Episode 1.01 "Sweet Baby"

Hi, everyone!  Like a lot of other Gladiators, I give the Scandal writers a little give when it comes to the first few episodes of this series.  They've come a long way from where they first started, and I think most of us can agree that at this point, the Scandal writers have really found their stride.  The show gets better with every episode (I honestly don't know how...I didn't think there could be a better Olitz episode after "The Trail" and then came "Happy Birthday, Mr. President."  I didn't think I could be more shocked after "Happy Birthday, Mr. President," and then came "Blown Away," during which I was speechless and actually needed the commercial breaks to regroup).  The conspiracies, the voter rigging...it's just all so great!  It really keeps me on my toes when watching the episodes and I love (as we Gladiators do) dissecting every aspect of the series and making connections.  That being said, I'll still talk about all of the episodes.  If you're a new Gladiator, definitely stick with it (...and ignore my previous mention of voter rigging, haha)!

Scandal Pace - I love that Katie Lowes (and all of the characters now) talk so fast.  First, it allows for more content during the ~43 minutes of each episode and second, I relate to it really well.  I talk extremely fast because I think extremely fast (sometimes I run out of breath before finishing a sentence, semi-embarrassing).  I think life is fast-paced and I find the fast dialogue endearing and exciting and it makes me pay extremely close attention while watching Scandal (even with closed captioning).  I love the Scandal Revealed Podcast during which Katie Lowes talks about Scandal pace.  (If you haven't checked them out, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? - you can find them on iTunes, ~20 minutes per podcast.  They start right before season 2 and continue after each episode with Betsy Beers talking to one of the wonderful, brilliant, gifted, talented, etc. members of the Scandal family).  I love that Shonda Rhimes loved Katie Lowes during her audition because of Katie Lowes' natural Scandal pace.  I love that Shonda Rhimes literally timed Katie Lowes with a stopwatch and said "you did it 20 seconds faster last time, I think you can go faster" -- literally with a stopwatch in hand.  I love that after the hiatus, most of the actors needed some warming up before getting back to full Scandal pace.

Gladiator in a Suit - I'm not completely in love with the whole "gladiator in a suit" scene with Harrison and Quinn, but I DO love that fans call themselves Gladiators.  LOVE THAT.

The Olivia Pope strut - We first get a glimpse of this for a mere second right after Olivia goes all bad ass with Stephen in the first couple minutes of this episode.  White trench coat and all.  LOVE IT.

Katie Lowes - You guys will see that I'll talk (read: rave) about each of the actors.  I LOVE the "deer in the headlights" look that Quinn has during the first few episodes.  Nobody will give her any details and she kind of just looks around, lost.  I think it's hysterical and GREAT acting by Katie Lowes.

Olivia Pope's gut - I love that Olivia Pope believes and trusts her gut (at least at first) because I'm the same way.  I hate that as time goes on her judgment gets clouded by her feelings because that's EXACTLY what happens to me.  She sees what she wants to see when it comes to love/Fitz.  She believes what she wants to believe.  In other aspects of her life, she's logical, factual, trusts her instincts.  But in that one aspect, everything gets thrown out the window.  Still, I love this scene and I even love (if you guys got a dime for every time I used that word) how nobody else really gets a say.  I think it's hilarious.

General badass behavior - Olivia threatening David, Abby threatening Wally, etc.  Badass!

Oh yeah, Olivia, Fitz "needs your services."  GET IT!

You guys will see that I'm a huge Olitz fan.  But I also absolutely adore Fitz and Olivia individually.  Did I mention that I love Fitz?  I love everything about him.  His voice, his demeanor, the way he looks at Liv, the sexy silences between them, how he gets passionate when it comes to his feelings about Liv (even when it manifests itself in yelling at Mellie), when he lays down the law presidentially, when he's proud of himself..the list goes on.  But I take MAJOR ISSUE with him lying to Olivia about having sexual contact (we'll get to those details later) with Amanda Tanner.  I'm a big believer in the idea that he did so because he was heartbroken that Liv left him and that he called Amanda Tanner "sweet baby" because he wanted to believe that he was with Liv, that he was imagining that he was with Liv and he was trying to deal with her leaving him.  I give him somewhat of a pass because he was heartbroken and after all Liv is the one who left (as we saw in 2.08).  I do not think there is any excuse for him lying to her about it, though.  I really don't.  Olivia found out the hard way, and as she states later in the series to Keating's wife, "if he hears it from someone else, it will break his heart."  It should have come from Fitz and not inadvertently from AT/Quinn.  He straight up lied TO HER FACE.  Not cool.  "I never, I would never, no."  LIES!  But I still love you, Fitz.  (Inherent contradictions, right, ladies?  We root for everything we hate every Thursday night).

