#IF (WHEN) OLITZ IS NOT TOGETHER AT THE END OF THE SHOW IT IS OLIVIA'S FUCKING FAULT!

[bohemian-nights]

one of the things that frustrated me the most about Hotd S1 is how dumbnyra is passed off as "soulmates/one true love" while messing with their other relationships, which I don't know if it's intentional, but it seems to repeat the pattern, and I think that was...lazy. criston and mysaria are the people they have sex with on screen, but "end" in bitter terms (coincidence that criston is a POC and Mysaria played by an asian woman? Hmm) harwin and laena are they long-time lover/wife they flirt in episode 5 and they are together for exactly 10 years (judging by the age of the children, conception probably synchronized���) and as if that weren't enough, they both die by fire. the only break in this pattern would be Netty, but now I'm afraid they'll ruin that in dumbnyra's favor by giving netty's agency to rhaenyra and daemon's as well, since he's looking more like Rhaenyra's watchdog than the rogue prince that we know, seriously, his peak in the first season was the fight on stepstones

The show is racist(yeah the way they approached Mysaria and Criston was messed up especially in Mysaria’s case since they took away elements of her story and made her speak in that atrocious accent, but it’s not my culture so I’m not really going to speak on it) and especially anti-Black as hell(which I will speak on especially since they seem to have a problem specifically with Black women; see how they screwed over Laena at every turn by turning her into an unloved unwanted woman the moment they race bent her, and the fandom literally celebrated it because they are anti-Black too), but they passed off Dumbnyra as soulmates?🥴

I have a hard time believing this when Daemon literally choked Rhaenyra out in the finale(which isn’t book canon which means they chose to write this and put it in there when they didn’t have to). Mind you this happened after she just gave birth to lizard and she just lost her father. He also keeps abandoning her every five seconds, and though they screwed over his relationship with Laena they actually wound up cutting down Dumbnyra’s time together(and he was shown to be softer with Laena ironically; yes the bar is in hell, but its something 🤷🏽‍♀️).

Plus older!Rhaenyra and Daemon have exactly 0 chemistry which does matter since a major component of romance is yah know chemistry (which is another reason why their fans are always whining, over-compensating, backtracking after they said Rhaenyra would change Daemon so now they say that they love toxicity, and obsessing over Laena and Nettles even though they are “irrelevant and meant nothing” to Daemon🙃).

If that’s them turning Dumbnyra into soulmates I’d like to see what they would do to show that Daemon doesn’t give a rats a** about Rhaenyra🤣 What have him return from the Battle Above the Gods Eye and un-alive her himself🤣(lol Dumbnyra stans would still find someway to turn it into a win).

With Nettles I’ll remain cautiously optimistic cause if they screw her over it is misogynoir and the second Black love interest they screwed over due to their own biases(and the show would need to be called out and threatened with a boycott for that), but it won’t be because of them making Dumbnyra into soulmates.*

*At least this isn’t the way I’d write soulmates(hell one of my other OTPs, Olitz, had major problems, but even at their most toxic, Fitz never choked out Olivia. Shonda knew not to do that). So if this is the writer's attempt at doing that then they truly are certifiably insane in addition to being racist c*nts.

[trumpetnista]

Re: The 7x10 Intervention- 1). Fitz did NOT kidnap Liv and take her to Vermont. He asked her if she wanted to go up there and she said yes, happily so. 2). Fitz is NOT holding Liv hostage in Vermont like she was held hostage in the Red Doored Bunker of DOOM from Season 4B. If she really, really wants to leave, she’ll find a way (probably with Joke’s or Rowan’s ‘help’) and he won’t stop her once everyone gets to say their piece. 3). Fitz most certainly is NOT ‘removing her Agency’ by confronting her head on about her Evil Lady Rowana of the Sith actions with her remaining family & friends in tow. He’s actually acknowledging and respecting it by giving Liv a chance to own what she’s done or to stay in denial about it all. 4). Fitz is not the devil for doing what has needed to be done for years. Fitz isn’t the devil at all. Thanks to ‘The Titan’, the fucking devil in this whole, ugly, SENSELESS, situation is Olivia Carolyn Pope! It’s HER, not Fitz, not anyone else & you know it!

I haven’t cared enough about the show to really give y’all a Special Edition Trumpetnista Rant like this on here or Twitter in a long time but I get tired of dealing with hardheaded people. I get tired of seeing my friends having to deal with hardheaded people, especially since they’re the same idiots spewing the same shit in a different key and tempo every. single. year.

This rant isn’t too long but it is very savage towards Liv to the point of bashing and there are a lot of swear words so feel free to ignore this altogether or to skip to the end. I put a TL:DR thing just in case.

Ready?

Here we go...

Olivia has fallen further into the Dark than anyone on the show, even Rowan’s bitch ass, and she needs to be stopped. And when you love someone? When you really, really love someone? You don’t let them stay broken and dark and fucked up. Not without a fight.

Fitz is doing exactly what needs to be done and he’s risking it all. Olivia could (and will likely) not listen to him or anyone else there and she’ll flounce off and stay dark and likely end Olitz for good and y’know what? That’s fine. I mean, it’s NOT because we deserve to see Olitz be happy solo and together after the steaming pile of shit Shonda has dragged us through for the last 6 years in the name of “taking back the show” and the vaunted “Journey” she goes on and on about but it’s come to the point where the ball truly is in Liv’s court. It’s in her hands and the clock is running down to the wire.

If (when) Olitz is not together in SCANDAL’s endgame, it is thoroughly Olivia’s fault and y’all will not have her avoid the ultimate L she has earned. It doesn’t work like that. Y’all can’t say that she has Agency that needs to be protected & then not hold her accountable for her colossal fuck ups. You just can’t. 

Fitz has put in the work to be a better man solo and to be a better partner in a relationship. He’s far from perfect but he’s doing the damned thing. He’s free and he’s ready to be happy.

On the other hand, Olivia hasn’t done shit to make herself better or she has but she backtracks the moment things get complicated and it’s sad and ridiculous and it needs to stop. She is sad and ridiculous and she needs to stop, one way or the other.

I’d love for the Intervention to work but if doesn’t, that’s what death is for.

If this Intervention doesn’t work, if she stays dark to the bitter end, if this is really where Olivia Pope’s character arc is gonna end up, then she’s got to go. I don’t want it to be long and drawn out but she’s gotta get a bullet to the head or a terminal disease diagnosis or something else tragically Rhimesian to put her in the grave to rot for SCANDAL’s endgame in April. I never thought I’d say that and truly mean it, even after the debacle that ‘At Last’ turned out to be but here we are...floating in space...

Olivia Pope needs to be stopped.

She needs to stop.

Most of all, though? 

Every idiot in or around this fandom needs to stop. 

It’s the last season and we’ve got enough shit to deal with, all right?

Shut the fuck up with your Fitz hate, your pearl clutching Scarlett O’Hara-esque defense of “poor Mellie”, your Ballard & Rowan apologist/stanning think pieces, your love of Shonda’s twisted and skewed version of feminism and everything else that you’re loud and wrong about. It’s exasperating and then, you’re the ones who get the most attention from the Powers that Be so they pander to you and fuck the rest of us over.

You’re obnoxious and wrong.

You’re making the rest of us look bad.

It’s tacky, you’re tacky, & I hate you. 

The remaining fandom/ex-Gladiators with common sense hate you, too.

Seriously, we’re all like:

So, just stop. 

Please stop and please shut up.

Shut up, pack your things, and LEAVE or if you’re not going to leave, stop interacting with people who you know don’t agree with you and stop being shocked when you get dragged for not staying in your Lane. Don’t come out here showing your ass and expecting not to get this in response:

TL:DR- Joke Bastard does not love Olivia Pope. Even if (when) Olitz breaks up for good, Ojoke is NOT going to happen. They’re not gonna be endgame. They’re not even gonna fuck again at this rate (thank God) and you can go cry in the corner about it. Why is this still even a thing? Why in the world would you want Liv with him? She doesn’t deserve that, even after all of the horrible shit she has done and ordered to be done. If you say that she deserves to be sunburnt and bruised by Joke Bastard for the rest of her life, I’ma cut you.

Rowan Pope does not love Olivia Pope. He is a horrible father. He is a horrible sperm donor. He is a beast in human skin. He doesn’t care about anyone or thing but himself. It doesn’t matter that he’s showing a hint of humanity now that Liv’s become a vessel for his POWER demon. He’s still a piece of shit. He’s not a steaming piece of shit with flies buzzing around it but he is still a piece of shit that needs to be scooped or hosed off the pavement.

Hell, at this point, Olivia Pope does not love Olivia Pope.

Just look at all the choices she’s made and tell me otherwise.

I wish you could but you can’t.

Fitzgerald Thomas Grant III loves Olivia Pope.

Fitzgerald Thomas Grant III adores Olivia Pope and wants the best for her, even if it means that they can’t be together. He is willing to break his own heart (a-gain) to see Olivia Pope get help and get better.

He wants to help her, not hurt her.

The Intervention is his last ditch effort to save her from herself and if (when) it doesn’t work, it is not his fault. It is Olivia’s.

So, leave him the fuck alone and get out of here with this nonsense.

Let’s just...let’s use our brains. Let’s use our critical thinking skills. Let’s suspend enough disbelief enjoy what’s left of the show in peace, all right? That’s all I’m asking and that ain’t too much. It’s really not. Come on, people. We’re all adults here or old enough to know better...I hope.

Oh, and by the way? Those who are coming for Katie for speaking the truth about what Olivia Pope currently deserves need to have several seats. Like a stadium’s worth. All she did was tell the truth and at least she didn’t say death. I said death and meant it. Although, ending up all alone could be a better punishment...hmmm...

Something to think about.

Hope for the best, expect and accept the worst, folks.

That’s the best policy right now.

Trumpetnista, out.

[zalrb]

hi! idk if youve watched manifest (not recommending its a bad show lmao) i watched it by chance with my mom bc it was trending on netflix and now i saw recently that its been renewed and it reminded me of the potential of this one ship. its called jachaela and its an example of ships that have a bad narrative ? or are somehow set up for disaster, which i felt is unfair given the history of the two characters. now bc i am a regular on your blog, i know a thing or two about chemistry and i dont think anything really stands out in that show its just them and baanvi (?) that i like but i dont think they have much chemistry, im just convinced by jared rather. everyone says this ship is toxic and what not but i cant stand the other ship its soooo boring and flavorless and like the female lead is so damn wishy washy, she keeps running away from jared, yet expects him to be there for her like hes still her fiance when shes a whole married woman (to someone else btw). ugh very annoying, i dont recomend but if you could please look at some gifs of jachaela with some context and tell me what you think are examples of ex lovers coming back from the dead and having lingering feelings trope done right bc this show is badly written so obviously they couldnt get this trope right with jachaela.

So I watched a few scenes and literally just went ugh because at least this scene

reminded me so much of Leyton

which reminded me of Delena

and I felt like Tywin Lannister

like any couple who has to say these things are no true soulmates, which isn’t necessarily true it’s just that these are all obnoxious to me because you need chemistry to make melodramatic dialogue work.

I don’t watch this scene

and think they’re tortured and in love, I watch it like get a fucking grip. I hate Olitz so much and if ever “The Light” plays on my spotify, I end up just mocking their dialogue because it’s really fun to do and there is a very big you two are fucking adults response that I have to their relationship but their chemistry makes me believe they’re tortured (just tortured for no good reason because their narrative is weak)

Like watching their scenes reminds me of Cami and Klaus where I’m like you two are trying so hard to create this tension and create this drama and create this feeling around each other

and I can see you straining,

it falls flat

like

really? cause I can’t tell, you’re just staring at each other with dead faces, JTV definitely had its tropes and its dialogue because, you know, telenovela but the chemistry was there so the tropes and the dialogue were enhancements rather than things to rely on

I don’t need “you still take my breath away” because

their angst isn’t strained

Like, I did not grow up with Piper and Leo

and Buffy and Angel

Hell, Ross and Rachel

Olivia and Elliott (WHO WEREN’T EVEN TOGETHER)

Even Ryan and Marissa

for this:

No, no, no, no.

[douxbebearchives]

Meet the Author: tied.knots

Hi, tied.knots!

Stories can be found here.

Twitter.

__________

When did you start writing Olitz? 2018, after the show ended.

Tell us about yourself! What do you want readers to know about you? I'm from the Philippines, the capital which is Manila specifically. I feel like there's not that many scandal and olitz shippers from where I'm from and I haven't interacted with a local scandal fan haha. Greys and HTGWM are very much more popular here so I guess there's that. I'm basically your regular Millenial girl - balancing work, bills, finances, shopping, the pros and cons of single life hahaha. That's it. I live a boring life!

