I was all ready for The Good Fight to crash under its own weight after a terrific pilot. Nope, this one’s still going full speed ahead!
The great thing about this show is that it’s shaping up to be quite the ensemble effort. Whereas The Good Wife was primarily centered on Alicia, Fight evenly spreads out its efforts on its entire cast. That makes for a much more balanced experience, and it helps that the core trio of Diane, Lucca, and Maia are just so darn engrossing. Gold stars!
On The Good Wife (and I promise I’ll try not to reference the parent show so often for much longer), Lucca was basically utilized as a sounding board for Alicia’s feelings. But here? Here she gets to be her own character, and her persona is finally coming into its own as a result. Whether she’s enforcing the law with steely determination, or lovingly mentoring Maia, Cush Jumbo is downright fantastic across the whole way through. Now I just need more scenes of her with Diane!
How great is it that Sarah Steele is a regular now? Marissa was one of the highlights on The Good Wife, but she also never really got the attention she deserved (I’m starting to notice a trend here). Watching her kick ass (notice how dumbfounded Adrian looks when she gets them the list of names) and just rock the house as Diane’s assistant is beyond awesome. In fact, just pairing her with Diane is brilliant, and I’m so looking forward to seeing what the writers cook up for these two next. Brilliant!
Even more familiar Good Wife faces made an appearance this week. First off there’s the delightfully evil Andrea played to perfection by Christine Lahti. The character was wonderfully duplicitous on the parent show, and she’s equally amusing here with her fake smile and sharp barbs. Also returning is Michael Boatman as Julius Cain. The character wasn’t always engrossing, but I have high hopes he’ll be much more integral to this show’s narrative. Finally, there was the epic return of Judge Abernathy, gloriously played by Denis O’Hare. The character is definitely one of my most favorite judges, and his shenanigans with the sunglasses certainly lived up to his legacy. Please stick around forever!
The ending was a bit too soapy for my taste (“Hi Uncle Jax“), but it’s definitely twisty to see Maia’s mom turn out to be so sneaky. Not only did she lie about the cancer scare, but she’s been sleeping with Uncle Jax and is presumably responsible for her husband’s imprisonment. Let’s not get too crazy here writers but I’ll reserve judgment for now.
Bits & Cases
– Maia’s arc is so similar to Alicia’s in season one huh? Both women are being ostracized by society for scandals that aren’t even theirs.
– How disturbing are the rape threats that Maia keeps receiving? People are sick.
– It’s a small moment but Lucca realizes that Maia has a long line of plaintiffs (since she’s the only white lawyer there). Ouch.
– This episode effectively emphasized Diane’s fractured relationships with both Lenore and Henry. She’s rude to the former (during the visit), and she can’t seem to believe that the latter is innocent when she drops by the jail. Hmm…
– The Freidman method sure is fascinating. I’m going to be on the lookout for lip contractions now!
– Hilarious touch with Marissa trying to scare off Diane’s potential assistants.
– Who remembers Marissa’s juice bar from The Good Wife? I actually loved the little sequence with Marissa in the mall questioning various employees.
– Those algorithm guys sure are weird. Will they be part of the show every week?
– I love that Adrian picked Maia for the case so that he could get the judge recused. The firm often used Alicia in a similar manner in season one.
– It’s a great touch, but Barbara isn’t happy that Diane hired Marissa when she got her so many potential assistants who were black (much like the rest of the firm).
– Nifty little moment with Maia trying to observe her mother’s facial expressions as she questions her.
– I do hope Maia’s girlfriend receives some dimension going forward.
– Loved Lucca letting Maia question the witness. Too bad they still lost (didn’t see that coming!)
Good Lines
Julian: You’re the “door close” button in the elevator. Comforting, but not necessarily effective.
Adrian: Who’s on it with her right now?
Diane: The new associate, Maia. I’d keep her on it. Maia’s good. And she’s motivated.
Adrian: That Rindell kid?
Diane: Yes.
Adrian: Sure. Everybody hates her. Great way to mold a fighter.
Geek: Our algorithm doesn’t like him. Not for this case.
Adrian: Your algorithm’s not taking into account that I’m a fucking good lawyer.
Lucca: It would look great on you. Do you want to buy it?
Andrea: No. I’d sooner buy the smile off the Mona Lisa.
Maia: We were always the boring family. I mean, all my friends, their… their parents were divorcing or having affairs and… I used to lie about Mom and Dad fighting, so that I wouldn’t seem so weird. And now… it’s like we’re paying for all those years of happiness.
Conclusion
A stellar follow-up in every way. This show’s already firing out the gate!
Nad Rating
A-
I really can't explain just how much I love this show already. That's how it felt to wait every WEEK for a new Good Wife episode?? Damn it I need more!
Perfect review too. I was so shocked by them losing the case (and sad) and I love how even those algorithm guys have more personality than some of the MAIN characters on any other show. It's just a brilliant little detail I've always loved about The Good Wife.
And Marissa! Aahh pairing her with Diane is brilliant! Can't wait for more! Thank god you made me watch/finish Good Wife before this started phew.