"What Went Wrong" for The Good Wife?

     CBS ends the fall run of The Good Wife with "What Went Wrong." A Lockhart/Gardner case is lost, but Judge Dunaway (Kurt Fuller, Psych, Better With You) thinks the verdict is unfair, and encourages the firm to find evidence to help him overturn the decision before sentencing. Wendy Scott-Carr (Anika Noni Rose) smells some of the corruption she is investigating, and threatens Dunaway, making him more reluctant to overrule the jury. But Alicia (Julianna Margulies) and Kalinda (Archie Panjabi) learn that the judge friended a jury member, and a mistrial is indeed called. In the process, Alicia discovers what Kalinda did for Grace (Makenzie Vega), and the ice between the pair begins to thaw. Good thing, as Alicia suddenly realizes she has no friends.

     The big shocker of "What Went Wrong" is Wendy Scott-Carr's hidden agenda. The investigation that Peter (Chris Noth) originally orders is against Lockhart/Gardner for their ties to a drug kingpin. But then he shifts things to Will (Josh Charles), whom he believes is involved in illegal gambling and corruption, and Peter must remove himself, lest he look like it's a personal vendetta. Hence, he nominates his nemesis, Wendy Scott-Carr, to do the dirty work for him. Wendy tells Will this week, though, that she is really after Peter. In response, Will lawyers up. This whole thing is couched in murky and changing motivations, with betrayal coming at every turn. This cannot end well for Peter or the State's Attorney's office. Guess one should never trust their enemies, huh?

     But Will and Peter have always been rivals of sorts in The Good Wife, and Will refuses to turn on Peter. When the chips are down, and Wendy is blustering, Will doesn't reveal anything he knows. Instead, he clams up, and won't cooperate. It's a smart move for himself, and could earn him Peter's gratitude, which, if Peter isn't taken down, might mean something. Plus it leaves the door open with Alicia, should Will try for a reconnection.

     Which he might very well do. Alicia dumps Will because she isn't in love with him and wants to focus on her career, which she definitely does in "What Went Wrong," accepting Diane's (Christine Baranski) friendship and mentorship. But Will is a different story. He shows many signs of being in love with Alicia, and despite his best efforts, things are now very awkward between them. Apparently Alicia just wants him for sex, and he wants something real. How this new balance will shake out is still anyone' guess.

     That Wendy chooses now to go after Peter is unfortunate, given that he has set aside corruption in his new office. Or has he? Peter seems to be playing by the rules, but a very private meeting, where he bullies a private school administrator to get his kids in, tells a different story. And if he acts this way there, what else is he doing that viewers have just not been privy to? With The Good Wife, it's impossible to tell what is really going on until the writers choose to reveal it. Which means the whole case against Peter and Will, as flimsy as it looks now, could be perfectly valid in the end.

    It is awesome that Alicia is warming back up to Kalinda in "What Went Wrong." Their friendship is a driving force in the series, and in "What Went Wrong," emotions finally seem to be reversing. For good reason, of course. All isn't forgiven, as Alicia has drinks with Diane at the end, not Kalinda. But Alicia is accepting her company again, and not treating her like a pariah. Given all that Kalinda is doing to make up for her betrayal, which happens long before they actually form a friendship, she deserves a second chance. Thank goodness she will get it.

     The Good Wife will return to CBS in January.

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No Ordinary Family Fall 2010

     It's hard to keep up with all of the television on now, especially with so much worthy of review. So with none of the new pilots this falling knocking my socks off, I decided to just let them all build up on my TiVo until I got around to them, and so I wouldn't waste my time with those canceled quickly. As such, today was the first day I began tackling those new series, and did all ten episodes (including a rewatch of the pilot) of ABC's No Ordinary Family in one day. Here's my overall impression, having given myself about one hour to digest and reflect on all of the TV.

     This show is pretty cheesy. So often there are things we are just supposed to overlook. For instance, in the third episode, we're really supposed to believe that Stephanie's (Julie Benz) engagement ring was just found at the scene of another crime, days later? Really? Or that the guys that J.J. (Jimmy Bennett) invited over for poker would just give up all that money to a kid they're not friends with and who claimed to have never played the game so easily? Or in the same episode, two teenagers could so elegantly break into a high school to fix a sculpture? Or that Jim's (Michael Chiklis) fire proof-ness extends to his clothing? Or that the family can afford the suddenly huge increase in budget for food and sneakers that Stephanie requires, not to mention household repairs, without hardship? There's a lot the writers (or maybe editors) are asking us to overlook here and take for granted.

     That being said, there is so much potential in this show, it drives me crazy. Here is a well defined family, with normal family issues, along with the host of new things cropping up because of their super powers. Each of the Powells is handled by a capable actor, and their family chemistry is solid. Not only that, but George (Romany Malco) and Katie (Autumn Reeser), the parents' best friends, are also so incredibly likable, that they have become my favorite characters. This is a very talented cast put together, and they know exactly who they are playing. Whatever level of cheesiness makes it through, I still want to watch these six people, and what they are going through.

