You can never accuse The Good Wife of making the law seem like a noble, glamorous profession. No matter how attractive you may find its lead characters, what most of them did last night was what we’d expect and probably hope lawyers would do if they were defending us: They lied and slithered and weaseled out the best deal they could for their client, even though things didn’t turn out the way they’d hoped. The central case of the hour titled “Breaking Up” was about two young lovers, Alexis and Jonathan (played by Leelee Sobieski and Oliver Smith), accused of murdering a pharmacist. Jonathan’s dad is a big-shot client of Lockhart, Gardner, so once the two were put in separate rooms for holding and counsel, Will tried to get his boy a better deal. For the prosecution, Cary was trying to do the same thing, but for different reasons.
The episode title also referred to a subplot involving the welcome return of Alicia’s brother, Owen (how much do we love Dallas Roberts in this role, and how many of us will miss seeing him in the canceled Rubicon?). Owen showed up with a broken heart and an African wig for Alicia (don’t ask). Pretty soon, he was ensconced in Alicia’s apartment, swilling red wine and debating “Homosexuality: Nature or Nurture?” with Alicia’s mother-in-law, Jackie.
There was a lot of good Kalinda versus Blake in gathering clues and evidence for the case, a nice scene in which Alicia and Will discovered the murder weapon near the crime scene and debated the ethics of what to do about it, and many fine little Cary moments, the best of which was his exclamation when he was surrounded by all the heavy hitters in Lockhart, Gardner: “Hey — it’s a reunion!”
We saw how power trumps all when Will decided to break up the accused romantic couple with what he knew to be lies. But then again, it did backfire on him, and he was responding to lies set up by Cary’s office.
It was not a good week for Will. He finally discovered that Diane had been plotting with David Lee and Julius Cain to form their own firm, and that Alicia had been asked to join them, not because they love Alicia, but because they’ll get Eli Gold into the bargain, and what’s a party without Alan Cumming?
“Breaking Up” was one of the rare editions of Good Wife in which Alicia was pretty much relegated to observer status. I expected her to intervene in the midst of the double- and triple-dealing being committed by Cary and Will, to pull out some final twist that would send the accused lovebirds winging homeward. But nope — by the end, Alicia simply went to her home, to curl up beside her brother and talk about his love life, partly to comfort him and partly to take her mind off her grungy job. And it’s a measure of The Good Wife‘s excellence that I didn’t mind an Alicia pushed to the margins — made, in fact, a pawn in the bigger game of Diane vs. Will: Who will Alicia remain faithful to when and if the promised breakup of the law firm occurs? That final scene between Diane and Will was tremendously tense and satisfying. Diane did seem paranoid, as Will accused her of being. And Will did seem two-faced, a guy who might plot with his pal Bond to shunt Diane aside.
Everyone has his or her reasons in The Good Wife.
Some Good points:
• I am now officially not sure whether I think Elizabeth Reaser is playing Will girlfriend Tammy as obnoxious because that’s the way the role is written, or that’s how she’s unintentionally coming across. I guess we’re never really supposed to like a Will girlfriend, because in some convoluted way that honors this delightfully convoluted show, that makes him unfaithful to Alicia, doesn’t it?
• Frederick Weller, as ferret-faced lawyer Wilk Hobson, is a marvelous foil for Will. I want him hired by Diane, too.
• That whole Jackie-thinking-Grace-is-gay thing: She’s referring to seeing Grace praying with her female friend weeks ago, right? And didn’t Jackie know that it was praying, not affection, that she’d glimpsed?
• “The heart needs steering.” I don’t care what Owen said; I think that was reasonably incisive of Alicia, if not quite profound.
What did you think?
Twitter: @kentucker
P.S. Check out the latest EW TV Insiders Podcast as Dalton Ross, Mandi Bierly, Adam B. Vary, and I tackle subjects ranging from The Bachelor (thank goodness Mandi watches that) to Adam’s exclusive scoop on the new American Idol judges panel to what mid-season TV shows are worth watching (that’s where I come in). You can hear it right here.
Wow, I really dislike Cary, but I keep finding myself sitting up and laughing whenever he does or says something particularly slimy.