What drew you to Olivia and Fitz? Firstly, a lot is really credited to Kerry and Tony's chemistry. They seriously have the most potent chemistry that I have ever seen when it comes to tv couples and it's very hard to forget combined with their great acting. I feel like they were really born to play Olivia and Fitz. Next would be the very raw, deeply flawed, and realistic portrayal of their epic love story but dysfunctional relationship. Olitz is a very controversial couple. I would even argue that it is Shonda's most controversial couple in Shondaland. When you go outside of the fandom, they are deeply hated to this day and people have a lot of energy (and apparently are willing to spend their time) to criticize them. But all that hatred and negativity towards them shows how very spot on their story was. There's a lot that could have been improved on but the issues that stemmed out of their relationship and their flaws I think resonated with many people which is why a lot hated them. For a ship to get so much hate even years after show ended, it goes to show that a lot really payed attention to them and were moved by their story. ps. you don't get that much attention with olake haha. that pairing appears to be only relevant when it involves fitz/olitz.  

What made you want to write about them? I was really hoping that someone would write a long-form post-canon fic about them. I really thought their ending would spark a slew of fanfic! So with its absence and after back-and-forth consultation with my writer friend, Nina, I decided to just go on and write (my very first attempt ever!) what I would want to read. Canon olitz doesn't have a good rep understandably but there's really a lot of room to unpack in it and at the same time get a deeper insight on why Liv and Fitz acted that way during the show. There's still a lot of story to tell because as cheesy as this sounds Liv and Fitz storyline as seen in scandal will never be over.  

How would you describe your writing? Angsty, problematic, realistic, raw, hopeful even when it feels not (I hope I do convey these!)

What inspires you to write / create? Olivia and Fitz characterization and their relationship in the show.

Favorite movies, shows, music?

Films - In the mood for love, Fight Club, Parasite, Clueless, Bridget Jones Diary lol. Any films really by Wong Kar Wai, Davin Fincher, and Nancy Meyer 

Shows - Sex and the City, The OC, Succession, Skins UK 1st and 2nd Gen 

Music - Too many but mainly The Strokes, Daft Punk, The XX, Phoenix, Britney, Kylie Minoque, etc.

How long does it take you to write a chapter? It really varies! The shortest was like 2 weeks-ish and the longest was like 8 or 9 months. Aside from how my life is going, it really highly depends on my mood towards the subject-Olivia and Fitz. Admittedly I'm an on-and-off shipper, sometimes I enjoy them or get in my feels and then there are times that I highly dislike and regret shipping them to the point that I wish they never got back together or argue that Fitz should have been written off the show. Writing for me is very mood based.

Did the show's themes and plots encourage you or discourage you from writing? Encourage.

Writing AU or Canon? Canon.

Reading AU or Canon: Canon.

________

A favorite line, scene, or paragraph you’ve written.

"Fitz back then always thought that once he has fulfilled his father’s predetermined life for him at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave that he’ll be back home to this cozy beach town. That was of course before that one fateful day on February in New Hampshire when a tornado stormed into his life that was ornamented by the California sun." (Chapter 3) 

To me, it sounds nice when you read it haha Their fight scene in chapter 10. Even before finishing chapter 1, I knew that I was going to write a big fight scene and one that is similar to 509. It's a very very important scene to me.

________

Fave Olitz moments? The 'I hate you. I hate you too' phone call, 'I would cross that line again', those small moments when you could see how deeply and conflicted in love Olivia was (eg. watching him and Mellie dance during the first inauguration ball) - Liv is known to be not "accepting" of their love and whether she love him or not was always questioned, but a lot her actions and expressions when you look back showed how deeply she fell in love with him.

Fave Olitz fanfic moments? I forgot the title and the author but there was this one shot back then about Olivia who decided to end her engagement to Jake because she had unresolved feelings for Fitz. This fic took place a year I think after Fitz presidency. So she went all the way to Vermont regardless if it's years since her and Fitz last encounter and how bad their relationship ended - they fought about him going to war for her I think. So yeah she went all the way to Vermont not knowing what to expect and the writer did a good job of piecing them back together.

________

Do you like it when readers engage with you via comments / social media? Yes.

Story Reviews: Love them, hate them? BOTH! The reviews reminds of me of the live tweets when the show was on and the energy back then so I like that aspect. I appreciate readers that are grateful to authors and those that show how curious they are with the stories. I hate the intentional and consistent badmouthing to the point of bullying and creating competition among authors which made some quit or removed their stories. The nonstop attacks by some these "guest" reviewers really says a lot about their character. My friend Nina would always say that the writers don't owe themselves to anyone and that is highly true. We do it because we want to write and we make time for it without expecting anything in return really. Don't like it, then don't read it. Read and review the story you want to read then.

What advice would you give to a new Olitz writer? Just write! Don't care if you don't have experience at all or if you're too conscious about how not perfect your grammar is. The olitz fanfic community I think has a consistently growing audience so there will always be readers. Also most importantly, write the story that you want to tell. It is your work and only you will know how to go about it. Don't focus too much on the reviews/criticisms and don't let it solely dictate you on how to write your story.

Outside of your fics, do you have any fave Olitz stories or authors? PurplePineapple, torri.oats, Only You by anonolitz, that one shot I mentioned above.

Do you talk to other Olitz authors? If so, do you like the camaraderie? I've only interacted with like 2 I think hahaha. It's a very supporting and encouraging group! I think we're just excited to read each other's stories which is a nice feeling.

Have you made friends (people you talk to outside of fanfic) because of Olitz / Scandal fanfic? Yes and we've been friends for almost three years! She knows so much of my life honestly compared to my irl friends.

Before you go, anything else you'd like to share? Thank you for always supporting and encouraging olitz authors! You guys have a really good and organized system which is very helpful :)) 

ps. Beyond Whiskey is an olitz fanfic :))

________

Thank you, tied.knots, for allowing us to feature you!  

[teafortwo29]

8 Couples That Hurt Shondaland Shows (And 7 That Saved Them)

https://screenrant.com/author/kdale/

1. RUINED: JAKE AND OLIVIA (SCANDAL)

From the moment Jake Ballard and Olivia Pope met in that coffee shop in Washington, Scandal as a whole began to go downhill.

With the introduction of Jake’s character, Scandal lost its way, becoming mired in plots of intrigue and espionage and characters who chewed at the scenery whenever they so pleased.

As Jake was a member of the shady organization B613, he was always a threat. Jake was assigned to spy on Olivia, even doing so in her most private moments.

He also choked her on one occasion, and landed her in the hospital on another, and let’s not forget the fact that her father considered him the son he never had, and far from a son-in-law.

In Scandal‘s series finale, the cell door is shut on Jake’s future as he is sent off to prison to serve time for his many crimes — thankfully shutting the symbolic door in the face of this toxic relationship for good.

4. SAVED: FITZ AND OLIVIA (SCANDAL)

Star-crossed romances are really Shonda’s forte.

In Scandal, this was the precise tactic used for the long-suffering, on and off again relationship between onetime President Fitzgerald Grant and political fixer Olivia Pope.

With Fitz trapped in an unhappy marriage of political convenience, and as inaccessible as any man could be, the plight of the good ship Olitz often seemed to be a doomed one.

However, over time, once Fitz was out of office and divorced, the two continued to find their way back to one another.

With their relationship now open to the public, rather than Washington’s worst kept secret, their feelings were able to flourish and grow.

By the series finale, it’s beyond apparent that these two are made for one another, and will be together for years to come.

When they greet each other with their signature flirtatious “Hi” at the end of the episode, all fans of the relationship know exactly what that means: their story is just beginning again.

[boombitxh]

The Mellie Grant Pop-Off

FAIR WARNING: I mostly despised last night’s episode with the exception of a few scenes. This is a full-blown episodic Mellie drag on my part.

 The CAUCACITY of this woman. I mean what is going on right now? Do the writers of this show really aim to canonize this fool as the patron Saint of Feminism? White Feminism is more like it. I cannot believe the extent to which they play with characterization on this show just so they can move around the characters like pathetic ass chess pieces. If Mellie had to be a chess piece she wouldn’t even merit being a lowly pawn.

 This whacko has been shading Olivia ever since she fired her, making digs at her sexuality “I don’t sleep with people who slept with Olivia Pope”… girl shut yo bitch ass up you did it for over ten years as Fitz juggled you both, you clearly implied y’all were still sleeping together when you mentioned Fitz would come home all hot and bothered thanks to Liv. Ugh. Hypocrite.

 I don’t understand what the writers are trying to do. Mellivia does not work. It never has. Mellivia has always been about how Mellie can use Olivia. From the very beginning of this show Mellie has been using her, starting with episode 3 when she invites Olivia to the gala because Fitz is not sleeping. Fitz is a more focused president when Olivia “does her job” according to Mellie. Consigning her to Fitz’s sexual plaything as if she were a pacifier for him. Mellie has been available to take ALL the seats since this show’s inception.

This rah-rah sisterhood thing they’re trying to do? They can keep it. If Olivia ever had to bestow the title of ineffectual president on anyone ever again then Mellie is well deserving of the title. First thing she does when she sits atop the presidential heap? Make terrible decisions because she’s got the hots for the President of Bashran. All along Olivia has to coddle her and hold her hand because she downright sucks, while at the same time Olivia herself is out there making terrible choices in the name of the Republic. Which she’s still at. Wake up Olivia! The Republic does not give nary a fuck about you!!!

 This wanting to force the smashing of the patriarchy this season would’ve have worked better had Mellie been a substantially sane character with a bonafide track record. I mean she wasn’t even elected President! WTF?! Her track record is that of a user. I don’t know if Olivia still feels guilt and shame about her affair, and I was hoping that last episode had served as a reflection of that shame she has to bear from the outside world and how she can overcome it, but alas here we are. Mellie emotionally and sexually neglected Fitz, this much is true, therefore that marriage was already dead and over with by the time Olivia came into the picture. Mellie is obviously still bitter about this as she recently mentioned not wanting to be the next iteration of Fitzgerald Grant and some other snide remarks which escape me at this very moment as they were made at least 2 episodes ago and my lil angry mind can’t recall.

 The minute she gets mad at Olivia she switches back to her little embittered persona. Girl you can keep it. I do not understand what exactly Mellie has done to be deserving of Olivia’s seemingly undying devotion. We have not witnessed any of it as the audience. This is exactly why I find this storyline to be not only boring, but at the EXPENSE of Olivia Pope, the main character of this show the last time I fuckin’ checked! It is obvious that the entire point is to test this new and improved Liv with the trappings of power once again, however I am positive the writer’s smoked a lot of meth to come up with what we saw last night.

 You mean to tell me that Mellie is the canonized saint and vessel for fighting the patriarchy? WHILE WE END THE EPISODE WITH OLIVIA BEING PROPOSED TO BE A CONTRACT KILLER? And as the audience we are expected to relish in this mediocre and stale dusty ass storyline? No thank you! The formidable Olivia Pope we were once introduced to does not deserve to be relegated to some sort of hit-woman at the behest of mediocre Mellie Grant. Being Command was obviously detrimental to her well-being and this lunatic has the audacity to ask this of her? I loathe it. It is just another iteration of how Olivia’s actual humanity is ignored so she can serve the dumpster fire Republic and never come first.

 I did say there were a few scenes that I liked, obviously the one between Olivia and Quinn makes the cut. (Special shout-out for labeling Jake as second fiddle again. #true). Back to the master and student… Olivia admitted that she was acting on her own ambitions- that’s ownership and responsibility we hadn’t seen from her yet. It is important to note that eventually at some point Olivia did also use Mellie as her horse conduit to power, but I don’t sense the type of relationship between them that merits the lame-ass dramatics we had to witness last night. Oh, and the preview of next week’s episode that shows Olivia gripping the metal chair while she is alone with Cy?  Please spare me the dramatics. We don’t need the murderous intertextuality. Keep the callbacks to Uncle Andrew’s murder. #RIP

 Also- in what universe are we to believe this Olitz sans tension. The road is free and clear for them to be together, but the writers are holding out. They had the perfect opportunity to do the slow-burn thing for these last 4 episodes and all we get are two cowards who sometimes work together but sort of shut down when it gets personal. What happened to the people who were so desperate to be together to the point that it consumed them? Neither of them has successfully rebuilt their romantic life without the other, and they’ve painted their love story in the most extreme and all-consuming light, so what gives? Some one-dimensional life they’re living. 

