Emmy Episodes: Scandal

It’s always my policy to watch every Emmy-nominated episode each year, which leads me to sample a handful of shows that I don’t tune in to on a regular basis. For the third year in a row, I’m making a special effort to spotlight each of those installments to offer my perspective on shows that I don’t review each week.

Scandal: Season 7, Episode 12 “Allow Me to Reintroduce Myself” (C-)

I used to get confused about whether I was watching this show or “How To Get Away with Murder” because of their similarities, and now I get to see both in one episode! While that’s hardly something I would wish for, I’m happy to report that this show is much better than the other, and it also provides an opportunity for Annalise Keating to be a slightly more believable character without everything else from her show serving as a distraction since this show is, by comparison, far more bearable. I’d say that’s a good thing for Viola Davis, who missed out on a fourth consecutive nomination for Best Lead Actress in a Drama Series but scored here instead for playing the same character on this crossover episode. What is clear is that Olivia’s people hate her just as much as Annalise’s did in the episode of that show that I just watched. I think diehard Shondaland fans were probably thrilled to see Olivia and Annalise go head-to-head while getting their hair done, though they were considerably chummier by episode’s end going into the second half of this crossover, which I definitely won’t be watching. Olivia got to be all about righteousness talking to Fitz, who inexplicably is now just chilling since his wife is the president. I’ve missed a lot since I stopped watching this now-ended show, and I’m perfectly fine not knowing everything. This show is still much too soapy for my liking without nearly the payoff that might make it worthwhile.

Five Shows I Won’t Be Watching (Anymore)

There have been times in the past that I’ve abruptly given up on shows, but now, facing an ever-crowding fall TV season, I’ve made the choice to abandon five shows I had previously planned on watching regularly. Three are in their second seasons and I’ve decided I’m not willing to make the investment, and the other three are older but just aren’t headed anywhere I want to go. This doesn’t necessarily mean I’ll stop watching them (though I certainly should), but I will definitely stop reviewing effective this past week. If you think I should continue watching any of these shows, or stop watching something else (aside from “Revolution,” which I can already acknowledge I detest but will keep watching), please say so in the comments below.

1. Once Upon a Time: I was never terribly impressed with this series, giving it a consistent C+ week after week, and the season two premiere showed me that it’s only headed downhill from here. This show had a cool premise but a very lacking presentation of is ideas. I’m meagerly invested in the characters, but I’m not attached enough to any of them to stay to see what becomes of them.

2. Treme: I’m not so eager to give up on this show because I think it’s the only legitimately good series that I’m planning to stop watching. That said, if generally slow Sunday night period dramas “Hell on Wheels” and “Boardwalk Empire” can sustain my interest and this show just can’t, then I think it’s not worth sticking by this well-executed but deathly boring show.

3. 2 Broke Girls: I know I’m merely the last one to jump on the bandwagon here and declare this show obnoxious and overdone. The main thing for me is that it’s just not funny anymore. I used to laugh, and now I don’t. Kat Dennings is great, but she’ll just have to entertain the millions of viewers who watch CBS comedies now.

4. Glee: This show has become so irritating that I can’t even stand it. I liked some episodes from season one and thought it could have gone somewhere, but its new focus on the extraordinary success of two annoying graduates in New York is making me hate it more than before, and there isn’t anything left that makes it worth watching. I’ll be glad to be rid of these characters if I can truly stay away.

5. Scandal: This series gets booted mainly because of another show that deals with a similar subject and is infinitely better. The second season premiere of this so-so show paled in comparison to Starz’s excellent “Boss,” and the characters proved too broadly drawn to make it sustainable. After only eight episodes, I don’t think I’ll even remember these characters in a few months.

What shows do you plan to give up on this season?

