The most anticipated television crossover event happened Thursday, March 1, during ABC’s TGIT lineup. A line up that includes “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Scandal,” and (my personal favorite) “How To Get Away With Murder.” “Scandal” and “HTGAWM” were the two shows that crossed over and it was the most epic two hours of #blackgirlmagic that I have ever laid eyes on. I am not an avid Scandal viewer, so I was a bit confused during the first episode which was set in the same land of Scandal.
The premise was that Annalise Keating (Viola Davis) was on a business trip to Washington, D.C. to elicit the help of Olivia Pope (Kerry Washington) to try to get her class-action suit to the Supreme Court. Annalise’s class-action suit, which would help hundreds of wrongfully accused Americans in the prison system, brings light to the problem surrounding a work-overload for attorneys that work for the government. Her hope is that if she can win her suit, she will help hundreds–if not thousands–of Americans find justice in cases in which they may have been wrongfully convicted.
Olivia is very skeptical of Annalise’s past but agrees to help her because, as always, she does what is right for the country and follows her gut instinct. At the end of the Scandal episode, Olivia has accomplished her goal to get Annalise’s case to the Supreme Court by using her Gladiator magic and connections with the former President, Fitzgerald Grant.
The HTGAWM episode begins with the two women reviewing the game-plan for the coming days and preparing for Annalise’s career moment before the Supreme Court justices. The most intense moment of the show, and one that truly displayed the incredible acting skills of both women came towards the end of the episode when Annalise discovers that a friend has relapsed on heroin, and feels that everything that she does and touches turns bad. With just minutes to spare before she is meant to appeal to the highest court in the land, she has a nervous breakdown.
When Olivia comes to her side to ask what she needs, Annalise replies “vodka.” Knowing that Annalise is an alcoholic, Olivia requests that someone goes to find Annalise what she has asked for. In a painful moment, Olivia waves the bottle of vodka in front of Annalise and says “Whatever you need from this bottle is already in you, you know that.” Annalise, with tears streaming down her eyes, pushes the bottle away and proceeds to give a speech for the court that, personally, put tears in my eyes.
While there is no direct resolution at the end, there are steps in the right direction for justice. This crossover was one of excitement and awe. To have two powerful black women in the primetime spot supporting one another was empowering. Both Kerry Washington and Viola Davis are superb actresses and made the crossover event one to talk about for years to come.