The new season of The Good Wife picked up right where last season left off: With Julianna Margulies’ Alicia torn between two guys: her husband, Peter (Chris Noth), beckoning her to join him at his side at a press conference, and Will (Josh Charles) phoning her to try and fan the flames of romance.
It was a nice little cliffhanger, but it was resolved with a quick slickness that didn’t really resolve anything. We saw Will leave two messages on Alicia’s cell, the second of which (containing Will’s “I love you”) was trashed by Alan Cumming’s Eli Gold, who didn’t want an Alicia-Will affair to mar his client’s political career. So neither Alicia nor Will knows what the other is thinking, again.
The show plunged into changes in the workplace. FlashForward‘s Michael Ealy has joined the cast as new partner Derrick Bond, and he’s brought along Friday Night Lights‘ Scott Porter as Blake, a new investigator-partner for Archie Panjabi’s Kalinda. As a Good Wife fan who’s been very content to continue charting the ebb and flow of Alicia’s marriage and to follow her lines of reasoning in court cases, I would have been happy for this sort of stuff to have waited a few episodes. I feel as though the show is robbing me of time I want to spend watching Alicia and Peter circle their damaged marriage warily, I always enjoy more screen-time for Alan Cumming, and I wanted to see how Matt Czuchry’s Cary was going to settle in in the prosecutor’s office run by Titus Welliver’s petulant Glenn Childs.
My first impression of Derrick Bond is that he’s a pushy annoyance, but that’s what the character is designed to do — push the buttons of Will, Christine Baranski’s Diane, and Alicia (to whom he’s become a self-appointed “mentor”). And as much as I like Scott Porter, this first episode made Blake seem like a smart, probably decent guy who’s just going to get in Kalinda’s way.
I’ll try to be patient. But the new guys were superfluous to the best aspects of an otherwise first-rate episode. Chris Sarandon was terrific as the haughty judge who compelled Alicia to take a case working with a defendant who wanted to represent himself in a murder trial. Seeing Alicia get tough with the judge, Peter was turned on — turned on enough to persuade Alicia to have sex in their home bathroom a bit later on. (Oh, my: steamy mirrors.)
Not to beat a dead new plot development, but I did think that the introduction of Derrick Bond took time away from Childs’ nifty idea of having Cary take over first-chair in this case, thereby alienating the new colleague he replaced and setting up a courtroom confrontation with Alicia that didn’t quite pay off as satisfyingly as it might have. If I sound like a nag, it’s because I love. I’m glad our Good Wife is back; carry on, Alicia.
Good thoughts:
• Proof Alicia really is a bleeding-heart liberal: She listens to National Public Radio’s “All Things Considered.”
• What mad, devilish scheme does Jackie Florrick have in proposing new unity with her former arch-enemy-in-the-kitchen, Eli?
• Did Will really say, in running down the firm’s latest cases, that they had “a continuance on BP”? I knew he was slick, but oil slick?
So: What did you think of the season premiere of The Good Wife?
Follow: @kentucker
Good episode…I’m sure about Blake either. But I love Kalinda, I have a girl crush on her. Not sure about Michael Ealy but only time will tell. I really enjoy this show and I’m glad its back on!
oops I meant to say I’m NOT sure about Blake!
I have a crush on her too, and I’m a gay man… she’s that good!
Let me get this straight: Dan Rydell, Jason Street and The Smoke Monster are all on a show together and I haven’t been watching?!
Smokie is also on Sons of Anarchy with an Irish accent; watching him on SoA and Good Wife back to back tonight — it’s kinda mind-blowing.
My obligatory Good Wife-SoA-LOST comment — Titus Welliver is hot-hot-hot.
I know! I love him on SoA and on Good Wife. Tuesday nights are now my favorite nights.
Indeed!
Yes Dan Rydell!! and Jason Street!! and Logan Huntzeberger!! and Mike Logan!!! And, no, I don’t watch either. I made almost the exact comment you made last night when I saw the promo.
