I congratulate Shonda Rhimes, a woman of color, running a show that doesn’t use “Urban” tropes. However, Scandal is better off as a straightforward melodrama. If the whodunits are constructed like the one in the pilot then Scandal will be a dull show. The actor playing the client/suspect wasn’t convincing as a red-blooded conservative. Highlighting his conservative character makes his true nature more obvious. Good acting from clients-of-the-week would make the show feel less shallow.
I liked seeing Kerry Washington giving both the tough and vulnerable sides to Olivia Pope. I’ll assume Finch’s (Henry Ian Cusick) accent is American; I would’ve cared about Finch’s romance if his fiance didn’t look, from the peeks I saw, like a typical mainstream beauty. Tony Goldwyn ably provides President Grant with the ongoing sexual tension with Pope. The other supporting cast is fine but Scandal will be carried by Washington.