What an odd hour.
On a story level, it made sense to have Alicia jump back into the law by tackling one of her oldest cases. But I gotta say, I wasn’t completely captivated by the case of the week. It felt somewhat tedious, and the numerous flashbacks – while interesting to contrast with the present day – got tiresome after a while. Don’t Fail almost felt like a glorified clip-show at times, but at least I was engrossed by just how much Alicia and Carey had changed over the years. Does Matt Czuchry even age?
Surprisingly enough, Alicia is actually going through with writing a memoir (as per Peter’s request) by using a ghost-writer. I actually wish we spent more time with this storyline, because I’d pay a hell of a lot to read a book by Alicia Florrick. I do wonder if Alicia will actually go through with the book or chicken out by the finale next week. Speaking of the finale, we got some perfect set-up for that with Alicia asking Finn to partner up with her and start their own firm in the hour’s closing moments. Although there’s a been-there-done-that feeling with Alicia striking out on her own, I’d love to see our girl succeed on her own again. And hey, maybe this way the show will commit to letting the sparks finally fly between Finn and Alicia.
I’d also be remiss if I didn’t state how disappointed I still am that the writers didn’t go through with the State’s Attorney win. I don’t get why it was so necessary to have Alicia fail and suffer through a scandal like Peter did. Maybe it brings the show full circle, but it feels like an anticlimactic route to take the narrative in after everything we witnessed this year. Here’s hoping they can bookend the year in a truly fulfilling manner next week.
Cases & Bits
– Interesting how the ghostwriter wants to begin Alicia’s memoir with a little “violence” (Will’s shooting).
– Alicia used to call Diane “Miss Lockhart”. I had totally forgotten. Cute.
– Jackie! I kinda miss you. Okay not really.
– Loved the young lawyer played by Aya Cash, particularly as she took a selfie with Alicia and mumbled her way through proceedings. I hope we see a ton more of her going forward!
– It’s always great to see Alicia and Carey bonding. I miss their dynamic, and it was satisfying to see their shared hurt over Kalinda leaving.
– I’d pay to see Grace as Alicia’s secretary. She needs to do something useful!
– Zack deciding to come back home the second Alicia turned his room into her brand new office was awkward.
– How brilliant was Alicia telling the judge that Kalinda was responsible instead of Finn? Since the investigator isn’t in their jurisdiction anymore, this little white lie was perfect.
– Continuing the tradition of Margulies and Panjabi not filming scenes together, the final flashback between the two in the bar was apparently filmed separately with each actress on her own. Notice how both are never seen in the same frame. I can’t imagine what drove such a huge wedge between the two. How disappointing.
Good Lines
Carey: You always thought I was more competitive than I really was.
Alicia: You were competitive.
Carey: Yeah, I was.
Alicia: We’re better lawyers now.
Carey: Makes sense. We were young.
Alicia: Yeah, but there’s still something I miss about it.
Carey: What? Looking at the law as something good. Do you think it’s not good?
Alicia: No, I think it’s… neutral.
Conclusion
An offbeat and somewhat strange hour. But I appreciate what it tried to accomplish, and Margulies was on point as always.
Nad Rating
B
Nad, I've come to a certain perception about the State Attorney storyline and its role in Alicia's journey. The way I see it, as Alicia ran for SA, she reached new heights of moral compromises, the kind that would stay with her for a lifetime. After going through all that and losing due to the morally murky waters of politics, Alicia yearns for something simple and pure in her life. She tried to do that by going back to the life she had in the firm before she ran which could be viewed as simpler times. But that door was closed last episode. She tried to do that by having a memoir written. However, it doesn't seem her heart is quite in it. But then her old case came up and through working on it, Alicia finally realized the simple, pure thing she was looking for: joining a law practice in which she gets to help the right people and with Finn, an ethical person, as her law partner.
I too hope sparks can finally fly between Alicia and Finn. But it may take a bit of a time before they jump into bed together.
Perfectly stated. You convinced me about Alicia's journey. I like the way you framed it 🙂