Review: 'The Good Wife' - 'The Death Zone': Axis of awesome
Eli and Kalinda finally meet, and some other things happen
Will (Josh Charles) and Alicia (Julianna Margulies) took on the British legal system on "The Good Wife."
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A quick review of last night's "The Good Wife" coming up just as soon as I invoice it...
Many things happened in "The Death Zone," including Diane finally getting wise to some of the things going on in Alicia's personal life (courtesy of Peter using the power of his office to mess with Will), Eddie Izzard getting to use about 16 different British dialects as the clever rival attorney (albeit in a storyline that talked a little too much about our impressions of the British, and vice versa, rather than just letting the differences play out), Peter being remarkably candid (and kind to Alicia) to his son, and guest star Michael Kelly being more interesting in a few minutes of screen time as political strategist Micky Gunn than he ever was on "Criminal Minds: Suspicious Behavior."
But it's hard to even remember anything happened in the hour other than the first meeting of Eli and Kalinda, which was so momentous - and as splendid as one might have imagined - that Eli had to keep remarking on how strange it was that they'd never met before. Some of that is no doubt a reference to her time working for Peter - or perhaps another one of Eli's clients, before Peter and Kalinda helped each other out - but there was definitely a sense of meta from a bunch of writers who were understandably pleased to present this kind of Marvel Team-Up.
What did everybody else think? Are you ready for the Gold/Sharma spin-off now now now? Or did you prefer the Alicia-centric portions of the hour?
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October 3, 2011 at 9:40AM EST Reply to CommentA great hour, with almost tangible electricity re:Eli/Kalinda. He likes interestingly different women - younger, somewhat exotic (remember his attraction to America Ferrera's character?). And who's more inscrutable than Kalinda? I'm looking forward to this one.
Jobin
October 3, 2011 at 9:43AM EST Reply to CommentI thought the season premiere's ending with Alicia looking in the hallway mirror as Will knocked, had her questioning going forward with her relationship with him. But I guess that really meant nothing.
The Kalinda/Eli scenes were good, but do they really need to introduce another political campaign that we are even less likely to care about? Though I guess they want to get mileage out of any potential presdential campaign storylines in the news for 2012.
Carrie
October 3, 2011 at 9:51AM EST Reply to CommentI'm not a huge Will/Alicia "shipper" or anything (I like more what the relationship symbolizes for her than the relationship itself) but damn if they aren't one of the hottest couples on TV right now. An excellent example of how to write a couple in a relationship.
Alf I don't feel like they're in a relationship; they're just having sex.
October 4, 2011 at 8:21AM ESTDenise
October 3, 2011 at 10:39AM EST Reply to CommentI always enjoy seeing things from Alicia's perspective. I really enjoyed her warm scene with Zach, her pleasant exchange with the Irish solicitor and her tense scene with Diane. That said, I'm already loving the Eli/Kalinda chemistry. What happens when Eli finds out Peter slept with Kalinda? Can't wait.
webdiva Oooooh, yeah -- Eli's possibly even more manipulative than Kalinda is, and he's been at it longer. Also, he's very pragmatic: he'd probably be startled when he found out but then would doubtless file it away for the right moment when he could use it. How he'd feel about the discovery would depend in part on how he felt about Kalinda at the time, but he's already got respect and a bit of loyalty to Alicia because he likes her, which puts him in a hard place re: Peter ... and he's got NO ties to Kalainda. He might even be a little pissed at her a) on Alicia's behalf, and b) because he'd realize then why Alicia is different and Alicia and Peter are acting so weird, i.e., are no more as a couple, which, as Peter's advisor, puts him in an even more difficult spot. Yeah, he'd blame K for that. He might even be a tad vindictive when it came to using that bit of info, just as he was in this ep re: losing one client (Arabic), then getting another formerly elusive one (Jewish) on *his* terms. Heaven help Kalinda in that case, 'cause I'd bet on Eli, not on her. Besides, she's still got some bad karma coming her way as fallout from Peter; if Eli finds out why, he WON'T be on K's side.
