Scandal - The Complete Fourth Season

With each passing season "Scandal" just gets more popular. During Season Four, it moved up in its time slot and has become one of the highest rated shows on television. More and more people are watching. But has it become a better show?

The characters are much different from they were in the first season, but there have been a lot of changes in their lives.

The ultimate political "fixer," Olivia Pope (Kerry Washington) isn't even in the country when the season begins. She's run off to live on a tropical island with the handsome and heroic Jake (Scott Foley), far away from watchful eyes. But she has trained her former team well and Quinn (Katie Lowes) is able to track her down, notifying her that Harrison (Columbus Short) is dead.

This changes everything, prompting Olivia to leave her life off-the-grid and return right back to the swing of things in Washington, pretty much picking up right back where she left off. Except, now the team has completely disbanded. Abby (Darby Stanchfield) works for the White House and Huck (Guillermo Diaz) has lost faith in the woman who was once the only thing holding his life together.

President Grant's (Tony Goldwyn) successful reelection was countered by the devastating murder of his son. He, his wife Mellie (Bellamy Young) and his daughter must now pick up the pieces of their shattered lives. Mellie is dealing with the tragedy particularly badly, running around the White House in her pajamas and regularly gorging on fried chicken.

In this season, Olivia must finally face the reality of who her father is and the unbelievable atrocities he has committed, and Season Four introduces Portia de Rossi as the prickly chairwoman of the Republican National Committee Elizabeth 'Lizzie Bear' North. With more than a few tricks up her sleeve, North hatches a plot to take down the openly gay Chief of Staff, Cyrus Beene (Jeff Perry).

"Scandal" has changed, but not necessarily for the better. The morally ambiguous, somewhat dysfunctional and flawed characters from the powerful second season have ended up spinning off the track a little as time goes on. The small, human dramas have been replaced by grandiose conspiracies and outrageous political corruption.

In the Bonus Features, we get to see an extended final episode with 15 extra minutes of never-before-seen footage. There is another extended episode as well, bloopers and a little featurette with a look behind-the-scenes at a day with Kerry Washington and her fellow cast members.

"Scandal: The Complete Forth Season"
DVD
Rated TV14 | 946 minutes
abc.com/Scandal