The Good Wife 2.17
Mar. 23rd, 2011 03:33 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
selenakIn which a divorce case turns ugly and the newest Eli vs teen girl encounter does not end in Eli's favour.
Case of the week: you know, I was all set to write "they were a bit heavy on the "drug dealers are people who love their kids and wives, too", weren't they?" when lo and behold, there was the twist, as I should have known there would be, given the show's record in shades of grey stuff. Neatly done, from Alicia - who knows that Bishop is bad news and always felt uneasy about the firm's relationship with him - tentatively feeling sympathy, perhaps even identifying because of the cheating spouse and Bishop doing the good parent putting kid's welfare first during custody hearing thing - to the metaphorical slap of reality, the reality being that Bishop by profession deals in death. When Mrs. Bishop's lawyer brings the news of her death, it's such a perfectly staged moment because both Alicia and the audience know they should have been aware of the possibility. Really well done
Campaign arc: now that Childs is out of the race, it figures that Eli would conclude the way to win isn't by being more liberal but more conservative, and to play the race card in reverse is an ugly real life likely strategy. Having Grace call him out on it was a refreshing reverse on the Eli vs. Becca scenes and also an unexpected way of connecting Grace's teenage rebellion/recent interest in religion thing with the political goings on. It's also good for the overall characterisation of Grace, making the point that she might be a teenager who like most teens often loves to self-dramatize but she's not stupid, and her concerns are real.
Kalinda, Blake and investigation arc: you know, this turns out better than I thought. I mean, Blake is still a one dimensional character but at this point it doesn't matter anymore because as a plot device he actually serves his purpose. I really liked us getting yet another looks at the goings-on at the state attorney's office (and that not just Cary but also the others aren't portrayed as villains), the scenes between Kalinda and Alicia are lovely and layered even before the final kicker, and lo and behold, we get a moment of Alicia and Cary bonding/reconciliation over their mutual relief Kalinda is off the hook. Loved that. Also Cary feeding Kalinda the questions. As for Kalinda being ruthless and framing Blake for an affair with Bishop's wife, I found that thrilling in a way I didn't her early in the season car smashing (which I found stupid). Though now even the car smashing is put in a new context. I thought the show had decided to drop the early season 1 hints about some backstory between Kalinda and Peter, but no, it didn't. Now the prospect of Kalinda having a surprise!husband I didn't find very interesting when it was raised three weeks ago, but Blake's theory that it was Peter who helped her cover up her change of identity, that she had sex with him and that since becoming friends with Alicia she's been living in fear it would come out? Now THAT is different. Mind you, this being a twisty show I am entirely willing to believe there will be a twist here as well, Blake is wrong and while Peter and Kalinda do share a guilty secret it's not that one, but if it is, I'd see it as plausible and in character for both at that point, and also in character for both now to hope Alicia won't ever find out. It would/will be a true trial by fire of the friendship between Kalinda and Alicia. Because knowing your husband used to cheat on you with call girl x and discovering he also had at least a one night stand with the woman who subsequently became your best friend are simply two different things, though I think Alicia would get over it and understand why Kalinda never brought it up.
In conclusion: I continue to love this show.
Case of the week: you know, I was all set to write "they were a bit heavy on the "drug dealers are people who love their kids and wives, too", weren't they?" when lo and behold, there was the twist, as I should have known there would be, given the show's record in shades of grey stuff. Neatly done, from Alicia - who knows that Bishop is bad news and always felt uneasy about the firm's relationship with him - tentatively feeling sympathy, perhaps even identifying because of the cheating spouse and Bishop doing the good parent putting kid's welfare first during custody hearing thing - to the metaphorical slap of reality, the reality being that Bishop by profession deals in death. When Mrs. Bishop's lawyer brings the news of her death, it's such a perfectly staged moment because both Alicia and the audience know they should have been aware of the possibility. Really well done
Campaign arc: now that Childs is out of the race, it figures that Eli would conclude the way to win isn't by being more liberal but more conservative, and to play the race card in reverse is an ugly real life likely strategy. Having Grace call him out on it was a refreshing reverse on the Eli vs. Becca scenes and also an unexpected way of connecting Grace's teenage rebellion/recent interest in religion thing with the political goings on. It's also good for the overall characterisation of Grace, making the point that she might be a teenager who like most teens often loves to self-dramatize but she's not stupid, and her concerns are real.
