BY: ARIANA DUFORD
Get your popcorn ready. After a two-week hiatus, "Scandal" and "How to Get Away with Murder" are back. But that's not all— these Emmy Award-winning shows will be onscreen together for the first time.
"Scandal" and "HTGAWM" fans are in for a once-in-a-lifetime treat Thursday night, as television's two leading Black women—Kerry Washington and Viola Davis—will be starring side-by-side in a crossover #HowToGetAwayWithScandal episode. The two-hour long event will merge the jaw-dropping storylines of two of director Shonda Rhimes' most popular shows.
In the episode, Davis' character, Annalise Keating, will make her way to D.C. in search of Olivia Pope (Kerry Washington), reported Entertainment Weekly. What will ensue is sure to have viewers in shock.
This is a moment not just for "Scandal" or "How to Get Away with Murder" fans, but for everyone who has ever longed for better media representation.
When Scandal—now wrapping up its seventh and final season—first introduced us to Olivia Pope, it was the first time in 40 years that a Black woman starred in a lead role on a network drama.
Washington and her role as the formidable Washington, D.C., fixer Olivia Pope have, arguably, opened the door for other African American women to step out of the shadows and reclaim their stories. Series such as "Insecure," "Black-ish," "Being Mary Jane" and "How to Get Away with Murder" all rose to national recognition on the heels of "Scandal's" undeniable success.
"I just want to say that sometimes, we have been told a false narrative as women, often, that there is only room for one of us in the room," said Washington at the 6th Annual Women Making History Awards in September.
Washington and Davis' characters defy the stereotypical roles given to Black actresses and, instead, champion Black Girl Magic. Olivia Pope is the force that keeps the entire U.S. Government afloat. Davis's character, Annalise Keating, is a fierce trial lawyer and college professor. No more predictable, one-dimensional roles for women of color. No more African American female characters whose only purpose is to meet a show's diversity quota. No more Black women cast as the wise old lady or the struggling, single mother. In the words of hip-hop mogul Jay-Z, "We off that."
For several seasons, "Scandal" has brought controversial social issues into our living rooms. The show has covered abortion rights, post-traumatic stress disorder, the death of unarmed Black teenagers at the hands of the police and, most recently, missing Black girls in the D.C. area. Now in its fourth season, "How to Get Away with Murder" has tackled sexual assault, dog whistle politics and privilege. Both shows use at-the-edge-of-your-seat drama as a vehicle to drive real-world conversations. And, for that, we should be proud.
