The Good Wife summer hiatus is here and that means kicking back on a patio with friends, hosting pool parties or rooftop garden gatherings and barbecuing skewers of delicious morsels while watching the sun set. Of course, while doing all of these things I'm also busy thinking Who could be lurking on the other side of Kalinda's door? and Who is going to be cast as her husband? Sure, I could (should?) be using these glorious extra hours of sunlight for something productive like learning another language or reading War and Peace, but there will be time for those things later. I mean, a girl has priorities. Now, by my estimation, we have about 20 weeks to survive the hiatus, so I'm getting ready to make the most of those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer by working my way through my favourite recipes from season three's Food Inspired by The Good Wife. If I'm super efficient I'll even take a stab at that whole 'other language' thing... once my Executive Order 13224-inspired Red Velvet Cupcakes are perfected.
Food Inspired by The Good Wife: Season Three in Review All recipes courtesy of Edible Life in YYC
Recipe inspiration: "I think it's just the name, Red Velvet, it just makes it so desirable" - Mr. Higgs
Thanks to JS over at Edible Life in YYC for working with me for the past six months on Food Inspired by The Good Wife. I can't wait to team up for season four to see what kind of amazing treats will fuel The Good Wife culinary fire!
When a finale
includes sledge hammers, elevators, fruit platters, menacing phone calls,
tequila shots and 9mm ammunition, there’s really nothing more an audience could
ask for. In fact, this is the benchmark
to which I’m going to hold all finales from now on. There’s
really only one word to describe The Good Wife’s season three capstone: Brilliant.
In My Opinion – Episode Commentary
I hardly
know where to start when it comes to this episode. “The Dream Team” was everything of which dreams are made. Now, I’ll admit, bittersweet finales are the
crux of my television weakness. I
countdown, I plan and I’m ever-thankful for commercials that give me something
to ponder while I prepare for the big event.
Then, when finale night comes, I’m exhilarated at the prospect of an
epic episode while simultaneously cursing the four-month hiatus that inevitably
follows. While I’m sad The Good Wife’s third
season has come to an end (with one fewer episode than last year), I’m thrilled
it went out on a high note with the promise of a fourth season that could be
their best yet.
Side note:
I apologize in advance for the length of this post. I just couldn’t control myself!
The Art of Being Flexible
Kalinda.
Alicia. Side-by-side. So much joy.
Everything
about the opening scene of this episode made me want to scream and cry for
sheer and utter joy. If I had a confetti
cannon, I would have set it off during this sequence. Alicia and Kalinda are one of the show’s most
important synergies. If I didn’t think
Will and Alicia belonged together, I would dare say Kalinda and Alicia would be
the show’s best couple. In a way, I
think they are… and that’s why this was the moment we'd all been waiting for. While sipping tequila, Kalinda confessed to
Alicia: “I’m not gay. You asked whether
I was gay…”
Alicia: “Yes, two years ago.”
Kalinda: “I
know. I wanted to answer. I’m not gay, I’m… flexible.”
Alicia: “Okay…
flexible. Good.”
Squee! I have no words, except to say: It’s a new
day.
Bedside Bamboo
Eli. Jackie. Gunshots and a synagogue.
As it turns
out, Jackie is still recovering from her stroke in the hospital. As someone who is usually pristinely put
together, seeing Jackie in such a vulnerable position, especially without her
headband or pearls on which to rely, is a little sad. Enter Eli with a bunch of bamboo. He doesn’t seem at all worried about sending Jackie
into cardiac arrest and gets quickly down to business. He’s tired of hearing about real estate and
this ridiculous Florrick homestead. He
warns Jackie that if she wants to see Peter win the election, she needs to
apologize to Alicia and make this whole house debacle go away. Before long, Jackie starts talk about
religion and dying; Eli gets uncomfortable and has to leave. This is the type of thing I love about Eli –
he brought a gift, had a meltdown and left in under three minutes. He’s meddling in all the right ways, unlike
his thwarted plot to overthrow Diane. Busy
“campaign Eli” is better than “I lost my dairy account to a bunch of fruit
fanatics Eli” any day.
