Scandal: Season 3

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Generally favorable reviews based on 62 Ratings

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7.4	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 62 Ratings

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Scandal: Gladiators Don't Run

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Season Details & Credits

ABC | Season Premiere Date: October 3, 2013

Starring: Jeff Perry, Joshua Malina, Scott Foley

Summary: Fitz runs for a second term as Olivia deals with the return of her family in her life.

Creator: Shonda Rhimes

Genre(s): Drama, Suspense

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Season 3 Episodes

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S3:E18. The Price of Free and Fair Elections
Air Date: April 17, 2014
tbd
S3:E17. Flesh and Blood
Air Date: April 10, 2014
tbd
S3:E16. The Fluffer
Air Date: April 3, 2014

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Metascore

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Mixed:

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Critic Reviews

Henry Goldblatt

Sep 27, 2013

The final moments [of the premiere episode] set up a new mystery that could propel Shonda Rhimes' Sodom-on-the-Potomac creation through the rest of the fall. [4 Oct 2013, p.59]

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7.4

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User Reviews

PipePVelasco

Oct 27, 2013

Well done Joe Morton. Amazing the work of Olivia's dad since the first episode. Last season we didn't see enogh of Rowan/Eli Pope but this season is for Joe. I hope an Emmy nomination next year.
Operation Remington is a solid storyline for the first part of season 3. Kerry Washington willWell done Joe Morton. Amazing the work of Olivia's dad since the first episode. Last season we didn't see enogh of Rowan/Eli Pope but this season is for Joe. I hope an Emmy nomination next year.
Operation Remington is a solid storyline for the first part of season 3. Kerry Washington will win a Satellite, People's Choice, SAG, Globe, TCA, Critics Choice and Emmy by the end of the season. It's her time. It was time for the Emmys (2013), but Danes stole her.
Bellamy Young and Jeff Perry will deserve awards for their excellent works in the supporting role. Of course the eyes of the people will be in Lisa Kudrow's guest appearance, and Shonda Rhimes without a doubt is writting a good character for her. Fisrt episode brilliant. The season has started better than the first ones, and the first ones were so good.… Expand

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

twerk-king

Jan 2, 2014

Shonda Rhimes definitely knows what fans want to see. Brilliant plot lines, shocking twists, and a romance that will break twitter for the 100th time. I would give this season a 10 if it wasn't for that winter finale. The winter finale should've been the 9th episode "YOLO". It would beShonda Rhimes definitely knows what fans want to see. Brilliant plot lines, shocking twists, and a romance that will break twitter for the 100th time. I would give this season a 10 if it wasn't for that winter finale. The winter finale should've been the 9th episode "YOLO". It would be better if the mysteries were left unanswered.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

TheQuietGamer

Jan 15, 2017

Scandal finally puts all of it's focus on where it should have been from the start. No longer is this a case a week style show. Season 3 ditches all of that in favor of pushing the political intrigue to the forefront, giving it all of the attention. The show is all the better because of it.Scandal finally puts all of it's focus on where it should have been from the start. No longer is this a case a week style show. Season 3 ditches all of that in favor of pushing the political intrigue to the forefront, giving it all of the attention. The show is all the better because of it.

It also helps that there are real stakes this time around. Scandal is no longer afraid to kill people off and dive deeper into the dark sides of politics and human nature. All the while characters are still experiencing relationship, family, and other personal dramas.

Joe Morton is the real success of the season. His menacing and manipulative performance is incredible. Something only amplified by his relationship to the main character Olivia Pope. I also cannot praise Bellamy Young enough. Her character has always been the real scene stealer of the show for me in no small part thanks to Young's outstanding work. As her character is is given even more layers and reasons to sympathize with, Young makes it all believable onscreen.

There's one problem I have with season 3 (aside from Abby still being around). It's really unbelievable that the show's president "Fitz" can be the center of so many scandals and the people still keep him in the White House. It requires some serious suspension of disbelief. Other than that Season 3 is the best so far and a standout political drama. It's actually worth it for newcomers to catch up with the previous seasons just to see what's going on here. Scandal has finally found it's stable ground.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

All_ButTrU4

Jan 10, 2022

Shonda Rhimes definitely knows what fans want to see. Brilliant plot lines, shocking twists, and a romance that will break twitter for the 100th time. Scandal finally puts all of it's focus on where it should have been from the start. No longer is this a case a week style show. Season 3Shonda Rhimes definitely knows what fans want to see. Brilliant plot lines, shocking twists, and a romance that will break twitter for the 100th time. Scandal finally puts all of it's focus on where it should have been from the start. No longer is this a case a week style show. Season 3 ditches all of that in favor of pushing the political intrigue to the forefront, giving it all of the attention. The show is all the better because of it.

It also helps that there are real stakes this time around. Scandal is no longer afraid to kill people off and dive deeper into the dark sides of politics and human nature. All the while characters are still experiencing relationship, family, and other personal dramas.

Joe Morton is the real success of the season. His menacing and manipulative performance is incredible. Something only amplified by his relationship to the main character Olivia Pope. I also cannot praise Bellamy Young enough. Her character has always been the real scene stealer of the show for me in no small part thanks to Young's outstanding work. As her character is is given even more layers and reasons to sympathize with, Young makes it all believable onscreen.

