COMM 380:  Media Criticism

How is it possible to not be intrigued by a TV show called “Scandal?”

Scandal is extremely entertaining, generally intense and gripping. Each episode

consists of a combination of long-term characters and a new “Scandal” that is fixed

by female protagonist Olivia Pope, with her public relations genius. The TV show

pulls you in and keeps you coming back for more.

 

The highly addicting, dramatic TV show is similar to its older brother show, 

Greys Anatomy; the brilliant Shonda Rhimes created both. Rhimes has the ability to

develop characters in a way to form attachments between the viewer and

the characters.  Her shows are difficult to categorize into a single genre of show.

They have a drama element and in many ways are more pleasing, than shows 

such as 90210 or Vampire Diaries, because they have more substance to the storyline. There is just enough of a balance between “real life” difficulty/conflict and perfect romance. However, they can also be dark and a little too intense for just a drama in which case they could be categorized as thrillers.

 

The show gives an inside look to the oh-so scandalous lives of politicians and world leaders in Washington D.C. As a local to the D.C. metropolitan area a show that depicts riveting, dark, and forbidden stories taking place in my backyard is all the more thrilling. I have to ask myself, “Is that what D.C. life is like?” Scandal is about Olivia Pope, she is a “fixer.” She has a team of four employees and they fix the biggest scandals anyone could imagine. Over the course of the show each of these employee’s mysterious past is revealed. Including the affair Olivia is having with a married man…who happens to be the President of the United States.

 

Olivia Pope is iconic. She is beautiful, successful, smart, powerful, has beautiful clothes and a beautiful apartment, she fixes everything and people are constantly in debt to her because she saves them and the President is in love with her. She is a young African American woman and is cleared for most everything in the White House. Her character creates an element of “girl power.” As women we no longer have to admire Jack Bower, or Harvey Spector, we have Olivia Pope. Sadly she has a major, stereotypical downfall…a man. The show portrays her affair with the president as one that cannot be controlled. They are so passionately in love they continually have sex in closets and up against walls out of view from the cameras. This relationship gets in the way of her success, her love life and safety. Additionally, it puts her success into question, did she get to where she is because of inside connections available to her? Or did she have a great job at the White House because the President kept her on? She asks him for favors that only he has the power to do, where would she be without his power?

 

The dilemma about Olivia’s success is an example of where social learning theory may come into effect. Social learning theory is the theory that “we (humans) are able to learn by observing what others do and the consequences they face” (Hanson, 39). One of the steps theorist, Albert Bandura explains we engage in through social learning theory is we take observations and turn them into “rules about how the world operates” (Hanson, 39). When observing “Scandal” through this lens it takes on quite a different message.  Olivia is extremely attractive and a role model to a lot of women, but when the message is, you can be successful while sleeping with the “ultimate boss” and it might even further your success it can be harmful. Co-workers sleeping with each other is an old issue, the more harmful stereotype that develops is that women can’t get to the top without sleeping their way there.

 

Another of the steps that Bandura posits is that we “put these rules into practice to regulate our own behavior and predict the behaviors of others” (Hanson, 39). When this step is applied to women who watch “Scandal” not only does it predict that women will consider having affairs, and sleeping with the boss as more acceptable and profitable. It also predicts that viewers will be more inclined to suspect other women of doing so. Each of which is equally harmful to women’s rights and equality.

 

The continual story throughout the TV show is Olivia’s relationship with the President and his wife. This relationship portrays a lot more messages than simply a love triangle. The show is stereotypical of not only woman, but men, love and marriage.  Olivia is strong, driven and powerful but she is too weak to control herself from her relationship with the President. When she is around the President she struggles and rarely succeeds in controlling her emotions and is seduced by the man she cannot have. 

 

The President, Fitz, is stereotypical of men in that he will risk everything by having the affair and is so over taken by his emotions and sex drive that self control is not an option. I think the show contributes to our societal belief that if you want something you should be allowed to have it and “if you feel like it…do it”. This takes me into the shows portrayal of love. “Love” in Scandal is about being physically attracted to each other and having more of an infatuation with each other as opposed to committing yourself to another person, no matter what happens.

 

Mellie, is the first lady. She is a somewhat complex character, she is kind or

horrible at times but it is unclear if that is a result of her husband’s affair or she is an evil person. Regardless, the show presents the marriage as extremely inconvenient because as the viewer you want Fitz and Olivia to get together but the marriage stands in the way. Fitz’s marriage is portrayed as some sort of a trap as opposed to something he freely entered into. And if only it wasn’t there and they could get together you would be satisfied. 

 

Olivia’s weakness for Fitz and his inability to control his sex drive are not the only stereotypes in the show. Olivia and Mellie are portrayed as very strong women.  Olivia is as powerful if not more powerful than a lot of men. However Mellie is powerful because she is sly, manipulative and passive aggressive which are all stereotypical female characteristics. Additionally, her power is portrayed as unattractive because to the public she is the pearl wearing, sweet-talking, charitable first lady. Despite the work she has done to get her husband to the Oval Office she is not recognized for it and he gets the glory. When she wants something done she has to sneak around and manipulate whereas the men, such as the president and his right hand man can just give orders. This portrayal of power touches on woman’s rights etc. but Mellie is portrayed as emotional and rash; in many ways not fit to have the power the men have. Despite Fitz’s emotional attachment to Olivia he can disconnect and do his job.

 

Scandal feeds our societies fascination with other people’s lives. It is a dramatic, scripted TV show about the President of the United States and his mistress, as well as other political leaders. This inside look, and detailed inclusion to these fictional scandals allows us to feel, in on the scoop. We get to go inside the Oval Office, know top-secret things and see the President and First Lady fight.

 

Although shows such as Scandal are irresistible and entertaining it is important to be wary of shows that people can spend hours at a time watching and getting emotionally caught up in. They reinforce messages and stereotypes and if people do not take a step back and analyze them critically you can easily be influenced by these shows. It is easy to fall into the trap of the Third Person Effect and say “well it might effect a lot of people it doesn’t effect me!” Think about the time you may have contemplated buying a white coat because Olivia always wears white and looks so good, or maybe wished you could become the PR queen of D.C., or that a powerful man was in love with you.

 

As a “Scandal” fan I do not have the right to tell women to not watch it. However, I do think it is important for all “Scandal” watchers to be aware of the harmful female

stereotypes that are depicted in the show as well as the inaccurate portrayal of love .“Scandal” is highly entertaining but when watching any TV show for lengthy periods of time, viewers have to remember that after watching a lot of it our walls can begin to be broken down. We can begin to accept things on TV as societal norms or just how theworld works. It is difficult to not be jealous of Olivia Pope’s life of drama, and be rich and powerful even if some of it is a result of her passionate affair with the President. But the next time you think that maybe sleeping with your boss isn’t such a bad idea because,“hey, Olivia did it!” Remember that at the end of the day no one ever aspired to be Monica Lewinsky.

 

References

Hanson, R.E.,(2014), Mass communication: Living in a media world. Canada: Sage Publications, Inc.