We love Cary. And he is definitely the least morally ambiguous of all the characters. Will was the most unethical tonite, and we like all the people on the show.
I love Cary too. I also think that he is the least morally ambiguous. I like Alicia a lot, but she is hardly the straight arrow. She watches everyone do some fairly dirty work and responds with “I don’t like it, but I understand”.
I LOVE the chemistry between Cary and Kalinda.
Cary is marvelous. I’m so glad they have kept him on this show and wish they would give him a bigger role. He terrific.
Agree totally with you. Cary is just terrific to watch!
I agree! Cary is marvelous .. Hope they keep him around on either firm.
I never liked Matt Chzury’s character on Gilmore Girls, but he’s perfect on the Good Wife!
I loved Cary in tonight’s episode. Was really disappointed with Will tonight. I know lawyers are dishonest but I wished he could of found another way than trying to let a pregnant woman go to jail.
Thanks alot – your answer solved all my problems after several days srtugglnig
Loved it, as always. Have missed it these past few weeks. Am liking the addition of Alicia’s brother, as he brings a warmth out in her that no one else does.
So true! I hope they keep him.. and he is very funny!
It’s possible now since the powers that be cancelled Rubicon – he was so good on it also. Totally different type of character.
I have really started to dislike this show and I used to love it. Everything about it is ugly and cynical now. Totally unethical behavior by everybody. No, Alicia, you shouldn’t “understand” what they did but just “dislike it”–it can get all of you disbarred.
But there’s a difference between bad behavior that’s morally unseemly, and behavior that would legally be considered illegal/unethical, which could lead to disbarrment. Lying to their client was a cruddy thing to do, even though they had his best interest at heart, but it didn’t cross the legal line. On the opposite side, “Law & Order” used to show prosecutor Jack McCoy playing fast and loose with the law at times – even when the result was morally questionable – for the sake of putting away people he believed to be criminals.
Actually, it DID cross the “legal line.” Lying to your client is unethical. Representing co-defendants with divergent interests (the boyfriend-girlfriend in this episode) is unethical. Arranging to make a murder weapon disappear is unethical. In real life, these folks would have been severely disciplined for all these offenses.
I see your point about tonite but there are many fine moments for the characters too. Like the previous ep where everyone, even Cary, worked on the death row appeal.
They should not have been representing both suspects. That was a definite conflict of interest.
Not only was it wrong to represent both suspects, but they agreed from the beginning that their “real” client was the rich guy. This is absolutely unethical. Also, telling the young men about the gun was tampering with evidence from an ethical standpoint. The show used to deal with gray areas, now they are just sensational and not very smart. Who is writing it these days?
@Rita & Sam: you don’t have to like it, but that’s pretty much the way things work in the real world.
From my perspective (one that includes a considerable amount of observation of “RL” law), I think it’s really refreshing to see them go from “Alicia pulls one out of her butt for justice” every week to “sliding into black from grey.”
But hey, that’s just me. It’s not like The Wire ever had massive ratings, and that’s my favorite. show. ever.
Christine Baranski is a genius. I love watching her. And I hope Alicia goes with her to the new firm–if there is one. And I thought Grace was praying alone? I must have missed her holding hands with her friend and praying. All in all this show continues to be fantastic!
@D; Christine Baranski aka Diane is a true DIVA. The character Diane is a smart Attorney and she can be vicious in a man mostly dominated world to protect herself. I laughed when Will told Diane, when she tried to enter the her office the next day, he would have security outside. Diane read him by stating, she’s a Partner in the Law firm. I love this show. I don’t like Peter and I wish his character dies and Alcia can hook up with Will.
NO NO NO…Will is slimy and snarky and Peter brings out the true emotions in Alicia. Gotta have some Peter!
When I watch this show I wish I weren’t a lawyer. I like the drama and the people but it’s so unrealistic in things that drive the plot, that I can’t take it. I am sure doctor and cop shows are just as, but I have no clue. The most unrealistic thing about the whole show is that if an attorney looked like Alicia and had the mad skills she has and was willing to take an entry level position (as she does) she could get a job, even in these economic times, at the drop of a a hat.
