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| Photo Credit:ABC |
Goodness, that was heavy. After “No
More Blood,” wrapped up Olivia's time at a pseudo torture camp and
her subsequent sale on the black market, this week offers “The Lawn
Chair,” an unexpected stop in the overall season arc that will
likely go down as one of the series most emotionally-charged
episodes.
The hour centers around Olivia being
called to a scene where a young black teen named Brandon Parker,
suspected of robbery, was shot dead by Jeffery Newton, a white
officer. The boy's father, Clarence, shows up with a shotgun
demanding to see the officer who killed his son. Olivia starts to
work her usual fixer magic, telling Clarence she'll get David Rosen
to personally come to the scene and oversee the investigation. He
appears to soften until Marcus Walker, a neighborhood activist, comes
in and brings up the fact Olivia was hired by the police to handle
the situation and talks him into staying, bringing him a chair he
then places over his son Brandon's body.
Like I said, heavy. Of course,
it is impossible to watch this and not think of Michael Brown and the
controversy and protests that erupted after his death; the subject
matter is even more pertinent, given the news Darren Wilson won't
face civil charges in Brown's death, and the DOJ's damning report
about the Ferguson's police department treatment of its black
residents both came out this week. The episode itself plays out like
an attempt at catharsis, to heal real-life wounds through art. In
Scandal, Brandon's killing is
unjustified, and Clarence's image of his son is vindicated, both men
victims of a miscarriage of justice nearly covered up by police
corruption.
On a pure, punch-to-the-gut level, “The
Lawn Chair” more than rose to the occasion. I teared up while
watching it more than once. That said, I'm conflicted about certain
aspects of the episode. Take Newton's character for instance. When
the truth comes out about the circumstances of Brandon's death, he
trots out the tired “What about black on black crime?” argument
(as if rational human beings aren't capable of thinking about two
issues that impact their lives at the same time) and blames Brandon's
death on his lack of respect for authority. It's a disgusting
diatribe, and while I don't doubt there are people out there who hold
similar views, the speech reminded of the last moments of a Law
and Order: SVU episode, where
the suspect inevitably yanks off his human mask to reveal the
unrepentant monster underneath.
On the
opposite end of the spectrum is Susan Ross, a senator who empathizes
deeply with Clarence's loss, saying she'd die if something similar
happened to her daughter. Both the words and the actress' performance
feel honest; and yet it was almost as she was there to serve as a
counterpoint to Newton, to show how “good white people” react to
stories like these. In the middle is Chief Connor, who doesn't seem
to hold Newton's views yet, refers to Marcus as a troublemaker and
the outraged residents as a mob. Maybe the point is to show all these
attitudes exist. However, Newton came off not so much as a man who
made a horrible decision out of his own deep-seated prejudices than
as a villain waiting for his chance to put one of “those people”
in their place. Maybe I'll feel differently about the
characterization later, but for now that was what I took away from
it.
Olivia herself comes under scrutiny in
“The Lawn Chair.” Marcus is
none too impressed with Ms. Pope, castigating her for taking a pay
check from the police, and citing her Prada bag and role in getting
Fitz elected twice as evidence she's out of touch with the city's
black population. Scandal so
rarely tackles the subject of race, more specifically as it relates
to Olivia. But when it does, as with Eli's speech about being twice
as good to go half as far, it rings with cutting honesty. Olivia's
experiences and status--being educated in top schools, having the
attorney general on speed dial--are miles away from the lives of the
black residents in this community, and Marcus makes her confront this
fact.
As she
realizes the authorities are conspiring to disperse what the crowd
via a media blackout and by calling in SWAT, she goes behind the
police line and starts chanting with them. Olivia's recent ordeal
works itself into both the story line and her emotional state of
mind, despite her best attempts to put on a brave face. She is
clearly suffering from a form of PTSD, as her walking away with shaky
hands after Clarence pulls his shotgun on her and Marcus proves.
However,
the persona trauma adds an extra charge to her usual go getter drive.
Her speech about living in fear everyday while in captivity, and
relating that same to fear to the people in Clarence, Marcus and
Brandon's neighborhood gets David Rosen to fully throw himself into
the case. It also helps her relate to Clarence, who is in the middle
of dealing with his own tragedy.
And in the end, it is the human
tragedy--a promising young life cut short, and a father left behind
to mourn--that takes center stage. After OPA proves Brandon had a
cell phone receipt in his hand, not the knife planted on him when he
was shot, Newton is taken into custody and Rosen promises an
investigation will be launched into the police department. Yet what
brings it home is when Clarence meets Fitz in the Oval Office and
they embrace. There, he finally allows himself to cry as the two men
bond, one grieving father to another.
Other
Thoughts:
--Despite
her diarrhea of the mouth, Susan Ross is self-aware enough to know
she wouldn't make a good VP, and truthfully doesn't want the gig,
since she possess a quality rare among politicians, that being a
desire to get shit done. Though her uncensored honesty and
earnestness is its own form of charisma.
--While Clarence and Brandon's story
takes center stage, Shonda and Co. push Fitz and Mellie's arc
forward. With Andrew incapacitated, Cyrus pushes for him to choose a
viable vice president to move the party forward, despite the promise
he made to Mellie to clear a path to the presidency for her. Fitz
shows he's on Mellie's side by leaking some dirt on potential
contender Roslyn Mendez. It wasn't just for Mellie though; after
Sally Langston and Andrew's Machiavellian tactics, he sees her timely
public support of Clarence as shameless power move and wants none of
that mess.
--Clarence saw his standoff only
playing out in two ways, either being in jail or dead. A rare case
when a Scandal character's
words can't not be brushed off as dramatic hyperbole.
--Liv has many skills, but she's not
the best fake yawner.
---“Talk faster or say less.”
---“Take genital warts.” Mellie:
“Let's not.”
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