Review: 'The Good Wife' - 'After the Fall': Sister, sister
Will's family pays a visit, Eli scrambles and Caitlin proves useful
Mamie Gummer, Julianna Margulies and Anna Camp in "The Good Wife."
A quick review of last night's "The Good Wife" coming up just as soon as I make a reservation for 4...
For an episode whose Case of the Week was about a young woman committing suicide, "After the Fall" was one of the more light-hearted episodes of the season, with Will's sisters (Merritt Wever from "Nurse Jackie" and Nadia Dajani) driving him nuts at home while the sharks circled around his office back at the firm. Even the case itself was pitched relatively comedically, with the return of Mamie Gummer as Nancy Crozier, who got into an epic blonde-off with Caitlin in front of the suggestible judge.
That was all fun stuff (the Gardner sisters in particular), and we also got some interesting material about what the future may bring for Peter and Eli's partnership. Though it gives the show an opportunity to bring in people like Donna Brazile, I think Peter running for governor is ultimately a non-starter that would rehash too much of what the show already did with the state's attorney campaign. So sooner or later, it's not going to happen for him, which means that Eli needs a more long-term role on the show (already being inside the firm is a good start for that). On the other hand, might Alicia actually be thinking of resuming The Good Wife role so that Peter can be elected, or is she simply going to stick to the status quo but cutting the duplicitous David Lee out of her personal life?
What did everybody else think?
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March 5, 2012 at 1:08PM EST Reply to CommentI hate that they are setting up a cliché women-jealous-of-each-other at work scenario. However, they created tension between Alicia and Cary in the first season as well, so I guess a younger woman as the next foil was to be expected. Looking forward to Will and Anna Camp having the inevitable tryst (not).
Adam B.
March 5, 2012 at 1:09PM EST Reply to CommentThere's some serious realism issues with the whole "Peter/keynote" subplot anyway. If he's running for Governor this year, he'd have to already be fully committed; if he's not, no way he'd be considered for keynote. (My guess: they just wanted an excuse to invite the Braziles of the world on the show.
[Heart] Gummer. Always.
From this attorney's perspective, they didn't explain clearly what I thought is the issue on the Caitlin promotion to "full litigator," a term I don't quite even understand. I take it to mean that she's out of the general associate assignment pool and handling only litigation matters.
Why this matters to Alicia - were this the real world - is that she gets so many of her case assignments from Will, and it's unclear whether other partners at this "300 employee" (really?) law firm will endeavor to keep her billables as high, esp. now that there's another litigation associate to rely upon.
VisionOn
March 5, 2012 at 4:21PM EST Reply to CommentI'm surprised nobody mentioned this was another "topical" case of the week, the 2006 movie "The Bridge". In fact it was so blatant and so out of date that I hated most of the episode in court.
It's becoming quite tiring to see the show try and be on-topic every week and do it in such a way that it seems really hokey. Especially when the stories they are picking are so old.
The hacker case was another example of out of touch writers trying to be "youthful" and in touch with the tech world, but just seemed really laughable. As was the episode featuring the video game and the Facebook-style guy.
I wish the show would stick with tried and true storylines that are in the ballpark of what CBS audiences expect. When they try to be hip, they just fail tragically.
Brian "I wish the show would stick with tried and true storylines that are in the ballpark of what CBS audiences expect."
March 6, 2012 at 11:05AM ESTWow, I'm not sure I could possibly disagree more with this. This is without question the best drama on network TV right now, and you want it to act more like, what, Hawaii Five-O?
VisionOn Best character drama on network TV but some of the actual procedural cases are mediocre or like this one, just embarrassing. The writers like to think they are being cool, cutting edge and "hip with the kids" but just come across as out of touch as most other CBS dramatic properties do when they attempt the same.
March 6, 2012 at 12:14PM ESTThey should stick to murders, robberies and economics in court and leave the cult and tech media alone.
What next? Alicia has to go to "Comic-Expo-Fest" or defend someone who created a site called "Chirper" because a fake celebrity is stealing an identity using "Chirps"?
Brian Ah, didn't understand your original post, and this comment is more fair. I'm not as negative on the case of the week as you are, but I agree that when they try to tackle more "current" topics, they can be hit or miss.
March 6, 2012 at 3:27PM ESTLazy Iggy
March 5, 2012 at 5:17PM EST Reply to CommentWill's sisters are so cliche...but I love 'em. In my fantasy episode, they meet Owen and combine forces! Oh the nosiness, drama, and snarky sibling helpfulness! I can dream, right?
olucy I liked Merrit Wever enough and her chemistry with Will. But the second sister was a PITA and I found their doubling up on him annoying. Although I was a little amused that they thought they sussed out Kalinda as his girlfriend.
March 6, 2012 at 11:15AM ESTChitheatergirl
March 5, 2012 at 5:39PM EST Reply to CommentI don't know if I just wasn't paying enough attention or what, but Alicia looked really concerned about Caitlyn at the end. I wasn't sure if it had to do with her being moved up so early or if there was some suspicion that Caitlyn had something to do with telling Eli about the divorce since she's David's niece.
olucy It didn't even occur to me that she was feeling threatened by Caitlyn's promotion. She's so far ahead of Caitlyn, how could she be? And I agree, that would be cliched and boring. I took it as her being nervous that they'd be sharing an assistant, who might talk out of turn, and Caitlyn is David Lee's niece. I guess it could be a combo of both.
