Oh, Alicia! She's a mess, isn't she?

The last few weeks have been rough on this good wife. She's struggled with her feelings for Will and questioned whether Lockhart/Gardner is the firm for her.

In "What's in the Box?," Alicia made a decision, but not the one she probably should have made first. It's a good thing that The Good Wife has already been renewed for season 5, considering that cliffhanger.

I fell without question for the finale door open twist. I assumed that Alicia called Will and that they would finally have their talk. I should have known better since The Good Wife is always pulling tricks like that, but the wine, the music and the self-doubt was more in line with making a romantic versus career decision. I was taken by my overwhelming desire for Alicia and Will to finally discuss their feelings. 

Their moment in the car was the closest to honest they have gotten since the kiss. They clearly both still have strong feelings for each other. Alicia's plea that she was with Peter rang hollow and even she recognized that. Instead of finishing their discussion, they allowed the case and work to get in the way yet again. Frustrating! And that was the out that Alicia needed to avoid confronting her heart.

Instead of dealing with her relationship woes, Alicia made a reckless career decision by telling Cary she would join his new firm. If she made her choice strictly from a professional standpoint then perhaps it was the best option for her, but she didn't. Alicia sabotaged the possibility of being with Will instead. He's not going to be happy to find out she was aware of the rebellion and even more upset that she's leaving. Though, it would be a pleasant twist for him to see through her actions and call her on them instead of getting angry.

Alicia may have told Cary, "I'm in," but there is still plenty of time for her to change her mind or have it changed for her. She's definitely not been on the same page as the other partners regarding decisions at the firm, but again that's not why she settled on leaving. Now that she will be the First Lady of Illinois, she will also have to figure out how she can continue to be an active lawyer while her husband is the Governor.

While Alicia's life decisions were the most interesting aspect of The Good Wife season 4 finale, the election case had its moments too. In the season premiere, "I Fought the Law," Zach was arrested for taking video of a police officer and in the finale he got in trouble with his phone again. His desire for justice is admirable. In this situation, it led to a electoral mess.

Diane's words, "Sad to think you can lose an election in court these days," were poignant. And, in the end, it didn't matter. The campaign thought the election was going to be decided by a 1,000 vote margin, but Peter ended up winning by over half a million votes. 

When Kalinda found the evidence that it was actually the Democrats who faked votes for Peter, that raised the stakes in quite a few ways. Will could have used the information to destroy Peter and Alicia's relationship, but he didn't. Instead, he went directly to Peter and the candidate punted the it right back in Will's face. In the big picture, those votes didn't matter and didn't decide the election, but it proved that Peter really hasn't changed all that much.

What will Will do with that information? He could use it to try and keep Alicia at the firm, but that would backfire on him personally. Or he could use it to further his personal pursuit of Alicia. Or he could do nothing with it. It will all come down to how he takes Alicia's betrayal of the firm. 

Even though Kalinda said that she had the only copy of the evidence, it's always possible that it will come out. Or that other vote rigging actions will be revealed. Peter may have won the Governorship, but will he actually get sworn in? And what happens once he's there? He wouldn't be the first, second or third Illinois Governor to go to prison; sadly he'd be the fifth!

There are so many directions that the show could go in season five. It's going to be a long wait for the fall, but well worth it.

Odds and Ends

• This show has made excellent use of its guest stars in their recurring roles this season. It was great to see Judge Abernathy, Patty Nyholm, Colin Sweeney, Judge "In My Opinion" Lessner, and even Jordan again.
• What was the point of the Jackie and Christian bit? Peter tried to buy him off, he said no, and Jackie rebelled against her son. Perhaps, it will lead to something next season, but I hope not. 
• Kalinda has become unlikable with her indecision about where to work. Her unrelenting desire for more money is unappealing. It's depressing to see her without any sense of loyalty to anyone. At this point, I wouldn't be surprised if Lockhart/Gardner dumped her and she struggled to find a new job.
• Nana Joe was awesome. 
• Eli loves horror movies? Never would have guessed that one!

Carla Day is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter and on Google+.