There's one problem I have with season 3 (aside from Abby still being around). It's really unbelievable that the show's president "Fitz" can be the center of so many scandals and the people still keep him in the White House. It requires some serious suspension of disbelief. Other than that Season 3 is the best so far and a standout political drama. It's actually worth it for newcomers to catch up with the previous seasons just to see what's going on here. Scandal has finally found it's stable ground… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

nalpillai

Jun 26, 2014

The then and the now. The flare and then the fail.

By: Nalini Pillai In eleventh grade, and I remember this night very clearly, I was doing homework, my mom was out of town and my dad, my brother and I sat down to eat dinner. My dad brought his computer to the table and on some shadyThe then and the now. The flare and then the fail.

By: Nalini Pillai

In eleventh grade, and I remember this night very clearly, I was doing homework, my mom was out of town and my dad, my brother and I sat down to eat dinner. My dad brought his computer to the table and on some shady internet site played the first episode of the first season of Scandal. We sat there that night and made our way through the first three episodes. In an instant Olivia Pope became my new icon.

She was a problem solver, a “fixer.” The show had a protagonist yes, Olivia, but she was the hero, not the victim. She was a strong central black woman, something one rarely sees on TV, and she had what we like to call a personality, a presence. To be a part of her life, you were special. To be noticed, you had to be powerful. Olivia Pope was a genius. She had a personal life, issues, and regrets, but did she let that get in her way? No. She was strong, resilient and powerful. More powerful, I would say, then a lot of her clients.

The show was unique.

My parents never got cable, which is why, every Thursday night I waited up reloading the shady site to see if someone had uploaded Scandal yet. The first season ended with a bang. The second season wavered but in that last scene… we thought she was back. With her white hat and her passion… Olivia Pope was back.

And then the third season began. And now the show is on some tirade with one shock after another. This show is all about the problems of a total of seven or eight people. It is a shock factor. Olivia Pope has taken to crying. She is close to tears at the end of every command or lecture. Olivia Pope is a confused human being who has done so many things wrong and made so many mistakes that, now, she cannot even pretend to put on her white hat. Olivia Pope does not fix problems anymore, instead she is surrounded by a vast array of highly unreasonable, dramatic and confusing problems, and the fact remains that not only can no one woman can fix these problems, but the problems have no real solutions.

Good television hinges on being able to put the audience in the shoes of the characters, make them feel as if they are experiencing another world. Scandal is no longer able to do that. Every episode ends with a bang. Writers, producers and directors are counting on the fact that each ending will be so suspenseful that people will have to watch out of shear irritation. There is no hook, no real suspense. The characters, personalities, relationships have gone so far into the unimaginable that the series is unrealistic.

Scandal has lost its flare, its joie de vivre. All that remains is a bunch of memories, and reruns of a show that used to great.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

werneck

May 31, 2014

As I feel, overall, it's a bad quality tv show. Bad casting (Kerry Washington is a terrible actress! For gods sake) and the dialogues are sometimes dumb and the situations unreal.

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

WestLil0

Jul 20, 2014

OMG if this Olivia character continues on the same path she will go insane. It drives ME insane to watch these episodes now, there's no mental break at all. It's again a show that tries too hard to keep the drama going when there is no longer any more drama to squeeze out of the plot. Not worth it.

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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Seasons & Episodes

66

Series Overview
Season 7

tbd
- Season 7 Overview
  Air Date: October 5, 2017
Season 6

tbd
- Season 6 Overview
  Air Date: January 26, 2017
Season 5

tbd
- Season 5 Overview
  Air Date: September 24, 2015
Season 4

tbd
- Season 4 Overview
  Air Date: September 25, 2014
Season 3

tbd
- Season 3 Overview
  Air Date: October 3, 2013
- tbd
  S3:E18. The Price of Free and Fair Elections
  Air Date: April 17, 2014
- tbd
  S3:E17. Flesh and Blood
  Air Date: April 10, 2014
- tbd
  S3:E16. The Fluffer
  Air Date: April 3, 2014
- tbd
  S3:E15. Mama Said Knock You Out
  Air Date: March 27, 2014
- tbd
  S3:E14. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
  Air Date: March 20, 2014
- tbd
  S3:E13. No Sun on the Horizon
  Air Date: March 13, 2014
- tbd
  S3:E12. We Do Not Touch The First Ladies
  Air Date: March 6, 2014
- tbd
  S3:E11. Ride, Sally, Ride
  Air Date: February 27, 2014
- tbd
  S3:E10. A Door Marked Exit
  Air Date: December 12, 2013
- tbd
  S3:E9. YOLO
  Air Date: December 5, 2013
- tbd
  S3:E8. Vermont is for Lovers, Too
  Air Date: November 21, 2013
- tbd
  S3:E7. Everything's Coming Up Mellie
  Air Date: November 14, 2013
- tbd
  S3:E6. Icarus
  Air Date: November 7, 2013
- tbd
  S3:E5. More Cattle, Less Bull
  Air Date: October 31, 2013
- tbd
  S3:E4. Say Hello to My Little Friend
  Air Date: October 24, 2013
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  S3:E3. Mrs. Smith Goes to Washington
  Air Date: October 17, 2013
- tbd
  S3:E2. Guess Who's Coming to Dinner
  Air Date: October 10, 2013
- tbd
  S3:E1. It's Handled
  Air Date: October 3, 2013
- tbd
  S3:E0. The Secret is Out
  Air Date: October 3, 2013
Season 2

tbd
- Season 2 Overview
  Air Date: September 27, 2012
Season 1

64
- Season 1 Overview
  Air Date: April 5, 2012