March 6, 2012 at 11:17AM ESTBigTed
March 5, 2012 at 5:42PM EST Reply to CommentIt's a little surprising how all the female litigators other than Alicia (including Caitlin, Nancy Crozier and Carrie Preston's Elsbeth) all use versions of ditsy ineptitude to manipulate others into underestimating them. (And, of course, Alicia plays along with it whenever it suits her.)
Considering that this may be the most feminist show on TV right now, I wonder how they justify that?
ps Diane does not do that.
March 5, 2012 at 8:52PM ESTSara I'd like to add Wendy Scott Carr to this list. Though she wasn't ditzy, she completely dropped the ball when examining Will on the stand. A once competent and able woman suddenly forgot how to do her job well? I was disappointed by that -- for both its deus ex machina execution and the unappealing female representation.
March 5, 2012 at 11:55PM ESTA Parks and Rec may be the most feminist show on TV right now.
March 6, 2012 at 6:21AM ESTwebdiva Correct: Diane doesn't do ditz. Brava!! But then, like Alicia, she's old school. The younger gals have no problem going feminist when it comes to their salaries and promotions but going ditz when it suits them. Neither Alicia nor Diane have to resort to that because they're both grownups. As for Kalinda, she goes far in the other direction: she'll use the hint of sex to manipulate, but she's scary-smart and all too well informed for anyone to mistake *her* for a ditz. Interesting that *she's* the one who called Caitlin a piranha.
March 7, 2012 at 12:24AM ESTwebdiva Oh, and Wendy Scott Carr isn't as good as she thinks she is. She's more into grandstanding than thinking. And she's still aching to get back into politics, probably for all the wrong reasons (she's power hungry, among other things).
March 7, 2012 at 12:25AM ESTSarah For what it's worth, Nancy Crozier is sort of my professional icon. (I'm a newly-minted courtroom-variety lawyer.) The fact is, I still look like a high school sophomore, so I need to go with it. Juries, judges, and other decisionmakers appreciate more, mostly subconsciously, the people who do not require as much cognitive energy of them, so I accordingly help myself and my clients by molding my content (courtroom style and demeanor) to my form (my, uh, youthful appearance). By making my form and content harmonize, I am able to achieve better results for my clients by making my audience more receptive. Better results mean I'm a better lawyer, which helps the overall feminist struggle by presenting another example of a young woman excelling in a traditionally-male-dominated profession.
March 7, 2012 at 5:59PM ESTalbatross
March 5, 2012 at 7:39PM EST Reply to CommentI realize that shows play fast and loose with locations, but using the Great Falls in Paterson, NJ as a bridge in Chicago is really pushing it.
Brian I have lived in Northern NJ for about 30 years and, although I know of the Great Falls, I had no idea that was what was shown last night. So I think they were probably OK. Its not like they used Niagra Falls.
March 6, 2012 at 11:08AM ESTwebdiva Naaaaaaah, it's *not* okay: there aren't any waterfalls like that within a hundred miles of Chicago! I live here, folks, and Starved Rock State Park, if there even is one there, would be the closest possibility. Why they didn't just do the obvious thing and have someone jumping off a bridge into the Chicago River beats me. Ah, but that would be a location shot, now wouldn't it? Except that it didn't involve any of the main cast (except during the last third of the episode, when Alicia goes to the bridge to check it out, and that shot wasn't really necessary to film in order), so it easily could have been filmed in Chicago.
March 7, 2012 at 12:30AM ESTBrian I have only been to Chicago a few times...but from my recollection, I don't think any of the bridges over the Chicago River are high enough where someone would die if they jumped off of them into the River. Is that wrong?
March 7, 2012 at 5:23PM ESTmarch14
March 6, 2012 at 12:30AM EST Reply to CommentDITZY works, I should know. It's best done when all else fails. Judges and lawyers are human. THE legal system can be brutal. Especially when you are representing innocence.
webdiva
March 7, 2012 at 12:20AM EST Reply to CommentNot a fan of either blonde in this episode (piranhas all!), and I'm smart blonde, so that's saying something. Wouldn't want to work with either of them, and Alicia shouldn't trust them. Or David Lee -- she's wise to get him out of her business, now that she knows he can't keep his mouth shut. As for Peter, she should leave things status quo at least until she figures out what her status in the firm will be under the new terms. She needs to solidify her position without making enemies. She might even consider slowly thawing the relationship with Kalinda (I suspect the arc is already moving in that direction). But Alicia should also make a social life for herself that excludes Will: she deserves better. She needs to seriously look around before she even thinks about thinking of making up with Peter. Frankly, I see that as a non-starter ... and once it becomes apparent that Peter won't get the governorship because he has too many frenemies as well as actual enemies, keeping up the facade won't be necessary anymore. But Eli in Alicia's firm? Keep him! Let him do other business but stick around. He's much more interesting than what they've reduced Peter to anyway.
miim
March 8, 2012 at 11:25AM EST Reply to CommentHi, does anybody know the name of the song that played during the suicide? It was a classical piece. thanks!