Watch Me (Scandal)

Last updated
"Watch Me"
Scandal episode
Scandal 701.jpg
A scene during which Jake, Mellie and Olivia discuss the vanishing of Joshua Stewart.
Episode no.Season 7
Episode 1
Directed by Jann Turner
Written by Shonda Rhimes
Produced by Kerry Washington
Severiano Canales
Tia Napolitano
Featured music"Fight the Power" by Public Enemy
"It Takes Two" by Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock
Cinematography byDaryn Okada
Editing byKyle Bond
Original air dateOctober 5, 2017 (2017-10-05)
Running time43:03
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
← Previous
"Transfer of Power"		Next →
"Pressing the Flesh"
Scandal (season 7)
List of episodes

"Watch Me" is the first episode of the seventh season of the American political thriller television series Scandal, and the 107th episode overall. Written by series creator and showrunner Shonda Rhimes and directed by Jann Turner, [1] it premiered on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) on October 5, 2017. [2] This episode was watched by 5.52 million viewers.

Contents

Plot

Local news announce Luna Vargas' death, which was considered a heart attack; Cyrus Beene's (Jeff Perry) new position as Vice President; and President Mellie Grant's (Bellamy Young) first joint session at the Congress, during which she promised a bill to free education. Senator Michaels (David Bickford) is interviewed by Curtis Pryce (Jay Hernandez) and tells him he does not stand for the bill. However, Olivia Pope (Kerry Washington), President Grant's Chief of Staff, blackmails Senator Michaels with an envelope containing a lot of prejudicial info on him in exchange of his positive response during the bill vote. Shortly after, Pope enters the Oval Office to tell Grant and Beene about Michaels' "help," and convinces Beene to talk with other senators. Olivia is interviewed by Pryce about the bill, and the two end up arguing about meritocracy and racism.

Meanwhile, at the office of Quinn Perkins & Associates, Abby Whelan (Darby Stanchfield), Charlie (George Newbern) and Quinn Perkins (Katie Lowes) try to rip out of David Rosen (Joshua Malina) someone he knows who is in crisis so that QPA could work. A woman desperately enters the office looking for help and Quinn and Abby rushes to talk with her. The woman, named Madeline Stewart (Tina Huang), tells her father travelled overseas and, during the previous two nights, he wasn't calling her, which triggered suspicious. At night, Olivia and Jake Ballard (Scott Foley) discuss about their uncommitted affair. The next morning, Ballard investigates Joshua Stewart (Andrew Tinpo Lee), Madeline's missing father, and discovers he is a CIA agent who helps the Nation several times as an undercover, so his vanishing is something to worry about. Jake suggests they kill him in order to prevent any type of betray since he could've been caught by terrorist and such.

Cyrus meets with Senator Diane Greenwald (Bess Armstrong) to talk about the Vargas bill, and she reveals that she opposes to the bill because it should be a Democratic rather than a Republican product, as well as prompting Cyrus to look forward to a future where he is President, and not Pope and Grant's doormat. Quinn omits to Madeline the fact that her father is a spy, and Huck (Guillermo Díaz) thinks ahead and visits Olivia, already knowing that she and Jake planned Joshua's death, and states that his daughter will need a body to bury. However, the next morning, President Grant summits Jake in the Oval to ask him about Joshua's rescue, which was planned by Olivia, much to Jake's dismay. President Grant has a reunion with Ambassador Marachi (Shaun Toub) in which she regards American assets being kept in Bashman.

Production

George Newbern was upgraded to the regular cast. George Newbern Muppets Most Wanted Premiere (cropped).jpg
George Newbern was upgraded to the regular cast.

This episode was directed by Jann Turner [1] and written by Scandal creator and showrunner Shonda Rhimes. [3] ABC renewed the series for a seventh and final season on February 10, 2017. [4] [5] The season began airing on October 5, 2017, with this episode, [2] and will consist of 18 episodes, adding the total episode count of the show to 124 episodes. [6] Cast member George Newbern was upgraded to a series regular after being a recurring cast member for the past six seasons and made his first appearance as a regular actor in this episode, portraying former B613 assassin Charlie. [7] The table read for the episode started on July 19, 2017. [8] Filming commenced on August 2, 2017, [9] and wrapped on the following day. [10] [ better source needed ] A promo containing scenes from Scandal and other ShondaLand productions, which also featured Taylor Swift's song "Look What You Made Me Do", was released on September 11, 2017. [11] This episode features the songs "Fight the Power" by American hip hop group Public Enemy and "It Takes Two" by Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock. [12] Score for this episode was developed by Chad Fischer.