 I vehemently despise the idea of even asking Olivia to kill Cyrus. I am downright enraged that this is the only way they found to tease her with the trappings of power again. It would’ve been more effective to just have Mellie ask her for her help…. And the fact that the preview shows Olivia contemplating this shit in some capacity? Infuriates me even further. I’m happy we are getting to the bitter end, I can’t take the character manipulation to fit this fake take down the patriarchy narrative. It’s poorly written, I couldn’t care less about the patriarchy when we’ve got Olivia in shambles being kicked while she’s down and just a few episodes left.

[mwendesunstar]

Fitz and Rowan, Again...

Lets talk about the new son, the new Jake: FITZ! Boy, was he in full swing last night! Rowan sent Fitz to do what Jake was originally sent to do, but refused: lure Olivia away from something, for their own purposes, by wooing her. Aside from Fitz following through on what Jake refused to do, Fitz also has his OWN personal interest for his covert activity. While Jake would have been a through way for Rowan's intention, Fitz let Rowan know that he himself had HIS own intentions for essentially manipulating Olivia, so that BOTH Rowan and Fitz are double teaming in working Olivia for their very own intention! Where they were each other's competition throughout the seasons in trying to leash Olivia for their respective reasons, now they are working together towards their own end! Jake so happened to find out and warned Olivia about their secret meeting, showing her that her gut feeling that something was off was accurate. Fitz all up and through QPA like Jake was in OPA, as if sincere like Jake was! How ironic that Fitz would be placed in Jake's position years later to follow through in actively presenting himself as the real phony, when viewers always questioned Jake as the phony in being Rowan's gateway to Liv!!!!!! EVERYTHING Jake was bashed for in being Rowan’s agent into Liv’s life through emotions, here Fitz is fully participating in a condensed version, AND is serving his own interests in the manipulation! Fitz can’t use the scapegoat of having been manipulated by Rowan due to ignorance, because he already KNOWS Rowan after having been played by him in S4 with Jake in jail. He knew Rowan prior to that, even! He knows this since, as mentioned, he told Rowan in their secret meeting that he wasn’t doing what he was doing for Rowan’s reasons. Nothing felt authentic about Fitz's actions last night, not even the apartment scene with Fitz and Liv. I FELT the need to distrust and underlying motive for their actions; it was in the air.

Olakers may be disappointed with the state of Olake’s troubled relationship, but the thing that continues to satisfy me about them is the fact that I continue to get a transparent Olivia in her interaction with Jake. In a world identified as fake, phony and fantasy, where you can’t trust anyone, I greatly appreciate the honesty and transparency we get in private Olake scenes. Whatever it is they are going through, from great to terrible, they are still an authentic team. They are still true partners. I still get the sense that they have their very own world that they exit from in masks to deal with the outsiders. Olivia has many masks, but Jake gets HER face. There is no other reason for the character of Jake Ballard to still be here if not for all of this! All of his time has been spent next to Olivia in development. His Scandal presence has always been about Olivia and how whatever he does or happens to him impacts her soul. Their self defined/unique commitment to one another is beyond their surrounding circumstances to overpower. I’m not concerned with an end game for them as if they are approaching the possibility of a certified relationship of love; Olake LIVES right now. They are engaged in what I consider beautiful relationship that satisfies me right now. It is REAL right now. The core of love is being expressed right now, albeit unconventional, which is what many are still searching them for. I want to see all facets of this relationship expressed before my eyes, even such stormy periods as they are experiencing right now. We don’t need a ton of scenes to witness it; Olitz needs this! Olitz needs big and razzle dazzle since they aren’t anchored by the meat of a multi-faceted, deep relationship experienced and earned over years. It’s theater, and theater needs big. Olake doesn’t since the authenticity of bond, partnership, and earned relationship is so POTENT with them in just moments... 

I can’t tell you how excited I am about this season unraveling! Olake endgame or no Olake endgame. Whatever Olivia’s end is will not negate the truth of what we are given of Jake & Olivia right now, over the course of many seasons. We have them right now, while Olitzers are honestly still waiting. That is, if we can appreciate the unconventional, anti-fantasy.

[rkrispyt]

some show speculation

Scandal & This Is Us spec under the cut, some light spec about Jane the Virgin  as well as some Bachelor comments. SPOILERS for all! 

SCANDAL: Is it just me or is anyone else not exhaling just yet that Quinn is still alive? I realized we don’t KNOW that at the ‘present’ the show is at, she’s still alive. I initially thought she would be because we saw Rowan away from the house so much in the last episode and if Quinn wasn’t alive then who’s with the baby, right? I thought “ok, this episode is gonna pick up with Rowan getting strangled and Quinn showing up and pulling Charlie off of him” but since that didn’t happen... maybe I’m just being super suspicious because of the show. But I kept expecting her to die somehow after the baby was born - whether Rowan did it or it was complications of the birth and not being seen by a doctor. Still can’t let my guard down there. I mean, why does he have baby clothes going up to 2 years old? Something’s still not right there. And considering he’s talking about how his daughter is now dead too, that baby would be a nice little fresh start, no? 

I do hope though that this feeling I have is wrong (about Quinn still being the body that was in the trunk/car fire), and that instead Quinn and Rowan decide/have decided to work together to take Olivia down. With her knowing Liv would have let her die and him being pushed past his breaking point with Olivia, and all that Olivia’s becoming and it feeling like a big set up for nothing but some Olitz ‘happy ending’ where he saves her from herself, I’m not here for it. She crossed a line for me and I’d almost rather see her get her come-uppance for all this damage she’s done this season. Cause I really can’t tell where else they’re going with this aside from Fitz making her ‘see the light’ somehow. She can be redeemed IMO however she went too far for me to simply forgive and there be no consequences for her. 

THIS IS US: Gah! I cant’ figure it out! All I KNOW is that they’re definitely hinting at Jack dying in the fire because he goes back in for Kate’s dog. Which thus means that there will most likely be a quick 180 at the last moment where something else happens that causes his death. They’re never that obvious. They do well at hinting though and making you think you’re picking up on something others aren’t and you’ve ‘figured it out’ - I mean, who else thought he was gonna forget to turn off that crockpot and that would be why the house caught fire? That subtle little red light glowing in the background of so many scenes, catching it and thinking no one else is noticing it but you’ve got it figured out. But then he turns it off and I for one was like “wait, what? Ok, so he turns it off so...? Wait, does the DOG start the fire somehow, is that how it ties in?” I feel like this show makes you think you have enough info to figure it out, but then throws in another twist with information you never had but needed to REALLY suss it out. 

So I’m seeing lots of speculation and I gotta say, it all sounds plausible. But I think it’s gonna be something no one’s even THINKING of right now cause they’ve subtly led us astray so we’re not on the scent. If I had to guess right now though, I think I’m leaning towards a tragic situation of “dad went back in for so-and-so but then they show up around the corner and he can’t know that they’re not in there” kind of a thing. Like in The Fire episode of The Office when Dwight goes back in for Michael’s cell phone and shortly after, it starts ringing in Michael’s pocket, and they have no means of letting Dwight know to get out of there (a crappy, not at all parallel example, I know! lol).  I will say I’m very interested to find out what it is, but emotionally I’m not ready. I love that this show is so beautiful and makes us feel so much but man is this season HEAVY so far. I gotta prepare better. 

ETA: Reality Steve is saying he doesn’t know anything but that given what he knows of the show, how actors and producers talk and things they’ve said, he feels certain that Jack doesn’t die because of the fire. I was thinking the same thing however there HAVE been a couple interviews I read after the last episode where things were said about Kevin not having made up with Jack yet and Dan Fogelman talks about how that’s true and Kevin never has that closure. I’ve caught a couple things where people referenced where things were left relationship-wise from the last episode and it was directly stated that that was how their relationship with Jack was left. So I would believe maybe it’s not because of the fire, but at the same time it seems that it will still happen at this point in their lives as when the fire happens? Unless people just lied which they don’t normally do, they get vague or talk around something. Maybe Kate chases the dog into the street after the fire and Jack pushes her out of the way and gets hit or something, I dunno. I DON’T think it’s gonna be anything drinking related, just because of how they talked about him in therapy. They all seemed set on not realizing that even though Jack wasn’t drinking or drunk all the time, he still dealt with that alcoholism every day. If he died cause he was driving drunk or some other accident happened cause he was drunk, wouldn’t they be less likely to say things like “dad wasn’t an addict” or whatever it was during therapy? 

JANE THE VIRGIN: I know some people think this episode ‘proved’ Mateo is the narrator because of the ‘ah, memories’ line regarding his first day of kindergarten, but I ask you again: why/how would Mateo suddenly have an accent when he’s grown? I’m not 100% sure who it’s gonna be, but my leading theory is her grandfather Mateo. 

Also, I LOVE Jafael but I was kinda thrown by that episode. Mostly by the way they came together at the end. I LOVE that they did, but I didn’t quite catch the shift in Jane. Even her “ok, kiss me again” wasn’t as if she was really considering it might feel differently, and somehow suddenly it was romantic but we didn’t see that revelation for her in that moment, so did I just miss it during the episode? I’m legitimately asking - I had to step away once or twice to get dinner out of the oven and could hear but not see. I find it hard to believe the show would just skim over that, did I miss it? It was just a little odd to me - like without seeing her catching feelings about it was odd to me. 

ALSO I get it, people loved Michael and they loved Michael and Jane together. You’re still upset because he died and that you didn’t get to see Jane mourn that every day since. I understand that, I do. But it seems like such a waste of time and just rude and unnecessary to constantly drop in the tags to point out that you’ll never forgive the show and aren’t watching and can’t get on board with Jafael and Jane doesn’t deserve Michael and blah blah blah. Just don’t watch the show. It’s not that hard. I did it with Glee more than once. I’ve done it with PLENTY of other shows when they lost my interest or I felt I didn’t trust the writers to do the story/characters justice anymore. Why continue to come back just to say “just so you know, I’m still not watching and this show sucks”? Trust me, I got it. You can go on with your life now assuming I am constantly aware of that fact. 

AND so many people were bitching about how terrible Rafael was for not going to get Louisa out of the wellness center (see what I did there? ;) ) after it was discovered that she hadn’t imagined Carl. Now all these people are hating on Rafael for being mad at Petra for not telling him Carl wasn’t imagined so he COULD go get Louisa out of the wellness center? How does that make sense? You’re either enraged for the injustice to Louisa or you’re not, it can’t change cause you are determined to make Raf the bad guy. You can be pissed at him for the same thing Petra DID DO but he can’t be pissed at her for it? How does that make sense? Miss me with that nonsense. That being said, I do want something to work out for her. She’s been through a lot and grown yet she keeps making some same old silly mistakes. I want something to start to work out for her so she starts moving towards her happy ending. 

BACHELOR: HOW DID I GET CONVINCED TO WATCH THIS MESS AGAIN? Such garbage. And yet, I cannot stop following along. I just read the spoilers that he pulled a Mesner. Yeesh. 

Also THAT GIRL WAS ABOUT TO DRINK HER OWN PEE? TIA KEEPS SAYING STUPID SHIT LIKE ‘I’M IMPRESSED’ THAT THAT DUDE DRANK HIS OWN PEE! These women...I wish they’d have a season where they allow the women to realize this guy ain’t no catch and decide on their own each week if they even wanna stay. I would LOVE to see that: him having to actually try to impress them and convince them to keep going. It’s so terrible. I’m such a reality tv junkie and even this is too much for me man. Ugh. 

Finally, Arie seems like a SKEEZ in sheep’s clothing. It grosses me out. 

[olitz48-blog]

Why I ship OLITZ:

From day 1 Olivia and Fitz has loved❤️ exactly 1 person and that's each other. Yes both of them hurt each other but Liv done worst and Fitz love for her was unconditional love ❤️ that man loved his Livy like 💗 it was no tomorrow. But Liv herself Loved Fitz as well like it was no tomorrow. I can recall Fitz showing Liv many times how much he loved ❤️ her.

#1: Running Out The Clock 🕦

#2: Giving Up The WH Many Times

#3: Going To War For Her

#4: Saving Her Monster Of A Father For Her

#5: Built Her/Them A mansion In Vermont

#6: Gave Her A Ring

Now that's a man for Liv all roads lead to Fitz

Liv words. But when I look at how much Fitz love ❤️ his Livy I got to look at why Liv always got 1 foot out the door ready to run far away 🏃. When I look at Liv relationship with her father it's no love from him he treats her like shit 💩 he don't tell Liv he love her he call's Liv out her name I mean he called his own daughter a stripper and front of everyone and the only person stood up 👆 for Liv was Fitz

#Show Your Daughter Some Damn Respect

Liv is afraid 😱 because she never been Loved ❤️ before like that and it scares her but she love ❤️ Fitz as well as being in love with him just the thought of losing him scares her.

