Tonight's episode of THE GOOD WIFE on CBS. BEST hour of commercial TV this year!

You and I might be the only ones left who feel this way. I was actually thinking about it and I really wonder if the episode's title change ("Deconstruction") was not just in reference to the episode itself, but to the entire season in both the fictional and real universe. The show was bombarded with an assortment of critiques by fans who were overzealously "deconstructing" more or less every single aspect of the show to the point of calling it out for pretty much anything it did. Such a response took on an almost viral quality where it now seems like people are watching episodes just so they can find things to critique. Meanwhile the season arc itself sort of built things up just to have them all come crashing down. I can't help but wonder if Alicia running for SA only to fall victim to a scandal that costs her the job, her firm and her clients in the process, is in some ways an allegory for the show's decision to push the SA arc and thereby lose much of its core audience in the process. Alicia in that scenario is not just the titular character, but a representation of the show's decision to move beyond a point of no return on its own volition and thus ostracize itself from its own fan base (who are also infuriated by the ongoing "scandal" of Juliana Margulies and Archie Punjab). Hence the "Deconstruction" episode represents not just Alicia at her lowest point on the heels of the decision, but the show at its lowest point as well on the heels of its decisions. Both are in need now of "reconstruction" if they want to stay afloat. Maybe I'm reading too much into it, but if even half of my theory is true than it demonstrates the fact the show is still as intelligent and provocative as its always been, and not worthy of the emphatic backlash from fans and (some) critics alike.

I think the intent of the writers this season was to use Alicia's power move as a way to alienate her from the very firm she started, which moves on without her and slowly folds back into the very firm she left. In essence, the writers accomplished their goals, but I think that by prolonging the SA arc and not devoting the proper amount of finesse to certain dynamics within the firm (Alicia moving away, David Lee moving in, losing Chum-Hum, etc) that the execution was a little sloppy. This is by no means jumping the shark--it's just some missteps that made this season a few notches below the one that preceded it in terms of quality. But we're not talking the last season of "Dexter" or anything even close, and I'm crossing my fingers that the network ignores all the petty, frequent inaccurate complaining and grants "The Good Wife" one more season to bow out (which is likely).

 

Here is an article in Time magazine regarding last night's episode:

http://time.com/3836772/the-good-wi...836772/the-good-wife-recap-kalinda-departure/

 

Seems like you're kinda doing the same thing you accuse the haters of...looking under every possible rock to make excuses for and sense of a largely lost and forgettable season.

I personally don't think it was anywhere near as deep and complex as you theorize. I think they took a shot on the SA arc and tried to introduce some new characters and most of it simply didn't work.

 

I would say generally I'm rebuking the seemingly endless of array of critiques (many of them trivial) aimed at a season that wasn't as bad as the "haters" make it out to be nor riddled with the inconsistencies those same viewers seem almost too eager to try and point out. Additionally, I'm not suggesting that the most recent episode was "deep" or "complex", rather that this was a season where the show lost a big percentage of its audience as a result of the direction they took. Alicia, being the focal point of that direction, crashes and burns and loses her clients, and therefore embodies a parallel that's present regardless of the show's intent. If the writer's didn't directly aim for this most recent episode to address that parallel, so be it, but the parallel remains nevertheless.

But absolutely none of my theorizing had any impact on my enjoyment of any given episode. It was in fact a thought that simply occurred today when I was asking myself about the title change to the recent episode, noticing how so many fans are deconstructing every single aspect of the show to the point of overshadowing a season that wasn't as bad as they make it sound. And while I don't think this season has amounted to much or that it will reward with repeated viewings, I still think it "worked" for me because I kept watching--looking under rocks had absolutely nothing to do with my level of engagement.

 

And I didn't need to look under rocks to know something wasn't working almost from get-go (go back and look at my comments). I couldn't put my finger on it then, but I knew I wasn't finding the season compelling even after a few weeks. It was only later that it became apparent to me that it was quite simple and not uncommon...uncompelling main story arcs, lazy plot devices, and the introduction and overuse of largely uninteresting characters.

Two years ago, the loss of Kalinda would have been a big moment...last night, it was like...oh well, she's going into hiding...it's not as though she doing much more than being a babysitter anyway.

 

That's a fair point in retrospect and I can see merit in it now. However that slant didn't present itself while I was in the process of watching the episode. My visceral response was - that's it? I had hypothesized earlier that the alienation brought about by Alicia's running for SA would play itself out with her in that position (rather than returning back to her firm). I think had things gone that way, it would have provided more fertile ground for conflicts with her old firm AND would have had the long-running arc of her campaign mean so much more.

Unfortunately, I find this possibility to be very likely. This would explain why, when investing so much in the SA arc, it came to an abrupt conclusion.

One nice touch about the way the arc conclusion was executed was the symmetry reflected from the very start of the series with wife & husband holding hands as one of them goes to front the media about a momentous event.

I agree with this, all things are better with the cable/streaming production model. Having said that, I still think that TGW was able to rise well above the fray of typical broadcast network programming and therefore I appreciate the longer running season in this case.

I feel the same.

