CliqueClackWhen will women hate Scandal’s President Fitzgerald?
On ABC’s ‘Scandal,’ Fitz is an adulterer, an almost-rapist, a murderer, a stalker and an alcoholic. But, last time I complained about Fitz’s behavior, half of womankind rained down fire. So, WHEN will women start hating Fitz?
What can Shonda Rhimes do to make women HATE Fitz? How much worse can his character become before we/Olivia finally dislike him?
I’m not going to lie. I hated last season’s adultery, but I loved Scandal‘s season one Fitz. Who didn’t like his abtacular abs, his bedroom eyes and his Olivia passion? THEN, season two rolled around. Within a few episodes I watched him assault his mistress multiple times, STALK and kidnap her, KILL an old lady with CANCER!!! (An OLD LADY!!! WITH CANCER!!!) and make bad decisions while drinking. Despite all that, I bet viewers still like him.
Honestly, I still find him incredibly hot. Tony Goldwyn does an excellent job. I melt when I see his puppy dog eyes and can almost (ALMOST) excuse him anything. After all, Verna was a major w-i-t-c-h in her final hours. And, Olivia’s awesome. Who wouldn’t want to stalk her? But, then I realized that’s why Rihanna forgave Chris Brown and why women forgive their abusers — because Fitz is THAT guy.
You know who I’m talking about. He’s the high school quarterback, the slacker dreamer and the unemployed actor. He’s the good-looking guy who never accomplishes anything for himself, but he’s just SO NICE you see your desires reflected in him. The quarterback WANTS to go to an Ivy League school, so you help him study for the SAT and write his essay. The actor WANTS to star in a show, so you pull down acting listings and send his head shots out. He’s the guy who doesn’t seem like a user, because he’s just SO pretty and helpless.
Let’s be honest, Fitz is a BAD president. In season one, we never saw him accomplish anything without Olivia, Mellie or Cyrus’ assistance. This season, he makes decisions on his own, but they’re consistently BAD. WHY did Olivia, Mellie and Cyrus back him to the White House? Because he’s THAT guy. Mellie saw a guy with political pedigree. Cyrus saw a guy with height and looks that he lacked. Verna saw her old friend’s son. Olivia saw a guy with a similar twisted relationship outlook. But, none of them ever SAW Fitz. He rarely made GOOD decisions on his own on the campaign trail; but, people overlooked it because they wanted to make him happy.
Admit it, true believers. Fitz is THAT guy. He’s Chris Brown. He’s Joey Buttafuoco. He’s the guy who makes you do things you’d never do because he’s HOT and makes you feel good. You do what he wants while sheltering him from it. Come on, Mellie willingly twists the law to keep Fitz in office (forging his signature, having ‘America’s Baby’ and letting him maintain MULTIPLE affairs). Olivia consistently overlooks his multiple assault attempts because she “loves” him (even though they’ve rarely interacted WITHOUT sex).
You know Fitz is THAT guy because he alternates in idolizing people in his life, then throwing them away when they don’t live up to that ideal (even when they committed the crime to help HIM). Have you noticed that everyone in Fitz’s life has an unhealthy attachment with him? Cyrus puts his marriage in jeopardy. Mellie’s straight up crazy to please him. And, Olivia gets blinders (i.e. not realizing he had an affair with the intern).
However, because Fitz is THAT guy, no doubt viewers are willing to forgive him. Shonda Rhimes did a lot over this season to slowly rip away Fitz’s THAT nice guy facade. But, will those of us who love Tony Goldwyn’s looks notice? Think about it, Fitz never really APOLOGIZED for any of his behavior (kidnapping Olivia, pushing her against a tree or attacking her on the elevator). Loving someone isn’t an excuse for hurting/stalking them. So, what does Shonda have to do to make us hate him? Show him killing puppies and drowning kittens?
Personally, I love this new side of Fitz. Keeping him as the torn good boy just didn’t add up. Fitz is toxic. But, like most toxic relationships with THAT guy, it’s difficult to get over. So, Shonda’s on the right track. Goldwyn and Washington have intense heat. Even their angry server room sex is hotter than the sun. I love watching Olivia war with her desire for Fitz and her desire to contain his decisions. I effing enjoy Scandal season two as much as Scandal season one (keep up the good work, Shonda!). The last time I questioned Fitz, people tweeted me down. Ivey received similar treatment when he wrote on it a couple weeks later. But, I wonder if they’ve changed their minds. So, I have to ask all the women who believed in FOlivia forever, do you still -ship for it? If so, why?
9 Comments on “When will women hate Scandal’s President Fitzgerald?”
I’ve had the exact opposite reaction to Fitz. I’ve never understood the appeal. I love Scandal, but I kept thinking, what are these two women doing risking everything for such a tool? I can buy that Fitz and Olivia have insane chemistry, so that’s the pull. And now that he’s office, Mellie is more for appearance and standing than actual love, at least that’s how it came across in the beginning. I thought everyone else who got him elected assumed he would be a dutiful puppet for their agenda.