Reception

Ratings

"Watch Me" premiered on ABC on October 5, 2017. [3] During its airing, the installment was watched by 5.52 million Americans, acquiring a 1.4/5 Nielsen rating/share on the 18–49 demographic. [13] These values had an increase in front of the previous episode and a decrease regarding the sixth-season premiere, earlier 2017. This episode is rated TV-14.

Reviews

Reviewers[ who? ] overall commented on the fact that this episode is the last season premiere. Kendall Williams of Den of Geek gave the premiere a 3.5 out of 5 stars rating, labelling it as "predictable." [14] Billy Nilles of E! News praised the episode, commenting, "As the season opener proved, [Olivia is] exactly where she's always wanted to be—though perhaps not exactly with who she wanted to be with." [15] Ashley Ray-Harris of The A.V. Club lauded the episode, giving it a A letter rating and saying it was "one of the show’s best premieres and it sets the stage for an intriguing season with our favorite characters." [16] Justin Kirkland of EW.com repeatedly mourned over the show's ending and praised the premiere. [17] Andrea Reiher of Refinery29 gave the episode a mixed review but praised Kerry Washingston's performance as Olivia Pope and the show's new directions. [18] Joshua Alston of Vulture had a positive response, giving the episode a 4 out of 5 stars rating. [19] Paul Dailly of TVFanatic has a mixed opinion, giving the installment a 3.8 out of 5 stars rating, saying it was "decent," adding, "It had the characters in some crazy situations, but as far as premieres go, this was the quietest one in quite some time." [20]

Related Research Articles

Scandal is an American political thriller television series starring Kerry Washington. Created by Shonda Rhimes, it aired on ABC from April 5, 2012, until April 19, 2018, for 124 episodes over seven seasons. Kerry Washington's character, Olivia Pope, is partially based on former George H. W. Bush administration press aide Judy Smith, who serves as a co-executive producer.

<i>Scandal</i> (season 2) Season of American television series Scandal

The second season of the American television drama series Scandal, created by Shonda Rhimes, began on September 27, 2012, in the United States, on ABC, and consisted of 22 episodes. The season was produced by ABC Studios, in association with ShondaLand Production Company; the showrunner being Shonda Rhimes. The program airs at the same time in Canada through the City television system with simsubbing of the ABC feed.

<i>Scandal</i> (season 3) Season of American television series Scandal

The third season of the American television drama series Scandal, created by Shonda Rhimes, began on October 3, 2013, in the United States, on ABC, and consisted of 18 episodes. The season was produced by ABC Studios, in association with ShondaLand Production Company; the showrunner being Shonda Rhimes.

<i>Scandal</i> (season 1) Season of American television series Scandal

The first season of the ABC American television drama series Scandal premiered on April 5, 2012 and concluded on May 17, 2012, with a total of 7 episodes.

<i>Scandal</i> (season 4) Season of American television series Scandal

The fourth season of the American television drama series Scandal began airing on September 25, 2014, in the United States on ABC and consists of 22 episodes. The season was produced by ABC Studios, in association with ShondaLand Production Company; the showrunner being Shonda Rhimes. On May 7, 2015, ABC announced that Scandal had been renewed for a fifth season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Randy, Red, Superfreak and Julia</span> 1st episode of the 4th season of Scandal

"Randy, Red, Superfreak and Julia" is the season premiere of the 4th season of Scandal, and is the 48th overall episode. It premiered on September 25, 2014, in the U.S. on ABC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Price of Free and Fair Elections</span> 18th episode of the 3rd season of Scandal

"The Price of Free and Fair Elections" is the 18th episode and season finale of the third season of the American political thriller television series Scandal, and is the 47th overall episode. It aired on April 17, 2014 on ABC in the United States. The episode was written by showrunner Shonda Rhimes and executive producer Mark Wilding and directed by executive producer Tom Verica. The season finale was originally supposed to be the 22nd episode, but because of the show's lead Kerry Washington's pregnancy, the episode count was trimmed by ABC by four episodes, leading the season finale to be the 18th episode.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Where the Sun Don't Shine</span> 9th episode of the 4th season of Scandal

"Where the Sun Don't Shine" is the ninth episode of the fourth season of Scandal, and is the 56th overall episode, serving as the mid-season finale. It aired on November 20, 2014, in the U.S. on ABC.

