Jeffery Neira/CBSThis is it. This could be the episode that changes it all (again) for The Good Wife. But did it? Thanks for the cliffhanger, CBS!
For a midseason finale and such a (potentially) pivotal episode, something was a bit off here. Separating Alicia from the action of Cary's trial was a mistake. The campaign has isolated her from what could be another gamechanger and that's disappointing. Let's break down the main parts, including Alicia's latest gaffe.
Cary's trial kicked off and viewers were treated to a few different perspectives, including getting to know what's going on with Judge Cuesta (David Paymer) and Geneva Pine (Renee Elise Goldsberry). The good judge was cranky because he wanted to go to a concert. Geneva Pine was having an affair with the detective involved in Cary's case. Little things that viewers would never have known. A very nice touch to humanize the familiar characters and show that not everybody is as invested in this trial as Cary.
For a while, things weren't looking great for Cary. But then Finn Polmar came through! And Kalinda went to Lemond Bishop with pictures of drug dealers leaving his house. Not enough to arrest him, but enough to get his son taken away, Kalinda subtly threatened. And Lemond Bishop is not somebody who responds well to threats. Bishop produced the final witness who would help Cary get off…and then showed up in court to have Dante change his testimony so it incriminated Cary. Yeah, this was not Cary's day. And Kalinda? Well, her exit can't be more clear now.
Bishop offered Cary a deal—he can go live in Barcelona and work for him there, never to return again. Or he could try his luck with a jury. Or he could take the new deal. Four years, basically two with good behavior. At the end of the episode he decided to go for the deal, declining to testify against Bishop. Cary pleaded guilty.
"Alicia is a good mother. She would never stab a teacher." While all this was happening, Alicia was dealing with a little gaffe. She had written Grace a joke note for her P.E. teacher with a threat from her favorite gritty cable drama Darkness at Noon. In the joke note, she threatened to stab the teacher. Grace, in all her wisdom, decided to show the note to her civics teacher after a lesson on free speech. Come on, Grace. The note got out of course and Alicia spent most of the episode running around trying to spin everything and make this into something useful. Everything could've been wrapped up earlier had she had done some political patronage for the civics teacher. But she wouldn't. She resisted. She's Saint Alicia. "I'm not going to be like Peter." However, Peter is not above it and flexed his political muscles to help Alicia out of her jam.
I miss the Alicia that would've been standing next to Cary every step of the way.
Is Cary going to prison? Is it as simple as that? January can't come fast enough.
Gasp count: 1 (when Bishop got in Kalinda's face)
Some other things:
Finn and Alicia…It's fun to see her smile again and get her out of the campaign story. The sparks are there. Is Alicia ready? Are viewers ready? Will pancakes be a new OTP icon?
Another phone call between Kalinda and Alicia…when will it end?
Jackie! Where you been girl?
"I trust assassins over teachers!"
The Good Wife airs Sundays, 9 p.m. on CBS. New episodes return on Sunday, Jan. 4.