I can’t get past, the president killed someone. I know she probably deserved it, but hey! Our president killed someone with his own hands.
Fitz is a putz, plain and simple. I get it that everyone he trusted betrayed him, but that doesn’t excuse him from killing, and acting like a giganic PUTZ!
Olivia, open your eyes…he isn’t the man you thought he was. Move on!
He killed Verna, right? She’s the Supreme Court justice character who hired the assassin who shot the press secretary/mother of two to death, shot the President multiple times includng in the head, then lied about Huck resulting in his torture, and rigged the Presidential election. Yes, Fitz broke down and killed her. Heads up, don’t watch Dallas, House of Cards, etc., either.
I’ve enjoyed seeing Fitz go down this dark path because his reaction makes sense. He’s disappointed in what those around him did. And, you can’t discount his shooting and that he suffered brain trauma. The shift from the lovable Fitz happened after the shooting. (I didn’t have a much of a problem w/ the “kidnapping” or almost-tree sex.).
Verna hired an assassin to kill HIM and then was going to destroy his life for something SHE did. I was surprised he killed her, but at the same time, it makes a lot of sense why he did. Would the before-assassination-attempt Fitz have done it … probably not. He would have kept her quiet another way. Or, resigned and lived a happy life with Olivia.
Mellie didn’t do any of those things for Fitz or for love, but for herself because she wanted the power that comes with being in the White House. She doesn’t care about Fitz at all, but the power she gets through him and the presidency. She’s faked a miscarriage to help get in the White House, same with the voting machines, induced labor to keep Fitz and power, forged his signature to keep herself relevant, etc.
Do I hate Fitz? No. Is he out of control? Yes. Do I think he will be redeemed? Absolutely.
Love Fitz. He’s not going anywhere. If he goes, the show will quickly deteriorate. We must keep Olivia and Fitz together.
It sounds like you bought into everything Fitz’s father said about him being a loser. Which I don’t know why anyone would listen to anything Fitz’s father would have to say about him…the man didn’t know his son. Fitz was in boarding school, and the time he did have with his father was spent outside his office door listening to him with his secretary! The man (Fitz) is anything but a loser. He’s a faulted human being, just like everyone else walking the planet, but he’s accomplished more than most ever will. Let’s see…he has a PhD, he’s a Rhodes Scholar, he went to law school, so perhaps he’s even a lawyer?…he was a Naval officer, he flew fighter jets/combat missions, so obviously, he’s pilot…he was a 2 term governor of California and is currently the president. I don’t think he was a lousy president, either. No president is like a king…they don’t just sit on a throne and make decisions all on their own.
And the whole Chris Brown, Joey Buttafuoco thing doesn’t even fly. There is no comparison, you might as well compare him to Lucy from I Love Lucy. I don’t see how they are anything alike. Their situations, what they’ve done, etc. He didn’t beat Liv and leave her on the side of the road. He didn’t have sex with an underage girl. I don’t get it??? And the “almost rape” is another miss. He didn’t almost rape anyone. (If you want to see an example of a rape, then watch Ike Turner with Tina on the movie, What’s Love Got to Do With It…it also showcases abuse, Fitz hasn’t done any of that) Liv strips him down faster than vultures on a carcass! Last time, in the electrical closet, she was like the Hendrix of undressing the man…she did it in almost darkness and backwards! Kudos, Livvy! Kudos!
He killed Verna. Yep. And? Verna had the man riddled with bullets, including one to the head. She tried killing him and in a way, she did. He’ll never be the same again. Now, he might have to live with life long damage. Why? Verna was the MURDERER! She did kill Britta Kagan, Fitz’s press secretary…a 30 something, mother of 2. The Kagans thank you, Fitz. Because of Verna, Huck was tortured and beaten within an inch of his life. He was waterboarded. Now, he doesn’t even want to shower or get out of a car if it’s raining. Fitz is just. He is a hero. He is a winner. He has a decent heart and spirit.
On a side note, I would like to see an article showcasing the abuse Fitz has endured. Had he been the one doing what Mellie did in the second shower scene of the episode, Whiskey, Tango, Foxtrot…this article might’ve said Mellie was raped. Fitz was in the shower, and he wanted to be left alone. Mellie refused to leave him alone. Even after he demanded it. Had a woman demanded to be left alone and a man kept being persistent like Mellie (and yes, I am a woman) articles would’ve crashed the internet about what a nasty rapist Fitz was! He was violated during his shower and he “had to” stand there and take it, because she’s an innocent nude woman and he’s a big strong man. What a shame!
