Scandal And The Problem With The Invisible (Black) Man

“Like the bodiless heads you see sometimes in circus sideshows, it is as though I have been surrounded by mirrors of hard, distorting glass. When they approach me they see only my surroundings, themselves, or figments of their imagination—indeed, everything and anything except me.” ― Ralph Ellison, Invisible Man

“I’m standing right here,” Harrison said last week, demanding to be acknowledged as Abbey and David have a quite intimate sexual conversation in his presence. But his words are quite symbolic of his position during the three seasons of Scandal, ABC’s hit one-hour drama. Ten episodes into the season, hope for Harrison to step out of the shadows is fleeting. Instead, he appears to be fading away, like an invisible man.

Known for his episode defining one-liners like, “We are gladiators in suits,” more than his own storyline, Harrison is the most stagnant character of all . The fans have long noticed, but there were recent signs of life. After a two-season drought of absolutely NOTHING to add a layer to his back-story or current love life, season three has stalled on its promise to deliver. So far, we’ve got an exchange of threats between Cyrus and Harrison, a shirtless scene with a little inappropriate bedside manner and even less context; then there is that 30 second scene when a woman we’ve never seen walks in Olivia Pope’s office, tells Harrison to keep his phone on, and walks out. That’s it…since September!

He is quickly becoming a nobody; a one-dimensional, lackluster dolphins in a sea of sharks who often looks confused and out of place. Everything seems to just be happening around him. Once, a powerful presence, his character is quickly fading into the background. This troubles me even more because he is a Black man. While I maintain that Shonda has the most diverse cast in primetime television, I have always struggled with the representations of Black men on this show (for the sake of keeping this conversation focused, I won’t mention the challenges I have with the struggling character development of Black men on Private Practice and Grey’s Anatomy).

Before quickly dismissing me as a “hater,” stop early. I am a fan of the show. And I hear you fellow Gladiators when you say, “But Alexandria, what about that life-giving monologue delivered during the finale by Olivia’s father, a Black man, to Fitz??” Yes Lord! That scene gave me chills and the writing was brilliant! Yes, of course I saw the socio-historical reference of this older Black man calling this white man in a position of power a boy. But before I could fall too far in love, that same man had been fired, humiliated, and professionally castrated by the very man he just declared was beneath his pay grade, having his words served back to him cold: “If you cut off the head, another one will grow in its place.” So, you’ll have to forgive me if I want something more.

Eventually, I hope, in true Shonda fashion, that some great storyline will come from the depths of TV writing heaven, swoop down and take us all away to glory, making this all worth the wait. With such a long awaited faction of the show, they have no other choice but to do Harrison justice. The question is, for the love of gladiators everywhere, WHEN??

Why does any of this matter? Because I sat and watched a two-week mid-season Winter Finale twist and turn around almost every single character ripe with a spousal murder, a hostile take-over, and a double cross 3 episodes in the making. But, no Harrison. Not one thing.

There is something left to be desired by his absented presence and it needs to be addressed. Here are three reasons why:

*Harrison Is A Good Man (we hope!)
Compared to the other male characters on the show, Harrison is a prince among men. He is not a lying, backstabbing politician. He is not a manipulative Washington puppeteer sleeping with anything in a skirt. And he hasn’t killed anybody…yet. From what we’ve seen, he is dedicated, loyal, and a strong, trustworthy ally to Liv and her crew. Plus, as one of only four Black characters, three of which are Black men, Harrison needs much more context than he currently has because he’s been there from the beginning.

In season two, we were introduced to two other Black male characters significant to Olivia’s life. First, politician and love interest, Senator Edison Davis was presented as handsome, sweet, and well, let’s face it, weak. Yes, weak. Not an episode went by where Twitter and Facebook were not blowing up behind how docile he seemed to be, and how he was just no match for the powerhouse of Olivia. No chemistry or comparison to the passion and intensity of her former elicit romance with President Fitzgerald. Even though Edison is supposed to be a Senator, he seemed to be unable to do anything for (or with) Olivia.

The second man, we only knew in brief, yet chilling, cameo appearances until we discovered that he was head of B6-13. Oh yeah, and by the way, he is Olivia’s father. Commander Rowan “Eli” Pope is deliberate, calculating, manipulative, and vicious. The more we learn about him, it’s clearer how dangerous he really is. And after the way he read Fitz while he sat cuffed in a torture room, it is clear that he is not to be underestimated. The Sappy Senator and Daddy Pope provide two far-reaching extremes of masculinity and behavior that play right into typical archetypes of Black men: aggressive and violent or inadequate and feeble. Thus far, Harrison sits somewhere between the weak and the wicked. Adding some layers to his story may provide a much-needed opportunity for the show to see a powerful, complicated, yet compassionate man of Harrison’s class and swag.

*Harrison is the only one WITHOUT a story!
With very little present and even less of a past, how can we expect to believe Harrison as a Gladiator in a suit? We can’t, especially when every other leading character has evolved in some meaningful way. The longer that this is the case, Harrison will be confined to a one-liner sidekick.

In fact, we rarely even see Harrison outside of the work he does with the team. What is he doing when Huck is at AA meetings with Quinn sneaking closely behind? Or when Abby is sneaking off to have an affair with nemesis David Rosen? We pretty much only see him on the job. Far be if from me to complain about watching Columbus Short stand back looking handsome in a suit. However, in seasons one and two, every leading character experienced a major change, contributing to the storyline of Scandal, and complicating the game all the more. This of course is with the exception of our dear Harrison.

Think about it. Quinn has an incredible back-story that led the first season to a confusing, yet exciting cliffhanger. Now, she is in some crazy double-cross set-up, sleeping with the enemy! Then, there is our loveable assassin. #whatthehuck was trending everywhere! We learned more about his previous life then we ever thought possible. Now, in every new episode, Huck is the central connection to black ops org B6-13. We even see reporter James Novak shift in his family and career goals as husband to the sinister Chief of Staff, Cyrus Beene. And the lovable, yet elusive all American hero, Jake shocked us all with that stealth move at the end of last week’s episode. But when will the crumbs that were left behind thus far lead us home to Harrison?

*Harrison is Becoming Irrelevant.
Without his own story, Harrison’s authority is diminished. Right now, his presence and his contributions to the story are irrelevant. We need Harrison to be fully human; to have a life, a family, or a love interest; anything that makes him a whole person. We are rooting for him to win!

Despite the slow progression, there has been a slight arc to Harrison’s character. In the midst of assassin Huck’s breakdown, we see Harrison step up to be Olivia’s head partner at “the firm.” It is thrilling to see him leading client meetings, giving tactical orders to the team, and rallying them together in Olivia’s absence. However, I can’t help but feel his power is underscored by his insistence on being there time and time again as the strong second-in-command when Olivia’s gut is off, wrong, or broken. In more than one episode, Harrison volunteers, in true gladiator fashion, to lay down his life for her, assuring her that he will do what ever it takes to help her figure it out. On multiple occasions, their encounter looks like this: Olivia stares blankly at her foot solider, often refusing to answer his questions, and coldly walks out of the room without an explanation, literally ignoring him. #whattheharrison!

Without a story of his own, Harrison is a sidekick, just a simple accessory to go with Olivia’s fabulous wardrobe. My hope for Harrison is what gladiator’s everywhere are waiting for. Harrison’s time has come, and before Season 3 is done, we better get it!

Alexandra Barabin is a writer, public speaker, and cultural facilitator. She is the Founder of Sun Up Business Management and www.YesSheIsMe.com, a community dedicated to women and girls. She can be contacted at SunUpSays@gmail.com.