5 reasons The Fixer was made to be binge-watched

Update: The Fixer is no longer on Showmax. Find your next binge in the full series catalogue here.

When Shonda Rhimes’ The Fixer (Scandal) premiered in 2012, the whole TV world bowed down – it wasn’t just any other show out there. It was the first primetime drama in nearly 40 years to have a black woman as lead. Let that sink in.  And it subsequently opened doors for many others to follow, such as Empire’s Taraji P Henson as Cookie Lyon and How to Get Away with Murder’s Viola Davis as Annalise Keating.

I mean, who wouldn’t watch a show created by Shonda Rhimes about a powerful black woman who was good at fixing other people’s lives while also having an affair with the President of the United States? The Fixer had all the makings of a groundbreaking show, and it did not disappoint.

If, like me, you are looking for an opportunity to watch The Fixer again while reciting Olivia Pope’s iconic quotes, don’t worry, it’s handled. You can now enjoy The Fixer episodes back to back on Showmax – and here are five reasons you should cancel all your plans and start today.

1. So. Many. Episodes.

Sometimes, we may look okay with our one-week-one-episode TV schedule, but deep down we all just want a TV show with a million stacked episodes that we can binge watch to eternity. And what better way to fulfil your guilty pleasure and wash down the low-standard shows you sometimes find yourself watching than by burying yourself deep in the classy, scandalous and powerful world of Olivia Pope’s The Fixer, with Seasons 1-6 now streaming on Showmax. That’s over 100 episodes.

And if you can’t really help it, pour yourself some fancy red wine in a glass with a ridiculously long stem and join the master wine-drinker herself – Olivia Pope.

2. Behold, the force of nature that is Kerry Washington

In the first season of The Fixer, in the very first episode, we watch as Kerry Washington’s Olivia Pope recovers the Russian ambassador’s kidnapped baby. It’s a quick and calm exchange, too calm considering the circumstances – but it’s the perfect character introduction befitting a woman as iconic as Olivia Pope. It gives us a glimpse of the fierce power she commands – she is no ordinary woman.

After all, she specialises in saving reputations of DC’s high and mighty and solving problems others might deem impossible – a specialty that has given her quite the status in DC’s corridors of power, and a hot affair with POTUS.

Olivia goes after what she wants, hard and unapologetically. And she does it with great panache too – Olivia is a fashion icon who has redefined what power dressing means with her steady supply of designer trench coats, Prada bags and designer wear we could never afford, even if we tried.

And who can forget her iconic quotes and monologues that empowered a generation and made Rhimes’ the undisputed queen of TV monologues?

3. The rollercoaster love triangle

Also known as #Olitz vs #Olake.

Olivia’s on-and-off relationship with President Fitz is quite the steamy affair that gives fans our fair share of Oval Office naughtiness, questionable banging (if you’d allow me) spots and a really crazy mind-boggling risqué dream we may never forget.

Of course, it’s not just about silly horniness with Olitz, they have chemistry and they definitely deserve to make jam in Vermont. But theirs is a scandalous and complicated affair, a reality The Fixer cannot ignore as it pushes Olivia into the arms of another sexy man, Jake Ballard, and Olake is born.

Prepare to be teased and to be tortured over and over because Shonda Rhimes doesn’t do easy, rosy relationships.

4. The gladiators

In the cut-throat world of dangerous secrets and career-ending scandals of the DC elite, Olivia Pope needs only the best team to help her in managing crisis. It’s a good thing she has her gladiators in suits – made of lawyers, hackers and assassins – the kind of power team we all wish we had, though we could probably do without all their baggage, if we’re honest.

The gladiators are loyal to Olivia and would do anything for her, even kill for her. They complement her badassery in ways that only a gladiator can because well, gladiators slay dragons.

5. The scandals, murders, plot twists and everything in between

If there is one valuable lesson that Shonda Rhimes has taught us with her shows, it’s that people are messed up – and The Fixer’s world is no different. From high-profile clandestine affairs to career-ending sex tapes to elections rigging to murders, The Fixer is full of scandals and gasping moments that would make anyone weep for the greatest country in the world.

In fact, it’s hard to find a character on The Fixer who hasn’t committed murder, right from the President to our beloved Olivia. And don’t even get me started on the enigmatic shadowy organisation B613 and Command!

If you are looking for good people who do good things, try somewhere else, because here, everyone’s hands are dirty. The show was not named Scandal for nothing.

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