Scandal as an American Drama Television Series - Report Example

Fariza Ahmadova MEDC 5000 Rebekah Jorgensen 10.03 SCANDAL Introduction of “Scandal” "Scandal" is an American drama television series created byShonda Rhimes with Kerry Washington in the lead role, based on a crisis manager, Olivia Pope, who solves complex problems of wealthy clients as well as employees of the White House, where she worked before. The idea of the series was based on the life and career of Judy Smith, the former head of the press center of George Bush Sr., who is one of the producers of the project. The series’ second season ratings were significantly higher then the first and finally in winter 2013, it became the most watched drama on a ten broadcast television. In 2013, "Scandal" became one of the most talked about shows in the press and successful programs in the ratings on broadcast television. At the 65th ceremony primetime Kerry Washington was nominated as the best actress category for the drama, and won the award for Best Guest Actor in a Drama TV series’. (Johnson, p.64). Cultural Theory on Scandal “Scandal” promotes inter-racial casting, government system and relationships. Kerry Washington stars in the first series to feature an African American woman in the leading role since 1974, a fact of network history that seems both outrageous and significant. It also promotes the new image of women, who are smart, powerful and independent (Stanley n.p.). Olivia Pope stands strong, tough in a very white and very male world of politics, as part of Scandal’s environment. Although the situations may appear interesting to the viewers, the realities of the society are in total contrast to what is portrays. The central role of Scandal is played by a black woman. More important is the level of power bestowed upon this character; this again contradicts the social realities. The appearance of such a compelling, personally complicated and emotionally strong woman in the shows has not been a norm in the past; and viewers experience a phenomenon that is unusual in the history of our media. The producer is of the idea that the public should accept the reality that blacks can also perform lead roles in the shows of national level, since Olivia’s role was “created by a black women, based on the life of a black women and stars a back woman”( Adewunmi n.p.). Olivia Pope and the first lady are shown as powerful, independent and smart women who often ceize the day. However the fact that Olivia Pope has no children and is not in a stable realtionship supports the status quo about successful women rarely having time for family. No matter what the ethnic, religious or cultural affiliation, it appears that the show excludes segregation in societies and promotes humanity as a whole, since it portrays a black woman who is as capable of playing political games as her white male counterparts (Maxwell, n.p.). An interesting aspect of human behavior is revealed when Olivia talks about people’s expectations from the powerful; especially from the powerful women. She asserts that people expect working women to be free from maternal instincts, which is contrary to the reality as working women are as motherly as ordinary women (The Feminist Spectator n.p). Although Olivia is not depicted as a mother in the show; her behavior reflects that she is a very caring character of the play. Here again, the contradiction between the powerful woman and a mother is evident. Socially speaking, the general understanding of the people of our society is that power is ruthless; no mercy for anyone exists in the domain of the powerful. Yet the play depicts an idea contrary to the common thinking. The attempt to blend maternal instincts with power is not only unique, but also novel. In this case, the show definitely leaves a mark on the minds of the viewers, influencing the society in a positive way. Critical theory on Scandal Of prime importance is the portrayal of a woman in a powerful role. Feminism is evident in the show. Keeping in view the real social conditions of the society, the extent of power which is possessed by Olivia Pope promotes the idea that women can be powerful. Our moral standards demand that peoples’ secrets should not be exploited to gain personal benefits or achieve personal objectives. Contrary to this notion, Olivia who is well aware of the past of her team members tends to use this information to manipulate their behavior to achieve political aims. Acts of this kind are often attributed to the male members of the society, as far as the traditional approach of media is concerned. In this case however, a woman is depicted as the one who uses this tactics. The show is inclined towards showing that the female sex is equally capable of performing such actions, to achieve personal objectives. Although the show focuses on the idea of empowering women; at subconscious level, the makers of the show are well aware of the underlying fact that men are the actual source of power in the society. The reality that the lead character of the show is surrounded by numerous men is clearly depictive. At the conscious level, the writer emphasizes the powerful role of a single lady; at the subconscious level however he is convinced that this powerful female cannot function effectively without the presence of other powerful males around her. Therefore, a male president, male