Kalinda, Blake and investigation arc: you know, this turns out better than I thought. I mean, Blake is still a one dimensional character but at this point it doesn't matter anymore because as a plot device he actually serves his purpose. I really liked us getting yet another looks at the goings-on at the state attorney's office (and that not just Cary but also the others aren't portrayed as villains), the scenes between Kalinda and Alicia are lovely and layered even before the final kicker, and lo and behold, we get a moment of Alicia and Cary bonding/reconciliation over their mutual relief Kalinda is off the hook. Loved that. Also Cary feeding Kalinda the questions. As for Kalinda being ruthless and framing Blake for an affair with Bishop's wife, I found that thrilling in a way I didn't her early in the season car smashing (which I found stupid). Though now even the car smashing is put in a new context. I thought the show had decided to drop the early season 1 hints about some backstory between Kalinda and Peter, but no, it didn't. Now the prospect of Kalinda having a surprise!husband I didn't find very interesting when it was raised three weeks ago, but Blake's theory that it was Peter who helped her cover up her change of identity, that she had sex with him and that since becoming friends with Alicia she's been living in fear it would come out? Now THAT is different. Mind you, this being a twisty show I am entirely willing to believe there will be a twist here as well, Blake is wrong and while Peter and Kalinda do share a guilty secret it's not that one, but if it is, I'd see it as plausible and in character for both at that point, and also in character for both now to hope Alicia won't ever find out. It would/will be a true trial by fire of the friendship between Kalinda and Alicia. Because knowing your husband used to cheat on you with call girl x and discovering he also had at least a one night stand with the woman who subsequently became your best friend are simply two different things, though I think Alicia would get over it and understand why Kalinda never brought it up.
In conclusion: I continue to love this show.
no subject
Date: 2011-03-24 12:18 am (UTC)I think Alicia could forgive Kalinda for sleeping with Peter, especially if she did it to get something out of him, but I don't think she'd forgive Peter so easily for extorting sex from an employee.
I also felt sorry for Nisa, because "Zach Florrick and a black girlfriend" is all very well for Grace and Zach, but it's Nisa who's going to be the political football, especially the way their campaign has gone after immigrant people of colour so far.
no subject
Date: 2011-03-24 07:23 am (UTC)Oh, I think Alicia will blame Peter more than Kalinda as well (both because of the employer/employee situation and because he was the married one, not Kalinda - well, mystery husband not withstanding, but presumably she either was divorced or wanted to leave that one anyone). Though given Kalinda's track record with Landa the FBI agent and cop-with-the-awful-hair-whose-name-I-forgot from season 1, I would say it's as likely she turned the relationship sexual (if that's what happened) as that he did. Either way, they're both adults, they knew what they were doing, and they're both responsible. What I like about this twist is that it not only puts Kalinda's earlier actionis re: Blake in a new context but explores how much the relationship with Alicia means to Kalinda, how much she values their friendship now, and the opinion Alicia has of her.
Nisa (I thought it was spelled Nysa?): oh yes. And let's not forget she'll have to put up with Jackie and her classist/racist ways sooner or later.
no subject
Date: 2011-03-24 08:04 am (UTC)I got "Nisa" from IMDB, so I don't know if that's canon spelling!
no subject
Date: 2011-03-25 12:23 pm (UTC)Re: Peter and Kalinda: something else just occured to me. When she worked for Peter and the state attorney's office, she already did so as Kalinda Sharma, not under another name. So if he helped her to change her identity - for sex or for other reasons - it would have been before, and not after she became his employee. Also it would have been remarkably stupid of Peter to have an affair with someone directly working for him; mind you, the call girl thing was also not the brightest thing to do even from an amoral pragmatic pov, so who knows, but still: having an affair with your employee is incredibly risky if you have ambitions in politics.
no subject
Date: 2011-03-24 05:49 pm (UTC)But show! I love you so much.
no subject
Date: 2011-03-24 10:26 pm (UTC)