Flashback to when Fitz got shot 🔫 and almost died ⚱ Liv was breaking down inside her face said so many words and at that moment all Liv could do was cry 😭 I mean 😏 she was breaking 💔 my heart to see 👀 her cry 😭 like that. I respect Fitz as a man because he doesn't push Liv to say 🙊 she Love ❤️ him I mean 😏 Fitz then told Liv so many times how much he love ❤️ her even loved her more then being president. Or how about giving zero fucks when Millie was saying how she wasn't going to go on national television about him having an affair with Liv and the only good part from that scene was

Fitz: That's Me Being In Love With Another Woman. I damn near screamed 😱 my wig off 😂 lol. When it comes to Fitz & joke there is no comparison between 🖖 them Fitz is the man joke was just someone to toy with until he got his eviction notice from Liv, all I know is Liv words to Joke

#1: I Love Fitz

#2: I'm In Love With Someone Else

#3: You Was Never An option For Me

#4: I Don't Love You Joke

#5: I Love Him

#6: When I'm With You All I Think about Is Him

#7: Fitz Is Who I Choose

#8: He's Who I Will Always Choose

#9: You Are Just A Lesser Version Of Him

#10: A Sad Reminder Of The Men I Truly Deserve.... No matter the length 📏 Between 🖖 OLITZ the heart 💞 wants what the heart 💞 wants and Liv heart belongs to Fitz & vice versa. When Fitz eyes 👀 locks with Liv theirs no need for words to be spoken. Nothing Liv do to hide her feeling or emotion from Fitz works he knows Liv better than Liv knows herself and that's why Liv always hide or run 🏃 but more of she is scared 😱 because she never felt love ❤️ like that. I don't care who they slept with it was nothing to serious 😒 between 🖖 other people because Fitz has Liv heart 💞 and Liv has Fitz heart 💞 with these two you can't go wrong others who realize what Fitz in Liv have.

Verna: I Seen You Two Together You breath in sync.

Millie: He Need You Liv / You Everything To Him Liv.

Huck: She Wears It For Him She Never Takes It Off.

Joke: But You Are In Love With Him

Rowan: In She Love You... You...

Yes OLITZ will be end game they been through hell and back

Liv words to Edison

#1: I Want Painful

#2: Difficult

#3: Devastating

#4: Life Changing

#5: Extraordinary Love

Yes ✔️ that's what OLITZ have in nothing will change that between 🖖 em. Another quote from Liv declaring her Love ❤️ for Fitz.

Just Don't ask me to undo ↩️ the past

Don't ask me to fall out of love with Fitzgerald grant. Because if I could 👏 I would. Yes ✔️ Fitz left his mark on Liv heart 💞 no other man can compare to her Fitz baby it's em against the world 🌏 and no matter what OLITZ brings out the best of each other,

Liv words to Fitz.

:The Fish Rots From The Head.

:The Secret Service Taking They Q From You.

:Because You The Head Of The Fish.

#1:Reckless

#2:Negligent

#3:Selfish

You Letting Things Get Out Of Hand In Your Boys Are Following.

What Kind Of Example Are You Setting For The People Who Works For You For The Country For Your Son.

He Looked Up And Saw His Dad With Some Woman He Didn't Know. Some Woman In A Bathrobe. What Is That A Grant Family Tradition, You Basically Saw Your Own Father Do The Same Thing Right.

Is That Who You Are, Is You Big Jerry Now

I Don't Care What You Do In Your Spare Time I Really Don't. But This Long Ass Speech To Fitz Beg The Difference Liv Know Damn Well She Do Care ✅ lol 😂 OK I'm back.

But You... Liv Take A Deep Breath To Exhale The Pain, You Better Think 🤔 You Better Ask Yourself Is This Really Who You Want to Be.... Liv was hurt but at the same time she put it to the side to put her man in his place OK 👌 y'all I'm about to cry 😭 also

Another thing that caught my attention was when Liv said to Marcus

You will be on the road with a presidential candidate #Liv:That's Brass Ring 💍 OK 👌 now I'm really about to cry 😭 Liv was speaking 🗣 from the heart 💞 when Fitz gave LIV that Doux Bebe/Sweet Baby ring Liv was shooting fireworks 🎇 through the screen from her heart 💞 she was missing Fitz but was having a hard time but she was also letting the people know when she was talking it was about the love ❤️ of her life giving her a Brass Ring. All I know is OLITZ is end game no matter what Fitz/Liv belongs together I mean 😏 that night and the rose 🌹 garden put the icey on the cake 🍰

Fitz: What's Wrong You Pace And Circles When Something Wrong. When You Just Thinking 🤔 It's Back In Forward. But When Something Wrong It's Circles.

Liv: Did You Need Something Mr President.

Fitz: See You Use To Sound Sexy When You Called Me Mr President Now It Just Sounds Like I'm A Gym Teacher.

Liv: Did You Need Something

Fitz: The Sally Hampton Thomas Jefferson Comment Was Below The Belt.

Liv: Because It's So Untrue.

Fitz: You Playing The Race Card On The Fact I'm In Love With You, Come On Don't Belittle Us It's Insulting And Beneath You And Design To Drive Me Away I'm Not Going Away.

Liv: I Don't Have To Drive You Away You Married You Have Children You The Leader Of The Free World You Are Away By Definition You Away You're Unavailable.

Fitz: So This Is About Millie

Liv: No No This is I Smile At Her And I Take Off my Clothes For You. I Wait For You I Watch For You My Whole Life Is You I Can't Breathe Because I'm Waiting For You

You own Me You Control Me I Belong To You.

Fitz: You Own Me You Control Me I Belong To You, You Think I Don't Want To Be A Better Man You Don't Think I Want To Dedicate Myself To My Marriage You Don't Think I Want To Be Honorable To Be The Man You Voted For I Love You I'm In Love With You You're The Love Of My Life My Every Feeling Is Control By The Look On Your Face I Can't Breathe Without You I Can't Sleep Without You I Wait For You I Watch For You I Exist For You

#We In This Together.

Next day Liv Tells Fitz

Liv:I Love You To I'm In Love With You To.

Fitz:So We In This Together

Liv:We In This Together OLITZ will be the death 💀 of me and no matter what Fitz/Liv are true soul mates #1: They way they eyes 👀 lock

#2: They Heart 💞 Beats As 1

OLITZ 4life........

[trumpetnista]

My Final Thoughts on 7x08 (taken from Shattering’s latest A/N...)

Quinn Perkins' fate may just be sealed after all but at least Shonda didn't kill her baby. Of course, after 509, last season or not, killing yet another baby wasn't gonna happen but Quinn herself? She may very well be gone and even if she's not, I'm pretty tempted to sue ABC for emotional distress. Everyone (even Joke Bastard's crash test dummy looking and acting ass) was affected by the apparent loss of Quinn and that 21 gun salute funeral scene made me cry. It's like when Harrison died but a million times worse because that was on Rowan. What's happened is on Liv.

No amount of private guilt will count until she fesses up to her Evil and starts making up for it. What little humanity she did show was potent and heartwrenching but it's not enough. Neither was her going to Fitz for comfort like we knew she would, even though she was an absolute bitch to him for no good reason beforehand. She always lashes out at him, especially when she knows that she's done wrong and Fitz just...it's honestly sad at this point. There's a difference between unconditional love and taking emotional abuse and it seems that Fitz has reached that conclusion because even though he did take her in with loving arms (god, the scene was so sweet but so sad), he's on the verge of giving up on her for good and I ain't mad at it.

I said it on Thursday and I'm saying it here: unless Liv starts getting some professional help or even semi-professional help, Fitz needs to bounce and never, ever look back. Enough is enough. He may love her and she may love him but unless they're both human and acting like adults, Olitz just isn't gonna work. Fitz has put the work in to be a better man solo and within Olitz. He's always put the work in and I'm tired of Liv doing the bare minimum in response or worse, making one big positive gesture and then backtracking on it the second things get complicated. It's fucking bullshit.

Olivia Pope needs to own her Rowana sins. She needs to tell the whole truth to her remaining friends and family and face the consequences. Afterwards, she needs to put the work in to fix herself or she shouldn't get to be happy with Fitz or by herself, that matter. It's been 7 years of the same bullshit from her and I'm tired. It's probably an unpopular opinion but I don't give a fuck. I've stood by my convictions before and I'm gonna keep doing it.

However, there was good in the 7B premiere. Huck carried the episode (and figured out the ugly truth in like 30 seconds), the rest of them are about to find out because Quinn had the Intel hidden on a flash drive just in case, Cyrus faced more consequences for his Evil, Mellie was only around for like a minute, Joke Bastard has been reduced to Lady Rowana of the Sith's personal chauffer, Olitz made love like they did in 1x06 (sans the broken lamp and solid mental health, unfortunately) Quinn's baby girl is alive and beautiful (her name is Robin, BTW if you wanna cry a little inside) and the episode ended with Rowan getting the shit choked out of him by a very angry Charlie. It's likely the bastard isn't gonna die but it was gratifying to see. I haven't been that happy to see someone get fucked up since Joke got shanked in 4B. I am cautiously optimistic about 7B and the Series Finale in April but there are 10 eps left and anything can happen, good or bad.

[zalrb]

What did you think of Olitz first meet in 'the trail'? I know you don't ship them but what did you think of it from a writers POV and chemistry wise

I have always been upfront that Tony and Kerry have palpable chemistry. Like Kerry essentially vibrates when Fitz and Olivia are together

Even when I did the rewatch and was asked to do some reviews, when I wrote about the pilot and saw the way they just stare at each other I was like, I mean I can’t say they don’t have chemistry, it’s undeniable.  

What I also say is that, personally, 98% of the time, their chemistry makes me feel uncomfortable and not in that “do you want me to leave you alone?” kind of way but it’s more like a lot of the time there’s a dominance or aggressiveness to Tony’s energy in comparison to Kerry’s that doesn’t sit right with me, it’s why I prefer Olake’s chemistry because I find that their energies match and they play around a lot with that.

But that’s all to say that the problem with Olitz was never their chemistry, it was their narrative and that goes for how they meet as well. 

It’s absolutely clear to me that Shonda just wanted to get to the juice of Olitz, she was eager to get to the tumultuous, passionate, love-hate, consuming relationship (which is something that she does even in Grey’s. Derek and Meredith have no real reason to fall in love within the first season either) and so she rushed their meeting and she didn’t really give them a build-up (which I can sort of understand because I can see her just wanting to get into the thick of Kerry and Tony’s chemistry but it damages their story imo).

Like it starts right away. Fitz initially tries to kick Olivia off the campaign because he’s just SO attracted to her after seeing her across the room for, like, 30 seconds, he doesn’t even know her, he literally just sees her and listens to her tell him that he looks like he’s never been laid (which is super heavy-handed and convenient) and that  had me like ………… I guess. But because of their chemistry, even though the narrative is contrived, I could buy that they had this crazy tension right off the bat because Shonda shows that they do

And I could buy that throughout the campaign, they’re just fighting this insane sexual chemistry

That’s all fine, but Shonda expected me to believe it was more than that, she expected me to believe that they have this transcendental, epic connection to the point that Verna later on says “I’ve seen you two together, you even breathe in sync”, Shonda expected me to believe that was what they were fighting and that was where she loses me because I didn’t see that on the trail. 

Stefan and Elena have their instant attraction, their instant chemistry, their instant pull

but they talk throughout the pilot 

The episodes ends with them going into her house to talk some more 

Fitz and Olivia talk about the campaign, strategize for the campaign and he complains about Mellie being a terrible person because of course he does. If I’m being super generous, I can buy that Fitz is attracted to Olivia because she’s young, beautiful, brilliant and ballsy and that’s his type but it doesn’t go deeper than that for me and I never understood what it was about Fitz that Olivia loved so this connection they’re supposed to have has ALWAYS been narratively weak. 

[douxbebearchives]

Meet the Author: Sucker4Scandal

Hi, Michelle!

Stories can be found here.

Twitter.

__________

When did you start writing Olitz? 2016.

Tell us about yourself! What do you want readers to know about you? I am a mom of 4 & grandmother to 2. I have worked in School Nutrition as a cafeteria manager for 15 years & I love it! My hobbies are writing & crafting.

What drew you to Olivia and Fitz? The honest way they love each other coupled with the seemingly impossible way they could ever be together in the open. Their chemistry is like none other.

What made you want to write about them? I wanted to write a simple story about how they met & got together without all the heaviness the show dealt with. My first story was mostly fluff because I wanted it to be easier while they dealt with marriage & babies & life in general. That's heavy enough all by itself some days.

