The Good Wife: "Death of a Client" - Five Gasp-Worthy Moments

Season 4, Episode 18 | Original Air Date: Sunday, March 24, 2013

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This week, there’s no time for small talk.  “Death of a Client” was the much anticipated party episode with more twists than a Sherlock mystery.  I laughed, I cried, I covered my face and let out audible bursts of elation… and then of rage.  Oh, and I decided my new morning alarm should be Grace’s ‘Mom pick up the phone ringtone,’ as I would surely bolt out of bed each morning with gusto never before seen in an attempt to silence the enemy.

As for what happened in “Death of a Client?”  How about everything?  Okay, that’s a little vague, I know, but this episode was all over the map.  However, there was one uniting factor: The number of gasp-worthy moments.  I counted five – but then again, I like to spend my Sunday night’s on the edge of my seat… and with a paper bag close at hand.

Death of a Client: Five Gasp-Worthy Moments

Clap on, clap off… the clapper

Will and Alicia.  Love them or hate them (wait, who am I kidding?  No one can hate these two!), they have undeniable chemistry. Whether they’re sharing an elevator, a beer or a late lunch with some peeled grapes for dessert, it’s impossible not see what these two have.  With flashbacks to a time when we were all a little happier – me especially, as I was riding a Team Gardner high – Alicia couldn’t help but think back and daydream about those secret moments when they were hidden from life’s complexities. 

Enter Will in a tux, James Bond-style, coming to Alicia’s aid because, let’s face it, that’s what he loves doing.  Maybe not more than Kalinda, but I’d be willing to watch these two duke it out over who loves Alicia more.   But I digress  - K will be in the picture before long anyways.

So there’s Will, at the police station meeting with Alicia (who’s floor-length two-toned ruby gown is really classing up the joint), and once again, they find themselves alone together.  This ‘let’s not be in the same room’ thing has gone off the rails about 12 times in the last three episodes.  Horray!  In any case, after seeing Will dressed to the nines, Alicia can’t help but share exactly what she’s thinking: “You really look good.”  And he does.  We all know it… not just because it’s nearly impossible to look bad in a tux, but because there’s something so sincere about why he came to the police station and how sad his eyes look when Alicia says things like, “We were good together, weren’t we?” 

As I’ve learned, screaming answers back at my TV to questions like this are futile; however, it doesn't stop me from doing it at least once an episode.  In “Death of a Client” this was my moment.  “Yes! You were good together! I have the Team Gardner mug to prove it!” Spoiler alert: My yelling didn’t help… and neither did my beloved mug.  Alicia and Will are trapped in an invisible (well, sort of) circle where they can’t escape their feelings for each other.  We’ve been here before: That moment when Alicia says something along the lines of, “This has to end” and Will comes back with “Can you just decide that?” and Alicia says she “can,” she “has to,” even though everyone knows that’s impossible.  This isn’t the clapper – you can’t control your feelings like a late night infomercial light.  Somehow in this place though, it makes sense.

Okay, I’m just saying that.  It doesn’t make sense.  I’m officially hating this episode… even though I’m loving it.  Damn it.  I need the clapper.  STAT!

Just when I think my heart couldn't be broken any further for the evening, I hear the noise that has haunted my dreams since “Parenting Made Easy.”  'Mom, pick up the phone.'  Are you kidding me?  This did not just happen.  Grace’s heinous ringtone has reared its exhaustingly ugly head back into the centre of Alicia and Will’s relationship.  Didn’t Alicia delete this from her phone last season?  Now I’m sad because Will’s eyes look devastated, Alicia is saying things she doesn’t mean and somehow, the world’s most annoying ringtone still exists.  This is like a Shakespearean tragedy… but worse.

Side note: I’m loving Amanda Peet as Laura Hellinger… and while I’ll forever ship/love/dream about/champion Will and Alicia, I get that we need a slight diversion… at least for awhile.  A dating arch for Will and Laura seems inevitable at this point, so I’m going to ride the wave, at least until the beginning of season five.  My ultimate hope is that Laura and Will’s relationship will bring Will and Alicia back together.  This means I need Laura and because I like her, it’s a win-win for everyone, right?

