I recently had three of my wisdom teeth removed. Ouch! Literally. I’ve had to stay home and Scandal was recommended as a way to pass the time. I tried the first episode. I hated it. I tried it again and….
Here is my guide to watching Scandal.
1. Olivia Pope
There hasn’t been a black female lead in a prime time drama in 40 years. Welcome the successful, yet flawed, Olivia Pope to prime time. Forgive her for not being perfect, flawed characters make good stories.
Everything from Gitmo to Watergate to secret spy programs to election rigging (Diebold), it’s all in Scandal.3. International Incidents
At one point there is a blockade by a Sudanese President. The Scandal Government sends in a SEAL team to kidnap the president without the consent for the U.N. hmm… good stuff. A thinking man’s gold mine.3. Huck for the Win (Spoiler Alert)
Huck, played by Guillermo Diaz is the best character. He’s a former military super-killer. His back-story involves PTSD, attending AA because he is abstaining from killing people, and gets even more interesting. Huck deserves his own show.
4. The Powers that Be
The show is marketed as melodrama. There is a far more serious side that is often overshadowed by the sentimentality. When you get past the sentimentality, I think the writers are on to something.
5. Take what you like, leave what you don’t.
I read Pride and Prejudice a few times in my educational career. I got through it by focusing on what I found interesting, criticizing what I found preposterous, and debating the debaters. This made it fun. Do the same.
