The Real Scandal is the Show Itself

I have been in love with "Scandal " since its debut. Watching it with my mother became a tradition which later shifted to watching it with my friends when I went off to college. The idea of a strong female character, a black woman at that, is appealing to the feminist in me and especially important to young woman especially non-white young woman. What is not appealing is the role of subordinance that Olivia adopts around the men in her life or the role that minority groups play in the show.

The show centers around Olivia Pope, a fixer/lawyer in DC who helps politicians and other well-off and important people prove there innocence or manage their image when something affects it. Of course, what's a woman without a man behind her, desiring her? Well, not good business apparently, or at least that is what writer Shonda Rhimes thought. Within the first 15 minutes of the pilot episode, the strong Olivia Pope is at the beck and call of Cyrus, the chief of staff for the POTUS, and asked to manage an affair that the president may or may not have had. It is not until 35 minutes in that the relationship between our strong female heroine and the president become clear as she breaks down after learning the claimed affair actually happened. She begins the episode as a strong black female DC fixer, becomes a kind of lap-dog to the president of the United States, and by the end is shown to be a mistress to the President herself. The women power evaporated throughout the episode and leaves Olivia little more than the President's puppet of sorts.In episodes succeeding the Pilot, Olivia attempts to regain her female power, but is continuously at the will of the President one way or another.
Though the president is not the only one who pulls Olivia's strings. Her father is presented as a dominant figure, who uses dominance and control over love in order to manage his daughter and her affections.

This is only one instance in which Olivia's father, Rowan, uses aggression and dominance in order to control Olivia and make her submit to his wishes.

As the show progresses, her father and his control move in and out of focus. However, no matter his actions, such as having the president's son killed, or locking her mother (also a terrorist) away for 22 years, Olivia continued to allow him to influence and control her life, such as her inability to allow anyone to kill him even after all he did.

But of course that's not all. After all, what is a powerful woman if she is not sought after by multiple gentlemen callers? Enter, Jake Ballard, an ex-badguy who used to work with her dad and who claims to have turned good. 

Jake (the badboy ex-spy), Olivia Pope (the so-called heroine), and Fitz (the POTUS). Notice the hands on Olivia's arms. Though she wears a smirk on her face, the two men are still controlling her and show physical dominance with their hands on her arms as if pulling a puppet's string. 

Being a smart and strong women, you would think that Olivia would know better than to get into bed with a guy like that after her previous experiences. Nope. Not even close. She begins a romantic relationship  with him as well. And by doing so, she allows herself to be controlled by yet another man. This show sends the message that behind even a strong woman, there is a man. And to be a powerful woman, you must be desired by many.

Along with the underlying sexism shown in this show, the portrayal of race, though seemingly helpful and encouraging for minorities, expresses clear white superiority views. Though I will not delve into this topic, here are some facts about the portrayal of race in 'Scandal' so that you can discuss it further in the comments.
1. The lead character, Olivia, a black woman's love interests are both white.
2. The amount of prominent black characters in the show are 2 major, and 3 recurring
3. The recurring black characters are Olivia's parents and ex-boyfriend
4. The season 4 episode "Lawn Chair" reflects the shooting of Michael Brown in August 2014. However, this episode differs from the Michael Brown shooting because the black man killed was found to have a weapon on him. What does this reflect on the writers and the show as a whole?
5. There are very few non-white or black characters: only one Hispanic (Huck), and no other major or recurring minority characters

Now that you know this, do you think that "Scandal" accurately reflects society? And if it does, should it reflect current society, or the society we should have?