The Good Wife - season 1 (1 Viewer)

[DaveF]

There seems no doubt that he was cheating on his wife. I don't think he's even attempted to deny that to Alicia.

The "competition" is becoming annoying; I hope they bring back some of his charm.

But a strong episode. Alicia's pragmatic, worldly attitude carries the show. She's ever hopefully, but not Pollyana. She's seasoned and wounded, but not an all-knowing sage. The balance for her character feels real to me (has lots of "truthiness", if you will). And it's not bogged down in multiple sub-plots with multiple lead characters. The secondary stories are lightly touched on, advanced, but never slowing the episode stories. I look forward to the rest of the season.

 

[Mark Talmadge]

I have doubts that he was cheating on his wife. There's already been proof that there has been digital and computer enhancement was done to photos and that the same might be said for the video.

The only problem I have is that the TV series is inappropriately named. The Good Wife sounds more like a Lifetime series or Oxygen Network series about women's relationships. They should have picked a title that was more descriptive of the series.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

What initially seemed to be a scummy prosecution for personal ambition now appears to be a full-fledged conspiracy. I like the son and daughter investigating the Deep Throat evidence, but the show's pulling one of my biggest TV pet peeves: concealing information from a character for no other reason than because if that character knew, the plot would unfurl faster than they want it to. When the first photos came, I could buy the kids wanting to protect their mother from seeing apparent evidence of further infidelity. But things are getting really serious, and I don't buy that the son would still be holding out on his mother.

Other than that, a great show that continues to be great.

 

[DaveF]

This week's episode was both odd and pitch perfect. The mysterious main partner, Stern, was revealed. Peter's story was advanced -- or at least important things happened which will be important to the story. And Alicia's homelife -- especially the son -- grows more complex (and real).

I'm not sure why, but I really enjoy the female-centric dramas (Judging Amy, Ally McBeal) and The Good Wife is the best show of that sort in a number of years.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

Originally Posted by DaveF

This week's episode was both odd and pitch perfect. The mysterious main partner, Stern, was revealed. Peter's story was advanced -- or at least important things happened which will be important to the story. And Alicia's homelife -- especially the son -- grows more complex (and real).

I'm not sure why, but I really enjoy the female-centric dramas (Judging Amy, Ally McBeal) and The Good Wife is the best show of that sort in a number of years.

The Good Wife stands out to me because it's one of the few female-empowerment dramas that doesn't pander to its target demographic. All of the characters have flaws and redeeming qualities.

The reveal of the oft-spoken-of but previously unseen third partner on a lesser show would have been the kind of character that the Jacopo Peterman character on Seinfeld so savagely satired: the brilliant free-spirit who follows his whims to profound personal enlightenment. The casting of Kevin Conway would at first glance seem to reinforce that perception. But everything after Stern's ostentatious entrance muddied the waters. The big reveal, that Stern uses the flamboyant lifestyle to provide cover for his declining mental faculties, was an interesting twist. Conway did a terrific job balancing tremendous charisma and obvious brilliance with the insecurity and mood shifts that have resulted from his condition. The bomb shell he dropped at the end advances things considerably: now Alicia has caught up with the audience in doubting the case against Peter. It also confirms that Peter's downfall is either at the center of or on the periphery of a pretty huge conspiracy. Was the bad bet Stern mentioned Glenn Childs, who became State Attorney for Cook County after leaking the sex tape? Or was it someone else that Peter's office was investigating?
The
I loved the kiss. It makes Alicia more interesting by showing her so passionately grateful about the least ethical thing we've actually seen Peter do on-screen. It also hints at undercurrents of their relationship that we can't fully comprehend.

The kids' storylines were again head and shoulders above the kids' storylines in any other adult-focused drama on the air today. Nerdy Zach's connection to Chicago's most torrid sex scandal makes him an inviting notch on at least one girl's bed post. His exploration of this new opportunity sends his paternal grandmother into avoidance mode again; her immediately disposing of the doctored sex photos of her son was the only plausible action action from her: she can't accept that all of these awful things are true, so she simply chooses not to acknowledge them. Zach considering having sex with a junior is much more within her wheelhouse. I found the conversation between Zach and Grace the most interesting: despite Zach doing all of the sneaking around, it's Grace that's the "bad" child, and she seems far more aware of what's going on around them than Zach is.

 

[DaveF]

Originally Posted by Adam Lenhardt


[...] his paternal grandmother into avoidance mode again; her immediately disposing of the doctored sex photos of her son was the only plausible action action from her: she can't accept that all of these awful things are true, so she simply chooses not to acknowledge them.

I thought, Alicia will finally learn of the photos! And then g-ma dumps them! It was horrifying, but as you observe, the one action she would take.

