The Good Wife Review: Never Underestimate a Florrick
Carissa Pavlica
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With The Good Wife, you just never know which way the wind is going to blow.
Anything I previously thought might happen was pretty crushed in The Good Wife Season 5 Episode 18 - but it was one of the smartest and most enjoyable hours of the season.
Even though they are not together, the Florricks were on fire. Alicia started out dour and depressed over Will, but once her ears pricked up at the NSA conversations going on around her, she was all business from then out.
Peter stepped into high gear on behalf of both the Governer's office and Florrick/Agos when he learned about the NSA wire tap.
First up, with Alicia gone Cary and Clarke decided they had to make decisions without her. One such decision was confronting Diane about the potential merger and demanding three years of untouched Chum Hum money for their side of the firm. Diane balked, Louis Canning was brought on board and Lockhart, Gardner & Canning was formed.
So much for Diane and Alicia getting back together. I feel a little betrayed.
Cary was forceful and honest in dealing with Diane, but he was completely wrong in his belief that Alicia was too far gone to make decisions. He just didn't know how to reach her. She wandered by their conversation with NSA Jeff twice questioning whether they were under surveillance before getting an answer. Cary and Clarke? Oblivious.
How priceless was the look on Jeff's face when Alicia initially stepped into the elevator with them? It was like he was staring into the hellmouth or something. I'm not sure how he thought he would go to them for legal counsel and yet keep the fact they were being tapped out of the conversation. They're not the nations brightest bulbs.
It was about time we had Peter back on the scene, and he really nailed the NSA issue to the wall when he involved the senator. Eli bowing down in front of him was icing and the calls to NSA Chuck about the car for sale were the multiple cherries on top of that beautiful sundae.
Alicia was inspired not to wallow even further where it concerned Finn. She was initially set to use him as a scapegoat, as well, passing off his case to someone else when he blamed himself for Will's death. Then she got the wind beneath her wings and her line of questioning against the States Attorney was flawless.
He was a good example of how carefully you need to craft your lies before you tell them. When he made the instantaneous decision to connect GD with "going down" instead of general detention, his texts took on completely different meaning. "By going down on him?" Alicia prodded as she kept using his term in inappropriate sentences.
What I was thinking as I watched this hour was how similarly Alicia and Peter think about problems and formulate resolutions. Their marriage has received very little exploration on The Good Wife, and in showcasing how alike they are when confronting a situation head on, it helped to understand why they might have been a great match at one time.
As the hour faded to black with them talking about their future in such a clinical way, it was the first time I thought there might be a chance for them, odd as that sounds.
I am happy the NSA business is over. Finn seems to be off the hook as a scapegoat and the two firms are again solidly separate and perhaps the friendship between Diane and Alicia will suffer a bit as a result. Then again, every week is potentially a game changer, so I'll leave it up to the writers to form their universe and I'll just enjoy it.
What did you think of the hour? It's definitely worth a few more viewings, and you can watch The Good Wife online here at TV Fanatic. Chat about it in the comments!
Which Florrick was more impressive this hour?
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.
