “wow!” moments that hooked them in Season One. Season Four will continue to deliver the jaw-dropping, heart-pounding, breath-stopping and temperature -rising goings-on (in and out of the bedrooms) on Capitol Hill which Scandal lovers have come to enjoy.
Scandal is back and hotter than ever because of Olivia Pope (Kerry Washington) and her team of gladiators: Quinn Perkins (Katie Lowes), Huck (Guillermo Diaz), Abbie Whelan (Darby Stanchfield) and intermittent gladiator, U.S. District Attorney David Rosen (Joshua Malina). They are the mucilage that keeps show-lovers mesmerized and unable to move from in front of TV sets on Thursday nights.
Other characters of the smash hit include Olivia’s married love interest, President Fitzgerald Grant (Tony Goldwyn), First Lady Mellie Grant (Bellamy Young), Olivia’s other love interest, Jake Ballard (Scott Foley), White House Chief of Staff Cyrus Beene (Jeff Perry) and Olivia’s unscrupulous father, Rowan Pope (Joe Morton).
Since its debut in April 2012, the show has become a mega-hit that delivers the goods and continues to keep Scandal-lators aghast and wondering “What just happened?” Olivia Pope is a fierce Washington, D.C., public image consultant and damage control pro. She is the one you call to get things done. Alone, she is a formidable adversary and a force to be reckoned with, but when coupled with her gladiators, they make the impossible conceivable, achievable and believable for the wealthy, affluent and venal who sit atop the hill.
Washington’s character is said to be inspired by real-life crisis management specialist, Judy A. Smith, Esq., a former deputy press secretary for President George H. Bush. Smith is also the president and CEO of Smith & Company, a D.C.-based crisis management and media relations firm.
What makes the show so Scandal-licous is that it lays bare the schemes that world power-players devise in order to protect images and do what is best for (the business of) politics. Add to this the sexual chemistry between Washington and her married, presidential lover, played by Goldwyn, and you have been Scandalized. Washington and Goldwyn smolder with a quiet passion that ignites the screen with just a look. One minute of silence between them provides enough sexual tension that those watching could internally combust. It is muy caliente!
In her interview with LiveTV, Ms. Rhimes was asked “if Scandal promotes adultery.” She responded, “I don’t feel like we’re making adultery acceptable. … To me, the storyline is not about adultery or not adultery. We’re telling the story of these two characters that very specifically have this kind of relationship.”
Rhimes, who is no newcomer to television, has birthed a string of mega-hits which aired on ABC. Rhimes started with the medical drama, Grey’s Anatomy, which first aired in 2005, followed by its spin-off, Private Practice (which ended in January 2013). Rhimes’ newest project for ABC, How to Get Away with Murder, stars Academy-award nominee, Viola Davis (The Help), and made its debut on September 25. It will follow Scandal on Thursdays at 10 p.m. on ABC.
Shonda Rhimes is ABC’s super-talented “it girl.” Much like Olivia Pope, she is a force to be reckoned with, because Scandal is back and hotter than ever and so is she.
By DeBorah Heggs
Sources:
Black Enterprise
ABC
The Huffington Post
