Article first published as THE GOOD WIFE Review Season 6 Episode 1 The Line on Seat42F.
Last
season, CBS’s THE GOOD WIFE left some hanging questions. Will Diane
(Christine Baranski) be joining Florrick, Agos, & Associates? Will
Alicia (Julianna Margulies) run for State’s Attorney? Plus, who will be
in a relationship with whom next? To say last night’s season six
premiere, “The Line,” addresses those is fair, but they are only a few
elements in a large story that certainly hits the ground running.
As
“The Line” begins, Cary (Matt Czuchry) is arrested for charges related
to drug conspiracy. This is, of course, connected to the firm’s client,
Lemond Bishop (Mike Colter), the biggest drug dealer in town. Viewers
will assume Cary is innocent, of course, knowing that while he pushes
boundaries sometimes, he wouldn’t knowingly commit such an illegal act
as telling a kingpin how to transport illicit substances. But as Kalinda
(Archie Panjabi) finds out from her law enforcement ex, Sophia (Kelli
Giddish), there is a recording, and the words on it may imply that Cary
is guilty, even If his speech is being misconstrued. Who eventually
tries to pay his bail might actually worsen matters, rather than help
them, as the judge will be reviewing the source of the money, and while
it doesn’t directly come from Bishop, it is connected.
Ever
since Bishop is introduced on THE GOOD WIFE, there is always the
possibility of a story like this one coming to fruition. The writers
have danced around it before, and it totally makes sense and feels right
to go for it now. Bishop is not a good man, and while the lawyers deal
with him partly because of money and partly because of fear, keeping him
on the client roster comes with dangers that are just now being
realized. Bishop cutting Cary in prison to test his loyalty only makes
him seem even scarier.
What’s most
nerve-racking for the fans watching this on their television sets is the
utter frustration of anyone’s ability to help Cary. We know he doesn’t
deserve what’s happening to him, and it certainly isn’t fair that his
rights are being sidelined or outright ignored. We feel his frustration,
and Alicia’s frustration that she can’t get him out of this. THE GOOD
WIFE does an excellent job of telling the story in such a way to really
help viewers emphasize with the emotional component.
It
sucks further that the DA assigned to prosecute Cary is Finn (Matthew
Goode). Finn and Alicia have formed a pretty close friendship recently,
and this case forces them onto opposing sides. Finn deals with this by
having Alicia removed as Cary’s attorney. This will allow Finn to pursue
what he thinks is a perfectly legitimate case, and it may just keep him
on somewhat friendly terms with Alicia, if she can keep in mind that
he’s just doing his job. So far, she seems to be able to, but we’ll see
if that lasts.
Cary’s arrest also
makes Diane vulnerable. She is hoping to join Florrick Agos, and agrees
to represent Cary when Alicia cannot. She tells Louis Canning (Michael
J. Fox) and David Lee (Zach Grenier) that she’s retiring, but they’re
smart enough not to believe her. They can now user her connection to
Cary to try to convince her clients to turn on her, which may actually
threaten her move, since the payroll Diane brings with her might be the
only reason Cary will agree to bringing her on. It’s all quite a big
mess.
THE GOOD WIFE is brilliant at
balancing clusterf***s such as these, tying all of the various threads
together in unexpected and compelling ways. What happens to Cary
influences just about everything else, story lines already happening as
well as new ones. It’s tightly written, fast-paced stuff with some truly
terrific characters at the center of it.
There
is a side story in “The Line,” less bonded to the Cary thread than
most, in which Eli tries to convince Peter (Chris Noth) that Alicia
should run for State’s Attorney, which will surely be affected by how
Cary’s case plays out, though isn’t yet. Throughout the hour, Eli’s
daughter, Marissa (Sarah Steele), sits near him and engages with her
father. Marissa isn’t strictly necessary to the episode, but she’s very
welcome because of the level of humor she brings to bear, and how her
presence changes her father. Perhaps changes is the wrong word, as Eli
(with newly dyed hair) is still the shark fans love. But she does get to
play with him, and it makes for a more entertaining episode.
THE
GOOD WIFE is an example the Big Four networks should aspire to copy and
repeat, though not exactly, of course. It’s far better than the
procedural junk that most crime and legal shows go for, and its
television-style drama seems higher quality than the primetime soaps.
It’s both entertaining and smart, meaning viewers don’t have to feel
guilty about watching it. And six seasons in, it’s somehow gotten
better, despite being really good before.
THE
GOOD WIFE airs Sunday evenings on CBS. The air time varies each week,
though, because of CBS’s inability to properly schedule football, even
after many years of practice. If THE GOOD WIFE were a lesser show, I’d
say ignore it, but because it is what it is, please just set your DVR
for multiple hours because it’s worth it not to miss this gem. Then
write or tweet CBS and tell them to get their act together.
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