What I’m Watching: Scandal (Season Premiere)

Scandal: Season 2, Episode 1 “White Hat’s Off” (C+)

It’s not necessarily fair to compare two shows that air on completely different networks. Watching all of this political drama, however, can’t help but invoke the far superior, extremely intense “Boss,” which is produced by Starz. An ABC primetime drama from the creator of “Grey’s Anatomy” isn’t supposed to have the same impact or feel, but this show just seems so trivial and overdone in comparison. That’s particularly true when it comes to Fitz, who tries his best to be cruel with a declaration of “You’re ornamental!” to his wife after she nudges his foreign policy by making a loaded statement during a news segment about the gender of their baby. Fitz is far from a compelling character, and the same is true for the sometimes manipulative, sometimes sheepish Mellie. There’s so much shouting on this show that becomes grating rather than engaging, and Olivia keeping so many secrets from everyone does the opposite of enhance the intrigue. It was obvious that they were going to release the Rhode Island congressman’s sex tape themselves, and it wasn’t a surprise to see Huck on the video surveillance trailing Quinn and then getting into Olivia’s car when she woke up with a new identity. It doesn’t track that Quinn, who got a rather direct job offer from Olivia in episode one, would have this background, and that she nearly got the death penalty despite being entirely innocent of the crime committed. Weaving an overly complex web just adds layers, not dimensions, and makes this show much less of a priority to be followed.

What I’m Watching: Scandal (Season Finale)

Scandal: Season 1, Episode 7 “Grant: For the People” (B)

Things were happening fast in this eventful finale, tying up the whole President Grant plotline so that season two can focus on other things (hopefully). Quinn managed to freeze up quite well upon discovering Gideon’s body, but she did do one thing right, and that was calling Olivia. Watching everyone spring into action was impressive, though they all seemed quite annoyed by the fact that Quinn had some mystery identity that required this excessive protection. David really managed to prove himself valuable in this hour, refusing to help Olivia after she broke the law and then figuring out a way to get Quinn’s fingerprints without her knowing it. Bringing Quinn back to Olivia’s office and preparing for her to tell everyone who she really is sets the stage for a major revelation at the beginning of next season, but I suspect that it’s hardly as exciting or shocking as it’s being made out to be. Billy swiftly moved into crisis management mode, telling the world about the President’s affair while making himself seem like a hero. Grant’s useful information on the Vice President helped her to throw Billy under the bus, discrediting him and securing Grant’s presidency with the help of Olivia and Grant’s vindictive wife. Huck is going to get in trouble next season with Olivia for having Charlie take care of Billy, and the biggest supposed revelation – that it was Cyrus and not Billy who had Amanda killed – didn’t need to be so explicitly spelled out since it was obvious anyway. This show is definitely fast-paced and intriguing, and I imagine I’ll return to watching it when it comes back for season two in the fall.

Season grade: B
Season MVP: Joshua Malina as David

What I’m Watching: Scandal

Scandal: Season 1, Episode 6 “The Trail” (B)

Episode-long flashbacks aren’t always effective, but this one worked pretty well because it showed a partial genesis of Olivia’s team and explained just how Olivia’s affair with the President was tied in to his indiscretion with Amanda, resulting in a doozy of an ending that could not possibly have been predicted before this episode began. Alleging Billy Chambers as the one that sought to expose the President’s infidelity in his faithful service to the Vice President is quite a drastic claim considering how kind and charming he’s appeared in previous episodes. Murdering Gideon in the heat of the moment definitely changes things, and I’m sure that Quinn is going to be destroyed once she learns of his fate, which presumably will be kept under wraps for a bit thanks to some quick cleaning by Billy. The flashbacks were appropriately hokey in a lot of ways, giving characters new haircuts and facial hair to distinguish them from their present-day selves, but they were most effective when they demonstrated the chemistry between Grant and Olivia and showcased his wife’s cool feelings towards him. The snippets that pieced together the Amanda saga were also strong, and having David investigate and theorize with his secretary simultaneously worked well too. He’s coming much closer to the truth that he might have expected, and I suspect that he’ll be the first one to catch on to Billy’s role. Though this show has just one episode left this season, it’s been renewed for a second season and will return next year, presumably to focus on something other than the White House.

