Khandi Alexander is Maya Lewis on Scandal and My Pope Family Theory
A couple of days ago, it was revealed that veteran actress Khandi Alexander will be playing Olivia Pope’s mom, Maya Lewis on Scandal! It was an unexpected choice but an excellent one. Most of us didn’t e’em think about Khandi as we threw around names but when a little birdy told me about it on Friday (after my Who Should Play Olivia’s Mom? post went up), I was actually excited!
Phylicia Rashad and Lynn Whitfield seemed to be the overwhelming favorites for everyone when talmbout Rowan’s wife but Khandi makes sense. She’s an AWESOME actress with a lot of range and she knows how to get someone TOGETHER with a quickness. Plus, I could see her being related to Kerry Washington. I SEE’D IT!
Many people are saying she’s too young but don’t let that GOOD Black that don’t crack fool you. Miss Alexander is 56 years old, making her 20 years older than Kerry, meaning she could very well be her mother. If they need to age her up, there’s an app for that. It’s called MAKEUP!
Besides, y’all know Shonda Rhimes doesn’t like being told what to do. She wasn’t about to be all predictable about this.
This is also why I bet she’s not gonna make Harrison be Brolivia Pope (if you haven’t read my theory on that, do so and come back). Because we’re expecting it so much. I’m still gon say he is, though! Yeah, I’ont care if all the Black folks on the show are related. Methinks since it centers around Liv, it’s excusable.
Also, word on these streets is that there’s at least 3 episodes with Maya in it. This adds fuel to the “she’s not really dead” fire that we were all toking last week.
Anyway, I got a theory on ALLADIS. Like to hear it? Here it go. If I’m wrong, forget I said anything.
First, I decided to figure out how old some of the characters on Scandal were.
On the first episode of the show in season 1, Harrison told Quinn he was 27, when she tried to question his babyface. It’s been between 12-18 months in show time from season 1 to 3 so he’s now either 28 or 29.
In 1991, when the plane crash that supposedly killed Maya Pope happened, Olivia was 12. This means she’s now 34.
When Fitz got shot, it was his birthday and he was turning 50. Now, he’s 51. Which means when he shot down the plane, he was 27. AND this makes him 17 years older that Olivia, which throws an “older man/younger woman” age dynamic into their volatile relationship that I will probably not enjoy once I let it sit and marinate in my mind soooo moving on!
P.S. The fact that the only time I voluntarily do math is for a fictional show is just… I need help.
With that being said, Harrison was between 5-7 years old when Maya “died.” Which slays the theory that he’s her son (because then Olivia would know that’s her bro). The only way he could end up being her son is if she put him up for adoption when he was born and maybe found him much later (after the crash, that is). It’s possible, doe.
HOWEVER, it doesn’t mean he isn’t Olivia’s brother. Because what if he’s Rowan’s son who he didn’t divulge to his family OR tried claiming. AND maybe Maya found out her husband had a 5 year old and then she came for his neck. And he realized that she was better dead than alive. But being the goontress that she is, she discovered his plan and faked her own death by acting like she boarded that plane and never did.
Remember in the first episode of this season when Rowan told Liv “The White House will destroy you” and she replied with “That’s what mom used to tell me about you?” MMHMMM. Maya knew that he was a monster.
ANDDDDDD although Rowan never tried to be in his son’s life and probably doesn’t know what he looks like as an adult (remember when he came into the Gladiator office unannounced. He didn’t have anything remotely looking like familiarity with who Harrison even was). What if MAYA has been in contact with Harrison this WHOLE time and he’s the one digging into Operation Remington on her behalf?
So this goes back to supporting the fact that Harrison knows he’s Olivia’s brother but SHE doesn’t. However, it discredits my first theory of him snitching on Liv to Daddy Goon.
This is super far-fetched and I’m probably super wrong but I’ma put it out there anyway. Did I confuse you? Because I low-key almost confused myself. I’ve basically turned this show into my own game of “Clue.”
Either way, the story continues to unfold about Operation Remington, and I will be counting down til we see Mama Pope. I truly believe she will show up, show out and SNATCH Rowan off his pedestal.
YES INDEED, GLADIATORS!
Catch me tonight on the Twitters as I live-tweet Scandal using the hashtag #CBTVScandal. AND my recap will be here in the morning as well as top 10 moments from the episode on XFINITY’s CelebrateBlackTV.com!
What do y’all think about this theory? What parts do you think works and what doesn’t?
OH YEAH!!! Before I go. Today, I’m speaking at Texas Women’s University RIGHT before Judy Smith (the real Olivia Pope). I’ll do my best not to fangirl. I’ll also try to get a picture with her too so follow me on Instagram to stay up to date on my adventures. And of course, my Facebook fan page is the pordee place!
