The Good Wife Round Table: Would You Take the Deal?
Christine Orlando
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Alicia got a startling look at the games played in bond court, while Diane had to fight a case she didn’t believe in for R.D. and Eli and Ruth Eastman went toe to toe once again on The Good Wife Season 7 Episode 4.
Below, TV Fanatics Elizabeth Harlow, Carissa Pavlica, and Christine Orlando debate what they would have done in Mia’s shoes, their favorite social issues case and where they want Alicia working in the future after "Taxed."
If you were in Mia’s shoes, would you have pled guilty or not guilty?
Elizabeth: At the end? I don't know. I mean, wouldn't the same deal of no time, six months probation and a sealed record have been made available to her? And it would have less of a long term impact on the mother in terms of employment. The burden of guilt is always on the state, I feel like Mia would have been found not guilty.
Carissa: Honestly, it would depend on whether or not I watched The Good Wife. At first I'd want to keep my record clean. I mean, I know they said it would be sealed, but we all know nothing is ever sealed, right? But now that we've gotten a good look at bond court, God help us all. Pray if we're ever in trouble we can get a good deal and get the hell outta there with as few scratches and dings as possible.
Christine: What a horrible position to be in. I probably still would have pled not guilty but Mia was in a tough spot. Like Elizabeth and Carissa said, this will follow Mia the rest of her life, sealed or not. It would have a lot less impact on her mother.
Diane played devil’s advocate on a pro-euthanasia case. In The Good Wife Season 6, they tackled the issues of abortion and gay rights. Which out of the three did you like the most?
Elizabeth: None of them? I mean, it's an interesting way to raise some issues on the show, but I just feel like Diane is constantly betraying herself. If I were her, I'd be having to take a lot of showers to get rid of that dirty feeling.
Carissa: I'm fond of the euthanasia debate, so I liked this one, but I felt it lacked a bit of a punch that I was seeking. My personal feeling on why was due to Louis Canning's continued bumbling in court, making it seem like the case was about him. It took my mind off the issue at hand.
Christine: I agree with Carissa that this one lacked the edge of the other two. I thought the abortion debate was the most well done of the three.
Were you surprised at how adeptly Ruth Eastman handled both Jackie and Grace?
Elizabeth: Oh I'm waiting for that to explode on her. Anyone who thinks they can actually manage Jackie...
Carissa: I'm not digging Ruth Eastman as much as I expected I would. I don't care how adeptly she does or doesn't handle the Florrick family. I apologize to the fans.
Christine: I’m a huge fan of the actress but I’m not loving the character so far. However, she’s obviously good at her job if she could wrangle both Jackie and Grace with so little heads up on either.
Would you prefer to see Alicia go back to Lockhart Agos or continue with her own firm working with Luca?
Elizabeth: Tough call. I hate to see her make a backwards move, but there are better cases at Lockhart-Agos, and we've already been through the whole "Alicia remaking herself" thing, what, four times at least. I like Luca, but I actually think her working with Canning would have been really interesting.
Carissa: She should continue with her own firm, but can Luca please stop playing games with the clients? Damn, that's rough. She's very smart, and her friendship is most welcome, but she's really into the whole bond court games people play, and that scares me just a bit.
Christine: I’m torn. I like Alicia on her own but there is a disconnect with the other characters (Diane, Cary, etc.) that is a bit difficult to get around. I enjoyed it more when they were a team but I also like Alicia not having to make decisions in committee the way she would at the big firm.
Was there anything in “Taxed” that you found disappointing?
Elizabeth: The way Alicia basically dropped the class action suit. You don't get to sacrifice one client’s case for another, and the publicity that a class action would have gathered may have mitigated the charges against Mia or her mother. She also needed to bring some attention to that farce of a judicial proceeding. It's called Twitter, Alicia.
Carissa: That lawyers probably really think so little of the people they represent because bond court is nothing more than a cattle call. When you think about the fact it's the first part of the legal process after arrest for most people and sets the stage for whether they will or will not become hardened criminals (yes, spending time behind bars means that much), it's downright frightening.
Christine: That Mia’s mother let her go through all of that instead of stepping up and taking the blame herself. What kind of mother does that to her daughter?
What was your favorite quote or scene from this episode?
Elizabeth: I loved how deftly Diane managed Canning! When she reached into his pocket for his pills...I died.
Carissa: It's not my favorite, but it really stood out when Mia saw the tape and decided to take the plea. First off, I wondered if it would still be on the table after all that or if her ignorant mother had just cemented her future (we never found out, did we?) and then realized her mom did that anyway. Guess this could fit under disappointing, too.
Christine: That Alicia asked Luca to be a part of her team. I look forward to seeing how these two work together going forward.
Check back in on Sunday for our review of The Good Wife Season 7 Episode 5 and if you can’t wait until then, you can watch The Good Wife online here at TV Fanatic.
C. Orlando was a TV Fanatic Staff Writer. Follow her on Twitter.
