“Scandal” is a show with a very carefully thought out name, as it’s not one that takes its plot lightly. It’s one of the shows that are actually not afraid to push boundaries and explore the concept of true drama as deeply as possible, just to get that strong reaction out of fans. And it seems like the show’s fourth season is going to seriously push that trend forward once episode 14 airs, as the scandals will continue to boil.
After Olivia Pope got kidnapped and subsequently rescued, it was implied that this chapter of the story was closed – but it seems like that’s far from true. Now, Olivia will have to deal with the effects of PTSD on her mentality, which will have various effects on her life in the next episodes.
And while she’s eager to help a black father dealing with the stressful situation of believing that his son had been killed by a white police officer, the preview video for the new episodes shows her clearly experiencing severe stress, with visible tremors and other signs that she could be going through some very serious PTSD. This is actually a topic that hasn’t been explored in so much depth by many TV shows, according to critics, so it could be interesting to see the producers of “Scandal” giving it a go.
In addition, when Olivia’s ex-lover, President Fitzgerald Grant, gives her a phone call, this might work to even further drive her PTSD up and put her in a stressful situation. Will the character be tortured too much before the producers give her a break? There are many indications that they’re setting her up for some dramatic developments over the next episodes, so it’s likely that we’ll see some strong character development in her soon.
And as if things weren’t bad enough already, there will also be an unexpected dramatic event occurring in the new episode that will make the headlines, adding even more stress to the already hard-pressed characters, perhaps including Olivia. The White House is having some internal issues of its own as well, as they are trying to figure out a way to deal with the vice president, who is becoming a more and more problematic figure in the whole ordeal.
So, it seems that when “Scandal” airs its new episode, it will have an impact on multiple sides of the story, but it’s perhaps most interesting to see what will happen to Olivia, both in this episode and in subsequent ones. It’s clear that the writers want to give her some extra focus for the time being, and there’s certainly nothing wrong with that.