After watching Dallas Season 4, Episode 4 Who Done It? in class, and discussing the soap opera genre in general, watch Scandal Season 2, Episode 13 Nobody Likes Babies and then answer the following questions.
Your response to each question should be approximately 200 words. If you cite external sources (including the episode!), don’t forget to use MLA style.
1. Keeping in mind the portrayal of the soap opera genre in Dallas, do a close reading and analyze the depiction of one of the following soap opera conventions in Scandal: strong romantic/sexual storylines, emotional/moral conflicts, or coverage of controversial social issues.
2. Compare and contrast one of the following pairs of characters from Dallas and Scandal: J.R. Ewing and Fitzgerald Grant, Kristin Shepard and Olivia Pope, and Sue Ellen Ewing and Mellie Grant. Make sure your analysis is thorough and more in-depth than just a list of characteristics.
3. What differences did you notice in how the reveal is played on both soaps, and the reaction to that reveal by the characters? What does that say about the evolution of the genre?
