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PILOT REVIEW: Scandal

SCANDAL










Starring: Kerry Washington, Henry Ian Cusick, Columbus Short, Darby Stanchfield, Katie Lowes, Guillermo Diaz, Jeff Perry, and Tony Goldwyn

Created by Shonda Rhimes
Written by Shonda Rhimes, Directed by Paul McGuigan

Scandal is a juicy drama from Shonda Rhimes that centers on Olivia Pope (Kerry Washington), a Washington DC crisis management specialist and her team which includes Stephen Finch (Henry Ian Cusick), Harrison Wright (Columbus Short), Abby Whelan (Darby Stanchfield), Huck (Guillermo Diaz), and newcomer lawyer Quinn Perkins (Katie Lowes). Pope handles any case that comes her way after she determines if they are telling the truth but she is also involved in a larger sex scandal involving the President (Tony Goldwyn), who Pope used to work for.

THE GOOD: Kerry Washington is an absolute star and shines in the lead role. She gives a very nuanced performance as Olivia Pope - she is completely in charge at her firm and willing to destroy and manipulate people who get in her way, yet she shows a real vulnerability in a plot twisting climax to the episode. Washington is completely believable in a role that could veer to being larger than life with a less capable actress. Because of her, the ensemble picks up their pace and ability. She really runs the show in character and as the lead in the cast. The pace is fast and both the case-of-the-week and larger story worked in sync beautifully in the pilot. Yes, it has a flair for the dramatic but it works in this show.

THE BAD: There wasn't much I didn't like about the pilot so it's mostly nitpicking here. I was sort of surprised that they went with such a political hot button issue (gays in the military) in the pilot for the case of the week, but that is clearly the type of show they want to have. That's fine but I wonder if it alienates some potential viewers this early on. This is a show that needs to continue to blend the case of the week and overarching story as well as it did in the pilot or else one could feel underdeveloped.

BOTTOM LINE: Scandal was really fun to watch. Without Kerry Washington, it would be a fast paced show but nothing special. Washington elevates this to a really interesting drama. It had a soft debut but I hope people continue to give it a chance. I know I want to come back and watch Olivia Pope work her magic again next week. I hope others agree with me.
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