How would you describe your writing? I love writing humor, so all of my stories have that in them. But Olitz demands passion too. Almost all of my stories are light & funny. All of my stories are Olitz is endgame. And none of them have Jake or Mellie in them. I can't with those 2 lol

What inspires you to write / create? Sometimes it's a song or something I see in my day to day. Sometimes it's something that has happened in my life or a friend's life. Reading books always inspires me to write. It inspires me to be better too.

Favorite movies, shows, music? 

Movies: Any chick flicks, John Wick series, Stealing Home, The Pirates of Penzance...the cheesy one with Christopher Atkins & Kristy McNichol 

Shows: Scandal, This Is Us, Bob's Burgers, Archer, It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia, Game of Thrones, Ozark, The Handmaid's Tale. Too many shows 

Music: Tauren Wells, Jeremy Camp, Lauren Daigle, Chris Tomlin, Mercy Me, Tasha Layton, also Maroon 5

How long does it take you to write a chapter? It varies. Sometimes it flows in a few hours. Most of the time it takes weeks, even a month.

Did the show’s themes and plots encourage you or discourage you from writing? Encourage.

Writing AU or Canon? AU.

Reading AU or Canon? AU.

________

A favorite line, scene, or paragraph you’ve written.

I'm the proudest of the chapter of Let's Figure This Out that I wrote from Lincoln's POV as a baby.

________

Fave Olitz moments? 

“You own me you control me.” - That scene melts me every time.

When Fitz tells Liv, "I am never going to be over you", you can feel how strong his love for her is & that it will never end. 

The scene of them at the National Archives is so funny (”Be the 7th. You be the 7th. I was the 6th. I touched it 4 seconds ago. You didn't wait for me.”) & precious (”We're in this together”) & romantic (”I'm in love with you too”). It's writing goals for me.

Fave Olitz fanfic moments? Every single time anonolitz updates her story!!! In A Semester Away when Fitz closed the door & kissed Olivia, I screamed. In Vision Sequel when Fitz sees Olivia for the first time after "dying", I almost cried. In Finding Myself In You, every time Fitz calls his daughter Lovebug, I melt.

________

Do you like it when readers engage with you via comments / social media? Yes.

Story Reviews: Love them, hate them? Personally, I love them. I'm absolutely terrified of them too, but I love them. I like it when my readers leave a suggestion or idea for upcoming chapter. I've said it many times & it's still so true, I don't know what I'm doing. When I start a story, I have no idea how it's going to end. I usually don't know what's going to happen along the way either. Sometimes as I write, an idea will pop up and I'll go with it. Other times I reach out to readers for input on ideas. To see if where I'm headed seems right.

What advice would you give to a new Olitz writer? Sharing your very first story is terrifying! But like Olivia Pope once said, "Own it! Dive in!" You might have a fantastic beginning to a story & the first 10 chapters will flow like water. You might hit a brick wall at some point & you might not. If you do, don't stress. Just about all of us have been there & will continue to be there. Don't try to push through it. Walk away. Get some space from the writing. Do something for you. Whatever helps you not think about it. Come back to it with a clear mind & see what happens. If that doesn't help, talk to someone about your story. Someone who is an avid reader of it & is invested in your story. Readers can be valuable resources for ideas. I've done that before. Or talk to other writers. You have to have thick skin, because everybody has an opinion & it's not always positive. Don't read reviews when you are feeling down or had a bad day. Sometimes that 1 review will make a bad day worse. You can do this! There are so many wonderful fanfiction cheerleaders to encourage you along in your writing journey. Believe them when they tell you your story is good.

Outside of your fics, do you have any fave Olitz stories or authors? No Escaping Him by glamour02 is the BEST fic out there IMO. Weekend Fiancée is my favorite current story. Anything by Hydrangeasia is fantastic. Love & Freedom, Dating In The City, The Chemistry Test, & A Semester Away are all great reads too.

Do you talk to other Olitz authors? If so, do you like the camaraderie? Yes & yes!!

Have you made friends (people you talk to outside of fanfic) because of Olitz / Scandal fanfic? I have. Each of them are terrific people.

Before you go, anything else you’d like to share? I think it's amazing that a television show can unite so many different people. I have never been a part of something like this. The talent in this fandom blows my freaking mind too! Some sketch, some write, some make videos set to music that gives us the warm fuzzies, & some make the most beautiful photo edits. This show has been over for years and yet fans post about Olitz every single day without fail. Keep doing whatever it is that you are gifted to do. ScandalFam isn't just the cast & crew of the show. It's all of us. I'm thankful to be a part of it

________

Thank you, Michelle, for allowing us to feature you!

[ikonics44]

A post worth reading found on The Tony Goldwyn FB Fan Page:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/thetonygoldwyn/

For those who don’t know where I stand with Scandal these days… I will let you know that I am a STRONG WARRIOR who has made a CHOICE to not give Shonda Rhimes Live Viewing numbers for any new Episode of Scandal since 5- 09.  In fact, I am one of the co-founders of the Scandal Warrior page encouraging those of us in the Fandom that are NOT happy with the Direction of Scandal; do not like the OP Character being reduced down to a degrading factor, are not happy with the little screen time Fitz and Tony Goldwyn are getting on the show, are not here for the advancement of the Diluted Amount of Supporting Characters like Mellie, Jake & Rowan at the cost of reducing the airtime and importance of the main characters, are sick of the plot holes and lazy writing of constant WASH, RINSE & REPEAT themes …. I encourage those people FED UP with the Series, to not Reward Shonda and ABC for putting out BULLSHIT on screen each and every week by NOT watching — in hope for a FORCED Intervention and CHANGE of Direction with the series.  If ABC and Shonda want my Viewer Number, they are going to have to “EARN IT” by returning Scandal back to true form!  Where OP was the Bad-Ass Fixer, scoring Cases….the White House overcoming obstacles that cross over with the Fixing Process of OPA and a Healthy Relationship for both Fitz and Olivia (not even necessarily together anymore…but happy and content).  I have yet to see anything worth giving Shonda Rhimes my Viewing number since her destruction of the series w/ 5-09. Replaying this BS Election night over and over like “Groundhog Day” – minus Bill Murray… starring everyone but the Butler’s point of View is Pointless, a waste of Time and doing NOTHING for Olivia’s “Journey” IMO.

That being said and put aside…  ABC has decided to give us a “GIFT” this Thursday night at 8:00 p.m. EST by airing one of its BEST EPISODES of the Series.  This GIFT on Screen will be the Replay of “The Trail” Episode 1-06, which was Written by Jenna Banns (Creator of “The Family”, and really the best Olitz Writer that Scandal ever had who wrote the phone sex scene and many other pivotal, epic love story lines of the series); Heavily Supported by Executive Producer Pete Norwalk (Creator of “How to Get Away with Murder” which gave us the twists and mystery behind Amanda Tanner and the Mole storylines; hell we haven’t had good mysteries since he left Scandal) and directed by Tom Verica.  For the OLITZ Nation…. “The Trail” is the OLITZ Bible, Foundation for the Scandalous Affair… and the Reason we Fell in love with the LOVE STORY of Fitz and Olivia .  It was why we put this Series on EVERYONES RADAR.  This is the Episode in which most of us with Morals, actually gave a Pass on the Infidelity Card and rooted for this Couple that had an undeniable EXTRADORINARY LOVE.  This is where we see Kerry Washington and Tony Goldwyn’s Chemistry Explode and Electrically Shock us through our TV Screens.  No doubt that this is probably the Most Watched & Re-Watched Episode of all of Scandal.

Why cross the picket line and watch the trail?  Let me just spout off SEVERAL reasons why I encourage those that have LEFT the Bullshit, yet still follow the actors, the series through YouTube and Blogs, Message Boards, Twitter, Tumblr, FFic etc… should buckle down and Watch the first Block of Scandal this Thursday night.

1)         I want ABC to know that THIS IS THE QUALITY that we want to see on Screen. This Writing, This Storyline is what we will come back to, hold Scandal Parties for, be more than Active on Social Media with and promote the series to our Friends…  this Quality and Formula is what MADE Scandal a Success.  For an OLITZ Fan…. We need to HONOR this Epic Episode, our Foundation, by Coming out of the Woodwork and Watching and boosting the ratings of this OLD EPISODE over any new Crap shown in that next hour.  If the new Episode out performs this OLD EPISODE in ratings, it only will serve as FUEL to SR Fire of Getting Rid of OLITZ for good.  Her argument might be that FITZ (Tony Goldwyn) can be written off the show now and still have this Series more than Survive.  By not showing up for this Episode, SR will convince ABC that  the OLITZ fans are GONE now….  ‘I gave them “Their” BEST Episode and they still NOT watching attitude— so ABC….let me Continue down this Path without Tony and Fitz…. ‘  HORSESHIT!!! I want to be HEARD that this IS THE QUALITY of show I WILL WATCH.  ABC needs to know that WE ARE STILL OUT THERE …but have CHOSEN to not support the current Direction.  For some of us — we are still Viable Viewers given better Material to watch. For others it will always be a lost cause…as they may never be back and that is each and everyone’s individual choice. I do not stand in judgment for those who were lucky enough to escape the Toxicity of the series for good. However, SR and ABC needs to be sent a LOUD MESSAGE NOW — that Getting Rid of Tony Goldwyn on Screen would be Suicidal to the Series.  SR thinks that she can push him aside as she has done to several major characters on Grey’s — she needs a WAKE UP CALL NOW… we are Still out there and she better Slow her Roll with phasing Fitz off the show!  We are NOT the same Fans of Grey’s that will Roll Over and Accept anything she puts out there…we are a DIFFERENT, More LOYAL to our Actors type of Fans.  We have more than proved that by actively boycotting the series and bringing ratings Dramatically down.  What Better way to show them that the “Creepy Cult” is Still Around than to HONOR and WATCH “The Trail”.

2)        I want OLAKERS to know that we are still out there lurking and are the Majority of the Scandal Fan base and can make or break this series for good.  I am SOOO damn Sick of the OLAKERS that have NO CLUE about the Foundation of this Series being OLITZ because they damn jumped in Watching Scandal at the end of Season 2 and beginning of Season 3, bypassing these critical episodes of “The Trail”, “Happy Birthday Mr. President” and “A Criminal, A Wore, an Idiot and a Liar” that show the deep history of OLITZ. They need to be Educated.   I want us to come out in FULL FORCE to overtake SM on this Episode Alone and to Silence those Buffoons that do nothing but Hate on Fitz and Tony Goldwyn and the OLITZ love story.  We need to Remind ABC that this episode helped make Scandal a Success and this FORMULA could possibly resurrect the damn series to over 5M viewers if steered in the right direction.

3)        Last — I sadly am not an ORIGINAL Gladiator.  I did not see the original Airtime of this Episode back in 2012.  I missed out on the Live Tweets during this Eppy and if I never watch another LIVE SCANDAL episode again, I would rather end all my Live Viewing on this OLD EPPY than have it be 5-09.  To Me Episode 5-09 will go down in TV HISTORY as the WORST JUMP THE SHARK EPISODE IN ANY T.V. SERIES (mark my words).  Hell they should re-name that episode as JUMP the WHALE…cause I’ve never seen an Audience Bail as quickly as they did — cutting the Viewership by 1/3rd overnight…   So “The Trail” may be my Last HOORAY — of LIVE Scandal,  especially if Rumors of Fitz being killed off or written off come true within next 8 episodes down the road.  Tony Goldwyn missing out on the 100th Episode Party was HUGE in where his head is with the future of this series.  I don’t care what excuses the Fandom has come up with… this party was important PR and he was AWOL with NO Explanation (not that he owes us one).  His Absence stirred more talk alone than the damn Series Milestone Accomplished.  To not be there in that Picture was HOLLOW. I do know that the man had the knowledge of the Finale at the time of this party because he is Directing it and gets the script ahead of the cast and table reads.  So turning your back on the Scandal Family, not being a part of the 100th for the Media, always being that PR cheerleader for the series in fact I’d say he was the Captain of PR for Scandal ….he not being a part of it was a Huge AMISS… I don’t care how people try to sugarcoat it….  It was a LOUD STATEMENT for me and I heard it!  So when SR has already said she is arguing about the S6 finale with the Writers a few weeks ago… the last Argument she had with them was S4 Finale with OLITZ on the Balcony… so you do the math on this one and speculate however you choose.  I have the answers well enough to know that ABC needs to see my Viewer # this this Thursday for “The Trail” so that they factor me in as a possible LOST (FOR GOOD) VIEWER if Tony Goldwyn leaves Scandal.

