'Scandal' The Complete Second Season: The Addictive Drama Reveals More About Pope & Associates In A Fantastic Season

Scandal continued to be one of television’s most addictive dramas with its second season now out on DVD and a third season about to begin on ABC.

After bursting onto television with a short, seven-episode first season, Scandal returned for a truly excellent Season 2 with only a few major adjustments: the absence of Season 1 regular, Stephen (Henry Ian Cusick), and a shift in the relationship between Olivia Pope (Kerry Washington) and Cyrus Beene (Jeff Perry). In Season 1, Cyrus and Olivia declared war with each other, but Season 2 saw their relationship become one much more friendly. Even when they are on opposite sides, Olivia and Cyrus come together over a bottle of wine – the scenes between the two are always fantastic.

Though the style and tone of the show remains consistent (down to the photography act breaks and the upbeat music), Season 2 provided creator Shonda Rhimes the chance to explore more of Pope & Associate’s backstories, giving more weight and depth to the characters that all follow Olivia Pope to the ends of the earth. Most, if not all, of the Associates find themselves in emotionally volatile places in Season 2, beginning with poor Quinn Perkins (Katie Lowes). When the season begins, Quinn is on trial for the bombing that resulted in the death of her then-boyfriend, but, by the end, Quinn is coming into her own, learning how to be a spy from Huck and taking advantage of her new life as Quinn. Abby Whelan (Darby Stanchfield) also had a nice character arch in Season 2, mostly executed through her hot, and strange, affair with quasi-enemy David Rosen (Joshua Malina). But, the Associate who really got to shine in Season 2 was Huck (Guillermo Diaz).

In the best episode of Scandal, the Huck-centric “Seven Fifty-Two,” the audience learned about Huck’s tragic life pre-Olivia Pope, and boy was it an overwhelmingly superb episode. Without a doubt the series’ most touching episode, “Seven Fifty-Two” revealed tidbits about each Gladiator through their interactions with a mentally distraught Huck. The actors who portray Pope & Associates each had a chance to flex some emotional muscle, and it was truly engaging to watch.

Huck is probably one of the most intricate and fascinating characters currently on television, and Diaz plays Huck with a quiet and constant pain that you can’t help but be drawn to as an audience. As unbelievable as Huck’s story is (soldier turned CIA assassin/serial killer with crazy computer hacking skills), “Seven Fifty-Two” was one of the most relatable episodes of Scandal because of Diaz’ subtle performance. And the episode was a perfect way to explore the individual bonds between the members of the Gladiator team.

Season 2 also introduced a new and controversial love interest for Olivia, Jake Ballard, played by the handsome and charming Scott Foley (Felicity, Grey’s Anatomy). Jake served to get viewers deeper invested in the mystery that is B-613, the secret branch of the CIA Huck worked for before they made him give up his family and basically drove him insane. The addition of Jake Ballard altered the dynamics of the show in a good way, giving Olivia an alternative to her married lover while also exposing her to a whole new level of personal betrayal.

President Fitzgerald Grant (Tony Goldwyn) and Liv’s relationship continued to have it’s typical ups and downs: one minute the President is hopeless in love and threatening to give up his office to become Mr. Olivia Pope, and the next he’s calling her a whore and ruthlessly trying to keep his legacy as President intact. As hot as Fitz’ chemistry is with Liv, Grant doesn’t really come alive until he’s sharing the screen with his wife, Mellie (Bellamy Young), or his ‘mistress’ Olivia. Both Mellie and Olivia are the only characters truly strong enough to hit Fitz where it hurts, making for some truly extraordinary scenes.

Season 2 really stepped up Mellie’s role as both the scorned wife and a politician herself, and Young plays Mellie unapologetically, making her jump out in every scene she’s in. Mellie could have easily become more of a caricature than a real character, but Young’s ability to portray her as heartbreaking one second, ruthless the next elevated Mellie in Season 2. If you don’t love Mellie, then you obviously missed the unusually long scene between Mellie and Fitz where she confronts her husband about his drinking habits. Young was a tour de force in that scene, and Goldwyn met her line for line.

Scandal: The Complete Second Season DVD does not offer much in terms of special features, but the few it does have are pretty excellent. The deleted scenes, of which there are plenty, are all fun to watch, especially the ones featuring Harrison (Columbus Short) doing his fast-talk lawyer bit to get a situation ‘handled.’ Special features also include a featurette on “Seven Fifty-Two,” called "Being Huck" in which the actors and writer/creator Rhimes talk about the episode and the intense experience they had creating it. It’s basically a huge love fest, with all the actors praising each other. It’s nice to see that an ensemble cast can have a high level of mutual respect for one another, especially when the cast is as good as this one.

Another highlight of the special features is the gag reel ("Outtakes") – I always love watching actors lose it on film. Columbus Short is definitely an all-star in the gag reel, but, as the cast member with the fastest dialogue, that’s to be expected. Harrison is probably the most comedic character on Scandal, with his fast talk and his flashy style, and, though his role certainly got bigger this season, it’s always nice to have as much Columbus Short as possible.

Other special features include “A Closer Look: President Grant’s Assassination Attempt” and an extended version of the season finale “White Hat’s Back On.”

When Scandal returns, it might just be an Emmy-Award winning series. Dan Bucatinsky is nominated for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series for his role as James Novack and powerhouse star Kerry Washington is nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series. The Emmys air Sunday, Sept. 22 on CBS.

Scandal kicks off its third season with “It’s Handled” Thursday Oct. 3 at 10 p.m. on ABC.