In Any Other World…
Will. Alicia.
An elevator. Again. At last.
Will: "That
was weird."
Alicia: "What? With Peter today? (Pause) Yes it was."
(Pause)
Will: "Do
you think it was a mistake?"
Alicia: "No."
Will: "Goodnight, Alicia."
Alicia: "Night, Will."
No regrets,
Team Gardner, no regrets. This scene was
delightful.I love the way Will and
Alicia talk to each other with such calm, cool and honest tones and express
sincerity with every carefully chosen word.They both know that circumstance is what’s keeping them apart and they
translate that into an intense respect for each other.Now, sure, I’ll confess: I was pulling for
Will to reach out and touch Alicia’s hand in this scene, but there’s always
next year and for that I’m grateful.Thank you to The Good Wife writers for giving
Team Gardner fans another elevator scene to watch for months to come.
Taking Care of Business
The IRS. A sledge hammer. $21,000 and a husband.
Taking a
page out of Will’s “how to have a disastrous year” handbook, Kalinda is well on
her way to ending up a casualty of her own past. The IRS has agreed to a compromise on Kalinda’s
tax file which is the good news… about the only good news (well, minus the
shared tequila shots, of course!). While
going through K’s files, Alicia spotted some checks that hadn’t been
cashed. As her lawyer, Alicia thought
she’d follow up to see if K’s past employers would re-issue payment (it would help
with the IRS bills, after all). The
problem? The checks hadn’t been cashed
for a reason. Take, for example, a check
for $21,000 from F & E Construction based out of Toronto, Canada. Let’s face it: F & E Construction is a
front for some kind of shady operation.
The mystery construction man (who, by the way, sounds like he should be
lurking in a back alley while carrying a mysterious duffle bag and eating a
man-meat sandwich instead of operating heavy machinery and building luxury
homes) tracked Alicia down at work and at her house. This is a going to be a problem.
So, what’s
this duffle bag-toting man’s deal? He’s
none other than Kalinda’s husband.
No. What?!
<insert confetti cannon>. Gasp!
Kalinda had nothing left to do but take matters into her own hands. Of course, this meant proceeding to the
hardware store to buy a sledge hammer.
Heading in her apartment (I know this is a serious story line, but I can
stop for a moment and say how excited I was to finally see inside her
home? It’s so… so… white. It was, quite frankly, just as awesome as the
rest of Kalinda. Sorry, back to
business), Kalinda pulled down a mirror, lifted the sledge hammer
and went straight through the drywall. A
few solid hits and a hole emerged that was just big enough for Kalinda to pull
scads of money, guns and ammunition. Getting
out of town was the first thought that crossed her mind, but upon finding out
Alicia could be in danger, Kalinda grabbed a chair and began a sit-in at her
front door. Knock, knock, knock…
As my
father has astutely pointed out: “Whoever is on the other side of that door is
going to end up with lead poisoning.”
Agreed. Kalinda isn’t going to go
down without a fight. What’s next? I have a theory. It involves Kalinda, her husband, the alleged
fire she set to her home, her faked death, her change of identity and the
construction check. Stay tuned in May
for my special feature: “Kalinda Sharma: A Biography.”
A Surprise Party
Two is a party, three is a crowd… six is a
hot mess of television gold
Arguably the best
scene of the show: Will in the elevator with Peter… when the doors opened, Alicia was there to greet them both. Enter Eli
who was awkward because, well, he knows these three have some tension. Before long, Cary gets added to the mix
because it’s not only fun to see him with his banker’s box (because he has to
work at a table instead of in an office), it’s amusing to see him deal with his
ex-boss, Peter, and the secrets he knows about Will and Alicia. The fuel to the fire? The next elevator arrived and it was Kalinda. Surprise!
