It should be no surprise that Shonda Rhimes, the woman responsible for writing a character like Scandal's Olivia Pope, delivered a showstopper of a speech at Dartmouth’s commencement on Sunday.  Reminding students that hard work – not dreams – will secure them success, the Grey's Anatomy creator gave students an insight into how she successfully built a television dynasty, and how she did it so well.  The full speech is here. Then, after you've watched that, witness the speech-writing genius of Rhimes through her characters. Evidently, there's a reason she considered kidnapping Ellen Pompeo or Kerry Washington to address Dartmouth on her behalf.  While Olivia Pope and her team of gladiators are front and center of ABC’s Scandal, her relationship with married President Fitzgerald Grant can sometimes overshadow her ability to handle things. Until this moment, when she lays down the rules: you want her, then earn her. President of the free world or not.  In which Senator Josie Marcus – played by Lisa Kudrow – addresses the ingrained sexism we have become accustomed to seeing (and/or participating in) during a political race. And while she’s a fictional character speaking about a fictional opponent, it’s a terrifying accurate summary of the social and political landscape.  Once upon a time, Meredith Grey and Derek Shepherd weren’t such a sure bet (because he was married). But despite Derek’s unavailability, he felt entitled to Meredith’s devotion – which is why Meredith’s “you don’t get to call me ...” monologue is so very welcome.  Now that Sandra Oh, who played the brilliant Cristina Yang, has left Grey’s Anatomy, it’s heartbreaking to watch her deliver words of wisdom to choice characters, since we can’t see those any more. Case in point: her reality check for Lexie Grey, who came back with her own, earning Cristina’s respect in the process. Strong characters of the world unite.  Grey’s needs Dr Bailey for many reasons (she is mother earth), but it especially needs her to help put an end to the entitlement and nonsense stemming from various characters, particularly the male ones. Here, she opens about her life in a way that dares not invite follow-ups, and establishes her agenda as a doctor who means business, and only that.
The Scandal showrunner delivered a powerful commencement speech at Dartmouth on Sunday, but she's had plenty of practice at creating powerful monologues