Kerry Washington is having a moment — a very good moment.
Not only is she the female lead in the Oscar-nominated “Django Unchained,” but she’s also the star of the hit ABC series “Scandal.” It’s my guilty pleasure and I plan to get you watching, too.
On “Scandal,” Washington plays Olivia Pope, the former White House communications officer and current head of Pope and Associates, a crack team of crisis-management experts. Liv is infamous for her talent at fixing things. If you are among the elite in D.C. and trouble arises, she can make it go away.
Her “gladiators” — that is, the people who work for her — include shark of an attorney Harrison Wright (Columbus Short), whip-smart investigator Abby Whelan (Darby Stanchfield), and Quinn Perkins, aka Lindsay Dwyer (Katie Lowes), a woman with a new identity who once was a government scapegoat for a crime.
The last gladiator, Huck (Guillermo Diaz), is my favorite. He poses as the office-hacker extraordinaire, but he’s also a former black-ops hitman.
Many episodes feature a new big shot in hot water as the team works its magic to spin things or make troubles disappear altogether. The thread that binds two dynamite seasons, however, is Olivia’s past. You see, she’s been having an affair with the president of the United States
I love this show. It’s fast paced, smart, soapy and addictive. Sometimes the things going on aren’t even 100 percent plausible, but you hardly have time to notice.
And “Scandal” wouldn’t be “Scandal” without Washington. How one actress can be gutsy and as serious as a heart attack one moment and then tremble with the sincere pain of unrequited love in the next, I’ll never know.
I’m a fan.
Season one is on Netflix, and season two is on Thursday nights on ABC.