….Besides the fact that it’s, well, scandalous (and always ends on a cliffhanger, which makes it very easy to binge watch)!
1. There are very few passive, or flat, characters on the show. In one way or another, every person on the show is a “power player.” They all have either a personal agenda or else some kind of ability that no one else has. Mellie is not just the president’s wife – she’s a major force. James is not just Cyrus’s husband; even when Cyrus thinks he is and brushes him off, James proves him wrong. People also don’t tend to put up with other people tarnishing their characters or reputations – they are always standing up for themselves and their needs/wants, whether it’s people in the White House, Olivia’s clients, or members of Olivia’s team (like when Quinn tells Abby off when Abby is being mean to her early in Season 2). Even how David ends up wriggling his way into the team. I like this much better than the standard TV show, where you have primary/dominant characters and then passive sort of sidekick characters that just fill up space (aka the wives, girlfriends, feminine men, “comic relief,” “backdrops”).
2. People of different races kissing.
3. Gay people on this show who feel genuine love for the United States as a country. This is the first time in a LONG time I have seen other LGBT people (either fictional or in real life) who feel this way. In our (LGBT) community, this attitude is usually scorned. “Loving the country” is for rednecks and conservative Christians, not well-educated queer people, whose job it is to be cynical and talk about moving to Canada — or something like that.
I grew up in the Girl Scouts and regularly served as the caller for the Color Guard in flag ceremonies for years. Watching a worn or torn ceremonial flag burning brings me to tears — and these days, I can say not many other things do. I feel strongly about following flag etiquette (no flags up in the dark, knowing why a flag is at half-staff), etc, and I know all the words to “This Land is Your Land.” As stupid as this may sound here in writing, it is nice to have this affirmation that it actually IS possible to be both queer and to be happy to be in this country ( even if it does have a problematic, oppressive history) — that, you know, this land can be our land, too, that it is worth it to fight for changes here, within our borders, rather than just leaving, etc.
4. Guillermo Diaz, but I already mentioned him earlier.
5. The switch up from the typical cops/criminals dichotomy shown in shows like Law & Order, Criminal Minds, etc. — and into this idea that morality is a gray space. There really are no absolute “good guys” or “bad guys,” and Olivia’s cases aren’t about right and wrong (black and white), just about “fixing” — damage control not being the same as justice under the law. I like this because real life really is like that. It is complex and difficult and “right” and “wrong” all depend on your perspective at any given point.
6. There are actually places where the viewer isn’t hit over the head with information and must figure it out for themselves. This is also refreshing to me.
….There are things I don’t like about the show, as well – mostly, how Olivia (so far, anyways, and I’m almost done with season 2) seems powerless in standing up for herself with men. She’s basically a powerhouse in the world at large but seems to have no ability to stand up for herself in a romantic situation, whether it’s requiring a man to accept that no means no, or, you know, the part where guys seem to just kind of mow over her, letting themselves into her home after she tells them she doesn’t want to talk to them, etc. I hope this is explained in later episodes, because I would like to see some recognition at how messed up, and inconsistent, her passivity is in that particular department of life, rather than having that kind of behavior be portrayed as “normal” or “OK.” (because she’s a woman or whatever).
Still – I’ve never had this kind of obsession with a show before. I’ve watched over 30 episodes now in less than a week!
Amorphous Amphibian 