Gold. Pure gold.
This scene sent my heart aflutter.
The Dream Team
Patti Nyholm and
Louis Canning are back. They are calling
themselves “The Dream Team” and anyone who knows anything about these two knows
that title isn’t a euphemism for anything – it’s a reality. Individually, these two are formidable
opponents. Together, they are like
stealthy legal ninjas, always one step ahead with a plan that seeks to undermine
their opposition. When Nyholm
high-kicks, Canning takes someone out at the knees. When Canning pulls his sword, Nyholm launches
a surprise attack from the back with a blindfold in one hand and a baby in the
other. It seems that Canning and Nyholm are sick of
fighting class-action suits against Lockhart Gardner, so they’ve joined forces
to sue for $50 million dollars, for fraud and malicious prosecution. While Diane makes a fair point, “If your
company doesn’t like being sued, stop making products that kill and maim people,”
it only goes so far when the phrase “judicial bribery” gets bandied about
again. Sometimes I feel as though Diane
must want to throw herself down the 28th floor elevator shaft, but,
ever the professional, she grins and bears it.
Time for depositions… generally transcribed and only slightly
embellished.
First up: Kalinda
Canning: Have you ever
misrepresented your occupation in order to interview a witness?
Kalinda: Can you be
more specific?
Canning: You know, like when you came to my house and
my wife offered you hummus? You said you
were a reporter. Things like that.
Cary: Why does this matter? She’s a little from column A, a little from
column B. She is, ummm... flexible.
Canning: Because it’s
illegal… and she didn’t even try the hummus or the fresh pita which I made that
morning. So, Kalinda, is this how you
get your information – do you lie about who you are?
Kalinda: Can you
repeat the question?
Okay, so this wasn't the exact dialogue that accompanied the scene, but you get the point. Kalinda gave Canning an epic run-around. It's what she does best and it's one of the many reasons we love her.
Next on the chopping block: Will
This season, Will
has become a pro at answering probing questions having to do with judges,
basketball and grand juries. I’m rather
certain he also knows who serves the best early-bird breakfast in Chicago, but
the only one asking him that is Howard.
Flash to the questioning:
Nyholm: You’re
Kalinda’s boss, correct?
Will: Could you
control Kalinda? I doubt it. Kalinda doesn’t really have a boss per say...
Nyholm: Okay. Well did you tell her to investigate on the
Veriscene case?
Will: Define “investigate.”
Nyholm: Seriously?
Why must you waste my time. Oh
look – my baby is at the window. Hi
Bugaboo. My apologies, you know, I’m now
a mother of two.
Diane: Define “wasting
time.” This conversation seems to be
going swimmingly.
Nyholm: Okay, well
think about this: I’m not the one with a balloon payment on his office.
Will and Diane:
(hrm)
Nyholm: Oops, was
that the elephant in the room?
Will and Diane:
(hrm take two)
Nyholm: Fine. Will, did you hook up judges and bookies at
Wednesday night hoops?
Diane: You can’t ask him that – this has to do with
a sealed transcript that we hope to the high heavens you never get your hands
on.
Nyholm: Oh sure,
but Will can still answer.
Will: Can you
repeat the question?
Nyhom: Oh great,
you’ve been taking lessons from Kalinda.
Fine. Get Alicia Florrick in
here. I’ll play with my baby while I
wait.
Alicia Florrick, reporting for duty
Alicia must be
thinking this can’t be worse than the
last time I was deposed… right?
Fingers crossed, Alicia. Fingers
crossed.
Nyholm: Do you know
Judge Wynter (not to be confused with Judge Winter… which is, by the way,
confusing).
Alicia: No.
Nyholm: So you didn’t
chat with him about your case, under the cover of darkness, in a closed room?
Alicia: No.
Nyholm: Did Peter?
Alicia: Not that I
know of, but he does like dark room conversations. Sure, he knows Judge Wynter, but I wouldn’t
say they were friends.