I am a college professor and feel the same way as you anytime I watch a college prfessor portrayed on TV. There are oftem significant inconsistencies betweenthe fiction and the reality. That doesn’t stop me from enjoying a dramatization of my profession. The Good Wife is a well done fictional dramatization. Enjoy it as such.
It’s too bad, really. This is the first time I sat down to watch TGW. The compression of any realism the main plot line may have been based on – to fit into the standard 40 minutes of a prime-time show – led to all sorts of breakneck pacing & legal inaccuracies including the failure of Will to face any consequences for revealing the gun. If you haven’t taken any legal courses in your life then I’d recommend it as this show cries out for just SUCH a better-educated audience. Leelee Sobieski had hardly any lines at all, for pete’s sake. As much as I try to give American network TV broadcast productions chances to impress me regretfully I have to continue to conclude that except for the original LAW & ORDER, I’m much more entertained by the lowliest of BBC productions which give a great focus & priority to realism and accuracy. I’m undecided about giving the show another chance.
@TJ – it’s too bad you chose this episode to jump in with. i’ve watched them all since the first – which i highly recommend – and this one was actually my least favorite (did enjoy it, but only because i knew the backstories of the characters and their relationships; the case bored me). go get season 1 and give it another go – it’s really one of the most intelligent shows in u.s. tv (and i used to live in the uk, so i know about ‘quality’…).
Um…guys, it’s called “Televison” for a reason. You want realism, turn on the news or walk out your door. It’s suppose to be an escape, and it’s not always realistic, but entertainment. It’s a well written and acted show, and sometime they do takle real issues. But let’s not expect TV to come off as real life. I get enough of that every day.
Great episode. All grey, no black and white. Loved Fredrick Weller, who will always be Marshall Marshall to me, I hope they bring him back. And Dallas Roberts is engaging. Really the casting on this show is top-notch. I was surprised by LeeLee S. wasn’t she the next big thing at one time – her role seemed thin at best.
Ummm.. does anyone else think Jackie and Owen need their own show?! They were kinda hysterical!
They were awesome. It’s insane how many amazing supporting characters this show has. I feel like we didn’t have enough time with certain characters tonight and we didn’t even see Derrick Bond, Glenn Childs, Wendy Scott Carr, Peter, Eli, or any of the kids.
Agree–this show is rich with well-written main AND supporting characters and excellent actors to portray them. The only downside is not getting enough time with them all!
What pitt said ^^^
The Jackie/Owen scene was pleasantly offbeat in the way the conversation went, but I wish we were past debating homosexuality. Most shows ARE past it.
It was supposed to be funny, which it was because who would think that an old lady would discuss homosexuality?
@Tego Livi; At one time during the Jackie and Owen seen, I thought Jackie make get drunk and start dancing on the kitchen table. Jackie is a wanna be snob elitist.
What most of them did last night should get them all disbarred. They represented two defendants with an unwaivable conflict and they tampered with evidence. Other than that, they acted like criminals rather than lawyers.
The Good Wife is perhaps the worst lawyer show since David Kelley’s Girls Club, where 3 20 year old models pretended to be lawyers in San Francisco. Mercifully it was only for 7 episodes. The Good Wife has legs it doesn’t dfeserve.
Ah, but they DIDN’T tamper with evidence. That’s what the whole conversation between Will and Alicia was about – what they could and couldn’t do, per the law. They couldn’t actually move/hide the gun themselves, so they decided to mention the gun’s location to some kids they hoped would “give the gun a new home.” As Will put it, they were walking on the line, but they didn’t actually cross it.
I think they did cross the line here. Directing someone else to tamper with evidence is still tampering…and it backfired.
They mentioned the location of the gun to “some kids”. Some wholesome looking “kids”. They may as well have mentioned the gun to me. The only thing that motivated them to mention the gun to These Particular Kids is that they were black. So of course they must be bangers. What? No mexicans available?
They didn’t direct anyone to do anything. All they said was, “We saw a gun back there and wondered if it belonged to one of you.” The kids then decided what to do next. And yes, it did indeed seem like Will did some racial profiling in deciding to mention the gun’s presence to THOSE kids. And Will got his payback for that stupidity when the kid turned out to be a college student who knew what the appropriate thing to do with the gun would be. Perhaps that might teach Will a lesson about making assumptions based on people’s looks.
