The
Good Wife’s departure from its usual format this week comes as breath of fresh
air. With Cary Agos’ recent drug case storyline closed, the only major plotline
left for the second half of the season is Alicia’s campaign to become States
Attorney. Although this storyline has provided with an interesting array of new
characters (Johnny Elfman a surprising new love interest and Mr. Gold’s
hilarious daughter) as well as more proof of Alicia’s kick-ass woman-on-top
achievements and potential, it seems to have somewhat run its course. And
that’s where this slow-burning, stream-of-consciousness episode comes in.
For
a cable TV drama to spend an entire episode without developing major plot
points or leaving us with tantalizing cliffhangers is somewhat unusual – the
likes of HBO and ACM, as well as shows like House of Cards, releasing 13
episodes at once, have more of a luxury to pace their shows as they like,
without regard to pesky Nielsen ratings. Yet The Good Wife manages to pull of
an engaging hour of television, despite its format constraints.
The
episode takes place mostly within Alicia’s apartment and on the streets of
Chicago as she takes a short walk – yet through her rambling mind, we see
almost all of her friends, family and lovers on display, as puppets that enact
her thought-processes, fears and fantasies. This gimmick is distinctly
reminiscent of another TV show centered on the practice of law – Ally McBeal –
and it is similarly exploited for comedic effect, but somehow remains less
annoying, as it eschews the use of the simple-minded special effects of the 90’s.
The sequence when Alicia walks on the street listening to her iPod as her
thoughts correspond with the music is brilliant and simply fun TV – who can’t
relate to being under the influence of a particularly upbeat or melancholy
tune? Meanwhile, her apprehensive fantasies regarding Grace and Zach provide some of the most hilarious images of the show – Grace sniffing glue while pregnant and wearing scary make-up and Zach sitting on a park bench as a homeless boy. It's also quite possibly a realistic representation of the way parents jump to conclusions when it comes to their kids. Her mind also quickly plays a game of chess between renowned atheist Richard Dawkins (represented by an actor) and Grace's pastor – showcasing the intellectual and moral depth in Alicia's character.
Yet
the only problem with an entire episode focused on Alicia, and the potential
for the rest of the season to focus solely on her race for States Attorney (and
possible inauguration), is that the show seems to leave behind some of its best
characters. After a somewhat weak storyline, Cary Agos has taken a backseat,
while Diane Lockhart has been reduced to occasionally fretfully asking Alicia
if she’s coming into the office. The characters Kalinda Sharma and Lemond
Bishop seem to have been pushed into a side-plot that’s going nowhere, while
promising characters such as the lawyer portrayed by Taye Diggs (he wasn’t even
around long enough for me to remember his name) have been completely neglected.
That’s not to say that more office-moving firm-merging shenanigans, or shocking
character-deaths would be preferable, but these characters are great, and the
dilution of the show with many others has perhaps been to their detriment.
Overall,
this episode showed promise and inventiveness – hopefully this will be extended to the
other characters on the show, as the narrative arcs balance out in the rest of
the season.
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