The Good Wife kicked off its second season with new characters, a new case, but the same awkward love triangle.

And that's where this review of "Taking Control" should begin, with Alicia and Will. The set-up of Eli erasing the latter's heartfelt voicemail was a bit soap opera-ish, but it was a necessary, welcome move. I don't wanna spend every episode wondering whether these two will get together.

I'm content to move their in-between relationship to the background for a bit, especially if it gives us a chance to see what makes Alicia and Peter work. In any good love triangle, we need to actually believe that the person at the center could end up with either suitor.

Last season, Alicia couldn't bring herself to leave Peter due to a feeling of obligation to her marriage and her family. Last night, however, we got to see her enjoy helping with his campaign speech - and really enjoy what he did to her in the bathroom.

These two did get married for a reason, remember, and it's clear their professional lives play a key role in their personal connection.

But the episode was about far more than just Alicia and her men. The Good Wife threw a great deal at us in its return. Let's dive into each new development/character below:

Getting Cary-ed away. Cary was my favorite character last season, and I'm excited to see him on the opposite side from Alicia and company this year. But I do fear the show will make him into too much of a one-dimensional, scorned villain. The guy has always been somewhat of an arrogant prick, but we also saw many shades of humanity and sensitivity in the past. Let's hope we have similar moments going forward, despite his desire to exact revenge against the firm that fired him.

His name is Bond. Derek Bond. I'm a big fan of Michael Ealy and am happy to see him in such a prominent role. On his introductory episode, his character served as a solid contrast to Will, who is a very nice guy, but also a cutthroat boss who is all about the bottom line at work. He didn't even know how to react to Bond's suggestions that - gasp! - the underlings review one another and use the boss' office space to gather socially.

Kalinda vs. Blake. Yes, her name is Kalinda. And you really don't wanna mess with her, new guy. Consider yourself warned.

Overall, a solid start to season two, but I do worry that the show is tossing too many balls in the air. It drew such critical raves throughout season one for being a simple, well-written drama that didn't require gimmicks, special effects or stunt casting to create intrigue and interest.

Now, we have many new characters and the first case back for Alicia involved some wayward government conspiracy. It was a lot to handle in one hour. Here's to hoping the show doesn't lose track of what makes it great: an incredible leading lady and focused storytelling.

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