This is probably the closest The Good Wife has ever gotten to a full-on comedy episode, and I absolutely loved it.
The teaser alone is probably one of the single greatest things this show’s ever done. Watching Alicia live so freely by spending a weekend with Jason in her apartment as they have sex, eat pizza, eat ice cream, then have sex again, is such a liberating sight after seeing our heroine resist her urges for seven seasons. And then the show takes a sitcom-y turn with Alicia’s mom arriving, followed by Owen, Eli (and Mike Tascioni), not to mention a courier who subpoenas Alicia. Suffice to say, it’s all so entertainingly constructed and staged, perfectly conveying Alicia’s state of mind as she starts out completely at ease, and slowly begins to suffocate. Perfection.
And then there’s the Grand Jury’s investigation of Peter. It’s funny that the man in question didn’t make an appearance this week, but his presence certainly loomed over the proceedings as everyone scrambled to unravel the missing pieces. Alicia and Eli overhearing the questioning through the vents in the handicapped bathroom proved to be an amusing enough subplot, and it allowed The Good Wife to get creative for the first time in a long time (yes I’m talking about the way the show made it seem like the construction workers were inside the courtroom- brilliant). And although I still wish Elsbeth Tascioni was the one doing the defending, Mike Tascioni further proved himself to be a hysterical addition to the cast. Everything from his blunt confessions to his hilarious dog Tom was on point.
And then there’s Diane who had a single (yet superb) scene in which she offered Alicia name partner position alongside her, to fill in for Will’s footsteps. It was a bit random to have her admit that Carey was never good enough, but I love the full circle feeling of it all with Alicia being pitted against Carey once more just like the show’s debut season. This is certainly going to get interesting.
Also perfectly realized: Jason helping out Veronika get her money back. Sure it was a somewhat disposable subplot, but the dynamic between the two (not to mention Owen) made for a kickass teamup by the end of the hour.
Cases & Bits
– I don’t even like bagels but I found myself craving one in that teaser.
-Look it’s Will Scheuster from Glee. Okay it’s Matthew Morrison playing Peter’s prosecutor Connor Fox. We still don’t know much about him but apparently he’s sticking with the show until the very end.
– Hilarious moment with Veronika pretending to have just met Jason in front of David Lee.
– Hey Ruth! We kind of missed you!
– Gem of a moment: Eli using the ends of his suit to shove away the dirty toilet papers in the bathroom.
– Poor Lucca didn’t get much to do this week except advise Alicia to tell Carey about Diane’s plot.
– Fascinating moment: Alicia mixing up Will’s name with Jason.
– Coming full circle with the teaser, the ending was spot-on with Alicia and Jason getting interrupted again by Veronika juxtaposed with a lion crashing through a door.
Good Lines
Alicia: Sex is a good replacement for tequila.
Eli: Is it illegal or unethical?
Alicia: I… don’t know anymore.
Lucca: Do we get paid more money?
Alicia: I would.
Lucca: Oh, great.
Conclusion
A wonderfully amusing and witty hour of The Good Wife. The end is near people!
Nad Rating
A-
The teaser was hilarious. I like that moment when Eli and Alicia are looking at each other in the kitchen with Jason in the room, probably recalling that time when Eli feared something more was going between Alicia and Jason. It seems he was right after all. It also seems that Jason has Veronica and Owen's approval, even more so after he helped get Veronica's money back.
Eli's eavesdropping on the Grand Jury hearing being interrupted by the construction workers and how that was imagined in his head reminds me of one of the reasons why I'll miss The Good Wife. It's only the show I know that can get creative like this and do it well.
I remain confused about what the investigation into Peter is ultimately about. There have been some clues but I rather this gets all cleared up so I'll know how much is at stake.
Diane proposing she and Alicia run the firm together was interesting. I can see Alicia being tempted by that but I don't think she should take it. It has been shown the firm has been repeatedly undermined by trust issues and internal scheming in the past. How much of that would truly change if Alicia takes Diane's offer? I think Alicia should go back to running her own firm. Maybe something will come along that will put her in a better position for that than she was in before.
I thought Alicia mixing Will's name with Jason's name was a Freudian slip. Maybe something that the show will go into more later on.
I really got sitcom-y vibes from this episode too!! So funny, I absolutely LOVED everything about this one from the handicapped bathroom to how creative the show got, making it seem like the construction workers were inside the courtroom. This show is insanely smart and creative that way unlike every other procedural on television (although I don't think it's even fair to call The Good Wife a procedural anymore, I find it more serialized than The Flash!)
Gonna miss this show 🙁 glad to see you still take words out of my mouth in almost EVERY SINGLE REVIEW 😀