Scandal Episode 504 "Dog-Whistle Politics" Thoughts

Where do I begin.

Giving honor to God, who is the head of my life. To the creator of the show that snatches my edges every. single. week. Queen Shonda Rhimes. To the actress who in a single lip quiver slays my entire life Queen Kerry Washington. To the actor who has no chill, Tony Goldwyn. All Gladiators, White House staffers, Olitz shippers, Jake stans, family and friends. Good MOTHA LOVIN Morning.

Let me tell y'all something. I couldn't make it through HTGAWM last night (part b/c Scandal left me drained and part b/c I had wine & pop kettle corn last night). Then I mysteriously woke up at 3am to finish watching HTGAWM & rewatch Scandal. Like, WTH kinda drug is this Scandal show? This is not normal!

Anyways let's dive in.

Dog Whistle Politics.
Shonda nem gunning for the media. This ain't a game. They(we) see you & they(we) ain't playing with you.

The media plays dumb like they don't realize the words they're using & how targeting & hurtful they are--as if the person they refer to, in this case, Olivia Pope is an "other"...but they ain't low. One of the many lines that stuck out specifically for me went something like:

"Known as a fashion icon [...], Olivia Pope isn't one who goes unnoticed"

I may be wrong, but I feel that this is a shot to those reviewers of the show who give in depth analyses of other characters (i.e. Mellie, Cyrus, etc.) but reduce Olivia Pope to her clothes. They love to point out the nuances of the white characters on the show but are unable to do the same for the sole black woman character. These reviewers think by mentioning her fabulous outfits, they're noticing her but in fact, they reduce her. They don't really see her. She's not a person who deals with real issues and has real feelings. She's just a stylish black woman who they love to look at strut in her power suits & heels but have no other words for her character...

I don't know if this culture in the media will ever change. But I'm glad it was depicted in a very real way. Because black people for the past couple of years to the media: 

Marcus Walker.

& don't you forget it! First of all, didn't y'all love the nod to the pilot when Quinn went to recruit him at the bar? It was PERFECT! It also made me emotional b/c RIP Harrison. But THE FEELS!!!

I also loved how funny it was. Because basically Quinn went in there spouting line by line what Harrison said to her some 4 years ago w/ no way to steer the conversation "back on track" if it went left. Oh, & it went left! Marcus wanted nothing to do w/ OPA's shenanigans. At first. Come to find out, he ain't there for OPA but he's there to help a sister out. TO HELP A SISTER OUT.

I love it. Because folk be forgetting that Liv is black. No, she doesn't wrap her hair or close her curtains but she's black. And she gets unfair character attacks based on the color of her skin just like the rest of us. We got to stick together, beloved! Anyways, Marcus had to school the OPAers on what's really tea b/c they view Oliva as this invincible gladiator. Because they're not black they don't understand what it's like to hear things like "urban" or "outspoken" or "her father is incarcerated"or "made it out of the ghetto" when making assumptions about character. It's harmful & offensive. So he schooled them on Dog-Whistle Politics, got their crasses on TV (even Huck WHOA!) & collectively they read the media for filth. I lived. 

Jake.

Jake got the same game for every woman he deals with. That "Let me in" bit, was so classic Jake. Idk how these women keep falling for it! But you like it, I love it sis! Do we have a ship name for Jake & Elise yet? Jelise? Whatever the heck it is, she can have him. & keep him. God bless.

Karen.

Do we have live reaction of Karen hearing the news of the affair in boarding school 500 miles away?

It probably went something along the lines of:

She's probably like "Y'all late! I been knew." That's why she called stepmom & not mom when she got in trouble (404). But I'm woke.

Teddy.

Did y'all not just LOVE that little boy!? My God he was the most precious thing. Fitz/Teddy time. Even that small Mellie/Teddy moment...all of it had me like

I'm just glad the boy is alive.

Mellie.