Run (<i>Scandal</i>) 10th episode of the 4th season of Scandal

"Run" is the tenth episode, serving as a mid-season premiere of the fourth season of the American political thriller television series Scandal, and is the 57th overall episode, which aired on ABC on January 29, 2015. The episode was written by showrunner Shonda Rhimes and directed by executive producer Tom Verica. The episode serves as a bottle episode, in which the episode focuses solely on Olivia's kidnapping and her captivity in a jail cell, which she shares with a cellmate named Ian McLeod. The episode features the fewest series regulars of any episode of the series, with only four regulars appearing: Olivia Pope, Jake Ballard, President Fitzgerald "Fitz" Grant lll and Abby Whelan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Quinn Perkins</span> Character on American television series Scandal

Quinn Perkins, formerly Lindsay Dwyer, is a fictional character portrayed by Katie Lowes and created by Shonda Rhimes for the political drama television series Scandal. At the beginning of the series, she is recruited to work for Olivia Pope in the Washington, D.C.-based crisis management-firm, Olivia Pope & Associates (OPA), that specializes in "fixing" political situations and scandals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gladiators Don't Run</span> 12th episode of the 4th season of Scandal

"Gladiators Don't Run" is the twelfth episode of the fourth season of Scandal, and is the 59th overall episode. It aired on February 12, 2015, in the U.S. on ABC.

<i>Scandal</i> (season 5) Season of American television series Scandal

The fifth season of the American television drama series Scandal was ordered on May 7, 2015, by ABC, and began airing on September 24, 2015, in the United States on ABC. The season was produced by ABC Studios, in association with ShondaLand Production Company; the showrunner being Shonda Rhimes.

Sweet Baby (<i>Scandal</i>) 1st episode of the 1st season of Scandal

"Sweet Baby" is the pilot episode of the American political thriller television series Scandal, which aired on American Broadcasting Company (ABC) on April 5, 2012. The episode was written by showrunner Shonda Rhimes and directed by Paul McGuigan. The episode introduces main character Olivia Pope, a crisis manager with her own firm, Olivia Pope & Associates, and its staff Stephen Finch, Harrison Wright, Abigail "Abby" Whelan, Huck and newly hired Quinn Perkins. Other main cast members include the staff at the White House in Washington D.C., President Fitzgerald "Fitz" Thomas Grant III, and White House Chief of Staff Cyrus Beene.

Heavy Is the Head (<i>Scandal</i>) 1st episode of the 5th season of Scandal

"Heavy Is the Head" is the season premiere of the fifth season of the American political thriller television series Scandal, and the 70th episode overall. It aired on September 24, 2015, on American Broadcasting Company (ABC) in the United States. The episode was written by showrunner Shonda Rhimes and directed by executive producer Tom Verica. The episode focuses on the newly mended relationship with Olivia and Fitz, in addition to the scandal in which the Princess of Caledonia is killed and Olivia is hired to make sure the Royal family's private life stays private.

<i>Scandal</i> (season 6) Season of American television series Scandal

The sixth season of the American television drama series Scandal was ordered on March 3, 2016, by ABC. It began airing on January 26, 2017, in the United States on ABC. The season includes the 100th episode of the series, being the tenth episode of this season. The season was produced by ABC Studios, in association with ShondaLand Production Company; the showrunner being Shonda Rhimes.

<i>Scandal</i> (season 7) Season of American television series Scandal

The seventh and final season of the American television drama series Scandal was ordered on February 10, 2017 by ABC. It was later announced that the seventh season would be the final season for Scandal. The season began airing on October 5, 2017, and consisted of 18 episodes, adding the total episode count of the show to 124 episodes. Cast member George Newbern was upgraded to a series regular after being a recurring cast member for the past six seasons. The season was produced by ABC Studios, in association with ShondaLand Production Company; the showrunner being Shonda Rhimes.

"Day 101" is the third episode of the seventh season of ABC's political drama series Scandal. Directed by Scott Foley and written by Zahir McGhee, it premiered in the U.S. on October 19, 2017. The episode was watched by 4.70 million Americans, and received mixed commentary from television criticism.

