Following a multi-week hiatus, The Good Wife returned last night with a bang. A quiet, well-scripted, character-based bang, that is.

Aptly, the hour was titled "Bang" and you can read a recap of events from it by following the preceding link.

As usual, the drama relied on wonderful acting and pacing to set the subtly suspenseful tone. Peter returned home and there was no major blowup, but the dynamic immediately changed for Alicia.

When she was informed of Zack and Grace's photos of Peter, she was clearly disturbed. But was the anger directed at her children for keeping her in the dark... or at the new situation, which quickly finds her on the outside of her own home life? It certainly seemed like the latter.

She probably doesn't even know how to play Wii baseball.

Then there's the sexual tension between Will and Alicia.

That was a great exchange between Kalinda and Alicia, as both acknowledged there's something there, despite the fact that it's never been really addressed. They just know it, the same way the series expects viewers to simply know it, without making a major fuss or adding any unnatural scenes or lines of dialogue to an episode in order to hammer the point home.

Isn't it nice to be treated like an adult by a television show?

What else did we love about "Bang?" The following bullet points reveal all:

• Has The Good Wife ever misfired with its casting? Alan Cumming is perfect as Eli Gold, Joanna Gleason is the latest familiar face to appear as a judge - and, come on, who doesn't love Gary Cole?
• There were references to Secretariat, Sarah Palin and Timothy McVeigh throughout the episode. None were explained in great detail. All felt natural and witty. We ask again: isn't it nice to be treated like an intelligent adult by a television show?
• Is Kalinda gay? Probably. Is she fiercely loyal and great at her job? Definitely.

With American Idol, Lost and now Parenthood on Tuesday nights, we hope The Good Wife doesn't get forgotten about in the ratings shuffle. With episodes such as this one, we're confident it will stick around for a long time.

What did you think of it? Below, we've posted a few The Good Wife quotes from it:

Will: Wherever we end up, I respect you, Diane.
Diane: Didn't they say that to Secretariat before they put him?
Will: I don't think they said 'Diane.' | permalink

Eli Gold: Can I say "son of a bitch?" Or is that too salty? | permalink

Kalinda: How long until this competition between you and Cary is over?
Alicia: A month... and eight days. | permalink

Grace [on her father's ankle monitor]: This is just like Cinderella. | permalink

Matt Richenthal is the Editor in Chief of TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter and on Google+.