So there you have it….  Why I think it is IMPORTANT to watch “The Trail” and be HEARD.  This WAS the Scandal Series I fell in Love with. This is the QUALITY I will come back to and watch.  Make no Mistake, I’m not a ride or die Olitz Fan…  whether they come back together or not is NOT what this is about for me.  You have seen me joke about “Ritz” etc…  So the “No Olitz No Scandal” is Not really My Motto or message here, although I think those reasons are fine for others.   For me I’m perfectly HAPPY having the S4 Finale be “My Ending” with OLITZ on that Balcony with “Whatever we Want” to get my happy OLITZ ending.   I’m not sure that I will get anything better than that to be honest from SR and her team of writers, EVER.  But I will SHOW UP for this Episode this Thursday Night.  I will Honor a Past Episode and give Credit to: Jenna Banns, Pete Norwalk and Tom Verica for putting out a Quality Episode; that Sets the Example to the type of Quality I will Return to for Live Viewing.  I will HONOR a time that The Characters all were Likeable. Unfortunately for me the ONLY character I currently like is FITZ, who outside this last episode has been getting minimal screen time. (And yes, I don’t watch but keep up with the storyline through active boards and sites I participate in and clips/gifs I see before some smartass makes a comment on how I know).   Should there be an element of LOVE in the Series…. ABSOLUTELY — and if SR is DUMB ENOUGH to Ignore the “GOLD” she has with the Chemistry of OLITZ….so be it.  But don’t waste Tony Goldwyn or Kerry Washington’s Sex Appeal all together…. Find a way for their characters to be happy ,in a true growth style, and you may have viewers back.  I’m a Ride or Die FITZer.  So I will be LOUD and PROUD one last time this Thursday Night for the First HOUR of Scandal…and will Turn the Channel as soon as OLITZ says their Goodbye in her Apartment…  until SR and ABC give me a Solid Reason to Come back in the present storyline…… I will continue to turn the channel.  I hope MANY of you I know are still out there…like me… will join me in doing the SAME thing this Thursday!

[boombitxh]

Scandal Ruminations 7X07

I think that I can finally, for once in my life, with clarity, can tell where Scandal is going! It took me ten thousand years to finally get here but for some reason once I reached the point of indifference I was finally able to objectively watch this show.

 Let’s face it, this show loves to tap dance on our very last nerve. First things first: For what it’s worth I don’t think that Quinn is dead. The actress gave no exit interviews to any press as is customary. I know she just had a baby but these interviews are arranged and conducted way ahead of time.

 I will start by saying this: Olivia still has a few stages to go through before she gets to where she’s going and I’ve identified the stages as follow:

 1)    The Catharsis: the breakdown of what’s left of this version of Olivia. It began this last episode as she grappled with her very own chewy center. She has one but she has deluded herself into thinking that she doesn’t. All the baggage she dropped on Rowan’s living room floor is the most self-aware moment she’s had in years! I found her statement to contradict everything she told Fitz in that 509 argument but I will delve into that later and how S4B & S5 are what bring us the Olivia we see today.

2)    The isolation: Olivia must spend time alone to come to grips with the choices she has made. The choices that affected her personally and the ones that affected her friends/family. This introspection will also serve as the foundation for what Olivia wants to do with her life. If you had asked me a week ago I would’ve told you she needed this introspection but I would have not been inclined to think that she was ready for it. Her moment of self-awareness, in which she acknowledges the root of her problems, her father, serves as the beginning of the breaking down and breaking through to move the show forward and onto her introspection.

3)    The penance: Olivia is not a very verbal person in terms of apologies, I mean I can count on my hand the few times she’s apologized. I think her making amends will be more about actions and less about words.

4)    The Rebuilding: Olivia will eventually power through and finally envision who it is she wants to be and what she wants to be doing. She looked so unenthused when Mellie was giving her the “No man between us” speech that I felt as if she was on the verge of quitting right then and there. The WH at the service of Mellie ain’t the place for her. She isn’t cut out to be command as we’ve clearly been shown. There’s only one place left for her to go: back to the white hat, whatever the white hat means for her from this point forward.

5)    The reconciliation: this applies to all aspects of her life, with Fitz (I was a skeptic but if they’re going to make second-rate Dabby endgame then what has been the point of dragging Olitz out all these seasons. Come on!) and the reconciliation with what we were introduced to as her initial family: OPA.

 I mentioned earlier how her speech to her father was the opposite parallel to what she tells Fitz in their argument in 509. Her words during that argument reflected her and were a deflection of her own actions that lead to that point in the relationship. In no way am I implying Fitz was innocent in all this. Olivia specifically hits Fitz where it hurts by saying she came from a palace compared to him but my oh my how the tides have turned and now she’s capable of acknowledging that she was emotionally deprived and made in her father’s image.

  Kidnapping Arc Revisited

 I am almost certain that Rowan was responsible for her kidnapping. Throughout the whole ordeal he behaved with such aplomb that no harm would come to Olivia and was so aloof that I have no doubt in my mind that he orchestrated the whole thing. It’s important to note that Quinn is wearing her ring when she is snatched in the elevator, thus leaving her ring behind for the crew to find is an intentional act that parallels Olivia’s kidnapping. Since Rowan snatched Quinn (although I’m positive it was Jake who physically did it because what other loyal goon does Rowan have otherwise?) As I was saying, since Rowan snatched Quinn I think the parallel is intentional and would connect him to both kidnappings.

 I think that Rowan orchestrated the kidnapping to further separate Olivia and Fitz. The kidnapping placed Fitz between a rock and a hard place and no matter what he chose he would disappoint Olivia, so by design this would further drive a wedge between Olitz since little Jerry’s murder was not enough to keep them apart.  

 Fitz was torn between two choices:

Not rescue Olivia -this would disappoint her and make her believe he never loved her and would have destroyed her confidence in his love. Keep in mind she tells the kidnapper that the President would be looking for her.

Rescue Olivia –As Fitz acquiesces to go to war to save one person this also shatters Olivia because Fitz makes a choice that she vehemently disagrees with. She does not want to feel responsible for a war, much less the lives that will be given in exchange for her survival.

Fitz would lose no matter what choice he made, and either choice would forever change him in her eyes, further driving a wedge between them. No matter what he chose he could not win and would be tarnished in Olivia’s eyes, between a rock and a hard place.

 Note that the S4 finale has Olitz reuniting but it is only possible because her father is finally locked away and out of her life. It is obvious that Olivia has not dealt with her PTSD at this point in S4 and all the trauma that remains bubbling beneath her surface comes to light in S5A.  

 Fitz’s marriage proposal under the worst circumstances possible triggers Olivia’s commitment issue which at that point in the story is not new.  Under the pressure of an impending wedding that neither of them were ready for at that point in time Olivia does what she knows will relieve her of this - she frees her father.  If her father is free Olivia is under his control, whether she knows it or not. Olivia’s PTSD reaches new heights when Fitz creepily moves her in without even asking and this is when it takes a drastic turn—Olivia is now caged and is reliving her prior traumatic experience. To free herself she severs all ties with Fitz, abortion included, and fully begins to live in her father’s image post 509.

 Motherhood & Babies

 Something that I’ve noticed for a while now is the consistent theme of babies and motherhood. All of which can be traced back to the very first season and I have confessed on here that I don’t think that Olivia wants to be a mother but it’s just so in your face that I had to stop and reconsider. It’s likely that Olivia thinks she won’t make a good mother, what could be called her family life has been nothing but torture so it’s not hard to see why she would think that, and that is further reiterated with her choice to have an abortion. HOWEVER, I have been having conversations with people analyzing the motherhood/babies theme for a few months now and it is obvious that on some level Olivia resents Quinn because she has a life that Olivia might’ve imagined for herself. In this season alone Olivia has touched her lower belly, like she did in 509 when she says there is no future for Olitz anymore, at least 3 times that I can easily remember. This is intentional

 After thinking about it for a while I came to two conclusions: One that I’ve discussed on here before, the idea that Olivia having a child would further advocate for choice in alignment with the social messaging of the show. Allowing the character to experience both ends of the spectrum re motherhood would cement the idea that women are in control of their bodies and should be able to choose when to take on motherhood if they so desire.

 The other conclusion is the fact that what Olivia has come to believe about herself & her abilities/lack thereof regarding motherhood are untrue. Olivia is the matriarch of OPA, it was her nurturing force that brought them together. She found all those people, took care of them, and put them back together! If that doesn’t stand out as one of the foundations of her mothering abilities, then I’m not sure what will.

 Now that makeshift family is sort-of broken, and notice that every single member has done morally questionable things, all their ugly has been exposed and their relationships deconstructed.  After they get over their final hurdle with this Olivia & Quinn situation they have nowhere to go but up. Notice that no one has said the words “over a cliff” in a while because they no longer have that sycophantic relationship with one another, and especially with Olivia. That wasn’t healthy, which is why the deconstruction is pivotal to change within this group of people.

 Extraneous Characters

 This episode confirmed my suspicions that Jake is working behind her back. My spidey senses tingled in the beginning of the season and I was right. Jake is not interested in bringing Olivia into the light, his only concern appears to be freedom. Therefore, he is participating in this whole charade with Rowan and undermining Olivia. He looks like he’s involved to the point where he is taking orders from both Rowan and Olivia, but at the end of the day he’s interested in freedom the same way other characters were interested in freedom this last episode. Rowan’s bones are just a sad euphemism for his freedom to take back command. Notice that Jake suggests Olivia kill Rowan because he is too weak himself and wants Olivia to subconsciously free him. That thing she told him about him needing her too much? It’s true. And Olivia gambles with her father until the very end so that she can prove that she is the one in control and free of him. The complete opposite is true; she is still his prisoner as she described how she was made in his image. Rowan has never stopped being in control.

 Now that I mentioned Jake it’s also important to mention that I’m sure his days on here are numbered. This last episode planted the seed in Cy’s brain that something is amiss. Using Fenton as a scapegoat was a bad idea; Cy is now questioning the intel Jake claims he had and he seems to be the only person who remembers that this asshole killed James in cold blood. It’s the perfect time for revenge.  Cy will help unfurl what exactly has been going on under the roof of this WH all along. THE TIME IS NIGH! PLEASE! PLEASE JUST GET RID OF JAKE!

Also, important to mention that Pryce of power guy was (is?) a member of the press just like James, it was no coincidence that Cy of all people has that discussion with Jake.

 Mellie ,*cue eyeroll* The most useless character on here that can’t do anything unless she is coddled and spoon-fed. She needs Marcus for advice, she needs Olivia to hold her hand every second, SHE is the one that’s President but in the end, she relents and decides to pick Fitz’s brain (and reports) to see how she should propose Criminal Justice Reform. No idea ever comes from her! EVER!

Her whole “we don’t need no man” speech was one of the creepiest things I’ve ever witnessed on this show. I’m not sure if it was the acting or what but I picked up on the strangest tension. And about men coming between them? Fitz was between them in the beginning, and he is between them now because Mellie is discussing and setting policy goals with Fitz instead of with her COS, especially after Fitz has been pseudo-banished. No man between them? LIES! It’s always the same man, now it’s just not in a romantic context.

 In the end this whole Rashad thing will blow up but I refuse to think that this bitch will have the satisfaction of firing Olivia. Olivia looks like she’s barely hanging on by a thread as it is, I want her to quit and reclaim her agency! For all the times that Mellie treated her like some whore that was responsible for serving her now ex-husband! And all the times she’s been dismissive of her this season! Or how she wants all sort of plausible deniability while Olivia gets her hands dirty as command! Enough of this kumbaya sisterhood shit, it’s fake, let’s end it!

 The only thing I can’t quite decide on is Rowan’s fate. The kill order is still standing; we were left with that cliffhanger… But I wonder if the show is gonna go down the whole patricide route? I’m not sure. It is obvious that Rowan and Olivia cannot coexist, for her to be able to live her life she needs to be free of him. It is no coincidence that she was somewhat functional the first two seasons when Rowan was not in the picture. Once he entered the scene her life started to spiral, culminating with this last episode in which Olivia unloads all her baggage and all the fingers point to Rowan.

   Last Few Words

 For the first time in a long time I am eager to see the show return. We only have 11 episodes left but these are all loose ends that need to tied up. For a long time, I resented the show because I felt as if the writing was constantly contradictory and I felt like it was impossible to interpret it. The characters would act a certain way but their words were the complete opposite and I just found myself running out of patience and not knowing what to believe. I had to reach a place of indifference to be able to interpret it. I in no way believe that all, if any, of these predictions will come to fruition and this may be more along the lines of wishful thinking perhaps. I want to fall in love with Olivia the same way I did at the beginning and I REFUSE to think that they will let her go out unhappy. Whatever her version of happy is then so be it, but she is not cut out to be Command.  The writing’s on the wall and we are reaching the end so everything tends to feel on the nose and too intentional for there to be coincidences. I’ve thought of other things that I did not include on here because this is so insanely long but would love to discuss and pick at other ideas. :) 

I think that we will come to find that Olivia has a deliciously chewy center. (And I’m sure Fitz can attest to that!)