October 4, 2011 at 12:00PM ESTJules
October 3, 2011 at 11:06AM EST Reply to CommentI would absolutely watch a spin-off with Kalinda & Eli. "Cloak & Dagger" would be a fitting name for the show, would it not?
webdiva Ehhh, no, there's not enough there for a whole show -- but there *is* more than enough to make this show spicier. Bring it on! BTW, why *DO* I have to choose between liking the Eli/Kalinda exchanges and the Alicia-centric bits?? Answer: I *don't* -- I can have both, as long as the writers are hip to that.
October 4, 2011 at 12:03PM ESTLauraincabo
October 3, 2011 at 11:20AM EST Reply to CommentGreat episode. I love the way there's so many things going on in this show and all her handled deftly. As an attorney I'm always amazed at how well the characters play them and how accurate the legal stuff is. The libel stuff was very involved, and very accurate. Did non-attorney viewers find this too much of a seminar, or did you like it?
klg19 I'm not an attorney, and I LOVED it. I knew about the different burden of proof for libel in the UK, but all the twists and turns from there on--especially the loosing of the tweets--was simply delicious.
October 3, 2011 at 5:53PM ESTwebdiva Yeah, I really hate that the truth isn't a defense against libel in the UK: if you say/write something true about a wrongdoer there and the revelation of that truth harms him, it's still slander/libel -- it's like the wrongdoer doesn't get to suffer public embarrassment from doing wrong. Which is horribly wrong to *me* -- especially if I'm the victim.
October 4, 2011 at 12:11PM ESTLoved the bit about the tweets. About time tweeting did some good instead of just being totally self-absorbed/celebrity absorbed.
graham Not true that the truth isn't a defence, it's just that the person - in your scenario - alleging wrongdoing has to be able to prove it in court rather than the alleged wrongdoer having to prove that it is false. I guess one of the justifications would be that it's not easy to prove a negative. The main difference is that while both UK & US systems attempt to protect both free speech & reputation, the US prioritises free speech, whereas the UK system considers them equally important & tries to balance them.
January 27, 2012 at 9:00PM ESTLauraincabo
October 3, 2011 at 11:20AM EST Reply to CommentGreat episode. I love the way there's so many things going on in this show and all her handled deftly. As an attorney I'm always amazed at how well the characters play them and how accurate the legal stuff is. The libel stuff was very involved, and very accurate. Did non-attorney viewers find this too much of a seminar, or did you like it?
Natalie
October 3, 2011 at 12:05PM EST Reply to Commenteli became a highlight of every episode for me.
putting him with kalinda was just a delight!
Heisenberg
October 3, 2011 at 12:06PM EST Reply to CommentThought it was another fascinating hour from TV's best drama. Loved seeing all the characters angle for power and influence for a variety of reasons.
I do agree that they spent a bit too much speaking about cultural differences.
The Eli/Kalina moments were stupendous.
Alan,
I know you like to watch this show in spurts, but I'd love it if you added TGW to your weekly recap slate.
JedyKnight
October 3, 2011 at 12:39PM EST Reply to CommentEven though at times it seemed like there was too much going on, i think this season has started very strong.. 2 reviews in a row, Alan? are you going to be reviewing it weekly or just drop ins as last year ?
Hatfield
October 3, 2011 at 12:58PM EST Reply to CommentI've always liked Michael Kelly. I hope he gets a worthy series regular job at some point.
blingbling
October 3, 2011 at 1:01PM EST Reply to CommentI think the Eli/Kalinda meeting was predictably wonderful -- the question is where they go with it. The amazing thing is how much Kalinda will have to teach Eli, not the other way around. I think Kalinda's moral and sexual ambiguity is destined to blow even Eli's dastardly little mind.
I'm very happy to read that attorneys are generally happy with the way legal issues are presented on the show, because it's risky to attempt such complicated issues and then so amazing when they do it in such an entertaining way as they did last night. TGW has such a wealth of great acting talent, but if they can find an excuse to bring Eddie Izzard back for some other reason, I say, "yes, please!"
If the dirty laundry against Will is substantial, I hope they bring it out quickly, because I'm already bored with the Will/Alicia matchup. The fact remains that neither Will nor Peter are worthy candidates for Alicia's affections, and I think that's going to be true of any pairup they attempt for Alicia. She will never find Mr. Right. Which means we get to see how low Will and Peter (and for that matter, everyone else on the show with the possible exception of Alicia) will go, and that's what's gonna make for some mighty fine television.
