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They say
good things come to those who wait.
Well, I've been waiting patiently since the end of April for this season
premiere and I didn't show up to be disappointed. Luckily, I wasn't. Mostly.
There was that whole, ‘we’re off the merry-go-round’ commentary and,
yes, the kids still appear to be around… so it wasn't everything I had hoped,
but I’m willing to put in more time to see where this goes.
Was it The
Good Wife’s strongest premiere? In my
opinion, no. But was it
entertaining? Yes. Did it set the stage for what’s sure to be an
exciting first quarter? Absolutely. And did it make me want more? You bet.
To kick off
this season, I’m going to look straight at the heart of the matter – the five
things that are changing the face of The Good Wife. As always, please feel free to sound off in
the comments below!
1) Rolling in the Deep
As Adele
says, “We could have had it all…” but at Lockhart Gardner I’m not sure that’s
the case with anyone. Well, that’s not
entirely true. David Lee might have it
all, what with his smarmy antics, his Bluetooth and his bowl of candy. Everyone else is left with a piece of a pie
that always seems a day or two away from expiration. I mean, look at Monica from litigation, wheeling
around as a robot in an attempt to telecommute.
Alicia is there opening doors, carrying in Monica’s stick stand and
peeling off the paper happy faces someone stuck to her screen. The more things change at Lockhart Gardner,
the more they stay the same... like a clown car driving in the narrow lane of
crazy at the intersection of total destruction and prosperity. Still, I love this firm.
However, with
the upheaval of Lockhart/Gardner is now a rolling simmer, breaking the surface
like a sauce that hasn’t been stirred quite enough, and Alicia has been put in an
awkward position that I don’t think her other fourth year colleagues are mature
enough to understand. Alicia is coming
into this new partnership with more experience – and not just in age – but in
life. She is the Governor’s wife. She has raised a family. She is an equity partner at Lockhart
Gardner. The other associates just want
their bonuses… and maybe a nice bottle of Scotch. For Alicia, leaving the firm that gave her a
chance at a second career – leaving Will and Diane… and Will… did I mention
Will? – means more than almost any other choice in her life and a rumble in a
parking garage – like a Westside story Jets/Sharks showdown – isn’t going to
change that fact. With David Lee on the
prowl (and now signed to a full-time acting gig on The Good Wife, I might add),
things are going get worse before they get better, and Alicia is going to be
the one left in the crossfire. People
will be disappointed in Cary. But it
will be nothing compared to how they feel about Alicia.
2) The case of the Cary’s
There are
few things I enjoy more on The Good Wife than Cary and Alicia sharing a drink
and talking. Cary is sort of like the
new Kalinda. He’s also sort of like Will
in this new firm marriage. Basically, Cary
is the new everything and I can’t get enough.
Apparently he’s also the *first* Cary, as a random fourth year, also
named Carey, has surfaced. I’m not entirely
sure why they felt the need to confuse the Cary/Carey situation (which is made
slightly more complicated in my life as my name is also Kari… yet I rarely
write in third person – a decision that is saving us all at this point) – but they
did. Speculation on this dramatic device
is welcome.
3) My What a Big Office You Have…
Peter is
finally out of his campaign bus and back in an office. I can’t say I’m disappointed in this upgrade
of surroundings as all the bus shenanigans were making my eyes bleed. As someone firmly on the ‘Florrick for
Governor, Gardner for Life’ bandwagon, I’m glad to see he’s in cushy quarters,
reviewing important documents on a comfy couch and getting caught up in all
kinds of things that are bound to explode/turn ugly/ruin his marriage again in
what can only be assumed will be a few short episodes. Did I mention her name is Marilyn? Eli is already concerned, Peter has already
admitted she’s “too pretty” and now Marilyn has been bumped from the ethics
commission over to the transit department.
Eli is painting it as an upgrade, but let’s face it – buses aren't as
fancy as ethics. Not even campaign
buses.
