It’s been quite a ride into the season three finale of The Good Wife. Not only has there been an overwhelming amount of movement in the last few weeks, but I’ve actually been enjoying most of the stories, a welcome development at the end of what’s been a particularly rocky season (to say the least).
Peter decided to run for Governor, and he’s facing the rather unpleasant Mike Kresteva (Matthew Perry), a man out to destroy his opposition through any means necessary. I still vehemently believe that Peter should still be in jail — certainly he shouldn’t be back in office — but I felt an excitement that’s been lacking for a while now when Eli and Alicia started to respond to Peter’s whims. Alicia backing Peter because she was mad at Mike for lying to her was unbearably childish, but I loved how Frank Landau (Mike Pniewski) thankfully drove a wedge between Eli and Vanessa Gold (Parker Posey) by forcing Eli to dump his ex-wife in exchange for the DNC backing Peters’ campaign. It’s all been thoroughly enjoyable.
Even Will’s suspension has brought with it some pleasure. Saddling the partners with Howard Lyman (Jerry Adler) has been the best part by far, but even minor plot points like Will’s attending a “Behind the Bar” support group meeting for suspended lawyers was hilarious. There were only three of them there!
So with all this good will building up over the last few weeks, and with the return of the ever awesome Louis Canning (Michael J. Fox), what did The Good Wife decide to do? Throw it all out the window … what else?
Lockhart/Gardner has teetered on the edge of insolvency countless times over the course of three seasons. Does consistency make it a solid story to pull out yet again, or is there such a thing as overkill? I’m inclined to go with the latter, only because that’s totally the correct answer. Really? Again? And to waste the brilliance of Louis Canning with that nonsense, not even really pitting him against Alicia? Why bother bringing him back if that’s all you’re going to do with him?
And yet the firm’s plot was by far the better of the three tonight. We had finally moved into solid territory with Alicia and Peter no longer being together, when along came Jackie — never a welcome player on this show — stirring things up. I find that plot so annoying it’s not even worth getting into … except to say that it’s time for the story — and Jackie — to be retired.
And then there’s Kalinda. In season one she was interesting, even with the ridiculous sexual ambiguity that was written for her. By season two the character had us all wondering how it had won an Emmy for Archie Panjabi. Season three mercifully moved off of Kalinda, until the writers inexplicably decided to bring her back front and center. I don’t care what’s in her past, or whether the husband she’s been running from for years has finally caught up with her! Kalinda is a solid member of the ensemble, so let’s wrap up her plot and return her to the background role that she inhabits so well. It’s enough already.
Meanwhile, where did the season-ending “cliffhanger” leave us? Alicia deciding whether or not to go back into the house — don’t even get me started on that nonsense — and join her family for pizza. Not get back together with her husband, or reunite a family, but have pizza with her kids. That’s a season-ending cliffhanger moment?
Okay….
Clacked by Aryeh S.
on Apr 29, 2012 @ 23:34 EST5EDT
The Peter story line is sort of following the Marion Barry story from I don’t know how many years ago. Taped with a hooker and a crack pipe, go to jail, get out and get re-elected. That old adage about truth being stranger than fiction has lasted as long as it has for a reason.
I either was not paying close enough attention or the symbolism just went flying over my head – but what was the deal with the tv in Jackie';s room? I get that it was the same movie playing both times but wen Alicia was there it looked like the tv was not even on. Was it really off both times and Jackie is losing her marbles? What was the significance of the movie?
Maybe it was God playing those movies, telling Jackie to do the right thing. (just kidding)
Jackie may still have all her teeth but in terms of the storyline, they’ve made her toothless. I would have liked to see Alicia take her to court over using the kids’ money to buy that house. This way, it just flailed.
I thought it was a weak episode all around, from the plots to the non-cliff-hangers. If Kalinda was so afraid of her ex finding her, why did she keep that cheque around at all, much less in her tax file, with his contact information on it?