Article first published as THE GOOD WIFE Review Season 6 Episode 13 Dark Money on Seat42F.
CBS’s
THE GOOD WIFE returned from hiatus this week with “Dark Money.” Alicia
(Julianna Margulies) faces the bad side of her campaign as she and Prady
(David Hyde Pierce) compete for a big money donor. Meanwhile, Lemond
Bishop (Mike Colter) cashes in his favor with Kalinda (Archie Panjabi),
and Diane (Christine Baranski) and Cary (Matt Czuchry) defend Colin
Sweeney (Dylan Baker) in a defamation lawsuit. Nothing huge happens in
the mythology of the show, but it is another excellent installment.
Any episode with Colin Sweeney in it is
most welcome, and when Baker gets to play dual roles, also portraying an
actor hired to play a version of him in a TV show, well, that’s just
icing on the cake. He is a supreme creep, the type of person one never
wants to meet in real life, but the same eccentricities that make him a
scary psychopath also help paint him as a fascinating television
character.
This go ‘round, things start off with a
prosecutor, Selma Krause (Julie White), trying to prove a show didn’t
use Sweeney’s likeness, then morphs into yet another case of someone
trying to show Sweeney killed his wife. With Sweeney’s current spouse,
Renata (Laura Benanti), a woman as unpredictable and self-absorbed as
her husband, tossed in as a wild card, there are many interesting back
and forths as the case shakes out, each side taking a turn in the lead.
I don’t know if The Good Wife
will ever see Sweeney convicted, but “Dark Money” is as close as the
show has ever gone to saying he did it. Part of me wants Sweeney to get
his just desserts, but part of me is glad he gets away with things
because it’s our heroes who represent him.
Alicia has been getting in touch with
her dark side, too, even as she tries to stay out of Sweeney’s business,
a position he isn’t happy about. Instead, she meets with a
Koch-brother-type, Guy Redmayne (Edward Asner), who wants to support her
because he thinks Prady is gay and he doesn’t like “faggots.” In his
own way, Redmayne is just as despicable as Sweeney, even if Redmayne has
never killed anyone. Because Alicia has to deal with him, she is torn
up inside, realizing the high cost she’s paying by going into politics.
I think Alicia will be able to live with
herself, though. It’s true that she doesn’t like doing what she’s doing
and she has a good cry afterwards, especially after Prady makes her
sympathize with him again. However, this is all for a reason, and Alicia
wants to win. Having come this far and knowing everyone else is just as
deep in the mud, she feels this is the game she has signed on to play.
Similar to being a lawyer, entering politics is impossible to do over
any period of time with a clean soul.
Can she still be a good person, though,
if she does bad things? Her daughter, Grace (Makenzie Vega), seems to
think so, and I’m inclined to agree. People can’t be judged by every
single action they take; they have to be considered as a whole person.
Overall, Alicia does far more good than bad in this world.
The final of the trio of stories finds
Kalinda tasked with playing chauffer to Bishop’s son, Dylan (Eric
Ruffin). Bishop has his reasons for enlisting Kalinda and those play
out, but that’s not nearly as interesting as the accidental circumstance
Kalinda finds herself in when she sees a bully being mean to Dylan.
Kalinda handles it, but Bishop finds out anyway.
Bishop is a scary dude, which is why
Dylan doesn’t want Kalinda to tell his dad what happened. When faced
with the situation, though, Bishop calmly calls the bully’s father and
asks him to talk to his son. There are no threats, veiled or otherwise,
and no physical punishment is dealt out. It’s frustrating to Bishop not
to use every tool in his arsenal to protect his loved one, but he knows
it’s better for his son if he shows restraint. He is many things,
including a good father.
This doesn’t make Bishop a likeable
character by any means. Like Redmayne and Sweeney, he isn’t someone
you’d want to be friends with. Also like them, he’s rich. I think
there’s a commentary to be noticed here about the trio of villains in
“Dark Money” and how they tie into the stories of our main characters,
who are not bad people.
“Dark Money” leaves the viewer with much
to ponder, and in between serious moments, Marissa (Sarah Steele) drops
in to lighten the mood. Plus, there’s a terrific West Wing reference.
This is a recipe for a great television show, and I’m constantly amazed
at how THE GOOD WIFE thrives on a boring network like CBS. Thankfully,
the channel seems to let them do their thing their way.
The Good Wife airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on CBS.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.