There’s the Grab

Kalinda, having bailed on a date with a lovely massage therapist, is off investigating to keep Alicia and her brood safe.  Knowing Alicia could be in danger, Cary jumps on board to help K as she rushes from the Shamrock dinner to get back to the mean streets of Chicago.  Before she can leave, Cary says, “be careful” and then reaches up and takes Kalinda’s hand.  It’s a gesture that’s riddled in friendship and romance and drenched in a delicious query dating back to whether or not they went home together after sharing drinks at the bar a few weeks ago. 

Oh Grandma

Typically I would whip this phrase out for Jackie, but this week, Grandma Veronica is in town and let’s just say: she’s crazy.   I mean sure, she’s entertaining, but she took the Florrick kids to a bar on St. Patrick’s Day and told them stories of Alicia’s past that were heavily weighing on the side of inappropriate.  I’m all for drama, but having Grace call Alicia (*the* call, by the way, that interrupted the Team Gardner talk) to ask if she was a “mistake” was awkward and terrible.  Also, the guy barfing next to Veronica at the bar during this exchange was disgusting.  All of that said, I commend Grace on her ability to see beyond her own sphere and be able to understand that Alicia had a life before the kids and that if things had been different, she may not have ended up with Peter. 

Ka-Pow!

Mike Kresteva: Sociopath, master manipulator, drunk.  Even though this is the first time we’ve seen Mike “live” this season, his ability to infuriate is admiringly remarkable.  The one thing I didn’t see coming?  Even though Mike claims not to drink and only orders club sodas or waters while in the vicinity of those he’s wary of, he still managed to fall down, drunk, in the bathroom at the Shamrock Dinner.  Even if someone – say… Peter Florrick – had punch him out, I’m not going to be the one to blow the whistle.  No, not a chance.  Because if there’s one person on this show who needs a quick dose of reality, it’s Mike Kresetva.  While he’s off dabbing his wounds, I’m thrilled to share in the simple of pleasure of watching Alicia and Eli bond over a scene that was, in one word, epic.

Diane Lockhart: Supreme Court Justice?

There’s something intriguing about the new relationship we’re seeing form between Peter and Diane.  I’m not sure if it grew from Eli working at the firm, or from Peter having seen Diane’s work through the years, but it’s interesting to watch.  Diane helping Peter with the campaign was a turn of events I didn't anticipate.  While I don’t support Alicia and Peter as a couple, I *do* support Peter in the race for Governor.  What could be better for the campaign then to have Diane ‘I can’t help but vote democrat’ Lockhart on his side?  Nothing.  She’s smart, stealthy and does a killer impression of Maddie Hayward.  There’s no losing here.

That’s why it’s interesting Peter wants Diane appointed to the role of Supreme Court Justice.  This would mean leaving Lockhart Gardner (could they be called Gardner and Associates?) and being on the other side of the fence.  This is not the first time Diane has been offered such a carrot, but this one doesn't involve Victoria Adler (a definite plus!).  The downside?  If something happens to Peter (which it inevitably will), she’s going to be tied to him in what could turn out to be an I Owe You type of situation.  With just a few hours to decide, what way will she go?  Season four is quickly slipping away and I have a feeling some changes could be blowing through Chicago…

What’s Next?

Colin Sweeney returns!  And he has a goatee!  Somehow, his new facial hair is making him creepier than ever.  Well, it does until he pulls out the quote, “Alicia Florrick… you feed my Mary Poppins obsession” and then follows it up with a purring sound.  Ewww.  But also, yay!  He’s so sketchy I can’t help but be intrigued by his every move.  We can also look forward to a decision from Diane on whether or not she’s leaving the practice for her next big gig.  Here's to next Sunday and "The Wheels of Justice."