Winning THE GOOD FIGHT

Article first published as THE GOOD FIGHT Review on Seat42F.

If you’re a fan of The Good Wife, as I am, you’ve likely eagerly been awaiting the spin-off, THE GOOD FIGHT, which finally premieres this Sunday on CBS. The series, which will only be available via CBS’s All Access streaming service after the pilot airs, is set one year after last spring’s series finale. While much of the show is the same, including plenty of returning faces, it also feels wholly different in both positive and negative ways.

I’m not going to lie, I was unpleasantly jarred when THE GOOD FIGHT fights first catches up with Diane Lockhart (Christine Baranski), whose firm is now called Lockhart, Decker, Gussman, Lee, Lyman, Gilbert-Lurie, Tannebaum, & Associates. Try saying that a few times fast. Not only has the name changed, but so have the sets. Gone are the familiar law offices we saw over seven seasons, and even Diane’s recognizable corner space. Instead, after merging with two other organizations, the digs are brand-new.

I can’t help but feel that change was unnecessary. While it makes for an easier separation between Diane and her practice, plot-wise, the same story could be accomplished without blowing up what came before. Given how much THE GOOD FIGHT keeps reminding us that this is set in the same universe, it feels very wrong to begin with the off-putting setting.

To play devil’s advocate, maybe this is done on purpose so that viewers aren’t sad when Diane does find the exit. Rather than hoping for some last-minute save that gets her back where we’ve come to think she belongs, by not having that home to return to any more, there’s no compelling reason to want her to go back. In that sense, it makes for a clean break.

In the first two episodes, Diane shares the central limelight with Maia Rindell (Rose Leslie, Game of Thrones, Downton Abbey), her goddaughter. Having just passed the bar, Maia is excited to go to work for Diane and the rest. But she barely gets settled in before her father, Henry (Paul Guilfoyle, CSI), is arrested for stealing millions of dollars from wealthy clients, including Diane. With her girlfriend and lawyer telling her to stay away from her mother, Lenore (Bernadette Peters, Mozart in the Jungle), until things get settled, which could take years, Maia is suddenly left with no job or family to speak of.

In a way, Maia is kind of like the new Alicia. Diane is somewhat of a mentor to her, but they aren’t super close friends. Maia is going through rough scandal because of what a loved one did, which makes her presence in a court room a distraction, welcome or not. She is young and strong and building her life, like Alicia was doing for the second time when The Good Wife started.

However, there are some very stark differences in THE GOOD FIGHT, too. The firm for which Diane and Maia go to work, where Lucca (Cush Jumbo) has already relocated prior to the series begins, is quite different from any seen on The Good Wife. THE GOOD FIGHT has different music, different lighting, and different direction, too, making it feel like its own thing right away. Plus, it’s hard not to mention the cursing, which feels natural to the characters, more so than avoiding it did in certain parts of The Good Wife.

Once THE GOOD FIGHT settles in to what it is, getting past the initial event, it quickly gets very good. It has solid cases and interesting ongoing narrative arcs. It isn’t a copy of its predecessor, but there are a LOT of returning characters, including Sarah Steel in a welcome lead role as Marissa. It also has a lot of new roles, such as Adrian Boseman (Delroy Lindo, Blood & Oil) and Barbara Kolstad (Erica Tazel, Justified), partners at Diane’s new job. It has something to say, as The Good Wife did, but is fresh in its approach to it. This balance of continuation and completely new is effective, and I wish I’d had more than two episodes to watch ahead of time.

Of course, the big question is whether to shell out for CBS All Access. As someone who canceled cable, I went ahead and got my subscription. It’s how I’ve continued to watch CBS shows. However, were I still getting a strong cable signal into the house (my antenna is unreliable), I’m not sure I’d want to pay $10 for a single show. (As someone who’s had a DVR since 2005, the cheaper subscription that includes commercials is not even something I’d consider.) The network doesn’t have enough offerings to fully justify the expense, even for someone who has cut the cord, but I do it begrudgingly for now, especially with Star Trek: Discovery joining THE GOOD FIGHT later this year. While I want people to subscribe and watch this show so it can continue, I can’t blame anyone who doesn’t, as the network has not made a compelling case for its ridiculously high fee. So I won’t recommend signing up, though I selfishly hope lots of people do.

THE GOOD FIGHT begins this Sunday on CBS and CBS All Access, continuing only on the latter from week two onward.