administration, male members of government are all portrayals of the reality of the society (Docterman, n.p.). Interestingly, the show displays a scene where a woman is beaten up by a man; another manifestation of the subconscious belief that men are stronger than women. The fact that she leaves him because of that may serve as an example a woman’s dignity. The play creates an intense situation by blending the personal lives of its characters with various work place conditions. An example is Quinn Perkins date with a journalist (Henderson n.p.). The idea is perhaps to show the dedication of its characters who go to extreme limits to achieve their aims even at the cost of compromising their personal lives. The purpose of such incidents may be to create a sense of patriotism; but it turns out that this falsely heightened dedication to one’s work is not a socially acceptable reality. Additionally, the notion of allowing official lives interfering personal lives of employees may not be considered an acceptable practice. Talking about Olivia’s relation with Stephen Finch, one realizes the strange nature of relationship that exists between the two. Although Stephen is engaged to another girl, the show hardly shows any signs of their relationship. In contrast, Stephen and Olivia are often portrayed together to display Stephen’s affection for her. It appears that Stephen and his fiancée’s relationship has vanished in the course of the show or perhaps the writer considers this part of the story to be his mistake and wants to wipe clean Stephen’s engagement from viewers’ minds, in order to set up an alternative love story. The show appears to be promoting the idea that it is socially acceptable to commit to a person in life and then totally forget the person without facing any social implications. Shaping of viewers’ thoughts by portraying such ideas should definitely be questioned, as this can further aggravate the family structures of the society (Staff n.p.). Textual theory on Scandal Olivia Pope’s appearance in the show can be judged in a number of ways. If weighed according to the prevailing customs of the society, it becomes apparent that she intentionally adapts the style of the powerful class, i.e. men. She chooses clothing that resembles and fits into the male environment more. Pope’s character chooses dull colors, opting for conservative and classic styles that cover the body. It appears that this is Olivia’s desperate attempt to join the powerful class of the society where she mimics them to appear as powerful as they are (Mitovich n.p.). For the advocates of feminism, the show is a remarkable work of art that not only allows the feminists see a reflection of their dreams getting fulfilled but also provides them a hope that things are changing for the female gender of the society. This show points towards the fact that the females of the society are adapting the male way of life as a means of getting access to the privileges that are were regarded previously as male-dominated. The choice of colors that she waers, like white, grey, black and beige are also in close resemblance to those worn by male members of the society (Peppers n.p.). Conclusion From the above discussion, it is clearly evident that Scandal employs a number of tactics to change the thought pattern of the viewers about the female sex and the deprived people of color. A number of very healthy concepts are also promoted by Scandal; concepts like being patriotic, practicing humane values in relations etc. are all examples of such concepts. However, when analyzed critically, there is a long list of shortcomings which make the show debatable. By promoting gender inequality and by promoting the idea that even the most powerful of women is still under the control of men, the show creates an impression that women have to be dependent upon men, no matter how high they rise. Work Cited Adewunmi, Bim. "New Statesman | Why is it still groundbreaking for a TV show like Scandal to have a black female star?" New Statesman | Britains Current Affairs & Politics Magazine. New Statesman, 18 Oct. 2013. Web. 8 Mar. 2014. Dockterman, Eliana. "Scandal, Homeland and TVs Fake Feminism." TIME.com. Time Entertainment, 10 Oct. 2013. Web. 8 Mar. 2014. Henderson, Danielle. "Everything Bonkers on Scandal So Far." Vulture. New York Media LLC., 1 Nov. 2013. Web. 7 Mar. 2014. Karpel, Ari. "How Jewels Worn by Television Characters Are Influencing Real-Life Jewelry Trends - JCK." JCK Magazine. Reed Elsevier Inc., May 2013. Web. 7 Mar. 2014. Maxwell, Brandon. "Olivia Pope and the Scandal of Representation." The Feminist Wire. The Feminist Wire, 7 Feb. 2013. Web. 8 Mar. 2014. Mitovich, Matt W. "Scandal Recap: The Mother Of All Twists — Plus: The Kennedy Assassination Solved?!" TVLine. TVLine Media, 31 Oct. 2013. Web. 8 Mar. 2014. Peppers, Margots. "Scandal costume designer Lyn Paolo on the challenges of dressing Kerry Washington as Olivia Pope." Mail Online. Daily Mail UK, 19 July 2013. Web. 7 Mar. 2014. Staff, Bossip. "Do Shows Like “Scandal” And “Being Mary Jane” Promote Adultery?" Bossip. Moguldom Media Group, 8 Jan. 2014. Web. 8 Mar. 2014. Stanley, Alessandra, " Washington Spin Doctor, Heal Thyself ‘Scandal,’ ABC Political Drama With Kerry Washington." , 4th April, 2012. Web. 4 Mar 2014. The Feminist Spectator. "Scandal." The Feminist Spectator. N.p., 24 May 2012. Web. 7 Mar. 2014. Read More