• Network: ABC
  • Series Premiere Date: Apr 5, 2012
Season #: 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1
User Score
7.9

Generally favorable reviews- based on 73 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 59 out of 73
  2. Negative: 10 out of 73
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User Reviews

  1. Sep 30, 2014
    2
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Juicy material, but too many plot holes to hold and zero character appeal. This show is only watchable as long as you don't think about what's going on. Olivia Pope is championed as a great figure often wearing a "white hat" and she's supposed to be lauded for her power and courage, yet, if you pay attention, you realize she is weak and ignoble. Olivia is not ruled by justice or a desire to do good, but simply to do what her clients pay her for, which is to "fix" whatever problems they have, and these are often unsavory to say the least, mostly illegal, but worse, immoral. But my biggest issue with this show concerns Olivia and her love interest, the President. Their nearly every interaction involves her trying to get away from him, him unrelenting, her saying not, him saying "but I love you," and then them getting it on. The rape-y undertones of this are super problematic, but this also destroys any notion of Olivia being a strong and empowered woman. Not only are the sex scenes troubling, but her entire relationship with the president involves him barking orders at her, her arguing, him screaming, and her falling in line, and eventually forgiving him because he says she is the "love of his life." But that love only seems to come as long as he can control her, which is sick, twisted, and just plain sad. I've suffered through the first and second seasons, hoping Olivia would finally find her strength and tell the President to go f-off, but that doesn't seem to be coming, so I'm out. (and I just want to repeat, the president is rape-y, and that is so not ok.) Expand
  2. Jan 4, 2015
    2
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I've tried working my way through Season's 1 and 2 yet Kerry Washington's over-enunciation (like she's doing jaw exercises, not a naturally articulate woman), always wearing white (which would be distracting fashion for a supposedly a low-key 'fixer'), seems to over-compensate for the insecurities of the producers/show-runners to the fact she's a black woman. "Look, I'm white just like you! Just a slight sunburn; my suit states it all!"" OK, we get it, she's not society's 'typical' idea of Gen X/Y single black woman, since she's cheating with a powerful married white man. Yet it is getting tiresome fast, and the Crisis-Of-The-Week episode arcs are preposterous. Expand
Metascore
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No score yet - based on 2 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 2
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 2
  3. Negative: 0 out of 2
  1. Reviewed by: Melissa Maerz
    Dec 10, 2012
    67
    Rhimes doesn't develop these affairs beyond their impact on the characters' careers, perhaps because the tone is supposed to be serious, not fun-flirty like Grey's. So it's hard to tell why these women sacrifice so much for the people they love.
  2. People Weekly
    Reviewed by: Tom Gliatto
    Dec 10, 2012
    88
    It's lighter, smaller--West Condo!--but still a pleasure. [17 Dec 2012, p.37]