     Equally impressive is Will / Joshua / The Watcher (Josh Stewart, Dirt). His creepy mystery has held my attention beautifully through ten episodes, and the more I find out about him, the more I want to know. His motivations are obviously murky, with some allegiance to his boss, Dr. King (Stephen Collins), but some also to unknown feelings. He has not revealed all he has learned about the Powells, and I do believe he may have genuine feelings for Katie, at least, I hope he does. However, I predict a King / Watcher showdown as a centerpiece in the second half of the season, if not the season finale. It's something I greatly look forward to. And if the Watcher survives it, perhaps an upgrade to full time cast member in season two?

     As far as the major arcs and plot twists, there have been some pretty good ones. J.J.'s nemesis slash math teacher, Mr. Litchfield (Jason Antoon) had an excellent run at trying to prove J.J. was a bad kid. I totally believed he would drop the issue when he did, because as much as he watched J.J., I think he knew that something extraordinary was going on, and knew who saved his life. I've also been really into Stephanie and Katie's research of Dr. Volson, as well as everything that goes with that. I dig the whole back story with Dr. King and Dr. Volson, much of which has yet to be revealed. Could Dr. King be Dr. Volson? Only time will tell. Also, why is Dr. King holding on to the body of the Powell's pilot (Tate Donovan, Damages)? The fact that the pilot was played by such a wonderful actor makes me think there are plans for him. There's no need to waste Donovan.

     I also give the show credit for a heck of a fall cliffhanger. Shortly before the closing credits, the Watcher wiped Daphne's (Kay Panabaker) memory, going all the way back to just before she acquired her powers. The Watcher has been shown killing a number of people before this, and not all (any?) of them deserved it. But here, instead of killing, he simply wiped away some memories. Sure, it's cruel, but it's also a bit merciful, for him. Why did he do it, and what will the consequences of his action be? I am fully intrigued.

     This series will not make any Top Television Shows list at this point, because there are still a number of bugs to work out. However, building blocks have been laid that could really prop the series into something awesome, given the right growth. I'm hoping it gets that. Soon, if it wants a second season. No Ordinary Family will return on January 4th.

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Article first published as TV Review: No Ordinary Family Fall 2010 on Blogcritics.

No Orindary Family has an accurate title

    ABC has a new drama that combines the superhero genre with the traditional family formula.  In the pilot of No Ordinary Family, the Powells, along with a pilot, crash landed in a plane into the Amazon River.  The pilot of the plane, Mitch McCutcheon (Tate Donovan, Damages), died in the accident.  But his body is now in a lab, and who knows what will be learned from the corpse.  Did he develop something special, too?  Will be be revived somehow?

     Matriarch Stephanie (Julie Benz, Dexter, Angel), who is a renowned scientist, had brought her family with her on a research trip to study a rare flower that supposedly has lots of mysterious properties.  I assume that the flower is related to the glowing things in the water, and that is how their powers were developed.  Although she told her boss, Dr. King (Stephen Collins, 7th Heaven) about the flora, she did not reveal to him that she now has super speed, and can run in excess of 700 miles per hour.  Stephanie's power of being extremely fast makes sense for her character, as she never felt like she had enough time to devote to her job, her kids, or her husband.  It was why her marriage was suffering and she felt disconnected from her family at the time of the accident.  The rest of the clan similarly got abilities that matched something lacking in their life.  Son JJ (Jimmy Bennett, Star Trek) was the dumb one, so now he is super smart.  Daughter Daphne (Kay Panabaker, Summerland) was laughed at behind her back for now knowing that her boyfriend was cheating on her.  Daphe obtained the power to look into anyone's eyes and hear what they are thinking, making secrets from her nearly impossible.  Husband Jim (Michael Chiklis, The Shield, Fantastic Four) felt weak after giving up his dream of being an artist to take a steady job of sketching for the police department.  Now he is super strong, and can leap, excuse me, bound a quarter of a mile at a time.

     Jim and Stephanie kept their powers from each other when they first learned of them, but each shared the secret with a co-worker, showing that their bond is at less than full strength.  That's because, despite the comic book arechtypes, this is also a family drama, with real family issues to work through.  The series tries to balance the two, and, at least in the pilot, it did a pretty good job of it.

     Jim quickly learns, while chasing down a perp he heard about on his police scanner, that the Powells aren't the only one with extraodinary abilities.  The bad guy can teleport, making Jim's job of catching him difficult, indeed, but he eventually succeeds.  Jim wants to put his newfound talent to good use, and his Assistant District Attorney friend George (Romany Malco, Weeds) is going to help him.  Accordingly, George has built a high-tech command center in his garage, from where the two of them can keep an eye on the city.  No word yet if Jim will include the rest of the family in his activities.

     It's a strange concept, but it doesn't feel like a strange show.  It's a bit unique, but it has the possibility of going somewhere.  Unlike the recently canceled Heroes, the focus of the stories is not on a comic book situation, but the real life relationships in a family.  It's hard to tell how great the series will be from a pilot, but this one was pretty decent.  No Ordinary Family airs Tuesdays at 8pm on ABC.