In a relatively short period of time, Scandal on ABC has become one of television’s most watched and most discussed shows. It is the number one show in its time slot for the 18-49 demographic and with that demographic also being the most social media friendly, the show is almost always a trending topic on Thursday nights.
Scandal is adored by many — its fan page on Facebook has swelled to well over 500,000 likes as if this writing, and the show also enjoys generally favorable reviews from critics with a metacritic score of 64/100. Speaking personally, I watched the show’s first season and the first couple of episodes of the second season and found it to be pretty entertaining – for a network show. Still, despite all this and despite how many folks in my circle are “officially obsessed with Scandal” there are an exorbitant number of things about the show that I absolutely can’t stand. Today I’m going to talk about them:
7. All White Everything
Ok. I get that Olivia is the good guy in all of this. I get that she’s always right, always principled, always trying to save the day — still, does she always have to wear all white. She works in DC. DC has winter. Not like a fake, two month winter, but real, snow on the ground right now winter. While exceptions can be made, generally speaking, winter and all-white don’t mix. I’m really not that particular when it comes to women’s fashion, but there aren’t too many things I like less on a woman than an all-white pantsuit. To me, Olivia looks like she’s perpetually headed to her sorority’s ecumenical service at its annual convention and at this point… it’s distracting.
6. The Fake-Great Writing
Must’ve Been Laundry Day
I can’t tell you all how many times I’ve heard someone say, or read someone tweet that the writing on Scandal is great. If you’ve never taken the time to really invest yourself into a great television show, I can see how Scandal’s weekly plot twists, cliffhangers and ‘OMG’ moments might trick you into believing the show’s writing is exceptional, but trust me… exceptional it is not. There’s no greater example of Fake-Great writing than in the whole #WhoShotFitz fiasco. At this point, Huck is supposed to be what happens when The Jackal and Nikita have an assassin baby yet, in his wardrobe there happens to be a fire-engine red hoody which he happens to decide to throw on when his super-shady girlfriend happens to lure him to a … you know what… nevermind.
The only reason I really focus on "Scandal" is because Walking Dead, Game of Thrones, Boardwalk Empire, etc are all on hiatus until Feb or March. It's a couple shows that I would much rather watch than Scandal. That being said I like Kerry Washington as an actress and Columbus Short is just a breakout role away from being that dude. However, Scandal is just a cool pasttime. A show that black people can discuss. But the thing I enjoy about shows like the Wire, Walking Dead, etc is that they just have great writing and character development. Shonda Rhimes is a great writer but in this show things just don't progress very smoothly. I'd rather watch Shark Tank, House of Lies, or a black web series.
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This.
1 disagreement from the list – I enjoy the soundtrack. The mix however is TOO high. They try to bang the music in and use it to drive home plot points. Fact is that is a senseless activity.
I totally agree with #5 other than that you’re clearly a fan if you watch the show enough to comment. I cant help but to feel that you prefer reality shows over the fictitious shows that steers us away from ratchedness when I read your post. I overlook some of the points you’ve made about the show when I watch it, just to enjoy the entertainment and unreality.
I care more that a show with a Black lead character is #1 amongst their target demographic than I do about the actual show. I watch occasionally to give them the Nielsens. That's about it for me!
Sprads I thought I was gonna have to box you when I saw Scandal in the headline. There's been too much fake gender and social commentary from this freaking show (not specifically from SBM). But I like this post, as I do most of your writing.
There are a lot of flaws with this show. Mainly, some of the characters have no redeeming qualities. I still do not understand why I'm supposed to root for Quinn in any way shape or form. She's supremely preposterous. Seriously, WHO TAKES OUT THE SCISSORS?!?!
The same with Abby – I think that's the redheads name. I know she has that domestic abuse backstory, but Shonda didn't flesh it out enough for me to care about it. So all I see it a trifling and whiny chick who became a turncoat the second she got some Vitamin D in her life. After that, you can't roll with the squad any more.
Also, anybody who's watched a Shonda Rhimes show ever can't be shocked by the writing. She uses the same tactics she used on Grey's. I don't particularly mind it, but when you know in your head "this answer is too simple, so Shonda's gonna throw a twist in 5,4,3," it does take some of the luster out of the ultimate surprise.
And can Olivia stop trusting her gut? It's wrong 83% of the time.
I really do enjoy the show. But I acknowledge that the show has serious flaws. Sometimes I allow myself to suspend disbelief and get into the story, sometimes I hate-watch, sometimes I envy Kerry's wardrobe,
sometimes I stare at Columbus Short.Also, Suite ramps back up again tonight at 10 – same time as Scandal. Olivia Pope may just have to be put on the back burner tonight. I hope Twitter forgives me.
"Sprads I thought I was gonna have to box you when I saw Scandal in the headline. There's been too much fake gender and social commentary from this freaking show (not specifically from SBM). But I like this post, as I do most of your writing. "
Yeah, I didn't fall for that. I figured this had nothing to do witih all the other opinion pieces revolving around the show, lol….but the clearly the timing is perfect. #Smart!
Every show has flaws. Sometimes, a show is there to just watch and enjoy, like "popcorn flicks".