Bring on the lies, mind games, backstabbing and sleaze. I can't wait.
blingbling Oh, one more thing. Could we magically age Alicia and Peter's kids a few more years so next season they're off to college and gone forever? They're both SO irritating.
October 3, 2011 at 1:04PM ESTwebdiva All of teenagerhood is annoying. Part of the package. They're not going away, and they provide a very real relief from -- and complication for -- work for Alicia. Deal.
October 4, 2011 at 1:05PM ESTJill We got to see that Alicia will go low if needed already in the season 1 finale. No one person, not even Alicia, is all good/all bad on this show. She went to Eli for help in keeping her job ... an advantage she was able to use that Cary did not have at his disposal. Alicia doesn't get off the hook there, even if she is title character and "good." She's no more good than anyone else on the show.
October 6, 2011 at 11:33AM ESTJobin
October 3, 2011 at 1:40PM EST Reply to CommentWhy isn't Alicia divorcing Peter right now?
The campaign is over, and the knowledge of the Kalinda betrayal has put the nail in the coffin for any type of reconciliation?
What is stopping her at this point?
Why would Alicia risk potentially alientating her kids, who if they found out she was sleeping with Will, would see start to see her in a negative light and part of the blame for the marriage not working?
What happened to the Alicia that went back at Will with "so what is your plan" after he said he loved her?
JJ I think its more about Peter's image and not hers. they kind of built it up that Alicia was the key to Peter winning the campaign and the press would make it look like the marriage was a sham and that they sort of tricked the public into voting for Peter. They made a big deal about Alicia going on that TV show last year the day of the campaign and they made it seem like that is what put Peter over the edge. I think there is probably money issues involved, I am sure Alicia is making a lot more money then Peter is right now, and the fact that the divorce will be so public in the press I am sure Alicia is looking out for her kids, she was so adamant about keeping them out of the news during the campaign last season.
October 3, 2011 at 2:50PM ESTJobin I understand that she was one of the main reasons why he was elected, but wouldn't it be pretty easy for the public to find out that they are seperated?
October 3, 2011 at 3:27PM ESTHe has his own apt, that she leased for him, immediately after he won the election.
Wouldn't it be more damaging to her kids, if they found out Alicia was banging Will?
They are seperated, and it's not like much would change from the kids perspective if they actually filed for divorce.
Granted I know this seems to be one of the logic plot holes that is needed to build tension this season. If Alicia would get a divorce, then Will/Alicia's relationship wouldn't get to be this dirty secret that the both of them seem to enjoy so much.
JJ I assume if Will and Alicia were dating or got serious they would tell the kids. But right now they seem to just be having sex.
October 3, 2011 at 5:36PM ESTklg19 "I understand that she was one of the main reasons why he was elected, but wouldn't it be pretty easy for the public to find out that they are seperated?"
October 3, 2011 at 5:56PM ESTI dunno, @jobin--not even Diane can find out if they're separated at this point. I'm not sure the public is much cleverer than she is!
webdiva Diane just gave you the reason, or did you miss that? Alicia has just as much to lose at work if everyone finds out she's separated and getting divorced: the moment they know she not only has no influence over Peter but is his target, she's more of a problem to the firm than an asset. And Diane just got Will to promise that if Alicia ever becomes more hindrance than help, she's fired. Diane was talking about Alicia's influence on Peter and Peter being well disposed to the firm (or at least not punishing or interfering with the firm), and Will knew it. So now Will is in a lie of omission with his partner in the firm. That's a big deal. And it's all very dangerous for Alicia. It's even possible that despite his obvious conflict of interest re: Peter, Alicia has a better ally in Eli Gold than she does in either Will OR Diane. Then again, Eli has much to lose if anyone finds out that Alicia has parted from Peter. Yet Eli needs to learn the truth soon if he's to manage it effectively, and it's certainly not to his advantage to let anyone else know about it, either. So ... could we yet have a situation where Eli hides the truth from Diane (and everyone else)?? You bet. Now the question is: will Kalinda see it as more helpful or hurtful to herself to keep Alicia's secret?
