Do we have to discuss the fact that Alicia’s brother Owen (Dallas Roberts) was back for another visit? Good. It was funny that it turns out Jackie’s (Mary Beth Peil) more afraid Grace is turning into a lesbian than that she’s finding God, but that awkward conversation aside….
It occurred to me last night that The Good Wife’s been doing a lot of non-traditional legal drama episodes of late. Which is to say that we haven’t seen the courtroom in quite a while — at least not in the heat of a trial. I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with that (see last episode), but I would like to see our attorneys back in a courtroom; they’re awesome there.
Anyway, I think this is only the second episode that The Good Wife has bombed. Great percentage, don’t get me wrong, but it doesn’t diminish the sting of a bad episode. Especially after the show took a month-long hiatus. I expected better.
I was liking Cary again for a few episodes, but this week he was at his worst. As opposed to finding him deliciously evil, I just found him, well, let’s not use those words here. But I was really hoping he’d lose the power of speech at some point as he was going back and forth between the two interrogation rooms.
Were we supposed to be impressed that Will’s chasing a client like Chicago Bulls star Derrick Rose? I don’t know what that whole thing was about, but it sounded like some weird manner of name dropping, even as all Will was doing was randomly lusting after landing the NBA player as a client. Even if that was a prelude to a guest appearance, talk about strange.
Even an actual guest appearance by Marshal Marshall (Frederick Weller) did nothing for me. You might recall that Weller appeared as attorney for a Nobel Prize winner accused of sexual assault earlier this season. The grudge that likely lingers from then wasn’t even mentioned, and at the same time it was his client that was the firm’s adversary on that episode. So Weller’s reappearance was kind of random, and wasn’t really a “continuation” of a recurring character’s story. Odd.
I’ll tell you what I did really like: Will tipping off what he imagined was a thug that there was a gun sitting discarded in a bunch of rocks. This episode was billed as a big moral dilemma for the firm, but the only thing that I saw as questionable, and that was legally, was that moment. Still, it was funny!
Of marginal interest was the continuation of the firm splitting plot. Will growing all concerned that Alicia might be leaving was great — he does realize, as a businessman, that she’s low down on the significance list, right? But I’m eagerly awaiting Diane leaving, and I won’t lose any sleep over the disappearance of David Lee (Zach Grenier). It would be a shame if Julius (Michael Boatman) is never heard from again, but the truth is that if he’s gotten caught up in a plot that the show has thus far failed to substantiate — I’m still waiting to see what Diane’s so concerned about between Will and Bond — then good riddance. I’m hoping Diane goes quietly into the night just like Jonas Stern (Kevin Conway) did … it’s not like his threats were anything more than idle, right?
By the way, last episode I suggested that The Good Wife should be awarded the Golden Globe now to save everyone time. While I still feel the same way about that, any 2011 Emmy voter worth their salt should be voting for Men of a Certain Age. The Good Wife generally puts on a crazy good show, but … no contest.
Clacked by Aryeh S.
on Jan 12, 2011 @ 14:30 EST5EDT
Actually, Aryeh, watching this episode reminded me of how good the ‘Good Wife’ is.
Interestingly, the show’s legal relationships seem harsher than marriage. Alicia/Owen forgive their cheating significant others, but Cary can’t forgive W & D, and Will can’t forgive Diane. However, the show down between the two was awesome. It made me realize they belong together as a team. Even if, like marriage, they keep hurting each other, they’re clearly at their best when they work together (i.e. the show’s first half before Cary pwned them).
I felt the moral tipping point was Will doing what Cary did – using evidence to lie to his client and I’m glad it blew up in his face. Plus, Will going after an NBA star reveals W & B’s new, flashier focus. Although Diane’s a liberal, socially she’s a conservative.
Finally, a high five to bringing Fred Weller and Alicia’s brother back. Although the cheating ex was a weak reason, I loved Weller’s re-appearance and didn’t feel the re-hashing need.
*POST AUTHOR*
Interesting take. I guess for me the show is more about (or better at) the law than it is interpersonal relationships, so I look for different things in an episode.
I thought Will and Diane did a bad job squaring off, but again that’s because to me Diane sounds like a lunatic, ranting and raving about what Will and Bond “seem to be doing to the firm.” If chasing celebrity clients is what’s driving Diane out the door, than she’s failed to grasp the concept that money equals the ability to keep your doors open.
But one bad episode from this show doesn’t rattle me. Last episode was just phenomenal, and I know that’s the bar they generally hit.
I loved ‘nine hours’ and this week because both felt like ‘a day in the life’ type cases. Thanks to a law school acquaintances telling me that only a small percentage of cases make trial, it’s nice seeing non-trial cases.
Regarding Diane, as a woman, I understand her position. I don’t think she ranted so much as calmly identified patterns of behavior. While the firm was pretty idyllic last year, this year it’s gone on a slippery slope of taking on any client with $ and doing whatever it takes to win the case. Watching Blake abuse that woman and then seeing Will blatantly lie, serve as examples.
Diane is one of my favorite characters, so I hope she doesn’t disappear. When Virginia Williams mentioned Diane’s character in the August interview, I mentally high-fived her. While you and I tend to disagree on strong female characters (60+% of the time), I will say Diane wasn’t exactly subtle (looking for new places, approaching acquaintances/staff members) and I’m shocked Will needed his potential client to clue him in.
*POST AUTHOR*
With regard to Diane, I guess by rant I was more referring to the nature of her behavior. I thought she made an abnormal leap to a conclusion after seeing Bond and Will talking in an office together … from that she decided it was time to move on. Really?
I feel like the Blake thing’s been forced. Ever since it was inferred to Kalinda that that’s how he does his business, all of a sudden we’re given the impression that he strong-arms people. But before that we never saw it. So I don’t put any stock in it, because of how artificial it feels.