She is in many ways the opposite of an unlikeable character: she is so likeable that we forgive her her moral transgressions, whether they be lying, cheating, manipulating, or even murder. It’s never quite clear where Olivia’s self-preservation ends and her villainy begins. The stakes throughout Scandal become comically high—the show evolves from a crisis-of-the-week format to include political subterfuge, murders, secret spy organizations, and a long-standing affair between Olivia and the president of the United States—but it never lets us off the hook with this main question: Is Olivia Pope
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