October 4, 2011 at 1:14PM ESTPj
October 3, 2011 at 3:09PM EST Reply to CommentA great hour of tv, i love the different shades of all the characters especially alicia. Flirty with Will, warm with Zach, in a diffcult place with Diane.
I always love the references with the 'real world' like the news of the world scandal and the whole topical issue on the super injunctions.
i did like the whole eli and kalinda exchange and hope that continues in the season but the persons who was super was Diane and the way she was working everything out, from meeting Peter at the SA to when she was at Alicia's
BigTed
October 3, 2011 at 3:35PM EST Reply to CommentAre we really supposed to believe Eli could have met (or seen) Kalinda before and not remembered her? Likewise, the idea that she even thinks she can get away with saying she has "one of those faces" (that remind you of someone else) is patently ridiculous.
klg19 I got the impression she meant it as a joke. Because, no, she most certainly does NOT have one of those faces. Her humor is always so deadpan, it might not have played clearly--or maybe I'm more likely to believe she's joking when she isn't--but that was my take.
October 3, 2011 at 5:57PM ESTJohnB
October 3, 2011 at 5:02PM EST Reply to CommentI thought this episode was MUCH better than the premiere, with scales tipping more toward the legal side of the storyline.
bfish I thought the same thing. The first episode was somewhat disappointing, and it's a good thing the second was so much more in the groove. It allayed my concerns that TGW had lost its unique mix of personal and procedural.
October 3, 2011 at 7:49PM ESTRe: another comment above, Kalinda was definitely deadpanning when she made the comment to Eli about her face being common or whatever.
xbrooklyngrrl
October 3, 2011 at 5:13PM EST Reply to CommentI was a tad concerned with Alicia's bangs distracting -- really dreadful styling -- but this show could teach all of the new ones I've seen lessons in ensemble acting, smart writing, and how to do sexy. Just the thought of Will and Alicia in his bathroom was sexier than the first two eps of Playboy Club. And they've kept it fresher than Prime Suspect, which already feels tired, and overdone.
Eli and Kalinda: the true definition of legal dream team.
klg19
October 3, 2011 at 6:15PM EST Reply to CommentWhat a great, great episode. Wow.
I didn't think that the IRS audit was Peter's way of playing with Will's head; I saw it as an attack on Alicia. Yes, Peter has always been suspicious of Will, but he has no evidence at the moment that anything's going on. But if--as the Will-Diane conversation at the end made clear--Peter's attack on Lockhart/Gardner was because of Alicia's presence, and his attacks on them because of her might cause Will and Diane to throw her under the bus...well, I can't imagine who would take her on. She'd become toxic. She'd be unemployable in Chicago. And that was the vibe I got--I don't think Peter or Cary care that much about Lockhart/Gardner but, as the close of last season made clear, they both are interested in making life hard for Alicia. And that's how I saw the audit play: this is what L/G is up against as long as Alicia's on board.
I imagine Alicia's flair for winning cases when she's up against the SA office doesn't hurt their motivations, either.
Peter's antipathy towards Alicia, though, made his scene with Zach all the more impressive. Whatever his relationship with their mother, he won't tarnish her in their eyes. That got him points, in my book.
But while all this was interesting, and Eddie Izzard was awesome, and Brian Murray was a scream as the UK judge--that episode really did belong to Eli and Kalinda. I found it odd that their paths hadn't crossed either, actually--not when she worked for Peter and not when he would visit Alicia. But regardless: I could see that as a crazy power couple, even given Kalinda's preference for women; there's a fluidity to Eli that could work quite well in a matchup of the two of them.
xbrooklyngrrl I think Cary has vengeance in his heart for LG, that they chose Alicia over him, and he made it clear last season he's riled because it's her connections, not abilities(the Eli account swung the vote) . Peter wants to hurt her, not LG. So the two men team up, and each gets his jollies.
October 3, 2011 at 8:07PM ESTAl Phillips What could Alicia possibly have done that would be a problem for the IRS?
October 3, 2011 at 9:12PM ESTwebdiva Alicia hasn't done anything to bug the IRS -- this is a legal audit of L/G's paperwork, through which they might find out about their clients' business, which is why it's wrong for the firm to agree, but it's really just an excuse to make trouble for Alicia by making trouble for the firm. And thereby making Alicia look like a liability to the firm.
