Christopher Florestal
Professor Tara Dilullot
Applied Media Aesthetics
Final Paper Analysis
15 December 2017
Scandal
Ever since Scandals release in April of 2012, it has become one of the leading political
thriller television shows aired on the tv network ABC. Since its arrival, it has been consistently
living up to the expectations of its viewers with a convincing background of American Politics
and challenges. The show is primarily based on the administration of the former President:
George W. Bush. Scandal has been ranked among the most watched TV shows in the United
States today. It has been consistently dominating the 9:00 PM time slot, when on air. In addition,
the show has received over 4.3 million tweets since its start, and it has been the most notable
social program on television made available for adults worldwide. In this paper I will be
discussing different types of elements found in the television show scandal and how they are
unique to this show.
This show is based around the main character, Olivia Pope, who is a lawyer for a firm
that seems to be ran by her. Olivia and her team of lawyers make scandals disappear that also
handle government issues at the same time. However, like any other human being with a normal
life, they also have problems of their own to deal with. From the very first episode it is apparent
that she is a powerful person by the way her employees “worships” her every move. They do
whatever she tells them to, and it works out for them. All of Olivia’s colleagues see her as a
superhero with a cape on. In fact, they all see themselves as heroes. In the first episode, one of
Olivia’s colleagues, that goes by the name of Harrison, describes himself as being a “gladiator in
a suit” when he is working with Olivia. All of this makes Olivia seem like the most warm-
hearted person in the world, but no she is morally in the wrong herself. From the very first few
episodes, it is made known that Olivia is having an affair with the President of the United States
who is a married man. She is a person that loves helping to fight to protect innocent people, but
at the same time her scandal with the President of the United States confuses viewers perception
of her.
What makes this show interesting is the filming technique used in many of the scenes.