What I’m Watching: Scandal

Scandal: Season 1, Episode 5 “Crash and Burn” (B-)

I would have thought that, after last week’s surprising closing moments, Amanda Tanner’s story would continue with her as part of it. It seems that her being alive is not a necessary component, and since things seem to happen extremely quickly on this show, her body has already been discovered after it took Huck all of ten minutes to deduce that she was definitely and undeniably dead. His interrogation and torture of his former colleague Charlie was rather brutal, and it reveals a serious dark side that he has clearly gone to great lengths to suppress. Cyrus demonstrated that he has no compassion within him, barely reacting to the news of Amanda’s death, and upon receiving the video of Nixon’s resignation, he just coolly moved on to figured out who the new threat was. The president clearly has much more emotion, and he’s not against subverting presidential protocol to leave the White House and go see Olivia to talk to her just as she finds out that Amanda was pregnant, but not with the president’s baby. Both Quinn and Olivia managed to find comfort in the men in their lives, whether romantic, like Gideon, or platonic, like David. Amid all this, the plane crash investigation proved quite intriguing, highlighting Harrison’s abilities and eliciting some truly unexpected and unfortunate information about everything that lead to the plane crash. The revelation of Kate Burton as the Vice President was somewhat of a shock since she hadn’t yet actually appeared, and she seems like she’ll be a key player in future episodes as she’s seriously ambitious driven by power.

What I’m Watching: Scandal

Scandal: Season 1, Episode 4 “Enemy of the State” (B)

Things are getting serious fast on this show in a major way, in what definitely ranks as this show’s strongest installment so far. Perhaps the most unsettling and hypnotic scene was the one in which Cyrus told the President the saga of how things were going to go from here, as he’d find himself cast out of office and disgraced, eventually choosing to commit suicide to end it all. That whole situation is marvelously complicated, and I don’t think anyone has a clue just how little each party knows. Cyrus waging war against Olivia after an extraordinarily thorough and eye-opening probe into her employees’ backgrounds isn’t helpful since whoever Amanda called on the phone has now broken into her home and abducted her for some unknown malicious purpose. This show wants to be as sensational as possible outside of its presidential jurisdiction, and having a known dictator enlist Olivia’s services in finding his allegedly kidnapped family is quite provocative. Jose Zuniga is a dependable actor able to portray a wide variety of characters, and he was an effective political leader here, and Valerie Cruz, onetime star of “Nip/Tuck” and many other series since, did a good job as his wife as well. Abby is clearly the most passionate among Olivia’s staff, and she’s got quite the back story to boot. I like how Joshua Malina’s David came to Olivia to ask for a favor to save his favorite newsstand, and, though she didn’t have any time to deal with it, Harrison stepped in to take care of it for him. If nothing else, Olivia protects her friends.

Take Three: Scandal

Scandal: Season 1, Episode 3 “Hell Hath No Fury” (C+)

After two weeks of introducing a bevy of characters and not delving too deep into any of them, this show makes a conscious choice in this hour to abandon some of its more mentioned players – namely Stephen and Abby – for the moment, at least, and to return to fresh face Quinn as the newbie in the operation. I enjoyed that Guillermo Diaz got a chance to show some personality as Huck, helping Quinn to unwind her reporter friend since she clearly had no clue how to do it. Olivia is smart to help him by giving him something from her other case, since now he’ll be loyal to her and won’t be tempted to get revenge on her, as I’m sure many of her previous enemies have. Michael Cassidy, best known as Zack from “The O.C.,” was rather smoothly seedy as the rapist innocent of one charge but guilty of another, and it was quite interesting to see Olivia encourage his mother not to let him slide as she had done so many times in the past. I recognized Curtis Armstrong, who plays despicable attorney Peter Goldman on “The Closer,” as the similarly eccentric defense lawyer unhappy with the opposition’s demands. The president continues to play an extremely active role on this show, and he’s done well to alienate everyone in his life, as Cyrus is now lying to him and his own wife appears to be fully aware of one of his indiscretions. Amanda’s big bombshell – she’s pregnant! – doesn’t answer the question of who she was talking to on the phone, or who is trying to blackmail the president. This certainly has become quite the scandal.

