“Scandal”, when it first aired, wasn’t a half bad series but with each subsequent season, the show has jumped right into the soap opera pool and the storylines and characters have suffered. This fifth season might not be terrible but going from season one to this, you can see how much it has fallen.
“Scandal”: The Complete Fifth Season
(2015-16)
Genre(s): Drama
Buena Vista | TV14 – 964 min. – $45.99 | August 23, 2016
Date Published: 08/21/2016 | Author: The Movieman
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THE MOVIE — 2.75/5 |
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Season Synopsis: The Oval Office is up for grabs, and none of the players are playing nice, including Olivia Pope (KERRY WASHINGTON), who now realizes she can never be content as a wifely First Lady. Domestic bliss pales in comparison with holding the reins of the highest office in the land, so when faced with a chance to wield unrivaled influence at any cost, will she continue to wear the white hat…or prove that she is, indeed, her father’s daughter? Prepare for a “battle royale” as Olivia, the White House politicians and the O.P.A. “gladiators” play an anything-goes game of blackmail, murder and seduction in a bid for that all-consuming, all-corrupting commodity: Power. Quick Hit Review: Admittedly, I’m not much a fan of Shonda Rhimes’ TV series though I have on occasion enjoyed this political soap opera “Scandal” primarily for the performances, specifically Kerry Washington whose presence is commanding in every scene she’s in. However, her charisma and talent, not to mention stunning looks, can only take a series so far especially when the plot and writing in the past season or two has been lacking, and it would seem this fifth season only continues the series’ downward spiral. The show goes through the typical motions you see in the others that have come before, mainly Olivia Pope and President Fitzgerald “Fitz” Grant (TONY GOLDWYN) together only to be torn apart pretty quickly. The remainder of the season does find new cases for Pope and company as well as a political campaign for a new president. Again, there’s not much new here and the soap opera aspects get a bit too soapy for my taste. The producer promises to get the show back to its roots, more or less acknowledging the loyal fans’ frustrations, but if I were them, I wouldn’t hold my breath. I suspect unless the writing gets drastically better, the upcoming sixth season could be its last, and based on season five, not sure if that’s such a bad thing. |
SPECIAL FEATURES – 1.0/5 |
| The 5-disc set is housed in a standard DVD case and comes with a title-embossed slip cover. Unfortunately the features are rather light with only a set of Outtakes (3:10) and an Extended Episode (“I See You”). |
VIDEO – 4.0/5, AUDIO – 3.75/5
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| “Scandal”: The Complete Fifth Season arrives on DVD shown in its originally televised 1.78 anamorphic widescreen aspect ratio and for the most part, it looks good with nice well balanced colors. The Dolby Digital 5.1 track isn’t anything special yet dialogue levels sound clear and the LFE channel does kick in for an extra measure of depth. |
OVERALL – 2.5/5 |
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Overall, “Scandal”, when it first aired, wasn’t a half bad series but with each subsequent season, the show has jumped right into the soap opera pool and the storylines and characters have suffered. This fifth season might not be terrible but going from season one to this, you can see how much it has fallen. The DVD release offers good video/audio transfers but the lack in features is disappointing. |
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