By now, unless you’ve been living under a proverbial rock, you’ve heard of the legendary Olivia Pope. Her hair is always pressed to perfection, her rich white clients rarely question her black, female authority, she struts down the streets of D.C. handling high-powered politicians, cleaning up the messes of internationally-known celebrities, and virtually keeping the façade that is Shondaland’s version of the U.S. Government afloat. It appears that she can fix everything; well, everything except her own love life that is.
When we last saw the Scandal fandom’s favorite couple, the quasi-invincible fixer and the “Leader of the Free World” were experiencing the romantic equivalent of a nuclear meltdown. The lovers took no prisoners, detonating what remained of their visibly crumbling relationship, and leaving nothing but collateral damage and pain in their wake. The feeble “We tried,” Fitz managed to utter was the final nail in the coffin of the relationship whose epitaph reads, “Here lies #Olitz. They were torn apart by one too many lies, one too many broken promises, and one omnipotent Papa Pope.” Now before any of you shippers jump down my throat for prematurely declaring the death of your OTP, let me remind you that in the mind of Shonda Rhimes, (insert a whole bunch of unrealistic things that have happened her shows). That is to say that anything is possible, and the sordid affair between the POTUS and his mistress may not yet be six feet under. But for now, the pairing is at least in a comatose state.
If you’re wondering why I’m so convinced that we’ll soon be attending the wake of Scandal’s headlining pair with a tearful Cyrus Beane and a secretly rejoicing Mellie Grant, look no further than this past Thursday’s winter premiere. And I do mean look, because if you look closely enough, you’ll see our protagonist doing something she’s never done in the history of the show: Olivia Pope was wearing color! If you don’t believe this change in clothing constitutes an emotional revelation, I suggest you consult this interview with Scandal’s costume designer, Lyn Paolo, and this one, which features conversation with both Paolo and the show’s lead, Kerry Washington. To summarize, Paolo’s creations have helped our beloved Ms. Pope establish her prowess in the battle that perpetually ensues in the American political arena, while draping her in neutral tones that allow her to maintain her femininity. But Season Five’s midseason return, the first episode aired since Olivia and Fitz’s epic fight, showed a different shade of our unlucky-in-love heroine. To prove my point, I’ll break down a few of her bold color choices for the week:
The orange dress: In one of the first scenes of the episode, we see Olivia having dinner with none other than her sinister father, Eli Pope. But while many of their encounters have been adversarial at best, deadly at their worst, this dinner was remarkably pleasant. Olivia donned a poppy-hued orange dress; this color represented the warmth and happiness the father-daughter pair exude as they playfully bantered back and forth about power. This scene denoted the repaired relationship between the monstrous Papa Pope and his only child.
The red coat and cape: Red represents passion, action, and energy; all of which are qualities Olivia displayed while donning this color. She has a steamy sexual encounter with Jake, in which passion and lust seem to have replaced the deep feelings she had for Fitz, liberating her from their seemingly inescapable relationship. She also rocks a red coat to meet her newest client, the head of the CIA. She happens to be a woman, so the nuances that colored her previous clothing choices don’t apply in the same fashion.
The royal blue sweater: Blue represents honesty, loyalty, and trust; all of which are adjectives that can be applied to Olivia’s best friend Abby, with whom she shares a glass of whiskey while wearing this color. The state of their friendship was arguably questionable given Abby’s job as White House Press Secretary and Olivia’s decision to end her public relationship with the President. Their talk about Olivia’s relationship with the President is deeply truthful and authentic, reminiscent o girl chat by women who aren’t so deeply embroiled in the country’s political circumstances.
The yellow skirt: This color represents both happiness as well as knowledge and intelligence. So it’s fitting that Olivia wears this outfit while “gladiating,” the activity that allows her to show off her incredible talents and subsequently brings her the greatest joy. This fashion choice also demonstrates her liberation from the cage created by the constraints of her relationship with Fitz, and the shackles that would’ve tied her down if she had become the First Lady.
When Olivia wore the light, pastel colors, the object of her wardrobe was not to make her stand out as the only “skirt” in a room full of “suits.” She had to try to blend in through her clothes to avoid seeming threatening to the inherent masculinity that permeates D.C. culture, and to fade into the background of Fitz’s life, so as not to expose their adulterous affair. Now that she’s no longer tasked with managing the media minefield that was her dalliance with Fitz, Olivia is free to exude her natural radiance; she can finally stand in the sun, allowing the beautiful hues of her new garments to absorb its energy and warmth. As we can see, during the six-month time jump, there have been several positive developments in Olivia’s life: She has improved her volatile relationship with her father, has found liberating sexual companionship with Jake, has maintained her friendship with Abby, and was able to return to the career that she lives for. So much has been accomplished, yet only one major aspect of her life has changed: her relationship with Fitz. So while this burst of color may be a temporary deviance from the mean, and Olivia may soon be tempted to rescue her fabulous taupe coats form the depths of her seemingly unending closet, by all accounts, she’s happy at the moment. With her relationship with Fitz, and all the drama that it brings, on hold, Olivia is free to show her true colors.