October 4, 2011 at 1:19PM ESTwebdiva Clarification: the IRS isn't involved. This is the state's attorney's office wanting to snoop through the firm's work papers and accounts, thereby learning things they'd otherwise need a search warrant for and/or stuff that would be protected frm a warrant anyway, legal confidentiality being what it is. Under the guise of trying to find out whether the firm's crooked client used any illegal funds to pay for his defense, they get the bonus of seeing information they otherwise have no right to see, and the firm knows it. This should be an obvious NO, and the only reason Diane is hesitating is that she doesn't want to piss off the new state's attorney, namely Peter, because he could make a LOT of trouble for the firm in other ways. But yeah, it's really about punishing alicia by making her look like a liability to the firm -- any info re: L/G clients they get through the audit that they're not entitled to otherwise would just be a bonus.
October 4, 2011 at 1:25PM ESTKathyB
October 3, 2011 at 7:48PM EST Reply to CommentThe whole show was wonderful, Eli and Kalinda crackled. Timing, lines, every little bit.
Will is so vulnerable in a audit, more than Diane knows or suspects. Diane is beginning to see things more clearly. Carey always wants to hurt Alicia. Peter's motivation, not sure.
xbrooklyngrrl Alicia has refused to take Peter back, despite his shallow attempts to reconcile. He's a man rejected, and scorned, plus it must be galling to know that she was huge political asset for him, remember it was her TV appearance that won him his job. He's the kind of selfish, powerful man who thinks saying I'm sorry is enough; she's found her own stones while he was in jail, and he's angry. That's my take, anyway.
October 3, 2011 at 8:10PM ESTwebdiva And you're right. Peter has nobody to blame but himself for being in this position with Alicia. He should have told her once his infidelities came to light that he'd cheated with more than just hookers, but he didn't. He only admitted to as much as had already been publicized. His conscience is still warped, which makes his whole 'repentance' of last season hypocrisy. And once Alicia confronts him with Kalinda, he has no excuse -- so he chooses anger to deflect the truth but failing to do so with Alicia, of course. She was never a doormat, but she didn't have to prove that to herself until after Peter's scandal. Now she's stronger than ever and doesn't have to take any crap from him. Meanwhile, he's still so narcissistic that he thinks his hiding Kalinda wasn't a big deal, even though that's cemented the separation and eventual divorce. He's just permanently screwed himself with her, and instead of being angry with himself, he's chosen to be angry with her and look for 'proof' that she betrayed him before that, as if her indiscretions would somehow make his all right. Talk about a sh*thead: he never considers himself at fault for anything, no matter what he says to his kid. It's his behavior that counts, and his behavior says that his public 'repentance' is all a lie. He doesn't believe any of it. It's all political.
October 4, 2011 at 1:35PM ESTberkowit28 That's good, WebDiva (and XB).
October 5, 2011 at 2:12AM ESTtroopermsu
October 7, 2011 at 12:16PM EST Reply to Comment'Michael Kelly being more interesting in a few minutes of screen time as political strategist Micky Gunn than he ever was on "Criminal Minds: Suspicious Behavior." '
That'll happen when a show has actually good writers....
Dgc
October 8, 2011 at 11:59PM EST Reply to CommentFinally got around to watching this tonight, and was annoyed by two really sloppy things:
1) Chicago time is 6 hours behind London time. So the only way they could hold the deposition in Chicago in the evening while it's morning in London would be if it was midnight in Chicago and 6am in London. Which seems really unlikely.
2) Yes, Canada is a Commonweath country - but I don't believe that Canadian assets can be frozen based on a UK court case.
graham Yeah, that was a clumsy moment in the script. I assume the point they were trying to convey was perhaps that since Canada (& I guess most countries other than the USA) has similar libel laws to the UK, a court there would have been more ready to enforce an interim injunction of the English High Court?
January 27, 2012 at 9:11PM ESTMuch worse was the insinuation that the Barrister / Solicitor distinction was some sort of class distinction rather than one of function, as if British society is all class ridden while American society isn't at all. Then compounded by the solicitor appearing in a High Court case, which presumably should have required a barrister.