SCANDAL

Article by Janice Jones

Hello Readers:

This month’s review is on the television show, Scandal, starring Kerry Washington as the fearless, fabulous, woman of many fantasies, Olivia Pope.  And as I get ready to pen this review, I’m wondering if the review is on the show itself or on Olivia Pope specifically.  But I will let you all make that decision for yourselves once you read it. 

Scandal is a weekly political thriller television series that airs on Thursday nights on ABC, making its original debut on April 5, 2012.  The writer, Shonda Rhimes is a master at creating drama.  The show mainly centers on Olivia Pope and her illicit love affair with the married President of the United States, Fitzgerald Grant, a.k.a. Fitz, portrayed by Tony Goldwyn.  Olivia began working for the President’s election campaign on his initial run and the two seemingly fell instantly in love with each other.  And now, no matter how wrong their love affair is, they cannot seem to keep their hands of one another.  Soon after Fitz wins the presidency, Olivia, on one of her many attempts to end the affair, leaves the White House to start her own firm where she is known as a “fixer”. 

She and a team of religiously devoted staff members (Columbus Short, Guillermo Diaz, Darby Stanchfield, and Katie Lowes) work to keep the personal drama of high profile individuals and families from publicly ruining their lives and careers.  And Olivia is very, very good at her job.  She is smart, resourceful, quick thinking, manipulative with just the right amount of compassion, savvy, poised, graceful, tough and manages to stay fashionably on point and look beautiful doing it all.  Olivia’s competition for the President’s love is Mellie Grant, who also possess every quality I attributed to Olivia.  Her ace in the hole, however, is she already is where (First Lady of the United States) Olivia is trying to get to.  Mellie and Fitz are also the parents of three children. 

Actress Kerri Washington as Olivia Pope.

Scandal is a powerfully addictive show.  People tune in from week to week to see, to feel, to experience the high level of spectacle, commotion, and crisis this show produces with each episode.  We pant and salivate between weeks from the moment each show airs its final moment until it is again back on our television screens.  I have seen no other television show before this where the people on social media sites give you a blow by blow account of the drama happening as it unfolds.  Scandal is an awesome forty-three to forty-eight minutes of a pure adrenaline rush. 

However…it is the twisted opinion of Olivia Pope as the sainted yet deprived hero that bothers me.  I hear so many people, both men and women, who seem to have little or no problem with the fact that she is committing adultery with any man, let alone the President of the United States.  Personally, I. Do. Not. Like. Olivia. Pope!!!!!!  I think she is a vial and evil woman with very little conscious about sleeping with someone else’s husband.  In fact, I find her to be a self-serving, entitled twit.  Her affair with President Fitzgerald Grant has cost so many people so many sacrifices and caused so much pain.  Yet, she continues to put these people in harms way by refusing to simply stop the affair once and for all.  And these fans who idolize her seem to think that Olivia’s and Fitz’s affair is perfectly okay because they are deeply in love with each other.  Now for those who continue to follow the worldly standards of happiness, I totally understand where you are coming from.  But for those of you who say you love the Lord and are called according to His purpose…STOP IT!!!!!

The Bible clearly states in Exodus 20:14, “You must not commit adultery.” 20:13 says, “You must not murder.”  20:17 says, “You must not covet your neighbor’s house. You must not covet your neighbor’s wife, male or female servant, ox or donkey, or anything else that belongs to your neighbor.”  And 20:16 says, “You must not testify falsely against your neighbor (lie).”  Olivia Pope has done and/or continues to do all of these.  Now it is not clear whether or not Olivia is a Believer.  But this review is not about her spiritual status, but for all of us who say we love God and hate evil.  Psalm 97:10 says, “You who love the LORD, hate evil! He protects the lives of his godly people and rescues them from the power of the wicked.” Exodus 20:4 says, “You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea.”  I know many, many people who are Christians who idolize Olivia Pope and find a hard time seeing the wrong in her loving Fitz and him loving her. 

Don’t get me wrong, I love Scandal as much as the rest of the addicts out there.  I love Kerry Washington.  But I am not an Olivia Pope fan.  Matthew 7:6 say, “Don’t waste what is holy on people who are unholy. Don’t throw your pearls to pigs! They will trample the pearls, then turn and attack you.”  Olivia Pope get’s none of my respect. 

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