[pjamma-sf]

That first Olake scene had endgame undertones PJ. They've been in contact this entire time. I've missed them but I love how they subtly show they can never stay away. They also paralleled Charlie and Quinn this episode with Liv not even daring to lose Jake. I mean Peus didn't even get a chance to threaten Jake with death lol. I noticed that everybody was still in separate rooms when Liv sought Jake out. Which means she really did it to gauge his feelings about O/itz sleeping together.

What her father said is true. She slept with Fitz as a thank you. They have never shown any development outside of sex and his suffocating obsession. She was embarrassed and sought Jake out.  

I believe the whole weak, pathetic, jealous thing about as much as I believed it when she said it in the church. Especially since the weak, pathetic, jealous one in the relationship has always been Olivia (spy cams, really?)

Jake is done, about as done as he can be. When he said the definition of insanity line he was talking about himself. Until Olivia makes it clear that she is in love with him, says the words, he is going to keep the relationship platonic. Which is fine with me because they work well as friends. As long as they are in each other’s orbit, I’m good. If they are end game we won’t see it for a long while anyway.

And it does parallel Huck, Jake and Charlie. I think even Olitz fans pointed it out after we saw the hospital scene. What they didn’t expect was Quinn choosing Charlie.  And I love how Charlie was done until she did. Just like Jake’s going to be. 

[katrinapavela]

#Scandal 601-604 Thoughts: Can You Pay Your Bills?

It’s been a long time. I shouldn’t have left you without a dope review to step to

Real life got in the way.

Anyway. Let me start by saying how much I am enjoying the season so far, thanks in no small part to the lack of Jake and Rowan on my screen.

The episodes sing so much more when their shenanigans are in the background. I needed a reprieve because the daily gas lighting from Mango Mussolini and his staff are too much. I can’t take the kind of season we got in 5B—when I hated everybody. I know Jake and Rowan have been conspicuously absent, and I’ll be tortured with them in the next two episodes, but I’m prepared.

Sigh. Their absence was good while it lasted. 

The other thing I am enjoying is the murder mystery of Frankie’s assassination. The individual character focus is a great way to handle Kerry’s pregnancy, as it puts less demand on her, but makes complete sense for the arch of the characters. This is an improvement over the S3 story lines.

I am going to frame this review within the context of relationship dynamics seen in 604. Based on that, plot points and conversations from 601-603 will be incorporated. I am interested in any productive comments you have to add.

Fitz, Angela, Olivia and the Los Angelitz dinghy:

Los Angelitz:

Ahoy, mateys! Enjoy your peanuts and cocktails while aboard because this journey will be very short. But it matters not the length (that’s what she said), but that the journey is taking place. Yes, it hurts my little Olitz Stan soul to actually see Fitz doing homework in bed with Angela while she wears his work shirt over her tig ol biddies.

I mean, it was all just a year ago that we had this:

Yes, I am treating Los Angelitz like vegetables I gotta eat for good health and regular bowel movements. This seems healthy, until it proves otherwise with Angela (more below). I shan’t be referring to this little situation as ‘fauxlitz’ because I don’t think they are an imitation or replacement for what we ache for. It’s a bridge to where we will end up. 

Fitz:

The most important point is that I’m happy Fitz is attempting an actual relationship, a pivot from being THOT-THOT-Tholicious as he had been just a year ago with thirst buckets galore. He’s sown his royal oats. Fitz seems like the type of guy who likes himself best when he is in a relationship. At this point, the majority of his life has been spent in relationships with women more than it has been single. Based on 602, Angela asks him out. He’s got to be flattered that a beautiful, self-assured, successful Black woman choosing him as worthy of her time. He was famously left by another one just two years ago. Why wouldn’t he go out with Angela? 

Another thing: spare me the shit about him being her boss because

Mmmhmm. Ok, then. 

Olitz is more of an ethics violation that Angelitz because Angela’s position is confirmed by the Senate, and there was no conflict of interest at the time she was confirmed. Also, based on the ‘ethics’ logic, Fitz shouldn’t have fucked the woman who was writing an article about him (Lillian, 512), the journalists on WH detail, Lisa from Treasury, etc. Fitz is just looking for some drama-free normal. I ain’t mad at him. He and Angela look hella normal. It’s refreshing. How many times must he not be chosen by the love of his life for him just let things be? This isn’t on him. It’s on Olivia. I do not want to see a romantic attempt at that relationship again until Olivia can be a woman she is proud of. Her journey is more than Olitz.

  Angela:

There are a couple of things I like about just Angela,  and also Fitz and Angela together. I like that Angela is dark skinned; sports her natural hair professionally and casually; has some thickness on dem bones. Those aesthetics are important because they are markers of her blackness. It’s important to see such a coveted white man as Fitz showering Angela with compliments on her beauty and holding her close---in the presidential bed no less. We’re shown this scene wherein they are being playful, romantic and supportive partners rather than some love making scene to make it clear that Fitz is not sexually fetishizing Black women, as so many of the Ankh-right and ash-adjacent academics accused in the first two seasons of Scandal, with regard to Olitz. Clearly we saw plenty of evidence regarding Fitz’s love for Olivia as a person. We are not going to get a bunch of Angelitz scenes, so the point is being made early that Fitz cares for Angela, not that he necessarily loves her. Which leads me to…the compliment.

Fitz to Angela: “You are beautiful, you know that? absolutely stunning.”

Fitz to Liv:

If we go back to Liv’s dream about Vermont (410), we hear Fitz calling Liv beautiful, which is likely based on actual memories of him saying these things. She imagined Fitz calling her beautiful while they are in the shower together. She’s free of all Olivia Pope armor, her hair is natural and flowing, she’s wearing no makeup, and she’s completely vulnerable. That dream contrasted with the reality of a filthy Liv lying on a dirty floor, thinking she was going to die. She transported herself to a beautiful place.

Y’all really think Fitzgerald Do-Too-Much Grant never called Olivia beautiful just because you didn’t see it? Y’all assume so much else about their relationship outside of what we have seen, so I don’t know why this would be hard to believe. Shonda prefers showing over telling, and Olivia has been established as a show-don’t-tell person when it comes to her relationship with Fitz (220). With Los Angelitz you are not going to get the depth of the Olitz relationship wherein Fitz shows Liv how beautiful, smart, and talented she is rather than telling her that. Fitz looks at Liv like she hung the moon, so that when you look at her face, you know she feels she is beautiful under his gaze.

We need to hear Fitz say it to Angela in order to gauge where he is in this two week young relationship. It’s not a man in love, but one who clearly cares for the woman he’s in bed with.

 Quick PSA to white women about Angela: if you are disparaging her black features (skin, hair, body type) as reasons she is unsuitable for Fitz, you are being text book racist. Comments like those have nothing to do with being an Olitz Stan. Don’t make me revisit specific comments about Edison from S2.  Just because Olivia’s aesthetics make it easier for you to project yourself into her place next to Fitz doesn’t mean you ‘love’ Black women.

Quick PSA to Black women and POC about Angela: Period if you are disparaging her black features (skin, hair, body type) as reasons she is unsuitable for Fitz, you are being anti-Black. Period. If you weren’t talking about the features of Fitz’s white girls in 5B, then think about that. Denigrating Angela’s appearance has nothing to do with being pro-Olitz. 

Now that I’m off that particular soap box let me say a couple non-aesthetic things about Director Webster. The woman obviously doesn’t feel like she is professionally compromised by love. It is not a one or the other game with her, the opposite of what Olivia has imbibed and is now passing on to Mellie (602). However, I can’t help thinking maybe Liv’s little dig at the FBI was right because this investigation into Vargas’s assassination and Jenny’s death seem less than thorough, bordering on incompetent. Why is OPA the one putting these links together? How was Angela so sure there was nothing found at cabin site when they hadn’t even examined all the taken from the site? Does she just want the easy White supremacist option in McClintock, and now the confession from Tom? She needs to pull her people together. Secondly, erm, I noticed how slick she was with working in that tattletale on Abby while being supportive of Fitz’s feelings about Cyrus. I’mma keep an eye on Ms. Angela.

Olivia:

Los Angelitz is great for Olivia! She just doesn’t know it yet. Angela is a successful and beautiful Black woman who went after the man she thought would suit her. She took the initiative. And Angela is not shying away from the messiness of it all because there’s still something valuable in caring for another person and allowing yourself to be cared for. When Liv returned to Washington she saw that life moved on while she was sunning herself for two months. Fitz, too, can and will move on. If and when she is ready face the wounds that relationship exposed inside her, maybe Fitz will still be there in the future. Tom told her in 407 that Fitz revolves around her. They broke up, at her suggestion, and now she still wants to be the sun in his solar system in the form of the adviser who knows best. The only one who has his best interest at heart. Nah, B.  You want it to only be one way, but it’s the other way right now.

Fitz has been trying to fight his implicit trust that Olivia knows best and is always right, but from 602-603 we see that it takes very little for him to reinstate trust. I cannot wait to see how their working relationship changes now that Olivia is so strong and wrong about Cyrus. Fitz is going to look foolish and he will have to contend with his decision to follow Olivia down this rabbit hole. She is literally the only reason they went looking in Cyrus’ direction. Scratch that, Rowan is (601). Then again, it’s so hard to tell the difference these days between father and daughter.

I shake my head at Olivia a lot, and it’s because I love her. I’ll talk about my sympathy later in this piece, but for now let me shake my head. My homegirl needs to see that although she is the love of Fitz’s life, the world does not revolve around her--as her mama said (422). (Mama Pope! I need you back this season. Stat!). Liv only wants Fitz when he’s not there (509), so enter Angel with the kinky hair. What burns her most is that Liv only suggested Angela “go for it” with Fitz because she didn’t think she would be Fitz’s type, or that Fitz was still on his THOTin’ for the USA tour. Angela hits too close to home for Liv. The former’s blackness and familiarity are specific parts of that jealousy. Here’s a Black woman I actually know doing the things I told myself were not possible, or too compromising. This brings me to another topic…

Ghost’s of Olitz past:

Have  y’all noticed the interesting ways in which the writers have manifested back at us this season specific fears Olivia and Fitz’s relationship presented, and how Olivia is re-interpreting her past through a more tawdry lens?

Mellie and Marcus:

Liv tells Mellie it would be unwise to get involved with a young staffer who works for her because conflict of interest.

Later, after Mellie tells her the sex with Marcus was bomb.com, and that he made her see baby Jesus, Liv looks like she can remember that feeling.

Feeling further threatened, Liv then sews the seeds of the ambitious slut card against Marcus. This is the same one played against her by the media just last season (504). If we recall, it was initially her PR call to go that route (503) via Abby.  And it was Brothe Marcus who swooped in, got the Gladiators together and did a media blitzkrieg to defend her good name.   Worse is that she specifically noted the PR-tanking implications of Marcus’s Blackness should the relationship be exposed. It made me sad because that means Liv, PR maven, held inside her those same thoughts and fears about how her relationship with Fitz would be viewed. The Sally Hemmings/Thomas Jefferson comment from 208 was not the end of her considering the public implications of Olitz. We have heard such critiques echoed through Cyrus (212) and Senator Gibson (504) with regard to Liv’s “hue” and the Republican party. It’s as if she’s seeing her past self from the outside, as a threat to the Oval that should have been eliminated. Just like she eliminated Abby and David from getting too close to Defiance. Now Marcus is a threat to—not Mellie’s presidency, but what Liv blindly thinks of as her Oval. This path she’s on has stripped away more and more of the person we’ve known because it’s not the right path. Liv is barely acting like a human.

 Quinn and Charlie

I maintain that she show has always used Quinn as a conduit to Olivia. Never forget that it is through Quinn’s admiration that we meet this incredible black woman. We hear about her greatness from Quinn first. Anyway, Liv projects onto Quinn many of the things that held her back from a productive relationship with Fitz, aggressively urging the latter to stop making excuses because she’s scared (602). Quinn is being offered a chance to live and share her life with someone, so she should take it. All the things Liv won’t let herself do, and for the same goddamn reason. She really does think she’s a special snowflake. Is it a coincidence that Liv’s spiel comes on the heels of thinking she lost candidate Mellie? Was the love talk a consolation from a woman who thought she’d lost the Oval. I’m keeping this scene in mind for the future.