Strong "Bond" With THE GOOD WIFE

Article originally published as THE GOOD WIFE Review "Bond" on Seat42F.

THE GOOD WIFE (L-R) Chris Noth as Peter Florrick and Margo Martindale as Ruth Eastman Photo: Paul Sarkis/CBS

In the season premiere of THE GOOD WIFE on CBS, “Bond, “Alicia (Julianna Margulies) struggles to make it on her own as a lawyer, Cary (Matt Czuchry) struggles to connect with the young associates at Lockhart Agos, and Ruth Eastman (Margo Martindale) struggles to handle her candidate’s wife. Oh, and in one of the biggest shakeups ever in a show known for shakeups, that happens.

The that I’m referring to is Peter’s (Chris Noth) betrayal of Eli Gold (Alan Cumming). In a world where Eli found Peter and molded him into what he is today, helping him achieve his dreams, that same Peter turns his back on the campaign manager and cuts him loose. It’s selfish and unfair, and not all that surprising when you think about what we’ve seen of Peter.

But is still feels surprising. Eli and Peter’s partnership is the one that doesn’t waver when everything else does. We’ve seen managing partners at law firms come and go, relationships fall apart, and a variety of people come in and out of the scene. What we’ve never seen is that strong “Bond” between Peter and Eli waver much. And now we not only have, but we’ve witnessed it disintegrate completely in the course of a single hour, leaving Eli bent on revenge against his former boss and best friend.

The fact that Eli essentially gives up and shuts down is understandable. His pain is felt in Cumming’s brilliant performance, and it makes sense for Eli to be thrown by this. His lamenting about being ‘the help’ is not accurate, but one can easily understand how he feels that way in the face of Peter’s chill. Thankfully, Eli is not a man that can be kept down, and with some support from Alicia, soon has a strategy to get back in the game.

Some might wonder why Alicia is so loyal to Eli. For those regular viewers, though, it shouldn’t be a mystery. Alicia is a loyal person, by and large, only betraying when she has to, and after being given good reason to do so. She didn’t like Eli at first, perhaps, but she has learned to respect him, as he has her. They have a great working relationship, and dare I say it, even an odd kind of friendship. That Alicia chooses to stand by Eli reinforces the “Bond” they share and rewards those who may have defended Eli in the past.

What Eli’s plan is, I have no idea, but I hope he wins.

That’s not because I don’t like Ruth Eastman. Sure, she’s a slippery political manipulator, but so is he. And I absolutely adore Martindale (The Americans, Justified, The Millers), who delivers her usual excellent performance in this role; the longer it takes Eli to defeat her, that happier I’ll be, and if they should team up to hurt Peter, even better. I just love Eli more, having watched him for years on THE GOOD WIFE, and he must triumph.

Alicia has business challenges, becoming a “Bond” lawyer to make ends meet. She continues to resists Louis Canning’s (Michael J. Fox) overtures, finds a way to work with prickly Judge Schakowsky (Christopher McDonald, Harry’s Law), and even makes a friend who will surely soon be a partner or employee, Lucca Quinn (Cush Jumbo, Getting On, Torchwood: Children of Earth). This plot is enjoyable but not particularly compelling because it’s easy to be confident Alicia will come out on top. What would be fascinating is if she takes Canning up on his offer, which it seems she’s inching closer to doing.

Alicia isn’t the only one with troubles, though, as Cary struggles to connect to the lawyers working under him. Cary is unique in the his firm because he’s the one young person in a group of much older people running the place. He can’t connect with those on his power level because he’s too different, and those that should be his peers are intimidated because he’s their boss. Like Alicia, I feel like Cary will find a way to get through, as he is tenacious, and Lockhart Agos can’t possibly change names again anytime soon. So I liked his sections, but don’t feel much suspense in them.

Those are the main points in “Bond.” I could actually write about ten pages were I to gush about all the wonderful moments, especially those involving guest stars Jane Curtin (Coneheads, Saturday Night Live, 3^rd Rock from the Sun) and Mo Rocca (The Daily Show), among others, and courtroom showdowns, but I won’t. The above paragraphs hit the main points, and there will be plenty of time to talk about THE GOOD WIFE in the weekly columns I’ll write covering the show this year. Suffice it to say, “Bond” is a fantastic episode, and season seven promises to be on par with the first six years, which are overall very strong.

THE GOOD WIFE airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on CBS.