And my wife and I look forward to more from Kalinda. She's such an interesting "heavy"; a fun and ironic twist on the conventional go-to guy.

This remains the one drama I would keep over all others this season.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

Sadly, the "A" plot for tonight's episode was ripped from the headlines. Two judges from Scranton, PA pled guilty in February for taking "more than $2.6 million in kickbacks to send teenagers to two privately run youth detention centers." Those judges got caught only because they made the mistake of targeting a couple higher-income white kids whose parents had the time and resources to take them down. As the "B" plot with Diane being vetted for judgeship made clear, a certain amount of spite or even racism is permissable as long as it falls within the boundaries of sentencing guidelines. In some ways, the selection of infamous Cook County as the setting for the show is a cop-out, because it allows the audience to tell itself that at least that sort of thing doesn't happen around here. Of course it happens everywhere. There are vast swathes of the country, including my home county, where the primaries are the de facto election. And often the primaries have been decided before a single voter walks into the voting booth.

As the layers of the onion get peeled away, we get the impression that before Alicia it was Will that was the nasty one and Diane who was more idealistic. Diane's got teeth, and she clearly favors Cary, but she's no monster.

I thought the "C" plot with Grace and Peter's mom was terrific. It forced the grandmother out of her comfort zone, and put her in the unique position of being the one looked down upon. I was also happy to see that, whatever her prejudices, she put Grace's happiness first.

 

[DaveF]

Grandma's crazy!

I'm sure I've seen that plotline in a L&O some time ago, too. I liked Cary pulling out the stats, getting all regression on Calinda. I thought the bias in the cases was portrayed in a very muddled way, so I just accepted it for what they meant it to show.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

1x11 - "Infamy"

"The Good Wife" returns for the second half of the season with a very strong episode that highlighted just how much I've come to love these characters. I hate the Nancy Graces of the world with a special passion, so it was particularly easy to hate Duke Rosco. I found the outcome a little implausible, although I'm not a lawyer so for all I know it happens all of the time. Movies like The Verdict had taught me that power of the jury, at least in the trial phase, is absolute: the court gives the jury instructions, but in the end what happens in that room of 12 peers is what goes. Adjustments and dismissals happen on appeal.

Loved the bait and switch at the end, with the whole episode building toward Kalinda being outed only for Rosco to take a wild stab at Diane. Christine Baranski's reaction was priceless. Loved getting to see Will seperate from Alicia, so we get an idea of just how much of an effect she has had on him: it's not just that he's playing the slow game with her, it's that she's actually triggered some of his nobler instincts. Before Alicia was brought on board, one gets the idea that he'd have screwed the network lawyer six ways to Sunday. Peter Florrick is a scumbag, but he's a normal scumbag in a city that has made scumbaggery into an art form. Peter comes at you straight; Childs doesn't have the courage. He's playing a petty game, but he is just the tip of the iceberg. Alicia's daughter Grace remains one of the most interesting young characters on television. Like her parents and brother, she's very smart, but rather than dancing around issues she stabs right at the heart of things: she has concerns, so she addresses them with her mother. When she lies, as she did with the packages, you get the sense that it's not an instinctual decision, but one that she's anticipated and weighed carefully. All of this while still being a plausible 14-15 year old girl. And then there's Cary; pleasant as always, but completely worthless at empathizing with anyone. The scene where he struggled to parallel the death of his distant uncle with the theft and possible murder of a man's infant child was particularly hilarious in a gallows sort of way. Still the smartest show on network TV.

 

[DaveF]

Agreed. What looked to be a silly episode with the mock TV show turned out to be among the best so far.

Lacking cable, I've not seen the TV show(s) that Roscoe Duke was to stand in for. So it was enlightening to think that people watch that sort of dreck. And believe it.

I was satisfied that the Alicia was finally tipped off that she has missed important (and dangerous) scare tactics from Childs. And still they play it for the slow arc. I'm on pins waiting for it to play out -- the children hiding it, and grandma ignorantly discarding it.

As for Jury Nullification -- it seemed a stretch, based on my vast legal knowledged gleaned from Grisham novels and Law & Order episodes. You'd expect it to be overturned on appeal, but they suggested the father won't care to take it further, having found his daughter. A trite ending, but of the show's form. The main theme is never the main theme, and the resolution always takes you away from the inflammatory political issue initially put in the fore.

 

[Ken Chan]

It wasn't Jury Nullification, where they, as the arbiter of fact, "ignore the facts" and let the defendant off. Here, it seems they were going to find in favor of the plaintiff, but the judge, as a matter of law, found that it was impossible to render such a verdict and therefore declared his own Directed Verdict. (In addition to L&O, I took a few extra years of TV Law at the David E. Kelley School of Absurd For-Instances.)

Be thankful you can't see the cable crap the fake show is based on -- it's discouraging to one's faith in humanity.

