After watching the first few episodes of this season, I can’t help but think how much The Good Wife has changed over the years. The first season was all about the cases, with the interoffice chaos as a side note. Oh, how the tides have turned!
This week’s case against Lockhart/Gardner seemed like filler, so the characters dealt with all the backstabbing and drama of their colleagues.
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The episode starts off with the law firm getting hit with a sexual harassment suit from one of their paralegals. The paralegal brings some absurd charges against the majority of the crew, including Cary, Alicia, Will, Diane, and senior (very senior) partner Harry Lineman. The case is pretty much a fishing expedition and kooky lawyer Elsbeth Tascioni keeps knocking accusations out of the park. The lawsuit ends pretty much just as abruptly as it starts and Kalinda ends up saving the day (like always). The case was frivolulos to say the least, and seemed like a time waster for the episode, and an excuse to get Carrie Preston (Tascioni) back on the show. But on second thought, maybe that last reason isn’t so bad after all…who doesn’t love Elsbeth?
Luckily, the rest of the characters had some serious situations to take care of. Diane went about introducing her fiancé and gun-nut Kurt to her friends, and later went to meet his (which she immediately regretted). After a quick panic about their relationship, Diane and Kurt finally tie the knot after five long seasons! Yippee!
Meanwhile, Eli and Jackie Florrick are fighting (as usual) but their opposite personalities just clash so wonderfully. They really are the perfect duo in any scene and I’m always glad to have them together. Of course, the conflict usually ends the same way, however — with Eli yelling at Jackie to put her in her place… only to realize five minutes later he needs her help. Oops!
Cary and Alicia are having a few problems of their own, though. With their departure imminent at this point, the two must download their client files immediately. Unfortunately, just as Alicia goes to take care of business, Diane catches her in the act. Since Diane is on her way out, maybe she won’t say anything to Will… or not.
In the final scenes of the episode, Diane has a moment of nostalgia and realizes she doesn’t want to leave Lockhart/Gardner in the weeds, no matter how petty Will has acted. She goes to Will and tells him everything about Alicia. Yup, everything is officially going to crap on The Good Wife.
Although I love all the tension and conflict between the characters, I still miss the excitement in the cases. These days, all the lawyer stuff just seems like a throwaway. Maybe once Florrick, Agos, and Associates gets up and running, the two law firms can go head-to-head in the courtroom! One can only hope…