My OTP VIP
Couple: Olivia & Fitz - "Scandal"
Le Moment: The Rose Garden
I was a latecomer to Scandal. I hadn’t heard of it until Season 2B. But around Valentine’s Day 2013, I came across a Yahoo article of couples who broke up, and Fitz and Olivia were on it.
I was floored I hadn’t heard of it yet, then again, I had already canceled my cable long before then. But it inspired me to look up my first clip which was “le moment” for me. And I’ve never boarded a ship so fast in my life.
Quick Rundown (which 90% of the world knows):
Olivia Pope (played by a woman who owns strutting in heels, Kerry Washington), is a fixer in Washington D.C. She, along with her associates, fix scandals and even cover up crimes. But while she has her professional life (for the most part) put together, her personal life is a mess. She is having an affair with the President of the United States, Fitzgerald Thomas Grant III (played by big balls walker, Tony Goldwyn).
Scandal also had a great way of making us question our moral compass. Fitz is a married man to Mellie, who, no matter how righteous she came to be in later seasons, was still very manipulative and conniving. So knowing his relationship with his wife made a lot of us absolutely fine with the fact that Olivia and Fitz's affair was the worst kept secret in Washington.
I remember Fitz had said in a flashback episode that chemistry can't be determined by a photograph, which I always thought was a lie. Any photograph between the actors alone belies that.
I lived for their interactions, their conversations, and their confrontations (Hunting Season, Episode 2.3 is one of those gems of chemistry). The tipsy-turvy tales of senators gone wrong is one thing, but these two were the nucleus of the show, despite that they broke up so much it gave us all whiplash. The whole show got tired out between their dynamics, BS-613 and Olivia’s antics with her other lover, Jake “from State Farm” Ballard (played by oatmeal incarnate Scott Foley).
But I digress. As I mentioned before, I wasn't on the Scandal bandwagon until mid-second season. All because of le moment.
Le Moment: The Rose Garden (oh, and more spoilers)
This was the first clip I ever saw of the show, and it hooked me immediately. It's from episode 2.8 of "Happy Birthday, Mr. President." It's a present-day/flashback episode. In the current timeline, Fitz was just shot. Everyone is waiting on pins and needles whether he would pull through, especially Olivia. This triggers a series of flashback memories regarding her time working as Fitz’s press secretary after he's elected President. Past Olivia, who is still carrying on with her affair with Fitz, feels very "Sally Hemmings, Thomas Jefferson" about the whole thing.
Then... the Rose Garden scene. Olivia paces in the garden. Fitz knows when something is bothering her when she walks in circles. Olivia reveals that she's tired of being the side piece, always looking and waiting for him to the point she feels like her entire self doesn't belong to her anymore, feeling "owned" by Fitz. It goes back to the whole master/slave dynamic that Olivia wants to be free from.
Fitz's response is what made me immediately hoist the sail for this ship. That the man, who has the highest office in the land, would play the reverse Uno card on Olivia. His response is impassioned, listing why his very existence is so entangled in her. That he hadn't really lived until her. And it hits home for me that this powerful White man would humble himself to his Black mistress. That every atom of his being is enslaved to her and he OWNS that fact. That is a powerful display of his love. It's stirring and breathtaking at the magnitude of it. He's content at being Olivia Pope trash. And time and time again after this, he'd happily give up his presidency just to be with her. Never happened, but hey, that's what good fanfiction is for.
But I could write a novel about how influential this pair has been for me, my writing and entertainment at its core. So I have Shonda Rhimes to thank for the infinite writing fuel. But I will be a full-fledged, card-carrying Olitz shipper forever.
Where to Find It:
It’s also available on Hulu, Prime, and DVDs. And, of course, YouTube is a wonderland of clips and MVs. Even I had made one which I hardly ever do, so this ship is a top-of-a-line cruiser for me.
Read & Ship On. :)
Jazz
(Oh, and small apologies to Olakers)
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