He is not a stalker, either. He is not a regular guy. He’s the president, which means, he’s trapped in The White House. He can’t get out and about like common folks. If a common person has a break-up…they might be able to go on Facebook or Twitter or drive by or stop by the home of an ex, to “stay in the loop”. That doesn’t make someone a stalker. In Fitz’s case, anything he says or does is under a microscope 24/7. His way of keeping up and checking in on the woman he loves is by surveillance. He doesn’t want to harm her, so…he’s not stalking.
He IS an alcoholic. But that is not a reason to hate him. It’s a reason to try and help him. Maybe some AA? Mellie’s an enabler and Liv is a terrible girlfriend. Fitz has been through alot. He got out of the hospital early to save everyone’s behind from doing time in federal prison. He wasn’t healed up or anything. Tells me he’s loyal and cares about his sorry circle of friends. He saves Liv (offing Verna) from prison, just so she can go hang out and date a stranger named, Jake. She should be checking on Fitz’s condition. Her girlfriend skills need a little dusting off!
His adultery is wrong, but his heart is in the right place…he asked for a divorce and his so-called wife is pretty much like, “No, I’m gonna dance on his grave.” So, his adultery doesn’t even count to me. To me, Mellie’s just asking to be dumped on in that way…he tried to tell her behind he doesn’t want her anymore in that way. So, he’s getting a pass on this one….they don’t really have a marriage anyway. It’s been dead for years. Mellie’s got the papers, but Liv’s got the man.
So, when will women start hating Fitz? Why should we hate him? What’s to hate? He isn’t any more or less than any other human being. If Liv, dumped him, she’d just be trading him in for another sinner. Difference is, she actually has deep feelings for Fitz and he has deep feelings for her, so they might as well stick it out and be together, at least it feels good! Why would you want to be stuck with someone you don’t want to be with , just to give an appearance of moving on and being happy? What a complete lie. What a complete waste of time.
Team Olitz, all the way!!!!!!!!!
I can’t see the attraction that Olivia has for Fitz, because everytime I see Tony Goldwyn I still think of him as the bad guy in Ghost, and can’t forgive him for killing Patrick Swayze. Yes, I know that’s wrong. Usually I have no such hangups with not being able to let go of a past character.
Women have watched Fitz-like characters for decades on Dallas, Revenge, House of Cards, Political Animals, Dynasty, Knots Landing, The Wire, Dirty Sexy Money, and on and on and on. Sure, many are turned off by Fitz’s dark turn but they also have the intelligence to consider the context and unfolding plot points–and continue or stop watching. Many people across the board suspect the overanalysis would not be happening if the female lead were white. Scandal is a political drama, melodrama at that, and I think the bulk of Scandal’s wider audience of diverse, older, mature viewers with life experience get it.
One more thing…Fitz and Oliva rarely have sex. The article indicates the opposite. Ask regular viewers and they’ll tell you the characters had not had sex in about 3 years (until the server closet scene which annoyed a lot of people b/c the relationship is not sex based but the scene gave a different impression). The other several sex scenes were flashbacks. Throughout season 1 and season 2 in progress (until closet scene), Fitz’s pursut of Olivia did not involve sex. They had several stolen kisses. Interview regular viewers who closely follow the show and they can explain it.
Wow… what a terrible article? What show were you watching? What’s YOUR agenda here? What complete and utter nonsense! Huh? I’m sitting here scratching my head at this rediculously biased and warped view of Scandal. Are you just now visiting our planet? Yeah, how long is your stay? SMH…
While I sit surprised, I shouldn’t be. After all, I’ve had similar reviews of some of my fictional works – which tells me there is a community of females that think totally and completely WEIRD. Your means of reasoning is so off into strange that I have to applaud those that came back with logic and reasoning. As for a president that kills??? Excuse me, but we have had nothing BUT presidents who kill. Thus, the reason for the title, commander and chief. It’s a military title, and what does military do besides defend and guard? Guess………………………………… they kill! Why? Because the PRESIDENT has sent them to do so.
Oh, you don’t think that’s the same do you? How sad. My points are this way…
1.) Mellie & Fitz have a political marriage. Reminiscent of the arranged marriages of old, no love necessarily, but the arrangement was intended to bring about ties, unions and strategic links to certain families to keep the POWER, WEALTH and Prestige within!
2) Thing for Olivia? Well of course, because when you’re in an arranged marriage, your emotional and deeper needs to the core of your soul aren’t being met. This is not the case of course for all marriages, but certainly in the case of arranged ones. Absolutely it is the case of Fitz & Olivia… why else would they treasure and need, those precious……………… One minute…. no sex….. just….. one minute. What took place in that one minute, far exceeds what might be found in sex.
3.) A loser? A dreamer? A wanna be? HUH? I have first hand experience with these types and I can tell you now, Fitz does not fit.
4.) Rape? Stop it…….
That’s enough… so now, question is… what is your agenda, really? Really? What?