The Good Wife Round Table: Has Alicia Wasted 20 Years?
Christine Orlando
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Diane continued her plan to oust Cary, Grace was accused of plagiarizing, and Alicia and Jason hit a crossroads on The Good Wife Season 7 Episode 17.
Below, TV Fanatics Carissa Pavlica, Elizabeth Harlow and Christine Orlando debate whether Alicia has really wasted the last 20 years, if Lucca deserves her own office and what should be next for Jason and Alicia after “Shoot."
Alicia told Jason she’d wasted the last 20 years of her life. Has she?
Carissa: Even if she only meant sexually, I'd still have to say no. From what I've seen of her sex life with Peter Florrick, that was not a waste. But it's easy to say those kinds of things with adrenaline flooding your system.
Elizabeth: I keep trying to find a way to agree with Alicia on that one, but it's hard. Like Carissa said, things with Peter seemed pretty hot...although there may have been some "meh" years in the past I suppose. Professionally, she wouldn't have been as likely to advance so quickly without her marriage. It held her back for a while, but it ended up working to her benefit. The only way I see it wasted is in the lost time she could have had with Will--and even then she might have ended up unhappy.
Christine: Yeah, other than Carissa’s theory of an adrenaline rush, that statement made no sense. No, things were far from perfect but she still has a pretty amazing career, two kids, a marriage and an affair with Will. She may have wished she’d made different choices but that doesn’t mean she wasted 20 years.
Of the Florrick kids, who do you think will make the better attorney, Zack or Grace?
Carissa: Grace, definitely. Zack would make a good investigator, however. He was more into gadgetry. Geez. It's been so long since I've seen him, I'm talking about him like he's dead.
Elizabeth: I don't know, that's a tough call. I mean, I was actually in doubt that Grace hadn't plagiarized. I think Grace could be good at the dirty side of law. For all her bible thumping, she's a devious little thing, and seems to have flexible ideas of right and wrong. Carissa's right, we haven't seen Zach in so long it's hard to remember. But he could be good with the lofty idealist side of law, taking things to the Supreme Court and such.
Christine: I don’t see Grace as being devious, just creative and persistent. I think she’s smart and has a good heart and that could take her far. I’ve always seen Zack as being more self-centered and arrogant; a lot like his father. I think Grace may be the best of the Florrick bunch.
Does Lucca deserve her own office already?
Carissa: I'd have to know what opportunities the others in the firm have been given, but my guess is they've been given very little. I'd feel pretty God awful if I had been trying to get myself on the radar and Alicia and Lucca showed up.
Elizabeth: Yes. She's not a first year associate. Cary and Alicia had (small) offices early on. Law offices should not have open floor plans; she should have at least had an honest to goodness cubicle, and not that shared desk! She's not a paralegal, or a researcher, or a secretary or anything. If space is a problem, LA&L either needs more space, fewer employees, or an office renovation
Christine: She probably jumped the line a bit but that happens. Let’s face it, many times getting ahead is about relationships and who you know and having Alicia in her corner is a big help. That said, Lucca isn’t fresh out of law school. She’s been a working attorney for a while now and that should count for something.
Do you hope that Alicia and Jason keep having fun, get serious or call it quits?
Carissa: Whatever is best for them, I guess. They're kind of like school kids at the moment, neither of them wanting to hurt the other. That's such a fun stage. But if and when Peter gets involved or that front page news story of her fondling man parts under a table in the restaurant becomes a reality, it may be a completely different story.
Elizabeth: I voted having fun. Alicia's mostly had serious relationships, she could use a palate cleanser. But with the series wrapping up, I also don't really care I guess.
Christine: It’s nice to see Alicia finally having some fun. I don’t know where this is going but it’s working for her right now. Even her hair looks better!
Was there anything about “Shoot” that disappointed you?
Carissa: Only that Cary is still being written to be a stooge. That's just not the Cary I fell in love with, you know? I don't like the series coming to an end with him like this at all.
Elizabeth: Cary and Alicia being on the outs isn't a great way to wrap things off. I wouldn't say that I was disappointed by anything, per se, but I also wasn't really wowed by anything either.
Christine: I couldn’t believe that Diane chastised Cary’s strategy in court IN FRONT OF their client! That was so wrong and unprofessional and I expected better from Diane. Yes, she had a point but it should have been discussed in private.
What was your favorite quote or scene from The Good Wife Season 7 Episode 17?
Carissa: I think it was when Grace decided she was going to go into law after watching her mother kick the admissions officers' asses. I never thought I'd say this in years gone by, but I'm going to miss Grace.
Elizabeth: Probably the end of Diane and Cary's court case. Well watching them disagree through the whole thing wasn't great, I liked their innovative approach. Even if it didn't work, one of my favorite judges came up with a creative ruling that ended the case on a great note. And Blair Underwood was a great pick for the role.
Christine: I liked that Alicia went to Lucca after she saw Jason kissing the other woman. It’s great that Alicia finally has a girlfriend to talk to and Lucca is a good listener who gives good advice. Alicia has needed that in her life for a long time.
Check back on Sunday for our review of The Good Wife Season 7 Episode 18 here at TV Fanatic.
C. Orlando was a TV Fanatic Staff Writer. Follow her on Twitter.
