I had the biggest smile on my face as this episode came to an end.
Part of me feels like a traitor because I’ve been rooting for Finn and Alicia to get together for so long, but it seems Mathew Goode’s availability has limited that relationship’s chances. The bright side? Alicia and Elfman locked lips in a scene that had me completely giddy! The sexual tension between the two was off the charts, and Steven Pasquale perfectly conveyed Elfman’s awkwardness and hesitation before finally taking the plunge. It’s amazing really that The Good Wife has managed to make me root for Alicia and two separate love interests within the span of one season, and neither of them is a character that’s been part of the show for very long.
This week’s legal shenanigans with the gun-printing was a typical case of The Good Wife tackling a recent headline or innovation. I’m familiar with 3D printing from recent seasons of Grey’s Anatomy (thank you television for keeping me cultured), but this subplot’s intricacies weren’t too engrossing. On the plus side, I certainly appreciated seeing Crozier again, in addition to Judge Abernathy who had been absent from the show for far too long. Furthermore, the case allowed Diane and Kurt to face off in court, while reminding me that the two were married (yup!). I don’t think the Kurt character has been entirely successful (or memorable) since his inception, but anything that gives Christina Baranski something more to do is always welcome.
I’m not exactly sure what to make of Canning and Alicia. Did he in fact dupe her as part of an elaborate plot with David Lee? Or did the writers kind of leave that up for us to decipher? Nevertheless, the real highlight here was Alicia visiting Canning on his supposed deathbed and finally divulging that she in fact does “miss” him even though he’s a terrible person. Maybe it’s the fact that anything Margulies does inevitably ends up moving me, but even her holding his hand tugged at my heartstrings.
And finally, is Alicia definitely going to win? Because I can see it going both ways. The fascinating part here is that Alicia now feels that “perfect” Prady deserves the win more than she does, as evidenced by that gem of a sequence in the makeup room. Margulies knocked the scene out of the park with her usual nuance and grace, and she conveyed just the right amount of guilt and remorse. Impeccable work as always.
Cases & Bits
– Interesting how Alicia lied in the interview about Bishop funding her PAC. Mind’s Eye had us believe she would tell the truth.
– Diane coming on to Kurt in the car – kinky and wonderfully out-of-character.
– Good continuity with the tension between Carey and Finn thanks to the former’s almost imprisonment.
– You could sort of tell that Diane was jealous of Kurt’s hot-blonde apprentice. Well played Christine.
– I’m happy Eli took the California job from Elfman, because that means the latter can now spend more time with Alicia (where he belongs).
– It was really satisfying to see the paralyzed client receive five million dollars in settlement money.
– Alicia not giving Canning his phone was pretty outright evil, and he deserved it.
– So Diane and Kurt are going away together. Yay I guess?
Good Lines
Alicia: Let me talk to Canning, see if he wants to do other good works.
Eli: Yes. Maybe he can find other ways of facilitating the killing of Jews.
Alicia: My daughter’s praying for you, so that’s good. I’m not. Because that would be hypocritical.
Alicia: I seem to have some bad boy issues.
Marissa: (to Elfman) God, handsome men are so weak.
Eli: Are you sending money to the palestinians? I hate these silences, Alicia.
Elfman: Go after Peter. Kill him. No mercy.
Alicia: Okay.
Conclusion
While the case of the week wasn’t terribly absorbing, the rest of the hour was terrific.
Nad Rating
A-
I have to admit there is some sizzling tension between Alicia and Elfman that is hard to miss and that last scene between them has me eagerly looking forward to what happens next episode. Like you, Nad, I find myself torn between Elfman and Finn who are both compelling in their own way. I experience the same conflict with another show called Looking which features a complicated romantic triangle between the main character, Patrick, and his two male love interests.
I feel that this is the first time an actor's availability is impacting the show. When Josh Charles wanted out the execution was excellent, but with Matthew Goode I didn't find the way they were phasing him out to be very plausible. In Mind's Eye, even in her imagination, Elfmann played a larger role than Finn did, but throughout the season the tension with Finn was building up, and the incident with Elfmann was just her being in a 'mood' followed by her telling him she doesnt have feelings for him. They're explaining Elfmann well enough attributing it to 'bad boy' issues, but I felt like they weren't doing a good enough job on the Finn front. The scenes with them together suddenly stopped being tense. They don't talk. They're not even friends. I don't know. It's not
sitting well with me.
You are very right Liann. Very convincing post you wrote there. So bizarre. I hope they handle it better as well! I was rooting for Finn and Alicia so much earlier in the season and then it just fizzled out!
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