Article first published as THE GOOD WIFE Review Season 6 Episode 4 Oppo Research on Seat42F.
This
week’s episode of CBS’s THE GOOD WIFE, “Oppo Research,” puts the recent
legal drama on hiatus as the focus shifts to Alicia’s (Julianna
Margulies) campaign for State’s Attorney. That’s right, she’s running,
and Eli (Alan Cumming) sets her up with a campaign manager named Johnny
Elfman (Steven Pasquale, Rescue Me). Together, the three begin laying
out what Alicia’s campaign will look like, starting with the bad stuff,
which is much more of a problem than Alicia, or perhaps the viewer,
expects.
There are plenty of people
in Alicia’s life that could spell trouble for her. Her mother, Veronica
(Stockard Channing), isn’t the most put-together woman, and there is
video of her spanking a (horrible, misbehaving) child. Alicia’s husband,
Peter (Chris Noth), hasn’t always been faithful, and because their
separation isn’t public, it’s quite likely that he is sleeping with
someone and it will look like he’s cheating. We learn in “Oppo Research”
he isn’t fooling around with his slutty intern, whom Eli takes great
joy in firing, but Peter could be sleeping with the intern’s mother.
These two will probably flare up with more issues as the story unfolds.
Worse
is Alicia’s brother, Owen (Dallas Roberts), who is seeing a married
bareback gay porn star. Alicia doesn’t confront Owen about this in a
mean way; instead, she is worried about his safety. But even raising the
issue causes him to storm out. It’s really a shame that this should
come between them, though Owen would have a right to be mad at Alicia
for dragging him into the public eye without his consent. Let’s hope
they work it out.
She also has a big
problem with her son, Zach (Graham Phillips), who she learns had a
secret abortion. Alicia is so furious at Zach that she essentially cuts
him off, just asking him to support her in the media’s eye. We’ve never
seen Alicia like this, though her anger is understandable, her son
having been lying to her for quite awhile. Can she repair her
relationship with Zach? He’s one with a track record of being trouble
while thinking he’s doing the right thing, righteous stupidity. Combined
with the now-chilly relationship, this can’t be good.
Alicia
herself is by and large a good person. That’s why the name of the show
is THE GOOD WIFE, and when considering her personally, there isn’t much
dirt to dig up. She is moral, and while some may have a problem with her
atheist leanings (a real life political landmine that shouldn’t be, in
my opinion, being one myself), she does the right thing the vast
majority of the time. Her slip ups are minor and average.
But
even she does not escape the smear. Before even announces she’s
entering the race, she is already set up for a DUI test (which she
passes easily) in full front of the public eye, and stories about her
alcoholism (which isn’t true; she isn’t an alcoholic) are spread. This
goes to show that even someone as good as Alicia is at risk of being
torn down during a campaign, a regrettable fact that only paints her
opponent in a more negative light, which is saying something, since he’s
already known to be total scum; the main reason Alicia is getting into
politics is to keep him out of a position he doesn’t deserve.
The
question I’m left wondering, and I’m sure it’s intentionally painted
that way, is, is Finn (Matthew Goode) betraying Alicia? She is meeting
him for a drink just before she is pulled over. Technically, he works
for her opponent. While he claims that he wishes her nothing but the
best and that their fights in court are merely a part of the job, what
if he’s turned?
Now, I don’t really
think that, of course, but you can be sure the thought will cross
Alicia’s mind, and if not hers, than Elfman’s. This makes Finn look very
bad. Thus far, Finn is painted only as a good guy on THE GOOD WIFE, and
if he ends up being crooked, I will be very surprised. But the
implication may be enough to stir up trouble.
And,
of course, there’s Lemond Bishop (Mike Colter), a drug dealer that
Alicia represents. She tried to fire him, and once he finds out why, he
not only lets her, but forms a secret PAC to support her. Alicia has
never liked Lemond and it’s likely she sees the campaign as a good
excuse to be rid of him once and for her. His thwarting of her efforts,
tying her even more firmly to him, will come back to hurt her in the
end. It’s not Alicia’s fault she’s in this position, exactly, but I
don’t see any way for her to come out of it smelling good.
So,
with all of this in mind, should she run? It’s a little late to ask
that, since she’s pulled the trigger, but I’m more divided now than
ever. One wants to see her move up in life, and the arc ramped up on
“Oppo Research” gives the show new ways to grow, exploring fresh plot
avenues. Unfortunately, this is also a way more cruel game than Alicia
is used to playing and I worry what might happen to her in the heat of
battle. One thing is for sure, this will not be a boring year.
THE GOOD WIFE airs Sunday evenings on CBS around 9 p.m. ET. Air times may vary based on sports run-overs.
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