As someone who is prolife, I’m not upset at all with Olivia’s choice. But my goodness I’m in a case of emotions.
I’m of the Donald Miller school of thought when it comes to this matter. I’m prolife personally, but a prochoice voter…always. So while I would never consider having an abortion unless my life was on the line, I don’t expect everyone else to hold that same view. While I believe life starts at conception, I recognize that in many ways, it’s a philosophical argument. And many disagree. That’s okay. I’m just not sure it should be up the government to be the decider of when life starts. So again, prochoice voter.
That being said, I think it’s really unfortunate that Olivia didn’t think she could have gone to Fitz and talk to him about her decision before making it. I think it’s unfortunate that prior to the mistress reveal, Fitz and Olivia had better communication with each other. That fact alone is just quite unbelievable because they’ve never been great communicators.(Remember when he was the person she conversed with on the phone before Jake randomly started occupying that role? But I digress)
However, despite their horrendous lack of communication, I don’t think not telling Fitz is betrayal. I think that’s it very selfish, but I also think it’s her body, which is quite honestly the thing she can be the most selfish about. No woman who does not want to be a mother should be a mother. Awful things happen to beautiful babies who deserve better when women who don’t want to mother are forced to mother. That’s reality. Olivia may have been financially stable enough to take care of a child, but mentally? I don’t see it. She’s not depicted as being as being mentally ready (I know the idea of being “ready” is relative. Who is ever ready?) for a child. Plenty of women push past their mental demons and carry children, and raise great ones. But it’s not for everybody. Given what we’ve seen of Olivia’s mindset about love and relationships, seeing what we’ve come to understand as an abusive relationship with her parents, at this point of the show, I’m not sure a pregnancy story line would have felt organic.
However, neither does an abortion story line. It was so unbelievably random. No scenes of pregnancy scares, no shots of pregnancy tests or nontaken, birth control, barely any sex depicted between them. So I’m confused as to how we got to this place.So so terribly confused…and a bit shocked if I’m honest.
This episode, the abortion scene in particular, is just not going to work for everyone. We’re all bringing our own history, beliefs, judgments, attitudes to the table when we’re watching a show, which influences how we read the narrative. Fitz and Olivia breaking up aside, I can completely understand the viewers who are forever turned off and disappointed by the show. Again for me, I don’t disagree with her choice, but the story line felt inorganic. It felt like a Planned Parenthood after school special. I understand using your platform, but I’m doubtful that this episode is going to change the minds of viewers on the topic of abortion. Americans are pretty entrenched in their beliefs about the matter. This episode isn’t starting a conversation about abortion. We’ve been having a dialogue about it since Roe v. Wade at least. We didn’t see her struggle or contemplate the decision. It just happened. So I’m not sure how effective this story point can or will be. But who knows, I wrote an abortion plot in a fanfic, and got quite a few PMs and reviews stating that my story helped them see abortion in another light, which was so far from my intent. And I’m just writing FF.
In terms of what this might mean for Fitz and Olivia, I don’t know, and I don’t think it matters. I’m very glad it didn’t come up during their argument because given all that was said between them, every hurtful word, it would have felt a bit too melodramatic, which is saying a lot considering how operatic Scandal is. Their fight also seemed a bit inorganic.They went from zero to sixty so quickly it was hard for me to figure out what was going on. I’m not sure how effective that fight was to be honest. Splitting Fitz and Olivia up is far from the issue for me. It’s that the split felt incredibly rushed. I think the show could have benefited from just one more episode in between where we got to see the extent of Olivia’s frustration in the White House. We literally saw a one minute montage and a one minute conversation with the senator’s wife. It’s not quite enough time for me to believe that Olivia saw a different side to Fitz. We honestly didn’t see the “we tried” part of the story, which is a shame because it would have made their split all the more powerful and less slapdash. We saw Olivia move-in. We saw her get outed as the mistress. We saw her choosing Fitz. We saw him publicly out with her. We saw the beginnings of an impeachment hearing. We saw a failed proposal. We saw her release her father. We saw Fitz move her in. But we did not see them try. Personally, last week’s reveal of Olivia releasing Rowan felt like a more organic “ending” for the two.