It is time to write that book. Come into The Book Academy and learn how to go from IDEA to INK.
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60 Comments
i am a big fan of your Scandal recaps. you always have me laughing with the nicknames you give the characters. i look forward to tomorrow’s recap.
p.s. i can’t wait unitl momma pope re-appears eiter.
Love the show, and the theories that you have given us, good choice for Olivia’s mom, I didn’t see that one coming
Thanks, Miss T! And I can’t wait either!
Mama Pope IS alive! Here is why….if she is dead they would have picked a younger actress (she would only be needed for flashbacks). But if they need her to pop up now is present day Olivia’s life…she would need to be old enough to be her Mom.
That is a good theory.
This is GENIUS
Brilliant!
Hahaha well there it is, brilliant!
You are a GENIUS!! I didn’t think of that! YESSSS!!!
I feel you, Rashawn! Agreed!
wow! bravo
I’m okay with Shonda’s pic for Mama Pope and I’m still holding on to the shocker of her being alive. However, it was released that she will be seen in flashbacks. She has the perfect (black don’t crack) look for being the mother of a 12 year old. I believe she can also play older. BUT…when has Shonda ever told us the truth and the whole truth?
I don’t think Harrison is Brolivia, but if he is, I’ll be sure to give you your CREDICK for creating the theory, back story, and mathematical computation to support said theory! What is his freaking story? We’re three seasons in! Let’s get to it, Shonda!
Yes, and yes to everything you just said. Mz Khandi bout to be Daddy Rowan Land Shark Pope’s new Hell and High water, AND look just as fierce as her lil pregnant fashion plate daughter. The REAL question is whether Fitz knew Khandi, oops Mama Maya, was Liv’s mother?
Tony Goldwyn tweeted that Fitz doesn’t know Olivia’s mama was on the plane.
That makes sense. Her name was not listed as Pope on the plane’s manifesto, so unless he knew her as Lewis, how could he know she was on the plane? Being that she didn’t use the name Pope, or Rowan, tells me there is definitely a storied history between momma and daddy. BTW, I may have missed it somewhere, but why is Olivia’s name Pope, and not Rowan? Maybe mommy left daddy and remarried a “Pope”. Is Lewis her maiden name? Lot’s of questions I still have. I’m really looking forward to tonight’s episode! Luvvie, there’s one thing I think we can all be sure of, mommy Pope/Lewis/Rowan is going to be a real hell raiser. She uses her own name, she didn’t get on the plane he had shot down, and she probably knows more about Command than he knows about himself! Also, remember when Huck was first recruited? He was forced to abandon his wife and child. Why was Rowan not following his own edict with Olivia. He thought he got rid of the wife, but never his child. So many questions???? My head hurts!
Rowan’s family name is Eli Pope. Now, whether Rowan or Eli is his birth name remains to be told.
Wait… hollup. My math isnt that good but if Liv is 34 and Mr President is 51 that makes them 17 years apart …but if she was 12 when the plane went down and he was 27 that makes them 15 years apart. I think he would’ve had to be 29 since it was 22 years ago and he is now 51 which makes them 17 years apart, right?
I am loving your theories! I lost you on one part though. You said that Harrison wouldve been 5-7 so he couldnt be Maya’s son? Why come? What if he and Liv know that they’re brother and sister but the others just dont. But then that wouldn’t explain why Daddy Pope didn’t acknowledge him, hmmm????
…and I am totally cool with Khandi Alexander being Liv’s mom. They do favor each other!
Whoops. Switched the 5 to a 7. Math is hard.
“I am loving your theories! I lost you on one part though. You said that Harrison wouldve been 5-7 so he couldnt be Maya’s son? Why come? What if he and Liv know that they’re brother and sister but the others just dont. But then that wouldn’t explain why Daddy Pope didn’t acknowledge him, hmmm????”
i don’t get this math, either. i’m tahd! break it down.
s
Stop with the numbers, y’all. 8-{ Harrison could still possibly be Olivia’s bro if mommy had him for another man…maybe “Lewis”???? Maybe that’s why daddy tried to have her killed, because he found out??? Which means he just might know Harrison is Olivia’s bro.? That’s why Harrison’s story has not yet been told! Anybody got some Excedrin????????
I am so waiting for the season finale only for the return of Mama Pope!! I’ve already ordered my own defibrillator to restart my heart when it happens (clear!).
Harrison is the ONLY person when don’t have much background on and my next heart attack will be when he is revealed to be Liv’s bro.
Even if he’s not, I still believe they are related. Half-bro, step-bro, second cousin twice removed through marriage, SOMETHING DAMMIT!! (I’m cool tho)
YASSSSS!! I am here for Harrison and Liv’s dysfunctional blood line… even if he is a “second cousin twice removed through marriage”. LOL!