Jenny and Francisco Vargas

Liv looked at 2.5 seconds of footage with Frankie and Jenny, after which she concludes they were obviously sleeping together (602). Both she and Cyrus come to the same tawdry conclusion, based off of a cheap idea that did not apply to Olitz.

In all three cases Liv is strong and wrong. But because of paranoia from the past, Liv (and Cyrus) are pre-emptively eliminating the kind of threats with which they have experience.

Hello From the Other Side:

The phone call between Cyrus and Olivia broke my heart, and angered me at the same time. Very similar feelings I had—but less intense—during a way back Olitz phone call. Many of you noticed that the same music (or very similar) used in the Olitz call from Top of the Hour (216) featured in the Cyrus-Olivia phone call. That is purposeful. But why? Here’s a run-down on the parallels and differences I detected between the two relationships:

Unexpected phone calls from men Liv has ruined: 

Funnily enough, when Fitz calls Olivia, from the White House, in 216, she answers the phone thinking it’s Cyrus. In 604 it is actually him. Both Cyrus and Fitz call Liv when they are at emotional rock bottom, living in their personal version of hell. Olivia has ruined both men: Fitz with fixing the election in Defiance, and Cyrus with digging up evidence to place him in jail. Both times Olivia stood to gain. No one wanted to discuss with me back in 2B when I realized that love for Fitz was not Liv’s only motivation for Defiance: she stood to gain from the win herself. A plumb job in the WH is a sure bet for most winning campaign staff. Recall from a video of a young Olivia in law school that the White House has been her goal for a long time. She wanted to change the world. She turned her unexpectedly short tenure into social capital to launch OPA. The emotional ruination was not supposed to be part of the bargain. The reward in the case of Cyrus is the same, but this time it’s the ring of power she wants to command again, just as she had before:

That power, as she told Abby in 514, is intoxicating and corrupting. But what’s good for the gander never seems to apply to the goose.

Pleas for honesty and belief: to be heard

Olivia is expected to be, in many ways, the emotional receptacle into which both men unburden themselves. They feel she is indebted to them in this way because she is the reason they are in their present predicaments. As such, both Fitz bemoans Liv’s lack of honesty, and the fact that she did not believe him. Otherwise, she would not have fixed the election. For Cyrus, he needs Olivia to believe that he is telling the truth about his innocence. Olivia does not want to face culpability in either instance. With Fitz she reminds him she is victimized by what she has done, including the outcome of their relationship. With Cyrus, she dismisses her belief in his innocence as unimportant.

Tattered relationships

At the point when Fitz (216) and Cyrus (604) call Olivia, their relationship with her is in tatters. Olivia and Cyrus have been rocky since S4, when she took up house with the man (Jake) who killed Cyrus’ husband. This is the woman who saved his job as CoS by fixing a marriage for him and Michael (409). The woman who gave him a locker room speech about not being a bitch baby who gives up when it gets hard (409). The three of them together represent ‘the band’ that Cyrus was so stoked about being back together (101). Cyrus and Liv’s relationship has been through its own roller coaster ride, just as the Olitz one has.

Hangs up for self-preservation

It hurt me to hear Fitz tell Liv that he didn’t care she was ruined by Defiance, just as it hurt me to watch Liv refuse to be drawn in by Cyrus’s plea for help. She reaches a point on both phone calls where the pain inflicted by both men, and the implications thereof are too much to bear. She hangs up on both. It’s self-preservation. I get it.

 Questions:

What’s interesting in both instances is that Liv is sorry that both men are hurt by what has happened, but she is not sorry for the actions that caused the pain. After the 216 phone call, Liv implies, via a conversation with her client Lisa, that she is not sorry for Defiance because Fitz should have been President. She is not sorry for having Cyrus go to prison. Not yet, anyway, because she didn’t know how wrong she was about Cyrus. Olivia never works quite as hard as when she is trying to ignore the truth. She was overtime on the call with Cyrus. I do remain thankful that I saw some genuine, sustained emotion from her this season. It’s been lacking, and I know that is purposeful for where she is right now.

What I am left to wonder is whether Liv has just been doing as taught her father all along, before we even knew this to be the case. Was Defiance just more of daddy. The mantra, as we heard in 419, is that Liv will look at a thing from all angles and make a decision based on what needs to be done to protect the country. She will pick a side. This is Rowan’s manipulative rhetoric, and certainly doesn’t happen in all instances, one of them being now. This time, Liv has behaved carelessly—blinded by the quest for the shiny Oval—that she’s gonna be at the centre of another chaotic mess, left holding the bag. She did not look at all the sides. Or, if she did, she picked the wrong one out of greed.  

One potentially positive thing came from Liv and Cyrus’ call, but it’s hard to be sure. Is Save-A-Heaux, Inc closed for business, or is she being more discerning with the clientele? It was a mere few months ago that Liv agonized over saving Jake (again!) from Rowan. In the absence of knowing what transpired between the Liv and Jake after she told him to shove his mediocre dreams up his ass,

am I supposed to believe that Liv has turned over a new leaf? That not everyone is worthy of being dragged into the light (314)? I would support that if it is applied to her pseudo incesting “brother” and her manipulative, controlling father. But, in the case of Cyrus, is her refusal purely based on him standing in the way of her Oval.

Lastly, the most important thing Olivia said on that call to Cyrus has greater implications:

Olivia: “At some point the bill has to be paid. Your bill is due. Your time is up. Do what needs to be done. Do it right. Stop being a monster and be a man. Be a man you can be proud of.”

Where is the pot? Because they kettle is talking a whole lot of jive. 

Olivia,

Girl. When are you gonna be a woman you can be proud of and stop trying to be a woman your daddy can be proud of? Stop being the fucking predator he’s groomed you to be—especially since you left the White House—and start being a woman who figures out, for herself, what she wants. Your daddy is the whole fucking reason you are on this vision quest (510), and Mellie is just the horse you are dragging to the finish line. You didn’t even think about creating a president until daddy told you to “get some real power; 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue power” (510). I bet you don’t want to pay too much for the slaughtering of Andrew, do you? I bet that’s completely justified. You fixed an election with Cyrus, but it’s cool for him to pay for the “too much” that has happened, no matter what the facts are. Cyrus is a bastard. And the reason I stomach him is because he knows it, and readily admits it. But Mellie No-one-deserves-anything-more-than-me Grant is somehow entitled to the Oval, despite all of her white woman-ing exploitation of you during the Fitz years. Just because you wanna rule the roost again.  Olivia, do you think that being kidnapped absolves you of your past wrongs? That because of that, it’s now you time (514) to act in ways that eschews guilt over the consequences? After all, Cyrus has been operating in this way. Mellie certainly did. Her father does. Jake does, too. The latter have been her circle of influence, almost exclusively, for well over a year. When is your father going to pay HIS bills, Olivia? With all the pain that he has caused you, is the power you can derive from the grooming enough to sustain you? When is Jake going to pay HIS bills for his role in hurting, destabilizing, lying and manipulating you? When are you going to pay YOUR bills Olivia?

Moving on…

 A Girl Has No Friends

What is very apparent this season is that Olivia is no one’s friend. She and Angela go “way back”, (602), but they seem more frenemies than actual friends. When Olivia told Marcus, in 601, that she was there as his friend, he looked at her as if she were absurd. Olivia Pope is Olivia Pope.

Dassit. In all of her relationships, Olivia is primarily there in the capacity of Olivia Pope[TM]. Let’s think about this:

Cyrus: See above. Also, the flashback conversation from the night of the VP debate shows how out of touch Cyrus and Olivia are as friends, more so on Liv’s part. When Cyrus said he missed her, Liv did not reply. It reminded me of when Fitz told her the same and she deflected (521). Liv reluctantly acknowledges that Cyrus had change and evolved, but she also thinks it’s a bit of a gimmick. People who are stuck in the same place hate to acknowledge things like this. Think about when Mellie pouted, in 503, that everyone had gone and changed on her. It was more beneficial for Liv to believe Cyrus was monstrous enough to eliminate Frankie, than to believe he had changed. Why? Because she’s trying to compete by out-monstering everyone else.

Mellie: I have written elsewhere why I don’t see it for this relationship on any deep level. I understand that I am still bitter about the ways in which Mellie colluded to hurt Olivia in the past on some petty shit, but was happy to accept her labour when it benefitted her. I think Olivia crossed the line in Mellie’s relationship with Marcus, but Mellie intruded herself plenty of times. I know it’s different because Fitz was her husband. But

The point is that Olivia’s strategic move showed that getting the Oval on Mellie’s back was more important to her than any friendship with Mellie. The photo of Rowan and 12-year old Liv featured prominently when Liv manipulated Mellie into thinking Marcus was a social climber. Those are clues that Liv is not in this for friendship. That was a predator move. We literally know nothing else about this relationship other than their quest for the Oval. When these two women still meet up for drinks after the EC votes for president, then I’ll recognize it as a friendship. Until then, it’s a convenient work relationship. Mellie pays her. Secondly, Mellie is not a good role model for Liv because all Mellie cares about is getting some of that white male power for herself. That’s her type of feminism. As a Black woman, Olivia cannot take that same path, as it is more dehumanizing to her. 

Abby: Liv and Abby still seem friendly sometimes, but whenever they are on opposing sides, the necessity of guarding their respective future casts doubt on their friendship. Maybe I’m just supposed to accept that’s the way it is. But when an unhinged Olivia tells Abby “never cross me again” (517), that tells me that Olivia Pope [TM] will always come first. And if Abby puts CoS first, then they are at an impasse. We shall see where this goes once the next president is decided.

Fitz: I have wanted Fitz and Olivia to be friends for a really long time (since S4). Their relationship looks like it has progressed on friendlier terms since being on the Trail together with Mellie. However, I’m not sure if that’s Olivia the adviser, though. How will their friendship be impacted by this road to wrong Olivia has taken, and Fitz has agreed to travel on? This is a huge fuck up for the end of his administration. I don’t wish him to be mean to Liv, as it is his responsibility, but I wonder if he’ll be less quick to think she’s ��always right”. Because she isn’t, and the argument that ended their relationship is one of those times.

If Olivia is no one’s friend, then she is essentially alone. That’s different from being lonely, as she’s told Abby (510). I fear that a Liv who follows the predatory example, for which her father has groomed her, will end up exactly like him:

Olivia: The only life you have is the sad, twisted one you built here. The one where you lurk in the shadows, pull puppet strings and pretend the world couldn’t exist without you. You can’t disappear, become a normal person because, dad: you are not normal. You’re a sick, lonely man who only knows how to lie and call it love (409) .

Remember when Huck told Rowan that he is no one’s father (509)? Olivia is no one’s friend in exactly the same way. We have to ask ourselves why is it that we don’t see Olivia with friends, especially Black women friends. I always wondered that about the lack of influence in her life.  You can see how damaged this woman has become from walling herself off from nurturing, all while operating in a high-stakes world that require too much of her just to compete. Maya has to come back. 

 When an Oval isn’t an Oval:

When I think about Olivia in a broader context, I have much sympathy for her. Has the game changed and no one told Olivia? White, patriarchal supremacy loves moving goal posts for us. Just yesterday, some hatin-ass woman who believes Black Studies should be eliminated wrote an article about Beyonce, declaring that pregnancy is not a miracle and being a mother doesn’t make you a goddess .

Cool. When white women level these accusations for other white women, in the name of feminist equality, then maybe they can be taken seriously. Until then, shut the fuck up.

But the point to be made here about Olivia is: have the rules of the game changed on her, or did she change herself to play the wrong game? Unlike some who think Shonda hired a black actress to do a role that could have been done by any white man, I actively think about Olivia as a Black woman. I can see how the brutality and violence of the political world in which she inhabits has taken its toll on her labour and her person. Too often, I see Black people go practically out of their mind, steeling themselves and hardening their hearts to world hostile to their presence. I think of Olivia in that context: a woman who has redefined power according to someone else’s exacting definition. We can say they are those of her father, but he merely did the same thing to escape the hardships of Detroit. Both have been playing this game according to rules devised by white patriarchy. Audre Lorde tells us that, as women, the belief that suppressing the erotic within us in order to display strength is an illusory thought that is anchored in male models of power. She cannot see this yet.

The Oval Olivia is so desperate to have is more about proving that she is a ‘winner’. I wrote last year about wanting Olivia to be a ***flawless loser, in the Beyonce sense: putting her all into something, losing, and then realizing that it is not the end of the world. I still do not know what this woman wants. The White House is a ruse, and further path to being a monster, not a woman she can be proud of. In other words, the Oval is not Olivia’s Oval. I think she’s still trying to figure that out.