The Good Wife Midseason Report Card: Grade It!

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It's been called the best show on network television.

How does The Good Wife Season 5 stack up at midseason? We break it all down in our TV Fanatic report card. Scroll down for our analysis and then offer up your own grade at the end...

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Best Episode: It’s difficult to compete with The Good Wife Season 5 Episode 5, “Hitting the Fan.” From Will’s memories of intimate moments with Alicia as he made the long walk down the hallway, Diane’s misgivings about acting on behalf of the firm because of what it might mean to her future to Peter making everyone knew that messing with his good wife meant taking on the Governor himself, it was hard to beat.

Best Character: Diane isn't going to be the traditional choice here, but just before the breakup, she was hitting her stride. In The Good Wife Season 5 Episode 4 “Outside the Bubble,” we were reminded why Diane and Kurt are such a phenomenal couple, despite their many differences. After the dust settled and she saw what Alicia and Cary had accomplished with their new offices, we had a hint that she still has dreams of excitement that haven’t been scratched. I suspect her best is yet to come.

Good Wife Cast

Worst New Character: Marilyn Garbanza. After the “bombshell” she dropped at the end of The Good Wife Season 5 Episode 10, “The Decision Tree,” we can suspect the ethics advisor was brought on only to drag us through the adultery mud with Peter again. If not, her character serves no other purpose than to annoy, so she can disappear any time.

WTF Moment: It’s a tie! First up is Marilyn’s decision to name her baby Peter and sharing it at the Christmas party and second is Damian Boyle waltzing into the Florrick/Agos offices to steal all of their furniture while the worst receptionist ever let it happen.

Most Disappointing Story: The cameras in the computers at Alicia’s. They may have had a dual purpose: a teen porn story with a very poor ending and the possibility that the NSA is tapping into her computer. Since the kids hid the story there are nekkid videos of Grace on the ‘net and nobody is aware of any other possible source of spying. That really didn't work out as I had hoped.

Will or Peter: It seems like there is really no question viewers want addressed more than whether Alicia will ultimately end up with Peter or Will. For some unknown reason, Alicia stood by her husband after he treated her miserably prior to our meeting. Since then, she has had an affair with her college crush, remained married and continued to have relations with her husband. My personal preference would be for Alicia to stand completely on her own without either man for at least a year before making a decision.

Overall Grade: A. The most intriguing thing about The Good Wife is how (almost) every character is fully fleshed out. They are beautiful, flawed and fallible and because of that they are utterly relatable to us. When Alicia downloads files from work, we give her a pass because we would do it if we were starting our own business. We identify with the inability to make the best choice more than we would to make the right choice all time and it’s that human quality that makes The Good Wife so fascinating.

Hopes for 2014: Take some emphasis off of cases pitting LG against Florrick/Agos. While it keeps all of our favorites in the courtroom, it is a bit unrealistic. It’s time to lose the adultery angle where Peter is concerned. That ship has sailed. If it’s going to keep floating, split up Alicia and Peter for good. LG should can Howard Lyman. My personal wish is for Diane to join Florrick, Agos & Lockhart. She misses the fire, and has been removed from LG. Something’s gotta give. A girl can dream!

It’s your turn. Grade The Good Wife Season 5!

Carissa Pavlica is the managing editor and a staff writer and critic for TV Fanatic. She's a member of the Critic's Choice Association, enjoys mentoring writers, conversing with cats, and passionately discussing the nuances of television and film with anyone who will listen. Follow her on X and email her here at TV Fanatic.

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Good Wife Quotes

Cary: How are things in the bar attorney trenches?
Alicia: Same as there only without the fees, resources or muffins.

There is a mutiny brewing below deck and we are going to start losing good, young associates because of him.

Cary