Scandal never fails to empower women, but tonight’s scene between Mellie (Bellamy Young) and Olivia (Kerry Washington) might be the most meaningful yet.
Mellie is gearing up to run for president by writing a book, and her topics of discussion are especially poignant given the political climate we are currently facing here in the real world.
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Not only is a woman a real contender for the White House, but she has faced a lot of the same struggles Mellie herself has battled throughout scandal — namely a president husband who had a very public affair.
But rather than letting Fitz’s indiscretions beat her before she even begins running for president, Mellie is doing exactly what she should: using his affair to her advantage. And Olivia is helping her do it.
Nothing like the mistress and the first lady teaming up to really make you feel like anything is possible when women come together.
The two of them on a team are a serious force to be reckoned with. And while I love me some Susan, she really should just concede now. She’s definitely not a “bug” as she said tonight, but Susan is too good and pure to be president. Sad, but true.
Mellie, on the other hand, has just enough spin and savvy to make it happen. And Olivia, well, Olivia is the queen of fixing.
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Also, while Mellie and Olivia are partnering up to become a powerful team, Susan is just being tugged around by Liz and David’s scheming, even though she doesn’t know it and David doesn’t want to be a part of it. Not the makings of the inspirational teams of history.
So my vote is going to Mellie! Especially after that drinking scene tonight hit me at my core with its truth.
“I started liking myself again. Because I was alone, and I was relieved and I was free,” Mellie explained to Olivia as to why she stayed with Fitz. “Freedom baby. I stayed because it was working. I stood by and I allowed the affair to continue because it was working for all of us. He was occupied thanks to you. He was happy. You lit his fire. You lit it all the way to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, and one day it was going to be my turn. Fitz would make me president of the United States because he owed me at least that much. And so I stayed because the three of us, we worked.”
Unfortunately, that truth wouldn’t get Mellie elected to president.
But Olivia’s truth could, “I was happy you were around, too. When I was with Fitz I was happy you were around, too. With you around I didn’t have to… I had an out. You, you were my out, Mellie. You kept him unavailable. And so I left for the same reason you stayed. Because I was scared.”
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And then it dawns on Olivia, “Mellie, that’s what you write. You write that you were scared. You write that you never could have imagined standing up in front of the entire Senate for as long as you did filibustering the hell out of that bill, protecting every woman’s constitutional right to make her own decision about her own body because you never thought you would be able to do any of that on your own. You write that you didn’t need Fitz. You didn’t need some man to give you the power. You had the power the whole time. It just took you a little longer to realize.”
Sure, it’s spin. But it’s spin that rings so true it brought tears to my eyes for all the women like Mellie who have been there, who have made that realization and have found their own power deep within themselves.
So, yeah, Mellie deserves to be president in the world of Scandal. And I would totally vote for Shonda Rhimes in 2020. Just sayin’.
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