"Over a Cliff" is the series finale of the American political drama television series Scandal. It premiered in the United States on April 19, 2018 on ABC. The eighteenth episode of the seventh season and the 124th episode overall, it was directed by Tom Verica and written by showrunner Shonda Rhimes. According to Nielsen Media Research, it was watched by 5.46 million Americans, acquiring a 1.3/5 rating/share in the 18–49 age range demographic.

"Allow Me to Reintroduce Myself" is the twelfth episode of the seventh season of the American political drama television series Scandal. The 118th episode overall, it was written by Raamla Mohamed and directed by Tony Goldwyn. A crossover with the legal drama series How to Get Away with Murder, the installment aired on March 1, 2018, on ABC, before "Lahey v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania", the thirteenth episode of the fourth season of How to Get Away with Murder.

References

  1. 1 2 Howard, Merri (July 18, 2017). "First tech scout completed ☑️ #Scandal Epi. #701 Directed by @JannTurner". twitter.com. Retrieved July 19, 2017.
  2. 1 2 Mitovich, Matt Webb (July 24, 2017). "ABC Fall Premiere Dates: XL Grey's Return, Scandal's Swan Song and More". TVLine . Retrieved July 24, 2017.
  3. 1 2 "(#701) "Watch Me"". The Futon Critic. Retrieved September 19, 2017.
  4. ↑ Holloway, Daniel (May 15, 2017). "ABC 2017 Upfront Summary". Variety. Retrieved May 16, 2017.
  5. ↑ "Tony Goldwyn Talks the End of Scandal". E! News. May 18, 2017. Retrieved May 18, 2017.
  6. ↑ Ausiello, Michael. "Scandal Farewell Update: Final Season Episode Count Revealed". TVLine . Retrieved August 13, 2017.
  7. ↑ Ausiello, Michael (May 15, 2017). "Scandal Promotes George Newbern to Series Regular for Final Season". TVLine. Retrieved July 13, 2017.
  8. ↑ Haylock, Zoe (July 20, 2017). "It's The Beginning Of The End For "Scandal" Season 7". Refinery29 . Retrieved August 24, 2017.
  9. ↑ @jannturner (August 2, 2017). "here we go #7candal #onset #JannCam" (Tweet). Retrieved August 24, 2017– via Twitter.
  10. ↑ @jannturner (August 3, 2017). "#behindthescenes #7candal last day of shooting #episode1 #JannCam" (Tweet). Retrieved August 24, 2017– via Twitter.
  11. ↑ Lynch, Jason (August 25, 2017). "ABC Is Already Using Taylor Swift's New Song 'Look What You Made Me Do' to Promote TGIT". Adweek . Retrieved August 26, 2017.
  12. ↑ "Scandal Soundtrack - S7E1: Watch Me". TuneFind. October 4, 2017. Retrieved October 8, 2017.
  13. ↑ Porter, Rick (October 6, 2017). "'Grey's Anatomy' and NFL adjust up: Thursday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on October 7, 2017. Retrieved October 6, 2017.
  14. ↑ Williams, Kendall (October 6, 2017). "Scandal Season 7 Premiere Review: Watch Me". Den of Geek . Retrieved October 8, 2017.
  15. ↑ Nilles, Billy (October 5, 2017). "Scandal's Final Season Premiere Is Here to Remind You to Never Question Olivia Pope's Authority". E! News . Retrieved October 8, 2017.
  16. ↑ Ray-Harris, Ashley (October 5, 2017). "Scandal's premiere shows us Olivia's world and the results are stellar". The A.V. Club . Retrieved October 8, 2017.
  17. ↑ Kirkland, Justin (October 5, 2017). "Scandal premiere recap: 'Watch Me'". EW.com . Retrieved October 8, 2017.
  18. ↑ Reiher, Andrea (October 5, 2017). "Scandal Season 7 Premiere Recap". Refinery29 . Retrieved October 8, 2017.
  19. ↑ Alston, Joshua (October 6, 2017). "Scandal Season-Premiere Recap: Fear of a Black Hat". Vulture . Retrieved October 8, 2017.
  20. ↑ Dailly, Paul (October 6, 2017). "Scandal Season 7 Episode 1 Review: Watch Me". TVFanatic. Retrieved October 8, 2017.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.