Season 4, Episode 12 | Original Air Date: January 13, 2013
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This week I
find myself writing from San Diego, and while I should be focusing on the last
hours of my vacation, I can’t help but think of the phrase, “You've been
Tascionied.” Ahhh. I feel so much better now - I've been waiting to say that all season. Oh look, a palm tree.
For this
enchanting episode, “Je Ne Sais What?” I could focus exclusively on how much I
adore Elsbeth Tascioni, but I won’t, mostly because it’s beginning to look a
lot like another story arc for our beloved, bubbly and brilliant red-haired
litigator. This means I, and fans
everywhere, will have plenty of time to shower this character with the love and
admiration she deserves. Which, by the
way, is a lot. But more about that
later.
Let's dive
right in and take a look at the top six things that made this week’s episode
so memorable (hint: my definition of memorable doesn't always mean ‘things that
made me happy). Read on, weigh in and
join in the conversation below!
Making
Lemonade with Elsbeth Tascioni
There are few
characters on The Good Wife who are so accomplished at making the best out of a
bad situation. Elsbeth Tascioni, I would
suggest, is one of the most experienced and delightful lemonade makers I have
ever seen. Peter breaking his parole or
Zach injured in a rogue skateboarding accident?
Alicia’s caught up in a mess with the Treasury? Will’s accused of judicial bribery? Pa chow!
Not when Elsbeth is around. She
can make lemonade out of petunias and it’s incredible to watch.
In “Je Ne
Sais What?” the Tascioni lemonade stand rolled into town and straight into
jail. The upside is that Elsbeth never
looked worried, on the downside her cell-mate looked experienced in living
hard. Thankfully, when Elsbeth found
herself in a squeeze, she went to the one lawyer she mightily respects (and,
let’s face it, whose family has kept her in ‘new purse money’ for the past
three years): Alicia. Needing backup,
Will and Diane quickly got on board to save Elsbeth from a weekend in
jail. Suddenly, all was right in the
world. I’m not sure if it’s strange or
not, but I’m grateful for the loyalty Alicia, Will and Diane have towards
Elsbeth, not only because I’m scared for Tascioni’s ability to make a shiv on a
dime, but because she’s earned it. Also,
I’m not sure her concentration could handle all the whittling prison items
need. Not like I’m an expert, but I've watched Kalinda enough to know the kind of dedication escaping takes. I,
myself, will take an ice cold glass of lemonade.
An Athlete
and a Jail Cell
“Je Ne Sais
What?” was a prime example of strong story advancement with a robust case of the
week. So rarely do the cases we’re privy
to involve characters with whom we have a relationship. Of course, there are exceptions (my two
favorite examples being 1) Lemond Bishop and his handsome, swindling ways and
2) Colin Sweeney, who’s brand of crazy is impossible to replicate), so when we
found out Elsbeth had been arrested and called Alicia for assistance, the look
on my face said, “amazing” while my voice simply squeed.
This week's case dealt with a runner who was banned from an
upcoming race for using boosters. An
endorsement deal gone awry surfaced and Elsbeth, from the comfort of her psych
exam (which, sadly but not surprisingly, quickly went off the rails), realized
the whole booster mix up had to do with pregnancy termination drugs. My husband, like Elsbeth, called it. While I've simplified the case to the very
basics, it was an especially thoughtful case.
Throw in the fact much of the show took place on a running track and
that the French judges secretly call Tascioni “Rambo” and it is, in my books,
one of the most entertaining episodes of season four. I’m seriously in love
with this show.
The Race
Card
FINALLY! I've been waiting for the race card to be
played in the Florrick campaign since last season. In my opinion, if anything is going to be
Peter’s downfall in the race for Governor, it’s going to be the fact he does
show racial bias. While I think it’s
unintentional, I also feel as though his decisions can be seriously questioned
by his opponents. Geneva Pine’s examples
are right on: Cary being promoted over both she and Maton, Wendy Scott-Carr
being fired, Dana Lodge being demoted.
Sure, there was cause for each of these decisions, but at the end of the
day, Peter has exposed himself (hopefully just figuratively, but one never
knows).
With Eli
and Jordan (the new political dynamo and, likely, Eli’s arch nemesis) at the
helm, I think Peter has as good a shot as any to escape anther ‘question of
character’ debate. That said, he’s up
against squeaky clean Krestiva, who while absent from our screens, we know is
working hard in the background to be as perfect as possible. Throw in the maven feminist, Maddie Hayward,
who seems to appeal to all races, ages and genders, and Peter is in a tighter
race than ever before. Eli better get a
discount at Kinkos – I think the campaign’s going to need more posters.
For Peter,
flaws are his selling feature. He’s made
mistakes and continues to do so, but that’s what makes him popular. While my full support is behind Team Gardner
when it comes to love, I’d likely vote for Florrick when it comes to the race for
Governor. Of course, a win means he’d be
spending more time in Washington, which wouldn't be bad for my other interests
either (insert a friendly nod to those who have highlighted this in the past!).
Diane
Speaking French
Seriously. This woman is brilliant. As Elsbeth wasn't afraid to point out, she’s elegant, too. And it’s true. When I grow up, I want to BE Diane Lockhart. The
icing on the ‘Diane speaks French’ cake was when she said, ‘Merci, Mademoiselle’
to Kalinda, who, while wearing one of her shortest skirts to date, caught the
eyes of all the “judges.” Pure
brilliance. Also, for the record, I’m
pretty sure Diane could have landed a date with the Fenchman in the center of
that panel. Who’s with me?
Non, Je Ne
Regrette Rien
What is
Alicia Florrick thinking? Just when I
thought her moving to Highland Park was going to be the worst decision she
could make, she started randomly sleeping with Peter again. I’m glad he’s confused too, because it makes
me feel like I’m not the only one. While
I loved listening to Edith Piaf’s “Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien,” I have to say
that I do, in fact, have regrets, to go alongside my strong reservations, about
all of this on-bus canoodling. Eli’s
look of horror and dismay was second only to my own. I know season four was going to be lacking in
Team Gardner goodness, but this, THIS, this is getting out of control.
It’s a
Small World… After All
Eli needs a
lawyer and Elsbeth is out of jail. This
could be a match made in heaven.
Maybe. I’m not sure how these two
are going to work, but I’m willing to jump on this bandwagon, big time. Elsbeth has proven herself to be one of the
best lawyers in Cook County (having represented Peter, Alicia and Will), so Eli
retaining her council is a sound decision, and he knows it. What I’m fairly certain of is that he’s
unaware of is how truly unconventional she is when it comes to the defense of
her clients. As Judge Poloti said
though, “When the law’s an ass, someone has to kick it.” Tascioni’s just the woman to do that kicking. Eli and Elsbeth = 2013's dynamic duo.
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