Riddle me this. How can literally EVERYONE on the planet see that she never loved Fitz but she can't see it?  I mean, it's the reason Cyrus bought Olivia on IN THE FIRST PLACE! There was no love there between either party, Fitz or Mellie. The only way I can see her "love" for him is how she's fighting to hold on to him (evident in her final decision to move forward w/ impeachment at the end of the episode). But is she holding on to him or holding on to the power connected to him? That's where I'm not clear about Mellie's character. 

Anyways. Kudos to her for choosing to be the bigger person and not fighting w/ him anymore...but it was a conditional agreement that didn't last long. "As long as you don't hurt me I won't hurt you" This agreement was destined to be broken. Especially since the meaning of "hurt" wasn't defined. So when Fitz decided to take Liv on a date, Mellie got butt hurt, when it wasn't about her! It's about him & walking in his truth.  Maybe that's the thing that makes her hurt. It's no longer about her. Well sis, you didn't want to decorate those 10,000 White House Christmas trees anymore and you were tired of being numb as FLOTUS so this is what you get. You let those things go. And you will deal.

Cyrus.

Grade A basura for bringing up Mellie's deceased child to compare his situation with Fitz to hers. IT IS NOT THE SAME. However, as twisted as this sounds, I get his point. He's feeling the pain b/c his "son" is still alive & breathing but won't talk to him. Mellie's son can't talk to her if he wanted to. Both are painful, but not the same. I'm glad Cyrus said what I think about Mellie--that she don't love Fitz. But using her dead son as leverage for why he loves Fitz more is abismal. But Cyrus is a monster & he'll do whatever he has to do, I guess.

Huck.

Reporter: Any last words?

Huck: Dog-Whistle Politics.

Reporter: I know. You said that already.

Fitz.

Poor guy. Them white menz in your party are horrible human beings & now you're gonna have to fight them for what they said about your Livvie. When that man said "Next time, find a girl who's more palatable." I coulda dove into my TV & smacked him. I wish you would have but I know it caught you off guard. Now that y'all are in the open, you're gonna have to get use to these things being said about your woman. It's an unfortunate consequence of being with a black woman (ask Tamera). So I suggest you grease up & have the clap backs ready. I've never been in a fight before, but I'll be there for you. B/c one thing we as black women don't do is tolerate racist, sexist comments against one another. Whether we like each other or not. So let's get it poppin.

re: the Brandon Bill--It's not about doing the smart thing. It's about doing the right thing. THAT'S RIGHT. AMEN. Don't let them fools blackmail you out of always doing what's right--especially as the man the people "elected" (lol). & I'm glad that revelation led you to take your relationship with Olivia one step further. My God I feel the Holy Ghost.

Olivia.

I love you girl. I'm here for you. I'm so glad you acknowledged your PTSD. I'm so glad you're being vulnerable witcha man (and not the squirrel). Did ya'll notice that she told Fitz how she shot someone? The ease with which she was able to tell him that leads me to believe that the conversation about the first leak was had (especially since they agreed not to lie to each other in one of those later episodes in the 3rd season) and they could honestly care less who leaked it the 2nd time (though if & when they find out, Liz's a** is grass.) 

AND HER FACE WHEN SHE REALIZED BAE WAS COMING UP TO SEE HER IN FRONT OF THE ENTIRE WORLD. LIKE SHE MAD BUT SHE GIDDY AT THE SAME TIME.

perfection.

AND FITZ CALLED HER HIS GIRLFRIEND. AND HE'S TAKING HIS GIRLFRIEND ON A DATE. AND HE'S MAKING OUT WITH HIS GIRLFRIEND ON THE ELEVATOR. LIKE NIGGA WE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS FOREVER!!!!!!

 

Final thoughts:

Olivia Pope needs secret service detail. Or security. Or a new apartment. Fitz, work that out for your girlfriend bc she can't seem to figure that out for herself.

Are they gonna tell the truth about how long the affair lasted? If they do, he is sure to be impeached. Cue OPA to shut the impeachment proceedings down.

*sigh* I love this show. I love this season. I love Olitz.

Whatchall think?

-Candyce