Last week, Ava and C.I. offered "TV: The only thing worse than bad TV is the Water Cooler Set That Praises It" which set a new record for first seven day views. No surprise, it also resulted in a few e-mails from people insisting they were longterm readers and couldn't believe Ava and C.I. were, in the words of Milo, "dissing Shonda."
Ava and C.I. have praised Shonda Rhimes -- show runner of Scandal, How To Get Away With Murder, Grey's Anatomy and the now gone Private Practice.
But the last months have not seen praise. Last month, for example, they offered "TV: Off the rails" about the problems in Shonda Land.
Milo took Ava and C.I. to task for "missing the point. Critics loved the episode!"
Yes, The Water Cooler Set did love the episode.
That was acknowledged in the piece. Hell, it was acknowledged in the headline.
But Ava and C.I. called it bad TV and noted that the episode set aside the main storyline and the viewers were getting tired of Shonda's inability to write a conclusion to Olivia's see-saw between Jake and Fitz.
Who was right?
As Friday morning's headline at Variety demonstrates, Ava and C.I.
Shonda's running off viewers.
And as an African-American man let me weigh in on Olivia's sex life.
If Olivia Pope (played by Kerry Washington) wanted to sleep with both men, fine.
If the storyline had her enjoying sleeping with Fitz and Jake, no problem.
But instead, she's portrayed as indecisive and rushing back and forth between Fitz and Jake repeatedly, unable to make a decision and usually settling on one of them because the other has ticked her off.
She comes off weak and weak minded.
Shonda really should be held accountable.
There were also e-mails praising last Sunday's article including an overwhelming majority who agreed with Ava and C.I. that (a) Shonda's shows do not feature enough African-Americans in the main cast and (b) that she seems more intent on firing African-American men than on hiring them.
As Joylene pointed out, "This is the same Shonda who slammed Bunheads for its lack of diversity but she thinks it's fine to refuse to cast Black men."
Shonda better hope the walk-away last Thursday was temporary.
If this Thursday's episode fails to see a significant increase in ratings, ABC may be talking to her about new rules for her shows.
I find it interesting that Shonda not only refuses to cast African-American men in the regular casts of the bulk of her shows but also that she treats White idiots like they're so damn important.
Meaning?
She wrote a nothing role for Marla Gibbs.
Marla Gibbs who was nominated for five Emmys and who starred in two successful sitcoms.
It was a nothing role and there was no effort to promote Gibbs.
But Lena Dunham is the focal point of advertising for Thursday's episode.
Even though Lena Dunham is divisive and stars in the very low rated HBO show Girls.
Even though many African-Americans consider Lena a racist. Even though we tend to see her as the new KKK Grand Dragon.
A TV legend does a guest spot on Scandal and Shonda can't go to bat for her but a TV nothing like Lena Dunham -- who is White -- does a guest shot and it's treated like something amazing?
Shonda needs to be checked and then some.
She's gotten a pass for far too long.
At her level of success, she should have been able to do something with that power.
Instead, she's wasted it with bad soap opera that can even resolve basic plot points.