Nyholm: Did you
know Peter met with Judge Wynter three times before the verdict on your case
came down?
Alicia: No. Really.
How many times can I say no?
Also, don’t you watch CNN? I’m
rarely the first person to find out about these back-room deals when they
happen.
Nyholm: How don’t you know this? You’re frustrating me. Get Peter Florrick in here.
Peter Florrick: Off to the executioners
Canning: You met
with Judge Wynter three times in the last week, right?
Peter: Yes.
Nyholm: Is that a
lot for you?
Peter: Yah.
Nyholm: But you
hadn’t met with him before. In fact, you’d
only met him at lunch once, right?
Peter: That sounds about right. He’s nice though – I like him. He reminds me a bit of Judge Winter.
Nyholm: Did the subject of your wife’s lawsuit ever
come up?
Peter: No.
Nyholm: Really?
Because your wife had a suit in front of him at the same time and the
subject never came up?
Peter: Right.
Canning: So what
about this grand jury about Will Gardner?
What happened there? Why did you
axe Wendy Scott-Carr and let those judges off?
Peter: Wendy had to
go – you should have seen how she handled things. I validated her parking though, so don’t make
me look like the bad guy here. The whole
thing was a bit showy and probably a bad decision in the first place, but, you
know how these things go.
Canning: Didn’t you
ask Judge Wynter to decide this verdict for you wife as a quid pro quo for
dropping this investigation?
Peter: No.
Nyholm: But isn’t
that a fair conclusion?
Peter: No.
Nyholm: And how is
that?
Peter: Because my
wife and I are separated.
<Pa chow!>
Nyholm and Canning:
We didn’t see that coming.
Peter: I know – I’m
sneaky like that. Also, I’m trying out a
new policy. It’s called “honesty.” So far, so good. In fact, if you want to know why I was
meeting with Wynter, it’s because he’s going to be a campaign supporter.
Even the stealthy
legal ninjas didn’t see that coming.
Unfortunately for Peter, the marital split is now in public record, but
that seems like a problem to hand over to Eli another day.
All signs pointed
to a win for Lockhart Gardner until The Dream Team dropped the bomb: This whole
lawsuit was a sham to get them distracted from their prized client, Patric
Edelstein. In the words of Will: “Oops.” Indeed.
What’s Next?
It’s hiatus
time, which means we’re left to imagine who is on the other side of Kalinda’s
door, whether or not Alicia will join Peter and the kids for pizza and if Cary
will be carting around his office supplies in a banker’s box forever. We have
an estimated 23 weeks until we get any answers we’re looking for, but I have plenty
of original content planned for Lockhart Gardner: An Inside Look at The Good
Wife throughout the summer. Stay tuned
and please sound off in the comments below.
Happy hiatus, friends and fans!
Looking back over the last year, fans of The Good Wife have been treated to drama, romance, comedy and everything in between. I can’t count the number of times I’ve found myself clapping, shrieking, gasping and/or hiding during the last half season two and first half of season three. Good Wife Sunday has become the day I look forward to most each week. Needless to say, I’m a big fan. Correction – huge fan. Amendment - gigantic fan.
With the season three hiatus over in less than a week (six days, but who's counting?), it only seems fitting to commemorate the past 12 months and the New Year with a “Best of 2011” list. Enjoy!
Best Storylines
Bond Getting Ousted – First it was Stern, Lockhart and Gardner. Then it was Lockart Gardner. Next up: Lockhart, Gardner and Bond. When Derek Bond came on the scene he instantly gave off a strange vibe and he began pitting Diane and Will against each other. When it came to light he had tracing software installed on certain employee’s computers (Alicia included), the battle lines were drawn. In season two’s “Great Firewall,” equity partners were pulled and the votes were cast: Bond messed with one too many people and crossed a few too many lines. Diane and Will might not have a perfect marriage, but they’re certainly better without Bond. Lockhart Gardner, take two.