Totally loved Cary!! He really has”learned from the best” after watching his former colleagues bend and twist the la
Just loved Cary! He really did “learn from the best” after seeing his former colleagues bend and twist the law and truth for long. It was great to see Cary on even footing with them for a change. And yes, this show is very realistic, they show ALL the lawyers as ethically challenged. A very entertaining hour on all levels and subplots. More Cary please. He has really stepped up to present a challenge to L-G-B.
The ONLY show I watch live – everything else gets DVR’ed and watched when I get around to it. The Good Wife is must-see on Tuesday nights – great to have new episodes back. Can’t wait to see how the whole Diane vs Will Battle goes. Love the scenes with Alicia and her brother.
I love this show! I just am always confused when they’re always “phoning” people – that sounds very British to me, but maybe it’s a Chicago dialect thing? I dunno – I “call” people.
THANK YOU!!! It drives me insane. I first noticed it in the last episode before Christmas I think with the man on death row, they used “phone” as a verb about 20 times in 2 minutes, it was almost like a joke. Now every time someone says it, it just irks me. I love this show but little things like that leave a bad taste in my mouth. It might sound stupid but I just can’t help it!
Grew up in Illinois and “phoning’ sounds perfectly natural to me. Haven’t even noticed it. Time to get over this little regional dialogue issue. And don’t you remember “ET”? “Phone home.”
That’s right! A fictional alien said it so it must be correct.
p.s. That sounded really rude I’m sorry…I didn’t mean it that way!
Me too, I don’t “phone” people…
I’m in Canada, and I grew up saying “Phone me.” Or “I have to phone him.”
Never noticed before…
As someone who has worked in Law Enforcement for many years, I can tell you that ALL lawyers and cops will say and do anything OUTSIDE OF THE COURTROOM to get what they want. They will lie, misdirect, tell half-truths and point fingers at anyone (everyone!) to get a confession or to get their client off. In court, it’s a different game. The wheeling and dealing here was spot on.
Hey, don’t sell the corruption short: *hundreds* of cops perjure themselves every single day (plus even more crooks, obviously,) and plenty of ADA’s/DA’s withhold exculpatory evidence, over-prosecute for political gain, etc, etc (and plenty of defense lawyers help ID witnesses for intimidation, structure illegal finances, etc, etc.)
ASA’s rather
Two “family” comments about last night:
1) I could not believe how much LeeLee Sobieski and DeWanda Wise looked alike – quite possibly the most physically convincing mother daughter team I’ve ever seen (Meryl Streep and Mamie Gummar? A very distance second). I’d need to see a medical report to believe Sobieski did not come out of that woman.
.
2) Dallas Roberts is a fine actor, but for the second time, I’m convinced he and Alicia are the most unconvincing brother/sister team ever cast. It’s not just the lack of physical resemblence – many siblings are like that – but just the completely different energies they have. Now we need an episode featuring Mama Cavanaugh to determine which one is the real Cavanaugh child, and which one was left in a basket on the family doorstep. My suggestion – cast Anjelica Houston, and Alicia is the real daughter. Cast Jessica Walter, and Alicia is the secret orphan.
I agree with #1, but Mamie Gummer IS Meryl Streep’s daughter.
Meryl Streep and Mamie Gummar are actually mother and daughter.
Siblings don’t always look alike or act alike and they do have different energies. Me and my sister are like night and day. I love the fact that Alicia’s brother is so different from her.
I really hate Tammy. Whether it is Reaser’s take on the character or the character itself, I still want her GONE.
I totally agree. It doesn’t seem plausible that Will would find her attractive, when she’s so nasty and not physically attractive, to boot. When Elizabeth Reaser was on Grey’s Anatomy she played a woman who had her face reconstructed, which made her strange looks fit the role. However on GW, she plays a hottie? Really? With those weird facial features?
Mmmmmm, she’s pretty nice looking, sorry ladies.
On the other hand, you get no argument from me on the “reprehensible” score. She’s clearly playing Will like some perverse version of “The Rules” in reverse.