Round Two: Scandal

Scandal: Season 1, Episode 2 “Dirty Little Secrets” (C+)

In its second week, this show isn’t proving to be any more accessible than it was in its first outing. The characters are proving rather impenetrable, and not one of them is becoming any more likeable than they were to start. Olivia doesn’t try to get anyone to like her, Stephen sleeps with prostitutes, Abby can’t get over the fact that Stephen sleeps with prostitutes, Huck is awfully gruff and unfriendly, and Quinn just seems plain incompetent. Quinn did impress by identifying the reporter sniffing around Amanda’s hospital room, but she managed to undo her productive work by immediately losing track of her charge and then standing visibly dumbfounded when she heard Olivia admit that she believed Amanda’s story. It seems that Olivia’s business is inseparable from the White House, and it would be nice if the smartest woman in Washington was a little subtler than openly holding hands with the president in the Oval Office. The president’s first Supreme Court nominee being on the madam’s list was quite convenient, though the reason for it turned out to be a major bombshell: his wife was actually a prostitute, and the judge never even knew! I’m not sure how likely it is that a man in such a high position of power could be so incredibly oblivious for such a long time. The high-minded discussion about past presidents with the current president standing on the presidential seal was more than a bit lofty, and I think this show could do well to take itself less seriously sometimes.

Pilot Review: Scandal

Scandal (ABC)
Premiered April 5 at 10pm

Spin shows are always a lot of fun, because it’s irresistibly exciting to see how the experts change the story to make even the wildest of situations seem forgettably tame. This show takes it up a notch by associating its star character, Olivia Pope, directly with the President of the United States, going so far as to assert an affair between the two of them! Now, that’s certainly scandalous, and this show doesn’t seem to be capable of going small-scale. An important Republican speaker accused of killing the woman he was with and then revealed to be gay was quite extreme and creative, and it’s all meant to be seen through the innocent eyes of newbie Quinn Perkins. The dialogue on this show seems to be imitating Aaron Sorkin, though it comes instead from Shonda Rhimes, best known for creating “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Private Practice.” The effect just isn’t the same, and it feels more rushed and unnecessarily frantic than anything else. Kerry Washington has the top role and seems capable of executing it, though the rest of the cast isn’t as impressive. Henry Ian Cusick has lost the Scottish charisma that made Desmond such a terrific character on “Lost,” and Guillermo Diaz has found another lackluster ensemble role after being on one-season wonders “No Ordinary Family” and “Mercy” in the past few years. I’m not familiar with either of the supporting ladies on the show, Darby Stanchfield, the inappropriately excitable Abby, and Katie Lowes, the annoyingly naïve Quinn, but neither inspires much confidence in me. I am pleased to see Joshua Malina back on television, but I do wish it was on a Sorkin production rather than this one. This show is fast-paced and energetic, but it’s going to need to prove itself capable of handling sensational material in a productive way in the coming episodes.

How will it work as a series? If the President is going to be a regular character, it’s going to influence things considerably since Olivia already has more than enough to deal with at her firm. Everyone does seem to have their strengths and their connections, so watching this well-oiled machine work will likely prove interesting to watch more often than not.
How long will it last? ABC could use a big new hit this year since most of its new shows didn’t pan out as expected. This may or may not be it, but giving it the plum Thursdays at 10pm slot helps, and its performance was decent in its first airing. It’s too soon to tell, but I think ABC may give this one a chance.

Pilot grade: C+