Welcome to Lockhart Gardner, Eli Gold – Bringing Eli into the Lockhart Gardner fold at the end of season two meant the personal/professional/legal/political web was going to end up more tangled than a string of Christmas lights. The facts are these: Eli had business connections but things have quickly started going south, which has meant Eli has needed to befriend other people in the firm, besides Alicia. As fate would have it, Eli needs the firm now more than the firm needs him. With that, Eli is now forced to make nice with key partners like Will (a relationship that is somewhat counterintuitive, considering Eli technically still works for Peter). The more Eli is around, the more he becomes a big part of what makes this show tick. Time for a flow chart, just to keep things straight:
Will and Alicia, Take One – Love them or hate them, Team Gardner finally had their moment in the sun and I, for one, couldn’t be happier. This relationship was years in the making (flash back to season one’s “Heart” with their first on screen kiss) and let’s be honest, things were good while they lasted. Team Gardner was sneaky at being smitten and sultry while being sexy. I loved every juicy moment of their relationship and I continue to be more than a little heartbroken things are over. Still, I’m grateful for all of the memorable moments Will and Alicia “together” brought to the screen. Flashback to these classics: “Mom, pick up the phone, Mom pick up the phone,” Will meeting Zack for the first time, Alicia: “Well, I can dress up” and Will’s confrontation of Peter on the steps of the court. Now, I’ll sit, eagerly awaiting the next chapter of this storyline, even if it takes a few more years, because no one makes an elevator look as good at Alicia Florrick and Will Gardner.
Best Scenes – Those seconds and minutes we want to watch on repeat
A New Side of Kalinda Sharma – Let’s face it: Kalinda can take a bat to someone’s car (knees or ribs), let loose and sip a nightcap while admitting nothing interesting happened that day. She appears effortlessly emotionless and can get virtually anything she wants by a)flirting and b)knowing how to work a leather jacket, tight skirt and tall leather boots and c)keeping her eyes and ears open at all times. Alicia, in some ways is quite similar. She’s all business, ever stoic and able to maintain her composure even in the most challenging of circumstances. All of that went out the window when Alicia confronted Kalinda about sleeping with Peter after Andrew Wiley dropped the name ‘Leela,’ into conversation. We knew Alicia and Kalinda’s relationship would never be the same. Enter one of my favourite cinematic devises: the melt down. Alicia, shaking, wanted to scream at the top of her lungs, while Kalinda, for the first time, entered the elevator and had a breakdown. This scene was epic for the character and monumental for the show. Will these two ever toast with a shot of tequila again? They say time heals all wounds, and in this case, I hope that’s true. In the meantime, I’m secretly wishing Kalinda gets called into the Wendy Scott-Carr vs. Peter Florrick grand jury debacle so we can finally find out what went down when K was Leela from Toronto and Peter was someone who could get away with… everything.
What if we were to suddenly have good timing? Two years in the making, the will-they/won’t-they tension of Alicia and Will finally came to a head in “Closing Arguments” the season finale of season two last May. I probably watched the now infamous elevator scene (okay, and also the tequila scene and the I’ll take the hotel room for $7,800 scene) at least 25 times… and that’s likely a staggering under-exaggeration. Mika’s “Any Other World” song is at the top of my playlist now and if ever I need a healthy dose of Team Gardner, this is the scene to which I turn.
The Midwest Bar Association Mixer – Taking the cake for one of the most awkward and yet entertaining scenes to date, the encounter between Will, Peter and Celeste at the Midwest Bar Association mixer in Season Three’s “Feeding the Rat” is memorable for being so good and so bad all at the same time.
Celeste: So, Alicia Florrick, huh? Well, she works with Will, she’s married to you. It must be quite an arrangement. Discuss.
Peter: (Pausing) It is quite an arrangement, yes.
Celeste: Any awkward moments?
Peter: You mean besides this one?