You won’t have to wait til the season finale for the return of Mama Pope. She’s coming sooner than we all think, I’m sure. Her name keeps coming up so I’m expecting her soon!
I LOVE that you broke it down mathematically!!! GET IT LUVVIE! *2 snaps*
Nice theory and everyone’s ages works out, but I don’t believe Harrison was necessarily telling Quinn the truth. I also don’t think Rowan is Harrison’s kid, but either a kid Mama Pope met & adopted or had by somebody else while she was away. I don’t think Mama Pope is dead either. However Harrison is as loyal to Mama Pope as he is to Liv and Mama Pope told him to make sure to protect Liv at all cost.
I’d also round the time line from season 1 -3 up to closer to 18 – 24mths cause of baby Teddy. I know he was supposed to have been born at 8mths cause Melly had her labor induced, but they had to get pregnant first and that kid is pretty big now.
Good point on the time passing.
What!!! I stalk Luvie’s blog, instagram, Twitter, and facebook fan page. How did I miss that SHE, HER, LUVIE would be at my alma mater today!!! Go to universuty website, register and tell boss I will be leaving early today!!! Im excited!!
Bwaah@ Luvie math is hard…especially doing it when you an adult! And Khandi Alexander never entered my mind but her thinness, pouty mouth and serving up tea with reading and shade makes her perfect for me lol
My sister says I can only do math when shopping. I can tell how how much you get off after the 30% off coupon plus your ebates rebate in .03 seconds.
I don’t think they’re brother/sister, but I do believe there is something more between them. She had to have done something super duper for him to blindly walk the ends of the earth for her. We don’t have much background on him, and we only have a pinch more on Abby. I think season by season, more will be divulged on each Gladiator. We already have Quinn and Huck’s back story. I think this season is going to be Abby’s turn. (I kinda think it’s that guy Mellie tried to get to take Olivia’s place on the campaign, but I think I remember somewhere that he is/was a Senator. I’m confused.)
Khandi Alexander is COMPLETELY unexpected, but a good surprise. I never would have thought of her, but she’s perfect. I don’t think she’s dead either. I think she found out who Daddy Pope REALLY was, so she didn’t board the plane. She’s been in another country living under an assumed name. She’ll be back before the end of the season, but probably not known to Olivia. I also think Daddy Pope will be dead by the end of the season and it will be at the hands of one of his B-613s (I’m thinking Huck, but that may be too obvious).
PS… Luvvie, you give some really good theories.
Remember Liv prefers older men, they did a flashback of her younger years and that was all she dated. Even the senator she was engaged to was an older dude. Jake looks younger but he was in the army at the same time as Fitz so he’s prolly at least 10 yrs older than Liv too…… #daddyissues lol!
Scott Foley is 41 so still older than Liv, just not as much as Fitz.
I refuse to allow all of the black people on Scandal to be related. I’m assuming either Harrison is just REALLY loyal and grateful not to be in jail OR there was something more sinister going on in his background. More than insider trading!
I think Mama Pope should be hella fierce with her trenchs and Prada bags (remember Lyn Paola said there’s a backstory to the Prada bag) and have an affair with Harrison. Not that’s a storyline for you!
oh! now, THAT … whoa! stuck for words. oh, the possibilities.
He helped Mama Pope get her groove back and she sent him to watch over Liv!
i love the choice of khandi as mama pope! and i, too, think (hope?) she’s still alive somewhere. as far as the brolivia theory? nah…
I am completely a-ok with Khandi as Olivia’s mom. It fits perfectly. I’m excitedly anticipating her taking charge and reminding Olivia how to “say it with your chest!”
Yeah, I’m in agreement with some of the others, I think – if Harrison is Olivia’s brother – it IS feasible that Khandi-Girl gave birth to him.
In the words of my honey, Harrison…”ish just got real.” And, I can’t wait for the fallout.
You know your posts just give it to us! I love it! I do have one question though…why does the fact that Harrison would have been 5-7 when Maya died slay the theory that he is her son? I’m confused on that part. But I like the way you put this together! Keep it coming!
Sorry Luvvie, my brain shut off at the sight of the first number, so I kinda skipped that whole part.
Just wanted to add that I saw someone tweet that we’ll get a little peek into Harrison this week (CoYUMbus RTd it, so *fingers crossed*). Wouldn’t it be too much of a coinkidink that Mama Maya shows up (albeit in flashbacks) AND we get some info on Harrison in the same week?
Also, Darby Stanchfield had mentioned in an interview that Harrison gets himself in some hot water this season, which will lead to some revelations about his story. Just hang in there folks, we’ll definitely be seeing more of Brolivia Pope soon (literally and figuratively – he Instagrammed a pic of himself getting body makeup a few weeks ago, so I’m thinking SHIRTLESS SCENE!!!!)
