The last episode of "Scandal" lost me as a viewer.
Not because of the on-air abortion, although I found it horrific.
Not because of the Planned Parenthood push, which I felt was too heavy-handed.
I realize that "Scandal" caters to an extremely liberal audience. You can tell by their subject matter and how far they push the envelope.
I've been able to still enjoy the show, even though that's not me. I'm an independent. I have both liberal and conservative views.
However, this week they lost me as a viewer because they destroyed the things I loved most about the show: Olivia's intelligence, her decision to always (try to) choose right over self-interest, and the seemingly true and undying love that she and Fitz shared.
- She aborted a baby from the supposed love of her life, without telling him. That's a huge betrayal of love and trust.
- She wasn't smart enough to understand that her decision to be with him meant doing the things she found boring (even though Mellie warned her). Based on her character, she should have been intelligent enough to know what would happen even if not warned.
- She couldn't appreciate his attempt to love and protect her in the way he knew how.
Fitz forgave her for what many deemed the unforgivable, because he trusted her. "They" were the team. If she said it was necessary, he believed her. That's what a relationship is supposed to be.
He was exactly right in his characterization of her. She didn't really want a commitment. She preferred him unavailable. I'm sure Daddy issues contributed to her mindset in this regard, but she was "Olivia Pope." She was the one who could rise above it all.
But she didn't.
I will no longer watch "Scandal" because in this mid-season finale episode, Olivia Pope became someone I can no longer respect, admire, like or trust.
The writers chose to depict her as selfish, unloving, unintelligent and unworthy of wearing the white hat. All that I admired is gone.
I'm done.
Olivia has been evolving through all the seasons of Scandal. She used to be so smart and in control, so able to trust her gut feelings. All of that has gradually eroded over the years. For this season and last, they have barely shown her as a businesswoman. Regarding her inability to foresee the First Lady dullness, she fought to have the relationship on her own terms, kept her apartment, told him that she thought their best hope was to be strong as a couple before they were put on the world stage. Then after Fitz learned she had freed her father, he moved her in without her permission. And she was thrust into First Lady mode, like it or not. And it was a not for her.
ReplyDeleteBut I was not a Team Olitz person even before this. It was clear to me that whatever love they felt for each other, the relationship was bad for both of them. It made them sad and depressed, it negatively affected his family and both of their careers. And yet, she tried to be a good First Girlfriend. She traded cookie recipes with political wives. She planned dinner parties and she was good at it. But she was miserable. Sometimes the choices we make for our families, our relationships and our children make us miserable. Have you never experienced that? It doesn't necessarily mean we lacked commitment. It means it just didn't fit.
Part of me thought he moved her into the White House to protect her. Part of me thought he did that because it was more convenient for him. As for her not telling him about the abortion, I think their relationship is so dysfunctional, that was not a huge surprise for me. Though I'm sure he'll eventually find out. I disagree with the line about how the writers depicted her. Except I do agree she no longer merits a white hat. L J-J
I understand and agree with most of your comments. I find it interesting that she was expecting prison and the end of their relationship after the revelation about her freeing her father. Instead, depending on your perspective, she received forgiveness, a home, protection, love and trust from her man. Or, perceived a different way - he moved her in without her permission and created a prison for her, thrusting her into the role of First Lady. I think "love" colors the way this would be perceived.
DeleteI also miss her as the smart, in control, businesswoman.
I do agree that sometimes the choices we make for our families, our relationships and our children make us miserable. The "making us miserable" piece is not what shows lack of commitment. How we respond to the misery can, however. I have ended a commitment because it just didn't fit. Right or wrong, I can't ignore or gloss over the fact that it was a choice to end the commitment.
I think the writers depicted her as a human being making bad choices. They marketed her, however, as above that. Someone others could aspire to be. That is what was destroyed in my eyes.
We (my husband and I) stopped watching late last season. We didn't really do it consciously. I think we just lost interest. Our views tend to be on the more conservative side, but we enjoyed Olivia's job and some of the other engaging, smart, and witty characters in her life. The relationships were a mess and I felt the relationships took over. I wasn't as interested in those and though it helps to develop those parts of a story, I missed seeing Olivia and her team in action. That's why I stopped watching and I believe my husband felt similarly. No loss, no big deal. We just moved on.
ReplyDelete