From Scandal's pilot episode, it might have seemed like the "scandal" in question was the fact that a former White House employee, Olivia Pope (Kerry Washington) had an affair with the president. But as we watched Olivia's team of gladiators handle case after case of Washington drama, it quickly became clear that wasn't the case.
Still, the off-and-on romance between Olivia and Fitz (Tony Goldwyn) has always been one of the show's main plots. Eventually, we saw some of Olivia's other flames — namely, Jake (Scott Foley) and Edison (Norm Lewis) — too. The love triangles inspired "Team Fitz," "Team Jake," and "Team Edison" discussions among fans.
But focusing on which romantic "team" to support misses the point of the show, according to creator Shonda Rhimes. She explained the issue with the "will they or won't they" framework in an interview with Entertainment Weekly.
"I was never telling a 'will they or won't they' thing," Rhimes told EW. "Every time somebody asked me if people were Team Whatever, I never really got that. I was always telling a story about the evolution of a woman."
Rhimes also emphasized that Olivia has her own issues to work through, and they start a lot earlier than her relationship with Fitz. "I think everything in life is about relationships, and so I think that the issues that came up for Olivia in her relationship with Fitz are issues that she's still working through, issues having to do with her father, issues having to do with post-traumatic stress and being abandoned and feeling worthy of love and being emotionally available and present," she told the magazine.
That doesn't mean that "Team Fitz" members should necessarily lose hope for the sometimes-couple's future. But it's good to remember that Olivia's romantic entanglements aren't the show's main focus. Instead of rooting for her suitors, how about we all agree to be "Team Olivia" this season?
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