The Good Wife 5.19 Brilliant old-fashioned murder-mystery….

The Good Wife 5.19

Brilliant old-fashioned murder-mystery. Superb Finn-centric b-story.

• This is great fun. Always a treat to see Dylan Baker back on the show and, after a complex and fast-moving sequence of opening scenes, it transpires that a murder has just taken place in Colin Sweeney’s house. Again.
• The rest of the episode is told from Alicia’s POV as a witness. She is the one giving Sweeney his alibi. A responsibility she takes very seriously, replaying the events of the night in her mind and even having a dialogue with her memory. Clever.
• In the end we are given a downbeat twist-ending. We knew something like this was coming but this was still very satisfying.
• Meanwhile, we have a delightful Finn Polmar b-story. The climax of which had me laughing out loud at the screen.
• Matthew Goode is a great addition to the show, and I really love his character.
• Michael Cerveris is another great addition to the show. Love to hate his character!
• Those final two scenes showcase great storytelling. First we are laughing at Finn and then – a minute later – there is the gut-punch revelation of the real murderer. Quality.

10/10

The Good Wife 5.18 Exceptionally clever storytelling….

The Good Wife 5.18

Exceptionally clever storytelling. Exhilarating.

• The ongoing NSA storyline comes to head when one of those monitoring the phone calls – Zach Woods – needs needs legal help himself and comes to Florrick-Agos. Exciting to see this character walking a tight rope, knowing things he’s not supposed to know and trying not to say them.
• He fails.
• And the second half of his story is an intricate (but much more typical) court battle. Good fun. Cary and Clarke are a great team. Love watching them.
• The b-story is just as strong, when Alicia must defend the prosecutor who is being accused of being indirectly responsible for Will’s death. Like the character in the a-story, she is walking a tight rope. Instead of forbidden knowledge, her Achilles Heel takes the form of her own strong feelings for Will. And, after a hesitant start, she comes out all guns blazing in the end. Magnificent.

10/10

The Good Wife 5.17

An episode which meanders a lot in the second half when Alicia goes MIA due to her grief over Will.

• The case-of-the-week was interesting mostly in terms of how David Lee was using it to drive a wedge between Alicia and Diane. Ultimately it was just another story where the two firms met in court. Something we’ve seen far too much of, this season.
• Finn Polmar got more screentime this week, making me suspect that he’s a new regular character. Damian Boyle made (what I presume is) his last appearance on the show, having sown much disharmony in his time with us.
• The huge (and ugly) Alicia/Peter confrontation at the end felt like it came from nowhere, and it certainly seems like something that will dramatically affect the show moving forward.

8/10

The Good Wife 5.16

Many shows have killed off a major character but rarely has it been done
as well as this.

• Alicia goes on a quest to find out why Will wanted to phone her, just before he was shot. A quest that, ultimately, provides no answers. From a storytelling perspective this was absolutely the right choice.
• Kalinda goes on a quest to find out exactly which shot killed Will. And when she has an answer, she extracts a kind of revenge/justice. Also very powerful storytelling.
• Diana got one of the best scenes in the episode when she fired a heartless client. Cary got the other great scene when he opened a can of whupass on some schmucks during a deposition. And Eli had a brilliant comedic scene at the very start of the episode. All three scenes were ‘larger’ than the show would normally do, but worked here as a counterpoint to the slow, somber mourning that occupied virtually every other scene.
• Across the board this was an intelligent and sorrowful episode.

10/10

The Good Wife 5.15

Even before the terrible, shocking events at the end this was a gripping compelling case. But the game-changing final scenes come out of nowhere and are dreadfully sad. 10/10

The Good Wife 5.14

• TGW starts the back nine with an episode that feels like a season premier. We are treated to events in Alicia’s life in the days leading up to the pilot episode. These are presented in flashback. Some are good, some are fine. Overall, it’s a bit pointless.
• Much is made of the fact that Alicia has to give a big speech. And much is made of the fact that she must do this really to impress a new character, played by Jill Hennessy. In the end, her speech is a bit of a damp squib. For the audience, if not for the characters. And the JH character goes in a different direction. So, what was the point? I don’t know.
• The Will storyline is good. Easily the best storyline in the episode. The tension mounts. Carrie Preston is back as Elsbeth Tascioni (always a good thing) and she kicks ass. As usual. That’s fun to see. And, in the end, when events take a sudden negative turn, the audience feels like it has been gut-punched. Poor Will. Trouble ahead.
• Will had the best scene in the episode. The conversation with Alicia in the coffee shop in New York. Wonderful. High point of a mixed-bag episode.

8/10

The Good Wife 5.13

Wow, what a thriller! A brilliant episode with enough developments for two hours.

• Always a joy to see Wallace Shawn back.
• Impossible dilemma for Marilyn.
• Return of NSA wire tap guys. Brilliant.
• Eric Bogosian: So. Much. Menace. Wow.
• The fake TV show at the start and end? Hilarious.

10/10

The Good Wife 5.12

Another comedic episode? Or, at least, one with a lot of comedy. Methinks they are going to this well too often. Every episode can’t be about Alicia meeting Will in court! Never mind, at least the two b-stories are excellent. Especially the one about the ballot box video. 9/10

The Good Wife 5.11

Solid story about music copyright, which is often beautifully staged and filmed. But (unusual for this show) it is simply trying too hard to be amusing. And the Kalinda/Jenna b-story is trying too hard to be ominous. 8/10

The Good Wife 5.10

• This Christmas episode about two wills is a reminder of how dignified and classy a heroine Alicia really is. There were some great scenes, like the early ones with
  Damian Boyle, showing us (again) how Alicia behaves in the face of rude and/or intrusive behaviour. She’s a class act. 
• The highlight of this 100th episode was surely the lengthy question-and-answer session that took place inside Will’s head. Truly great writing, and an amazing performance from
  Josh Charles. So sad.

10/10