Today: Mar 29, 2024

Don’t stand in the way of Scandal’s Olivia Pope

Jene Thomas – General Assignment 

What do the President of the United States, a former government agent and the boss of the one most secret spy agencies have in common? Only one thing.

The love of a woman in a fierce white coat who can bring them to their knees and melt their hearts at the same time. Despite what they may think, this Prada wearing “fixer” runs the nation’s capital because she’s got the most powerful men in the world on speed dial. She’s known by many, feared by all and my role model.

She’s Olivia Pope.

For those who don’t know, Pope is a character on ABC’s Scandal. Pope, played by Golden Globe nominee Kerry Washington, on Thursday nights at 9 p.m. right after Grey’s Anatomy. The show circulates around a woman and her law firm who take in clients dealing with government scandals all while involving themselves in government scandals.

For instance, Pope bought cheating senators to light, fixed a national campaign and is secretly having an affair with President Fitzgerald Grant. Her fans can always recognize her from her stylish designer coats and her catchy one-liners such as “consider it handled.”

I said she was my role model and I meant it. I don’t really want to fix elections, have affairs with the president or have a father that runs a secret organization that secretly wants to kill my boyfriend. Oh, did I forget to mention that?

Yes, Eli Pope hates President Grant and Pope’s boyfriend Jake Ballard, who used to work for Papa Pope, and has tried to kill both a number of times.

All the drama aside though, I still aspire to be like her, for many reasons.

For one, when she walks into a room, everyone notices her. The confidence in her stride is indescribable. I’ve never seen a woman who can just walk into the White House as if she lived there. Her stern and assertive voice puts everyone in their place. One episode, a couple tried to blackmail the President by leaking a sex tape of his daughter. The way Pope “handled them” took my breath away.  She isn’t mean and she isn’t a bully. She just knows how to get what she wants. Every woman’s dream.

Like I said before, everyone knows her. Her voice is one of the most recognized voices in the nation’s capital, where the show takes place. She has the head of every news network on speed dial. As a journalist, that would be an incredible asset to have. If I was that recognizable, I could get any source I wanted to give me insight into a story.

Because of her reputation, she can be feared at times. However, the only thing more powerful than fear is love. She is loved by so many people around her. One of my favorite characters, Huck, worked for the government agency ran by Papa Pope, can kill a man with his bare hands and looks like he’s on the verge of a nervous breakdown every episode. But because she took him in and cares for him, like her other associates, he loves and respects her.

As do most of the characters.

However, the main reason I aspire to be like her is because she is a woman. Not just any woman though, but a woman of color. To be an African American woman with that much power is amazing. She was estranged from her parents for most of her childhood and still managed to rise to the top. She works hard for absolutely everything she has.

I mean, she has to in order to afford the designer coats and a luxury apartment in Washington, D.C.

Photo Credit: Disney ABC 

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