Lockhart Gardner: Josh Charles Director

"The Art of War"

Season 4, Episode 6 | Original air date: November 4, 2012

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Picture this: A lobby on the 28^th floor. Leather furniture. A room full of people. Chatter is becoming increasingly loud and sidelong glances are being exchanged from one person to another. It’s like the waiting room in a dental office, only slightly more ominous because a sleazy tow-truck driver/potential ax murder is chatting up the clientele. This is what happens, I can’t help but think, when you go from three floors to two. Madness. Remind me to never verge on the edge of bankruptcy.

Lucky for me, I revel in the understanding that The Good Wife knows how to make everyone exceptionally uncomfortable at least three times a year. “Throw everyone together and watch what happens” is becoming a tried-and-true formula on The Good Wife, and, like Peter to a scandal, I fall for it every time.

The real beauty of this opening? Well, I’ll get to that in a minute. With Josh Charles making a fabulous directorial debut, this episode of The Good Wife churned up more questions than it did answers. Who made the decision to have the Florrick campaign posters feature Peter in a casual JFK-style, ‘look at me with my coat thrown over my shoulder’ pose? Where did Alicia get her new watch? Is the FBI tracking Eli or Kalinda and either way, what are they after? Will Nick Savarese ever leave Chicago?

With so many questions and so little time, it’s best to get right down to business. In honor of Charles’ new title of ‘director,’ this week I’m featuring the Top 5 scenes from “The Art of War.” Let me know your favourite moments in the comments below!

The Art of War – Top Five Scenes

1) Thrown off in a Waiting Room – I couldn’t leave you hanging (what was the real beauty of the opening?!) – There’s nothing I like more than watching Will squirm. Okay, correction. It’s one of my favourite things about him, when he’s not trying to woo Alicia or plot world domination with Diane. Clearly there are a few things I adore about this eligible bachelor. For today, I’m focusing on the squirming part.

For a man who usually exudes confidence, we’ve only ever see a few situations truly rattle him. Flash back to season three’s, ‘Feeding the Rat,’ when Celeste approached Peter with Will by her side and started probing for answers surrounding Alicia working for Lockhart Gardner. It was one of my favourite moments of all time, maybe because I like to see Will dance to the beat of a different drum, or maybe because I’m addicted to the drama. Either way, it was gold.

In “The Art of War” we found Will power-walking off the elevator, only to stumble into the powder keg known as the Lockhart Gardner waiting room, where he found his arch nemesis of the judicial community waiting: Judge Lorna Kuhn (insert gasps and cheers – I love character!). From steadfast leader to babbling mess, Will continues to be rendered virtually speechless in her presence. It’s awkward and outstanding… and I’ll probably watch this scene another six times before the week is through. 10 times if I’m being really honest. This is getting added to my ‘favourite openings of all time’ list.

2) Drinks for Two – It wasn’t celebratory tequila shots circa season one, but in a way it was even more delicious because of the journey to this point. It was the moment we’d all been waiting for: Alicia and Kalinda sitting shoulder-to-shoulder, sipping drinks and sharing stories. After last week when Alicia told Kalinda to ‘stay safe’ before K ended up sniffing out a dead body like a crime-fighting bloodhound, the thought of a refreshing libation was clearly the next logical step. As is usually the case with these two, the conversation turned personal, but this time, for the first time, Kalinda wasn’t the least bit dodgy about her answers. Is it possible that for Alicia, K has turned over a new leaf? Let’s take a quick (slightly modified) look at what went down:

Alicia: “Do you love him?”

Kalinda: “No”

Alicia: “Did you just say no without hesitating? Maybe this friends-on thing really is going to work.”

Kalinda: “It’s about the only good thing having come from Grace’s run-in with Internet Jesus.”

Alicia: “If only you knew how right you were. One day I’ll have to tell you about Will, because frankly, I’m dying to talk to someone about what happened [and how hot it was], but for now, because I’m feeling especially creeped out by him, I have to ask: Is Nick dangerous?”

Kalinda: “Sometimes.”

Alicia: “Can you be more specific, because today he threw a fit in the office of Florrick and Agos over his Bishop-style tow-truck operation and now I have to get my desk repaired.”

Kalinda: “I have a hard time staying away from him.”

[insert Alicia’s I really have no idea what to say right now because he’s astonishingly dodgy and I’m still wrapping my mind around you having a husband expression]

Kalinda: “I know it doesn’t make any sense. I’m so much more mysterious when he’s not around. Also, he’s cramping my style and drinking all of the milk in the house.”