Looking at their split from a practical standpoint. I truly don’t think this is the end for Fitz and Olivia. I don’t see her choice as some egregious, heinous action. I see it as a deeply personal, ideological decision, one that so many women make without regret, without a single person knowing. And that is quite okay. We may not like it, but it’s not about Fitz. It’s about her. Period. And that goes for any woman, real or fictional, in a situation like this. If the show never brought up her abortion again, I would not be mad because that’s often the lived experience of women all over the world. If Olivia is written as sharing her decision with Fitz so be it. If not, I think it’s an equally realistic choice.
In terms of their split, the positive is that it gives them a chance to have a new beginning, one that’s not marred by a sex scandal or spy drama. As a person who likes to write, but does not consider myself a writer, I honestly think the Scandal writers are in a very interesting, creatively fruitful place with Fitz and Olivia. Fundamentally, Fitz and Olivia give the show a lot of heart. But I think the heart of Olitz has been missing since season three because it’s been so fraught between them. I think breaking them up in a mutual way allows them to come back together in a healthier way. The writers have the opportunity to write a slow-build between them if they so choose. Having them mutually split means there’s less animosity. It’s not Defiance 2.0. Having them mutually split means Fitz isn’t pining over her. Having them mutually split means we can potentially see them grow as individuals before coming back together. Having them mutually split means they can become friends. They can work together and have flirty tension, friendly tension, sexual tension. All things that are more enjoyable to watch then them fighting constantly. Kerry and Tony obviously have insanely beautiful chemistry. Their best partner work is with each other…and it’s not even close. I can’t imagine that the writers wouldn’t use that to their advantage. It would be a super silly, missed opportunity. There’s a reason why Fitz and Olivia had phone call after phone call seasons 2 to 4. So much chemistry. Even when it makes no sense for them to be together, the writers find a reason to exploit their chemistry.
I think the most powerful and effective thing the writers could do is let the audience see and the characters see why they’re good for each other. These particular set of circumstances just weren’t in their favor. Most of us called them splitting up in some form or fashion after Olivia’s speech on the Truman Balcony in 501. It was the most obvious foreshadowing. We were bound to get to this place. It’s been unnecessarily rocky getting here. But we’re here.
I completely understand why so many people are simply done with the show after this episode. Scandal is guilty of not paying off story in satisfying ways or just paying off story at all. And this episode is an example of that. In many ways, Scandal’s narrative privileges some characters over others. Mellie makes out as a hero and faces absolutely no consequences for her part in releasing Rowan. But for Olivia, we see a struggle to keep her identity, we see a painful break-up, we see an abortion. Over and over again, Olivia takes Ls. And that’s difficult to watch. The last scene Olivia smiles to herself, staring at a beautiful Christmas tree while sitting on her new couch. I think as a viewer, we were supposed to assume she’s happy, at peace in her solace. But I can’t help, but to think how incredibly lonely that is, how familiar that is. In this set of circumstances, it doesn’t feel like growth. It feels like more of the same. It feels like her putting on the white hat at the end of 222. It feels like the choosing “me” moment at 409 before she was kidnapped. It feels redundant and super sad to me.
Increasingly Scandal has become very bleak and grim-dark. I would imagine that many people tuned in to season five because 422 signaled that some of the fun would be coming back to the show. And in some ways it has. In some ways, Scandal is telling more interesting stories than seasons past. But these past four episodes or so have highlighted the fact that there’s not enough of a balance between the fraught and the fun of this show.
