I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a political ad that hits more of my sweet spots than the new Hillary Clinton ad starring the women of ABC’s “TGIT” drama lineup. First of all, these women have such camera presence that I want to do anything they say. (I totally sympathize with those students who are always committing murder at Viola Davis’s command on How to Get Away With Murder.) But more importantly, these women, along with their producer, Shonda Rhimes — also in the ad — have helped usher in an era of complex female lead characters of many colors. And they are actually telling us in this ad that Hillary is a TGIT character: a tough bitch, “complex,” strong and — this is what blows my mind — “flawed.” Clinton seems like a Type A who’d have a hard time admitting her flaws — she’s often been compared with another strong female character, Election‘s Tracy Flick. But this ad brilliantly makes her “flawed” nature a strength; the subtext is, “The guys got Don Draper. We have the women of Grey’s Anatomy, How to Get Away With Murder, and Scandal — and Hillary Clinton!” I sort-of just want to vote for this ad for president, it’s so brilliant.
