The Good Fight 1.03

[selenak]

Good episode, which addressed one of my few concerns immediately.



To wit: this time around, not only do we get to know Barbara and Adrian (the two senior name partners at Diane's new law firm) better and they get as much dialogue in the episode as the white characters, but the law firm's investigator (black, male) shows up and immediately establishes a nice repartee with Marisa, which presumably means we'll also see a lot of him.

Incidentally, I meant to ask this before, but: the Julius who shows up here and in the pilot is presumably the same Julius who used to work for L & G back in The Good Wife day? Anyway, the wholel "who voted for Trump?" bit at the office managed to be both comic relief, pointed commetary and a glimpse at office dynamics.

The main case of the week, otoh, was anything but funny and very timely as well. Client-wise, you can't get more sympathetic than a surgeon who helps out in Syria via Skype and gets locked up as a terrorist helper for it, so I was glad Diane and Lucca managed to save the day, but the gut wrenching ending felt entirely true, too - the reveal that the army had been playing for time so they could locate the brother and kill & destroy not only him but everyone around him, including the Syrian medic, the translator and the patient. Which, btw, would have happened regardless of who was President. Would definitely have happened under Hillary. Did happen all the time under Obama. The fatal US love affair with so called clean air strikes and drones has been going on since Bush I, methinks.

Maia in her own subplot, reeling from the cliffhanger relevation that her mother is having an affair with dastardly Uncle Jacks, has now enlisted in Cause Prove Dad Innocent, and while the computer shenanigans were fun, I doubt this will end well for her. Not least because I suspect Dastardly Uncle Jacks has a point about her father, not that he, D.U.J., isn't guilty as sin.

Comments

[monanotlisa]

the law firm's investigator (black, male) shows up and immediately establishes a nice repartee with Marisa

I know! I cringed a little at their first interaction, wondering whether he was being set up as another critical character -- or worse, if Marisa would continue to overstep (she's wonderful, but she's not particularly fearful at all, so to speak). But instead, they resolved this excellently; I also loved the note of Diana obviously assuming that (white, if Jewish) Marisa Got It Done, instead of listening to her words and letting her give credit where credit was indeed due.

presumably the same Julius who used to work for L & G back in The Good Wife day?

Of course! JULIUS! I like him much better here, role-wise, I mean: He was always a pompous jerk at Lockhart & Gardner, but because he was the only consistently present Black partner, it left a bad taste in my mouth. Now, surrounded by a bunch of lawyers spanning a wide spectrum of personalities, I'm extremely fond of what he brings to the table (even his Orange Menace vote, because it is merely fictional).

Which, btw, would have happened regardless of who was President. Would definitely have happened under Hillary. Did happen all the time under Obama. The fatal US love affair with so called clean air strikes and drones has been going on since Bush I, methinks.

Yes it has -- and has probably been planned to be written like this for a long time. I mean, it could be a current events note, but I doubt it -- the intro of 1x01 and the Julius-Hearts-Trump moves are such current event notes, by comparison.

(The show itself is, obviously, always political. And I love it for that.)\

I suspect Dastardly Uncle Jacks has a point about her father, not that he, D.U.J., isn't guilty as sin.

Yup. You can be a sweet father AND a crook; there's no reason to think the older Rindell doesn't do the usual conservative double-think of separating very carefully people who are worth respect (his daughter, blood of his blood) and those who aren't (investors, silly lot, them).

[selenak]

But instead, they resolved this excellently

Yup. Team Work for the win, plus, of course Marisa defering to the area which is his expertise and asking him first, not as a second thought.

I'm extremely fond of what he brings to the table (even his Orange Menace vote, because it is merely fictional).

Indeed. Fictional Republicans are the best (see also, Curt) - no rl consequences. :) (BTW, slightly more serious, I noticed this eons ago when I marathoned The West Wing - while you have liberal writers who include the occasional sympathetic conservative character (and not so he or she can see the error of their ways and convert to liberalism), I can't think of a book, show or movie writen by a conservative writer with a sympathetic liberal character who isn't shown the error of their ways. I had at least two of not three conservatives on my lj flst at the time, but they wouldn't think of one, either.)

You can be a sweet father AND a crook

Indeed, and I think Maia will find this out.