I did enjoy the divorce conference scene, where the wife took control, and have Alicia jot down those notes. It's a good way to dole out info for the overarching plot line. I'm not sure if the writers plan to resolve it this season, but given that they have to stretch it over the long American TV season, they're doing a decent job.

 

[DaveF]

You're right, Ken. Confusing my terms. I've had some night courses from D.E.K., but I didn't pay close attention

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

Originally Posted by Ken Chan

I'm not sure if the writers plan to resolve it this season, but given that they have to stretch it over the long American TV season, they're doing a decent job.

One thing that helps is that the show has the confidence to play its overarching plot lightly; we get a couple breadcrumbs here and there and, rather than revisit them endlessly, the show trusts us to remember. That frees of the bulk of the episode to be about really stellar character work and satisfying episodic plots.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

This one didn't play as well for me. I felt like the A plot -- the medical malpractice case -- got lost in the shuffle with all of the turmoil surrounding the grandmother's stroke and the machinations between Peter and Childs. Since Calinda basically proved that the son overdosed on his mother's pills, we can guess that the doctor was cleared but I would have liked to see it. I also would have liked a clearer explanation as to what ultimately happened with regard to the medical hospital group.

That being said, the serialized plot that sidetracked the episode was some juicy stuff. Calinda is a double agent, but which side is she really working for? She has a great deal of affection for Alicia, but she still holds a grudge against Peter. So far she's been able to do exactly what Childs asked her to do and exactly what Peter asked her to do. At some point, though, she's going to have to throw her lot in with one side or the other. And that moment will come long before the dust has settled and the winner has been determined.

I was glad to see the babysitter go. For one thing, I hate how everyone on primetime television any more has to be under thirty, even when it stretches credibility. I spent the first half of the episode convinced their were killing off the grandmother to substitute in a younger analogue. As the babysitter got creepier and more patronized, I began to relax. Grace proves once again to subtle, calculating and brilliant. The babysitter (and Zach) think she lied to to cover up for the doctored photos. I think she decided to take down the babysitter when Zach was allowed to hang out with the older girl in his room with the door shut. Grace didn't approve, and she did something about it. Rather than lashing out, she stayed under the radar and waited patiently for the right moment and took it. Alicia is lucky that Grace seems like a decent and moral girl, because she also absolutely devious.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

CBS renews The Good Wife for a second season

 

[DaveF]

Agree with your thoughts on this last episode. Very perplexed about Calinda's motives and intentions at the moment. And glad to learn that S2 will happen.

Though I hadn't thought of Grace purposefully submarining the nanny. But Grace is too smart to have not realized her mom would fire the nanny over something like that.

I also enjoyed Cary's moment in the spotlight. He may be lousy as an empath, but he played the undercover role well.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

Excellent cliffhanger. Loved that Peter escaped primarily because the judge was also implicated in the sex sting; the corruption of Chicago continues to unfurl itself.

 

[DaveF]

Simply fascinating episode. Kalinda rocks, as usual.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

Another very solid episode, with two excellent showcases in character acting from Alan Cumming and Gary Cole. Alan Cumming is probably one of the most homosexual men alive, so it was a great surprise and pleasure to see his butch consultant to Peter here. Much like Hugh Laurie on "House" and Robert Downey Jr. in just about anything, Cumming projects a bitter profile of a man who is always the smartest person in the room. Having previously only seen him in very liberated, often over-the-top roles, seeing him tackle someone so restrained and reticent was a refreshing change of pace. Gary Cole's conservative doppleganger to Diane was equally fascinating. When the show made a Sarah Palin joke an episode or two back, I winced because Palin is Hollywood's favorite punching bag; it's too easy. I should have known that a show this smart would be going somewhere more sophisticated. Watching Diane and the forensics expert circle each other made for great television. Fantastic acting by Christine Baranski, who could have simply shown Diane surprised as her prejudices were overturned. Instead, she gave Diane more credit; after the first time the forensics expert subverted her expectations, Diane went into each subsequent encounter delighted to see how he'd surprise her next. Diane doesn't feel the need to justify her bleeding heart liberalism, and the forensics expert doesn't feel the need to justify his conservatism. That leaves two adults well past television's target demographic enjoying the company of another keenly intelligent person with a compatible sense of humor. I felt bad for Alicia, as Peter's natural charisma instantly slips her authority away. Suddenly she's on the outside looking in with her own family. And Will is quite clearly impatient for the chance to make his move.

The big question of the episode: why are the feds interested in Peter Florrick?

 

[Spero D]

Another great episode. Look forward to the next one. Alan Cumming is a welcome addition.

Originally Posted by Adam Lenhardt

The big question of the episode: why are the feds interested in Peter Florrick?

Good question. Like the how show keep moving along.