Everything about this scene was pure magic, and sure, while I’ll admit to loving a good Team Gardner/Team Florrick show down, the whole episode was made even better by Will’s “I love you” slip to Alicia just minutes after this uncomfortable exchange.Instant replay, take 15.
Characters we Most Love to Hate
Jackie Florrick – Also the winner of “the worst mother-in-law in the world” award, Jackie Florrick is the character we love to hate. I don’t think I’m alone in saying that whenever she comes on screen I want to see her turn right back around. Quite frankly, every time she mentions how much she knows about what goes on in the Florrick apartment re: the kids, I want to take her plate of lemon muffins and throw them out the door. That’s the beauty of Mary Beth Peil and her great acting – she makes Jackie Florrick the conniving conservative who can, admittedly, pull off pearls and a headband better than anyone else and simultaneously manipulate everyone in her life all while clad in cashmere.
Wendy Scott-Carr – She may have lost the battle to become the State’s Attorney in season two, but that doesn’t mean she has lost the race altogether. In fact, now that we’ve hit the mid-point of season three we see her lurking in the shadows: She’s out for blood and she’s willing to use anything and anyone she can to get back at Peter Florrick. Dressed to kill and with the attitude to match, Wendy Scott-Carr is proving to be one of The Good Wife’s most formidable villains.
Best Guest Stars
Carrie Preston as Elsbeth Tascioni – It’s true: she has glitter decals on her computer, she runs around Chicago with a Vera Bradley quilted laptop bag, she thinks cupcakes are too pretty to eat and she can’t use a speaker phone. Scatterbrained and brilliant, Elsbeth Tascioni never fails to impress when she crosses paths with anyone on The Good Wife. If she’s met a case she can’t win, we haven’t seen it. In “Executive Order 13224” she was able to get Alicia out of a tight spot, something Will Gardner is hoping for when the grand jury comes calling. Every scene she’s in is gold, always making my highlight reel. Whew – look at all this paper!
Dallas Roberts as Owen Cavanaugh – Whenever Owen shows up we know good things are going to happen. He’s full of pizazz, humor and personality and he isn’t afraid to probe Alicia to spill personal details about her life. Owen truly is the brother everyone wishes they had and whether they are on a road trip from Oregon to Chicago or sipping wine on Alicia’s couch, Owen proves time and time again he’s got Alicia’s back no matter what… and even Will can’t say that because of his loyalty to the firm. Also, let’s not forget, one of his favourite pastimes is getting under Jackie’s skin, a trait which endures him to the audience even more.
Michael J. Fox as Louis Canning – He’s cunning, he’s bright and he wants Alicia at his firm. For all of 2011, Louis Canning has been vying for Alicia to come to his side of the fence in lieu of the Lockhart Garnder rat race. Sure, he may steal things from Alicia’s briefcase and, yes, he uses his condition to woo any jury he can, but somehow we still buy into the fact Canning might just be the next best thing.
Gary Cole as Kurt McVeigh – Sure, we only saw Kurt McVeigh once in 2011, but he deserves an honorable mention nonetheless. As Diane’s only love interest since the show started, McVeigh, the squeaky clean ballistics expert, has been the only character who could throw Diane even a little off her game. Inviting her to go away with him, McVeigh was turned down and with that, exited stage right. They have left the door open for his return at some point in the future, and I think I speak for the masses when I say he would be a welcomed back with open arms.
Best New Cast Addition of Season Three
Romany Malco – The revolving door of guest stars on The Good Wife continues to impress and that’s certainly true with Romany Malco on the scene as Justin, the newest addition to the offices of Lockhart Gardner. As the head of legal aid, Malco’s character is smart, quick, adaptable and friendly. He breathes new life into the firm and is whole heartedly committed to truth and justice. Bringing Justin in-house was Diane’s best decision of season three… well, next to her wardrobe selections.
Here’s to another great year of The Good Wife! Thank you for all of the support of lockhartgardner.blogspot.com over the last few months – it’s so appreciated. Happy New Year, friends and fans!