 

I was kind of puzzled by the lack of Eli last night. I mean, Alicia made a momentous decision. He should have been there. An Alan Cumming reaction shot (which I always love) would have been pivotal to that scene.

 

I think the actor has commitments elsewhere, which is why his character has been used sparingly.

 

I, too thought the call-back to the pilot episode (the podium announcement, and then the backstage meltdown) was very well done.
I also agree that TGW is still leagues ahead of most network dramas. Maybe this season was not as strong as others, and I don't harbor the visceral hate for Alicia's character that seems to dominate most discussions of this show, but there is a sophistication to their writing that is rare to find on television right now. The episode featuring Diane debating R.D.'s legal team on the issue of discrimination against gays had some of the best writing I've seen anywhere on TV this year. If anything the show tries to do too much with a very talented cast, but they're thinning the herd fairly rapidly. Since it looks as though a seventh season is likely, I think you'll see a much more focused approach to how Alicia deals with the fallout from this season, and maybe even more stand alone, "case of the week"- type episodes (at least I hope so). And please, more Eli.

 

If someone doesn't invest themselves in a TV show then they don't invest themselves. I don't blame anyone for losing interest in "The Good Wife" and my comments aren't really aimed at those who simply tuned out because they didn't like the SA arc. I personally liked the arc (definitely more than I liked the season 4 plotline involving Kalinda's ex-husband), but didn't love it, and it wasn't nearly enough to make me lose interest in the show or consider it bad TV by any means. But generally, my comments are aimed at the all the petty critiques that are basically tearing the show limb from limb and approaching every episode almost looking for things to bash and thus not only depicting the show as being way more inconsistent than it's actually being, but also hurting the show's chances of bowing out on its own terms.

 

I agree 100% that "The Good Wife" is head and shoulders above the majority of network TV, which is why I find the backlash against it so frustrating. And truthfully, it made it's bearings on CBS so that's where it belongs. But on the other hand I watched the first season again recently, and detected a very strong "The Wire" influence (and I'm not even referring to the fact that they virtually hired the entire cast from "The Wire" over the course of six seasons) among other things and saw a show that was truly invested in exploring the broad arena of law and politics while poking fun at the very same thing and leaving almost little to no room for fluff. That overt desire to rise above the standard fare, paired with the fact that so much of the show's dynamic has been dictated by things outside of its control, paired with the fact that certain things like the SA arc were probably protracted simply to fill out the full season order, makes me wonder what the show would've done with a little more creative freedom, a schedule that didn't prompt Josh Charles to leave, and a little less time to fill. Useless musings, I know...

 

This is just a TV show folks, don't take it so seriously!

 

I find the show has lost its way, the story-line too contrived and the characters evolving into cliches of their former interesting selves, which not a 'hater' makes me, simply a viewer who watches but finds it far less intelligent and interesting.

 

That's my stance too. Sure it's still better than a lot of broadcast TV but that's not a high bar! I feel they are limited to an extent by the skill of some of the actors. Though I loved her at first, I think Ms Marguiles is showing limitations in her acting range. And others are limited by their characters' range. This is all fine when it's interesting court cases and interoffice and interagency jabbing and parrying but when it comes to serious romance, outside things like drug trade drama and political position pitching it just doesn't fire on all cylinders. (All in my opinion). We'll see what next season brings. . . .

 

I find her range to not only be adequate but also to be far broader than many of the other regulars like David Lee, Dianne, or Kalinda. Marguiles has the chops to carry the show without a doubt.

 

Okay, in your opinion. Mine differs. I think Alicia's character is often written with a broader ranger than those other characters, doesn't make the actors inferior. The writing often has characters in a straight-jacket in a way. I'm really less and less impressed with Ms. Marguiles, she seems a bit wooden and one-note, but that's me, obviously others differ and that's fine with me.

 

I've seen her in other vehicles, which allowed me to assess her range/style a bit, and I do agree that in an ensemble cast she's fine, but current plot lines place too much weight on her and stretch her character too far.

 

In the most recent episode, we had Kalinda at Alicia's condo, waiting for her...Possibly/probably the last chance for the two actresses to share screen time. And it didn't happen. Protestations of the showrunners aside, it's alternately sad and comical that these two characters haven't shared the screen in a couple of years.

 

They let it be known Kalinda will be in the season finale and that she and Alicia will have a scene together.

 

The loss of Will was such a shock to many, I don't think they'd ever be able to match that level again.

 

So what was in the letter? That her husband is the jerk she thinks he is?

 

So what's Alica going to do next season? Become Sweeny's personal lawyer full time?

 

Let's just hope her computer doesn't get hacked again...

 

Looks like Kalinda will make a final appearance in the season finale:

http://www.usmagazine.com/entertain...urn-for-season-finale-after-quiet-exit-201515

 

Description of tonight's episode:
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The Good Wife
Episode: Don't Fail
NEW

S06, E21

A former client contacts Alicia after being charged with a murder connected to a 2009 case; Alicia remembers her early days as a lawyer as she reviews the old case.
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This better not be a 'clip show'.

Harry