Harrison? Shirtless? I have Londa has fainted.
“Don’t wake me…I’m dreaming.
If I’m dreaming
Just let me sleep
Don’t wake me up
Till my dream is complete
If I’m dreaming
Just leave me alone
Turn off the lights
And unplug the phone.”
The thought of Harrison naked…I mean shirtless..had me all discombobulated. I couldn’t even type properly.
What I mean to say is, “Londa has fainted.”
Lololol! Here’s the link to the pic 🙂 http://instagram.com/p/fdcW8JNy9q/#
I bet he’s shirtless and being airbrushed for a torture scene. I bet all the bagels in my backpack that there’s gonna be a flashback scene where he’s hanging from his tied wrists with crazy bruises all over his back. It’ll be one of them scenes that have to do with his old boss who wants him dead now.
First off I want to say you may be in the wrong business, blogger is good….you my dear should be WRITING MOVIE SCRIPTS. The way your imagination just went all off in Vanuatu and didn’t come back for all of 10 minutes…I seriously think Shonda need to hire you for some behind the scenes stuff.
I can see you breaking down the math with diagrams and a calculator…gave me a fit of giggles. Love your posts.
Luuvie,
I need an animated powerpoint slide of all this stat.
kthnxs
Sooooo why can’t Harrison be Mama Pope’s son? You lost me on that part.
I think you’re missing the more likely scenario. Harrison is Brolivia, but he’s not Daddy Goblin’s son. Mama Pope had an affair that produced a son. Maybe she was a world traveler for work back then plus Olivia was just too little to realise what was going on. Daddy Goon sees his wife is knocked up after returning from a particulary long “business trip”. He wouldna cared, but one of his rivals is the baby daddy. He banishes her until she pops little brolivia out, who they then give to someone else to raise. DG tries to get over the ultimate betrayal but can’t, so he tries to have her killed years later–on a plane ride she’s taking with her lover/lovechild babydaddy/rowan’s archnemesis. After she decides she’s had enough of his murderous shenanigans and leaves him for her true boothang. Who she’s been chillin’ with this whole time. Who president Ghost also thought was dead, according to operation remington.
Whew!
Nope! Cuz Liv grew up with her mother til she was 12. There wasn’t a 6 year absence where her mother was gone. The only way he could end up being her son is if she put him up for adoption when he was born and maybe found him much later. It’s possible.
That’s part of my theory. She has him then immediately gives him up. DG can’t have little Cuckold smilin’ up at him everyday. He’ll have none of that!
I bet Shonda is like the rest of us and feign for Friday mornings so she can read Luvvie’s recaps AND the ensuing comments.
I think it’s too easy and domestic that DGoon wanted her dead because of some cheating ish… Here’s me out on a limb. Mama Pope and Papa Pope were like Mr and Mrs Smith. SHE was the real Control of B6-13. Something went wrong and she had to fake her death to go underground. PapaPope assigned Fitz toshoot down the plane knowing he could use that someday if he needed it. Hollis was in on it. Hence he came up with Defiance. Ghost has been a pawn longer than any of us thought. THEN Mama Good had to stay in hiding but now must come back because Harrison (who I think could be Brolivia) is about to get smoked by the terrorist that Cy is about to allow back inm the country…
This is also why MamaPope hugged her in the flashback with such finality. She knew she was not going to see her babygurl for a while…
I think you are absolutely right! That makes SO MUCH sense!!!
oohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, me love that theory! imagine if it was momma who was really running things! Livvie, your theory was incredible! shonda needs to hire you – lol
Okay. This is what’s really gonna happen!
I have a similar theory to TallPowerPaul’s about Mama Pope. I don’t think she’s anywhere NEAR insane, weak or helpless. I also think she’s a super spy (if you will). Apparently, she made a decision that either went awry or just rubbed Eli/Rowan waaaaaaaaaaaay wrong. My theory is much more detailed, but I don’t have time to type it all this morning. Glad I stumbled upon this blog though.
I don’t know why but I always read your posts in super speed as if I’m out of breath, because I feel like you’re so excited to write this you just can’t type fast enough. Anywho…I don’t watch Scandal anymore, I swore my blood pressure was going up, it literally wore me out emotionally, but I faithfully read the recaps EVERY Friday morning on here and I love them!
Have a good weekend and be blessed!!
ok um one why Mrs.Gomez Adams? and two Khandi Alexander is NOT a veteran actress, I mean CSI: Miami ended maybe 2 years ago
Veteran actress means she’s been acting for a long time. Whats that gotta do w/ CSI Miami?