4) Calling the new Chief of Staff
Now that
Peter is Governor, he’s looking to fill out his administration with the
best-of-the-best. It’s likely to involve
a little back scratching here and there, but now he’s in, things should mostly
be on the up-and-up. Oh sure there is
that little thing called ‘ballot tampering’ and yes, Will Gardner has some
evidence in his back pocket that might surface at some point this season… and
then there’s Marilyn, whose looks could be compared strongly to those of Amber
Madison… but aside from these small annoyances, the Florrick camp has
everything going for it. The only thing
that could make things better? Adding
Eli to the payroll as Chief of Staff. If
Obama has McDonough, why shouldn't Florrick have Gold? Eli’s smart, well-versed in the family
Florrick and can spot a scandal a mile away.
He’s the perfect fit. Also, he’s better
when he’s not at Lockhart Gardner stirring up trouble, throwing tantrums with David
Lee and drinking the firm’s espresso.
The idea of
Eli as Peter’s Chief of Staff is something I hadn’t considered but I think it’s
a fabulous development. It’s either that
or hiring Geneva Pine. I wouldn't be
against that either. She’s super sassy
and it’s a move that would definitely help all the speculation around Peter’s
racial bias. Also, she rocks a suit/pony
tail combo better than anyone. I’m not
saying that’s a reason to hire her, I’m just saying I think she can probably
get ready at the drop of a hat, which in a crisis can be handy. Perhaps some office Olympics, “Geneva vs. Eli”
is in order. I’d watch that, wouldn't you?
5) Round and Round
I’ll be
honest. I was more than a little
disappointed with the Team Gardner situation in this premiere. When last we saw these two, they were having
an epic moment in Will’s car. For those
of you who need a reminder, it looked something like this:
Now, it’s
like the car never happened, the kiss never happened and Will never said, “to
hell with bad timing – we talk.” It’s
like I made it all up. Which I didn't. I swear.
Things seem more off the rails than ever before, especially now Will has
thrown out this ‘we were on a merry-go-round and now we’re not’ crap. Remind me why we aren't on the merry-go-round
anymore? Weren't we just there… like last night? I’m confused.
Sadly, I
think things are going to get worse for these two before they get better. With the impending firm
implosion, Will is set to lose his cool with Alicia. That said, in “Red Team, Blue Team,” that
worked to the Team Gardner advantage, so maybe all bets are off. Until I know more, I’ll happily sip tea from
my Team Gardner mug and hope that Alicia leaving the firm will give her the
distance she needs to make this “Will thing” happen. Come on Kings – you can do it!
Quote of the Episode
Alicia: “Everything is ending…”
Cary: “…Beginning, too.”
Ahhhh. Every time I read this quote I feel inspired
and warmed (unlike how I felt when this whole 'Grace is suddenly on the 10 Hottest Politician's Daughters list' story surfaced) – like Christmas shopping while sipping something drizzled in
cinnamon syrup. The best part? It’s appropriate to the premiere and my
life. Within the next four weeks the firm
of Florrick, Agos and Associates will begin to take shape, Lockhart Gardner won’t
ever be the same… and I’m going to have a baby.
On The Good Wife, everything
seems like a new beginning – and it’s always Cary who likes to remind us that
change can be good. Personally, I agree,
and not just because I’m about to grow the Team Gardner fan base by one (yes,
the baby knows it has to pick a side – and that side is Gardner). With that, I’m going to do my best to keep
this blog as timely as possible. I might
not always be able to post within 24 hours of the episode, but I’m going to
try!
Favourite Guest Star
Without question, Jeffery Tambor as Judge Klugar. It may have been because I wanted him to say, "There's always money in the banana stand," but either way, he was a solid judge that didn't tip the scales on being overly dramatic or whimsical. We had Moni-bot for that dose of humor.
Here’s to
season five – where, I have a feeling, anything goes!