I am going to be honest here and say that I did not pick up on the "there's only one woman I love" the first time I saw this episode.  Immediately after, Cyrus talks about how things are better between Fitz and Mellie (he really is blind-sighted when it comes to White House relationships), and so I didn't pick up on the Fitz-Olivia hidden meaning.  Did you guys?  It obviously made much more sense later on.  TRICKY.  Shonda Rhimes is so tricky.

LOL I think the following screenshot is hilarious.  I love when Olivia calls and asks Fitz to look at the camera because she has a feeling AT might be telling the truth.  His expression is hysterical.

Am I the only one who is sad (I'm over it now, but was at the beginning of the season) about Henry Ian Cusick's departure from the show?  I would take him over Abby ANY DAY.  Also, I was intrigued by their backstory - she was clearly lusting after him.  In 1.06 we even see Olivia suggest him for Abby.  I've heard that originally he was going to be a love interest for Olivia, but once Shonda/Betsy discovered the Fitz/Olivia chemistry, they threw Stephen/Olivia out the window.  His role was obviously diminished then, and they couldn't promise him prominent story lines.  Apparently the departure was amicable on both sides, but I do miss him.  Plus I always loved him on Lost!

HAHAHA I love the line "show me" in response to "deep-dish sausage and mushroom."  (scene where OPA obtains video for Sully's alibi)  Why?  Because that is TOTALLY something that I would say.

I LOVE Olivia's face when she looks at Fitz and he knows that she knows the truth about AT.

Keep Olivia's mini-monologue in perspective, especially when viewing 2.08.  "Because you were married, because you said you wanted to be a better man, because you wanted to dedicate yourself to your marriage, etc., etc."  ...well?  That's not exactly what Fitz meant when he said it, now, was it, Liv? We see that in 2.08.  He says those words, but that wasn't the context.  I love how the writers brought those words back, though.

And shame on Fitz for never telling Cyrus about Olivia.  Why do you think that was?  I still would love to know what Olivia told Cyrus when she left the White House and how Fitz/Cyrus dealt with it especially if Fitz didn't tell Cyrus the truth about their relationship.

Liv needs to replay what she says to Sully to herself.  So hypocritical.  Telling him to be true to who he is?  That who he loves shouldn't be a secret?  Grow a pair, Liv.

I'll say that I do think that Harrison and Quinn would make a cute couple, but I'm hoping they don't go down that road because I'm not a fan of inter-office relationships only because they usually lead to different combinations/permutations of relationships.  Couples switch or someone in the office dates everybody and I don't need to see all that.

Side notes: 

1. I wonder what Olivia told Cyrus re: why she left the White House...he didn't know about Olitz and she was his prodigy...Gladiators, what do you think?  The first time we see them talk is when he tells her that Fitz needs a favor and she responds that she doesn't work for him anymore.
2. Olivia initiates seeing the President "I need to see him" (re: AT case).  Definitely go back and re-watch season 1 after finishing the current episodes through 2.09.  Shonda and Betsy recommended it and it's a great idea.  You'll see characters (Mellie!) differently and you'll notice/pick up on things to keep in mind for future episodes.  Remember, though, to give the writers a little leeway with the first few episodes of the first season.  In this case, Olivia is the one who left the White House (2.08) but now she is initiating contact with the President.  Cyrus is saying that it's not possible (strange, I think this is simply the writers not knowing where they're going yet).  Now, Cyrus would of course make that kind of time for Olivia despite Fitz's "busy schedule."
3. Mellie asking Olivia if she's dating.  I'm not convinced that this was vindictive only because at this point, Shonda and Betsy weren't planning on having Mellie be a main character of the show. She wasn't even guaranteed to be in more episodes.  It can be explained/viewed that way by the writers now, but I don't think it was meant to be seen as vicious.

As always, contact me on Twitter @scandalUS, via email scandalUS1@gmail.com or comment here!