What a surreal hour.
Every season, The Good Wife experiments with a different kind of episode. The one that sticks out most is Death of a Client, a stunning outing from season four that altered the template of the show and ended up being one of The Good Wife‘s finest hours. I wasn’t as blown away by Mind’s Eye, but I still appreciate what it set out to do.
Most impressively, this installment provided fascinating insight into Alicia’s psyche. The show’s signature “memory pops” were in full force, as Alicia kept picturing her upcoming interview and the different answers she would give (particularly those relating to Lemond Bishop funding her PAC). Interspersed throughout these proceedings were some hilarious bits ranging from Alicia’s various love interests (Will, Elfman and Finn) to Peter and Kalinda doing the dirty. Through the music and the camerawork, Mind’s Eye came across as very dreamlike, and that effectively helped heighten Alicia’s vivid imagination.
Much like Sweeney last week, I’ve grown a bit tired of Canning. His death (which I thought would happen this week) would be a very effective narrative development particularly with regards to how Alicia would react to it. I loved that she went to the hospital and provided his wife with a shoulder to cry on. No matter how “bad” our heroine thinks she’s become, she’s definitely “Saint Alicia” to me!
And of course, it wouldn’t be a truly revelatory hour without Alicia struggling with her faith in some regard. From the conversation with the atheist to Alicia asking Grace to pray for Canning, the topic was intelligently handled, and in a manner that felt true to Alicia’s character.
Bits & Cases
– Great imagery with Kalinda arriving through a shining door of light, as the character has been Alicia’s saviour countless times throughout the show.
– Love the side zoom with Alicia saying “Damn”.
– Why did the credit card ad remind Alicia of Will? More importantly, why did the show use that horrible stand in for Will? Even in the shadows, he looked nothing like him.
– Seriously Alicia’s subconscious is naughty. Absolutely loved her walking through the streets and shuffling songs while her mind hopped from Will to Elfman to Finn. That whole sequence was punctuated by Peter addressing Alicia with the line: “Why is it all right for you but not me?”
– A pregnant Grace sniffing glue – HA!
– Hilarious: Marissa telling Grace that she won’t replace her.
– Although I don’t miss Zack in the slightest, it was nice of Alicia to remember him (picturing him homeless on the streets). The scene in which she apologised and hugged him was extremely moving.
– Loved Alicia telling Prady that she doesn’t think he should win.
– The way Alicia looked at Elfman in the end… I’m starting to feel like he might end up being the one (and not Finn who has been MIA for a while now).
– I like that Alicia was finally able to admit Bishop’s involvement in her PAC but still retain a strong position.
– Alicia’s raspy voice was a hoot throughout. And I loved the double meaning of her final line (see below).
Good Lines
Alicia: You know, I am really sick of you guys playing into this “good girl” thing. Making me feel guilty. He slept with Kalinda. He slept with Ramona. He screwed hookers!
Elfman: Your voice sounds better.
Alicia: I’m finding it.
Conclusion
While it might not have been a revolutionary hour, this was still a highly ambitious and creative outing from The Good Wife.
Nad Rating
A-
I enjoyed this episode because of how mind-trippy it was. I love episodes like that. I thought Alicia's interactions with Mind Canning were interesting as well as her sexual fantasies of her campaign manager and Finn (I liked the one with Finn more).
I like that for a moment, in her mind, Alicia stood up to the priest telling him that she was sexually attracted to someone other than her husband instead of plunging herself into denial. But I wish all this buildup of attraction she has was more for Finn than Elfman. Pursuing Elfman sexually is complicated in so many ways and I felt there's been more development with the Finn-Alicia relationship than with the Elfman-Alicia relationship.
The thing with Peter and Kalinda pissed me off a bit because I wish Alicia would just get over it already. Because she hasn't fully, she and Kalinda barely have a friendship.
I read in a AV Club review of this episode that what triggered Alicia's thoughts about Will is that the voice in the ad reminded her of him.
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I thought this was perfect! I can see why you didn't love it as much as the experimental “Death of a Client” but this comes as a close second to me. The fact the entire episode takes place inside Alicia's imagination is just brilliant (and I thought The Affair was the only mind-bending show in the world!).
How cool that there was an ad on the website she was reading. And she had to scroll down to see where the noise/video is coming from. Happens to all of us doesn't it? 😀 God, I love how REAL this show is.