Ditto! I need to watch this show!
don’t forget mr. big and nurse carol plus jen’s grandma and nightcrawler
Hey now, I listen to NPR’s “All Things Considered” too, and I’m anything but a flaming liberal. (maybe an ex-flaming liberal, but not anymore… )
NPR is just about the last bastion of decent unbiased media in this country.
Thank you! I know plenty of conservatives who listen to NPR too – mainly because it is decent and unbiased!
Wow that bathroom scene was steamy, literally! I’m always a sucker for seeing broken relationships mend, even in little ways. It’s safe to say I’m rooting for Alicia/Peter to stick together.
I actually liked Derrick and am excited to see what he offers to the firm with all the talk of “community.” I bet I would have probably applauded those ideas in my workplace even though it sounds cheesy on TV.
Kalinda is perfectly capable on her own, we don’t need the new guy.
I’m happy Good Wife is back even though the case of the week didn’t grab me like they normally do.
Yes, but there is some kind of secret here — he kept calling her by a different name and she got mad about it, as though he knew something about her that she didn’t want anyone else to know.
All in all, I am very glad also to see The Good Wife back, but I felt there may have been a few too many subplots introduced in this episode.
My question as well, why was the new investigator calling Kalinda by a different name??
Yeah, Derek got her angry to the point where she actually pushed him, which surprised me. I’m also very curious about this other name thing.
Maybe I’m not a very deep thinker, but I assumed he was just doing this to annoy her, to try to establish a pecking order: “You’re not even important enough for me to bother learning your name.” Oh, is he going to learn the hard way not to mess with Kalinda!
When Kalinda went to the apartment to track down the ‘I plead the fifth’ witness, she found new firm investigator Blake (impersonating the landlord) already cleaning out the apartment. Having not yet met Blake, she believed him when he said he was the landlord and quickly made up her own lie, including a fake name – if memory serves it was Leila – that she was a friend of the runaway witness, trying to get her spare key. Blake immediately realized that she was also an investigator for the law firm, and pretended to believe her lie that she needed to look for her key in the empty apartment. Later, Kalinda saw Blake dump the trash in the dumpster; still thinking he was the landlord, she scavanged the trash for the cellphone, but Blake had already taken the sim card out of it with the important data. Once back at the firm, Blake and Kalinda were formally introduced. He slyly acknowledged that they had already met by calling her by the fake name that she had used back at the apartment and teased her about using flirtation as an investigative ploy. Later, as he continued to prod at her by calling her by the fake name she had used when they first met, she pushed him in exasperation. Kalinda’s schoolyard push was the lamest moment of what was otherwise a very elegantly complicated aspect of the plotline.
I thought he was calling Kalinda by her real name (or an alias) and she did not like that he knew more about her than she knows about him.
I agree with jenx. I watched it back and Kalinda never gave a name at the apartment. Kalinda’s got a secret…
Agree. He knows something about Kalinda, but he’s foolish to give her a heads-up about it.
Doesn’t Michael Ealy seem too young for this role? The people they were interviewing last year were much older lawyers. Let’s see what happens.
There was a lot to this episode, but I think the writers trust that we can keep up (groundbreaking!). And this show just simmers when it gets to the thick of things, the morality plays, the burning questions. Julianna does the complicated moments so damn well…
So glad this show is back. This has to be one of the best, if not the best, dramas on network television (that shower scene made CBS? Como si dise? Say what? It restores my faith that a show can still keep your interest over 24 episodes, with a killer combination of procedurals and an overarching narrative. GET ON THIS SHOW! G.
I thought the same thing too – he may be a great attorney, but he seems awfully young to be a partner. I wonder if this might be to add to tension to his tutoring of Alicia. She can accept Will as a boss because they were at law school ogether, and Diane is clearly someone to model yourself after – but this much younger guy? Hmmm….should be interesting.
Okay, this is gonna sound nuts, but as much as I like Mike Ealy, he had “weird hand placement” all night. He almost always had this little portfolio with him, but never took notes…who walks around like that? It was driving me nuts!