My love/hate of Scandal is so hard do describe. I’m not hate watching at all, but I do not love everything that comes on my screen. Yet, I find Olivia Pope to be a very compelling, watchable character. And her decision tonight makes her even more watchable to me. I don’t know where the show goes from here because so much of the central tension of the show comes from Fitz and Olivia’s relationship. Shipping aside, that’s just an objective fact. As much as I think their break-up provides an opportunity for healthy reconciliation, there was certainly a finality to it…And I’m not sure I’m all that interested in finding where the show goes from here. I’m not sure I’m still interested in watching a super dark show about secondary characters. So until Scandal proves otherwise, I can’t say that I’m into it.
Seems like I’m still the only one who thinks it would have been a myriad other procedures- a pap smear/ getting a coil inserted/ tube ligation. Anything but an abortion. Yes. I get that the episode was planned parenthood heavy, I get that abortion/ choice is a topic that has to be discussed more so in a world that still believes women should not have certain rights over their bodies but my oh my, was that examination table scene random or what. So random to the point where I can’t help but feel that the abortion issue was used more as an instrument of titillation than education.
If indeed it was an abortion, should she have told Fitz? In my opinion? No. I am yet to come across a boyfriend/girlfriend relationship which has survived this sort of revelation. Men can be be very shady when it comes to some things (rape being another example) it beggars belief therefore, based on this, I would never advise any woman to tell a man, unless you really, really have his number.
“ I think the most powerful and effective thing the writers could do is let the audience see and the characters see why they’re good for each other.”
There is a saying “start the way you mean to go”. Sadly, Olitz was birthed in deceit and a lot of their misfortune is borne from that fact. Granted, they have tried to remedy their situation, unfortunately, they are in too deep…too mired in filth to ever attain sufficient cleaniless. I don’t think there will be any respite for them as long as Olivia remains mother, father, lover and chief strategist to Fitz.
I mean, way back in S1 The writers did let audience/characters see why the characters were supposedly good for each other. We were treated to an Olivia who seemed to have a good understanding of Fitz the man and Fitz the politician. However, cometh Defiance we began to see them for what they were nevertheless, many in the audience (and Fitz) decided to hold on to the myth that was Olitz.
Olivia knows they are broken, she knows that Fitz doesn’t see her for who she is/ he doesn’t see the world for what it is. He acts as if politics is not a dirty game, he is interested in what he gets from her and then proceeds to judge her for her underhand ways, never mind that he is the beneficiary. How come he never really questioned her on how she managed to shut down the Inquiry? Instead, we saw him take to the podium to let the masses know that it was back to business as usual. Fitz seems to think that all is well as long as he has Olivia propping up his ineffectual ass, sadly he doesn’t realise that his inability to make decisions at “Olivia pace” reduces her to making decisions for him.
Fitz likes strong women but only when they are bending to his whim. Just like with his relationship with Mellie, the relationship between Olivia and Fitz is such that the personal and the political are incredibly intertwined, unfortunately, there can be no peace until the two strands are separated and yet what are the chances of that happening? Fitz will always remain Olivia’s favourite pet project to be fixed at every turn and Olivia…well Olivia remains Fitz favourite… everything.
There are many lessons to be learned from this Olivia and Fitz mess for those who are steeped in reality but, for those steeped in fantasy, I say good luck!
You still think it wasn’t an abortion; so what do you think the vacuum was? We saw the doctor flipping the switch and starting it.
Vacuum? What vacuum. Me I don’t know how abortions are conducted,I am the queasy type that can’t even watch such things on TV. All I saw was Olivia lying supine, to me it could have been anything...I’ve been in that position for other things, certainly not an abortion. Yes, initially I thought abortion and then I thought...no, can’t be an abortion, we didn’t even know she was pregnant. So I though pap smear/tube ligation or coil. Anyway news from Folina has confirmed that indeed it was an abortion. So yeah, you guys were right.
I must confess I’m none too pleased at the way it was written. Yes, I can see Olivia getting pregnant but that story line was so rushed it beggars belief. I can’t even. I guess shit happens when folk are rabbiting on the regular. I can’t ...SMDH
















