We know you’re still upset that this is the final season, but wipe away those tears and prepare yourselves for Scandal season 7 episode 1. You don’t want to miss any second of the drama due to watery eyes.
The Kerry Washington drama is wrapping up, but there’s plenty of twists and turns to come in the final TK-episode season that starts tonight. Shonda Rhimes, TV drama powerhouse and the show’s creator, has been open about the fact that Trump’s election has influenced the show and the writing process for it more difficult.
What can you expect from the new and final season?
Joe Morton, who plays Olivia Pope’s father in the series, opened up to CNN about the upcoming season as well as the show’s relationship to the country’s current political climate. When asked whether he thought that shows like Scandal needed to do more to shock viewers than past political dramas like West Wing, he talked about how the scaling up of TV drama in Scandal and similar shows like House of Cards only reflects the real world.
The events on the show have to be more shocking, in his opinion, due to the fact that “when something terrible happens … we sort of take it in as almost what we expect to happen.” This dark expectation, Morton says, can be attributed to “the divide economically between those who have and those who have not, the divide between the left and the right,” which “has just gotten wider and wider.”
In fact, to Morton, the line between scripted television and the news is starting to blur. “I think it’s probably more intrigue and drama on the news channels these days, given what they have to report as opposed to what’s on fictional television,” he told CNN. And it’s emotional for the two to be that closely related. Morton shared with the news network that there’s a scene in the seventh season that made him cry when he read the script.
“Fitz (the President) said something about ‘You’ve always said that you would uphold the republic,’ and (Rowan’s) response was that there is no republic: ‘Look around. The republic is in ashes, the Constitution is in shreds. We, the people, have been suffocated by their bare hands,’ which is basically the definition of authoritarianism,” Morton quoted to the news channel from the script. “When we shot that scene, I actually broke into tears,” he admitted.
“And I do believe there is a link between what I said in terms of the shredding of the Constitution and the republic being in ashes and Trump’s administration. I think that unfortunately, it appears that Donald Trump is trampling all over the Constitution,” he added.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, it’s safe to say that if Morton and his co-stars on Scandal are filling their performances with that much emotion, we’re all in for quite a ride this season. Needless to say, the final season will not disappoint fans.
Watch a sneak peek of Scandal season 7 episode 1
So, when does Scandal season 7 episode 1 start?
Tune into ABC tonight Thursday, October 5 at 9 p.m. EST for Scandal season 7 episode 1. You Shonda fans know exactly what channel you’re looking for, but for everyone else, there’s TV Guide’s Listings.