I don’t know why they had to add new characters. I hope these additions don’t take time away from Alicia or Kalinda–who are the 2 rocks of the show. Everyone else supports them.
SOO HOT THAT BATHROOM SCENE! OMG
I’ve been a Peter fan since day one…how can you not love Chris Noth? I think Will is slimy and smarmy. So glad that Eli shut him down (for now). LOVED, LOVED, LOVED the bathroom scene…way hot!!
Chris Noth is great in this role but seriously – Will is the slimy, swarmy one of the two?!! Peter cheated on Alicia with hookers!!
Kinda have to agree with you. Peter and Alicia all the way!
I’m all for Alicia/Will, Peter is the smarmy one in this triangle. He just wants her by his side so he can run again.
Alicia and Will. Loved the message. She will find out about it, eventually.
If it were anyone else, I’d say boo Peter, but it is way too hard to root against Chris Noth. Ever.
I want Will/Alicia, but I do find Peter compelling. He’s a little slimy but I think he tries to be a good person. The difference is Will doesn’t have to try: he’s just naturally good.
Not really impressed with the new characters. The bathroom scene was not sexy–it looked like he was forcing himself on her. Kind of creepy, actually.
Not at all. Alicia’s a big girl, and she can easily say no to Peter…she’s done it before. She was enjoying herself!
I agree, she looked kind of grossed out.
Well, she did turn off the light. I don’t think she wanted to see.
I agree–it didn’t look like Alicia was very into “it”. She also tried to put Peter off several times. If I was Alicia, I wouldn’t be able to stop thinking about where else Peter’s mouth and other things have been! As much as I believe in marriage, I have to say I think she should leave the cheater Peter and be with Will.
Poor Will!!
Rough week for him – between the new partner’s Baltimore Bball skills (and deviousness), Peter showing up at the courtroom and him thinking Alicia doesn’t love him. Eli is an awesome villain though; I’ve always loved Alan Cumming.
Funny that I don’t think of Eli as a villain at all. I love the guy.
Same here! I hope he’s front and center this season.
Love him, too! He usually seems so cool and collected. Makes the preview even more intriguing bc he becomes unhinged…
Ken, I disagree I think the cast additions are great. The look between Kalinda and Derrick was priceless. I think I looked at it about three times. I also enjoy Blake. Yea him and Kalinda will clash but in a good way. I also think that the Good Wife does subtle not in your face so Will/Alicia/Peter will have to play out over time. Look at Alicia’s face when Peter comes into the bathroom the last thing she wants is to be with him but then she submits. The cold shoulder from Will with Derrick being assigned her mentor. These things will play out later. I loved this premiere.
I agree Derrick a little young but it is Michael Ealy so I could care less how old he is.
bathroom scene was hot. even with their clothes on, definitely one of the most steamy scenes on TV in a while.
anyway, great great premiere. julianna marguiles was incredible as always and the rest of the cast was awesome as well. oh & hello jason street! so glad the show is back.
I think it’s a good idea to think of The Good Wife in a kind of Mad Men way- things may not happen right away, we might not see what’s coming down the road initially, but in the previous season all the setups paid off SO well, I’m completely willing to sit back and let the writers do their job. I trust them, oddly, which is more than I can say for most writers on TV.
So glad the show is back. I could do without the new investigator, that whole thing was kind of distracting. Wow. Bathroom scene.
Wow. (Alan Cumming’s ) Eli Gold is one good villian. Just knowing that he is keeping Will’s secret– I will come back to watch next week.
Bathroom scene- Agree that it was hot, but it seem that Alicia only went along with Peter, only because she felt that she isn’t going to have a future with Will.
I didn’t think the bathroom scene was sexy at all. She looked sick about it. I saw no pleasure on her face.
Really? Then you must have seen a different episode than the rest of us. When the scene ended, she was breathing wquite heavily and never tried to resist.