3) Lieutenant Governor, Anyone? – Maddie Hayward, Mike Kresteva and Peter Florrick are all vying for Governor while Eli Gold is spending his time running to keep up. If ever there was an Olympics for managing hot messes, this man would be the winner of multiple gold medals. His office has being taken over by Lockhart Gardner associates and Clake Hayden has taken exception to Eli’s snide attitude about what’s rightfully his. In Hayden’s defense, Eli does have a campaign bus in which to work while some people (read: Cary Agos) have been spending months working like gnomes under stairwells and behind bookshelves If there’s one thing we know about Eli though, it’s that he doesn't like sharing… even if it is his mostly-vacant office.

That’s what made Maddie’s offer for Peter to join her on the campaign trail that much more interesting. While overhearing Maddie’s proposition, Eli lurked in a dark corner (where, by the way, he looked especially evil (see picture below) and almost as though he could be twirling a dirty mustache) and only surfaced when the coast was clear. Eli isn't one to partner on a campaign and he’s keen enough to know Peter is no fool – at least when it comes to decisions surrounding a running mate. Eli doesn't want to share Peter’s win with anyone else and with the straw poll results so strong (96% approval, let’s not forget), camp Florrick is going to be difficult to beat. Who needs to share when you've got it all?

4) Cary Agos, at your Service – For whatever reason, Clarke Hayden has taken a liking to Cary. It’s a bromance at its finest – the only thing missing is an after-work beer. This love-in has not gone unnoticed and so the logical next step was for Diane to recruit Cary to investigate why Hayden couldn't find another word besides “crap” to describe the Lockhart Gardner month of September. The answer? Steve Jobs’ biography. Oh sure. Apparently crap is the new pink.

With an ‘I owe you’ pending with Diane after his bout of sleuthing, Cary was handed two criminal cases on which to work. For whatever reason Will has been shy in passing along work (which could be a result of Cary’s past involvement with the grand jury, or it could be because he only recently found out Cary had a desk), but as Diane has always been pro-Agos, she’s willing to play the game: You scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours.

At this rate, it’s just a matter of time before Cary gets bumped from Alicia’s office and put in Eli’s leather chair. Granted, watching Alicia and Cary share an office and play the ‘twos a party, threes a crowd’ game is a lot of fun. Also, I’m not ready to say goodbye to these two tag-team cases like they are with Nick and his tow-truck company. Without saying too much, Alicia and Cary are able to read each other’s minds. It’s fascinating and delicious. Did I mention I want more? Two scoops of Cary Agos, please.

5) Starting up Again – The case of the week involved Captain Laura Hellinger (Amanda Peet) who was sexually assaulted while in Afghanistan. In a case where everyone knew the accused should have been convicted, he walked free. Even his own lawyer, Bucky (not to be confused by the Chum-Hum mascot, Chummy), wouldn't shake his hand at the end of it all. While the case was full of intricate details and more than a few outstanding sound bites (take Judge Abernathy’s, “global warming – one; skeptics – zero” quote as merely one example, only because I can’t do justice his commentary surrounding ‘LOL’ and ‘LMAO’), the most meaningful part of the case came not in its loss, but rather, for what was gained. Alicia and Laura had an instant bond – a mutual respect – that could possibly turn into a friendship down the road. Alicia was strong and yet comforting, two traits I find to be most admirable in her character. Perhaps most significant were two lines to cap the episode:

Laura: “What do you do when it’s all over?”

Alicia: “Start up again.”

If anyone knows anything about having to rebuild, it’s Alicia. No two truer lines have ever been uttered on The Good Wife.

Honorable Mentions

A) Jackie has a new man in her life. His name is Christian, he’s Cuban and he’s going to teach her how to Mambo. Sure, Peter is paying him $40/hour to keep an eye on her, but that’s hardly the point. Christian could have the potential to turn into The Good Wife’s next greatest character. The best part? He makes Peter very uncomfortable. I’m in complete and total love.

B) Kalinda, Eli and the Feds. It’s anyone’s guess who Lana is really after, but based on her secret photo stash of Kalinda, my bet is that Eli might just end up being a casualty of war. If Lana brings Kalinda down because of Lemond Bishop, that’s not going to look good on Eli, who, for the most part, enjoys the benefits of being an equity partner of Lockhart Gardner. Working with David Lee is just a nasty irritant. Next stop: A blow-up in Peter’s campaign. For someone who doesn't like making friends, Eli is certainly good at weaving complex relationship webs and all of his ties leading back to the firm might not end up working in his favor.

Eli's "Kalinda, what the hell?" face

Next Up:

“Anatomy of a Joke” – The Good Wife welcomes Christina Ricci to its ever-growing slate of guest stars, in an episode that looks like it’s about to take dramatic hilarity to the next level. With Eli fending off questions about Peter’s lower half and Alicia defending a vulgar comic, all bets are off with where the chips are going to land.