Ok, I know I am totally late hopping on the Scandal bandwagon, but I'm all aboard now!
I don't know what my aversion was, maybe I was feeling disappointed in Grey's Anatomy so I didn't feel like Shona Rhimes could possibly be writing a better show, or maybe I was just too busy being obsessed with Parenthood during the same time slot, but either way, this weekend I streamed the entire first season of Scandal and I'm hooked!
For those who haven't seen it (yet!) the show stars Kerry Washington as Olivia Pope, a crisis management maven. Olivia used to work for the President of the United States, but left the White House after their extramarital affair made things far too complicated.
Olivia now runs a crisis management firm with a team of misfit geniuses. Much like Captain Planet, each team member brings a unique skill set and when their powers combine, they are unstoppable.
Olivia's IT expert, Huck, is played by Guillermo Diaz who I loved on Showtime's Weeds. In the first few episodes they hint at Huck's dangerous past, but in episode five, "Crash and Burn," you see a very dark side of Huck. Most of Diaz's scenes in Weeds were very comical, so it was awesome to see him show such great range in this role.
Another familiar face is actor Jeff Perry. In Scandal he plays the President' Chief of Staff, Cyrus Beene, but he also played Thatcher Grey on Grey's Anatomy, Meredith's dad.
Meredith's mom, Ellis Grey, is also on Scandal. Actress Kate Burton plays the Vice President Sally Langston. It's that Shonda connection!
I also loved seeing Liza Weil, best known as Paris Geller from Gilmore Girls. She has a multi-episode arc on Scandal as one of Olivia's most difficult clients, Amanda Tanner.
Strangely, Scandal's first season starts by throwing you into present day without giving you any of the background on who is who and how they all know each other. It takes until the sixth episode for you to learn how Olivia came to work for the President, how their romance developed, and just how creepy and corrupt the White House staff are in this administration.
The first season ends with a serious cliff hanger when one of Olivia's own people is called into question by the police. Thanks to Netflix I don't have to wait to find out what happens!
If you're interested in starting Scandal, seasons one and two are available for streaming on Netflix. Season three is currently airing on ABC at 10:00pm ET on Thursdays.
Anyone else hooked on Scandal?
*Images courtesy of ABC.