You got some points in the post for real, I look past all of that and enjoy it for it being entertaining
I'll just plop my co-sign here! Lol…
Indifferent.
I like the show and have been a fan since day 1.
Clearly, I'll be the first one to admit that I'm not nearly intelligent enough ,nor have enough writing experience, to discern what constitutes good writing from poor writing…so I'll leave that up to y'all. EYE just know, like brother Streetz said above, that I'm thoroughly entertained when watching it. Maybe I have low standards…entirely possible, lol.
Great write up, per usual.
Like I said commenting on RealGoesRight post yesterday, I’m wwaayyyy indifferent toward the show. It’s just too formulaic. The premise started out good from the few episodes I saw, but it’s detoured into a spastic story at this point. I give Mrs. Rhymes credit for creating the show, but it won’t stop my flow.
IMO, Justified is a much better show.
Can somebody learn every important things about a show just by reading its reviews online?
I think I'm doing just that.
sigh. ok.
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I really don't like Quinn. She asks too many goddamned questions and she's annoying as hell. Sure she got kidnapped, drugged, and flown across the country against her will, BUT SO WHAT? Olivia got her off the trial for murder and this jezebel don't even have the decency to be grateful…
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2, 5, 6, & 7 are completely hilarious! Quinn get's on my absolute nerves. As someone mentioned above, taking out the scissors was the dumbest thing she could do! Olivia's gut def takes more than a few vacations a week obviously. And, I totally didn't think about the red hoodie being a bit too obvious when you're supposed to be living under the radar.
Still good tv to me!
I need me an 'I Love Mr. Wright' t-shirt to wear on Thursday nights, LOL! MmmMmm!
LOL! i love this show but you hit just about everything i dont like about it – great assessment!
but my #1 is Kerry's faces. esp the "surprised" deer in the headlights look while shaking her head like a tic patient – ish weirds me out.
I SO loved this post Sprads! It's been a long time nice I've posted on SBM and this write-up has taken me outta my hibernation. I do NOT like the show for all of those reasons you mentioned as well as it's just overly dramatic. I do watch it though but I've also been known to stare at accidents and train wrecks. I blame my beau for getting me started, I'm addicted to the drama I guess.
GREAT post!
I'm with you on #5. #7 is one of the great ironies of Scandal, because while Olivia is right when it comes to work, that chick is as morally bankrupt as they come.
You clearly have wwaaaayyyy too much time on your hands!! Do you analyze the much LESS SUCCESSFUL SHOWS with white female leads???
It’s not like there a lot of us MALE OR FEMALE leading a PRIMETIME show. Thanks for using SBM to spread your baseless & lowkey hate on a fab black sister rocking the airwaves and OUTPACING EVERYONE!!!
Ok the first one is seriously so petty it could have just been left out. I do agree that they need to delve more into Olivia's character and backstory so that we can get some sort of insight as to how she became so great at what she does. Personally, I love the writing and I do think its good I mean its not GAME OF THRONES or super spectacular but its fairly good. I love the soundtrack. I guess I disagree with a lot of what you wrote but I won't argue with you on your points I'll just agree to disagree with you. The only thing that really bothers me about the show is that they CONSTANTLY say how good Olivia is at what she does and its almost like hero worship from like mostly EVERYONE and its so over the top that it gets to be cheesy and just ridiculous. Nevertheless, the show is amazing and I'm glad that a beautiful black woman like Kerry is getting her moment to shine and has a successful show.
Oh it was EXTREMELY petty to comment on her facial expressions! She is a really good actress and she's "ACTING"
booooooooooooo…… the one thing i hate about this site…. this blog post….
Too many stuck-up, self-gratifying, conceited characters in this show that give the audience no reason to go along with their goof troop of a "holier than thou" charade…
I knew i hated it the moment the cover picture came across my eyes which simply spelled out "Trifling" rather than "Scandal"
OK I'm just up to episode 2-13 now and I feel like I'm going crazy. Am i seriously the only one who hates the characters for enacting and then covering up a rigged presidential election. SERIOUSLY is this show trying to make me happy that Abby stole the only piece of evidence that could prove that the President (who at one point would have actually walked away from being the leader of the free world to be with his mistress which again is f-ed up) was not elected!? Seriously how are they meant to be the good guys in any way shape or form. They full on suck.
That's mainly because "Scandal" was stolen from a screenwriter in NJ, now living in Maryland. Without the resources to fight the Shonda Rhimes machine, he was left with nothing. The script was actually a feature film passed to a rep for Washington in 2010. Strangely enough, the "idea" came to Shonda Rhimes in 2011 and guess who the star is? No such thing as coincidence.
It's unfortunate that these so-called Hollywood 'stars' are allowed to go unchecked like that. But it will all come out in the wash. No deed of that type goes unpunished somehow.
If that is true (and I believe it is), they should be ashamed for that. I bet it is a brotha too who came up with it and these two women stole it without regard for the work he put in, his family (if he has one)? This is not even Shonda Rhimes' style, so it makes perfect sense. Disgusting.
I couldn’t agree more. I really am disgusted that the writing is geared towards them getting their “happy ending” when Prince charming murdered an old lady. How sociopathic am I supposed to be?!