BRAINDEAD Smart

Article first published as BRAINDEAD Review on Seat42F.

From the creators of The Good Wife, Robert and Michelle King, comes a new summer drama (sort of) series, BRAINDEAD, premiering tonight. Set in modern-day, partisanship-paralyzed Washington D.C., it follows a group of people connected to the government, some of whom begin to suspect that all of this chaos is not completely on the fault of the humans. Or, there is an alien race who is beginning to take advantage of our mess for their own gains. No, it’s not a documentary, it is fiction, though there will be plenty who wish reality was so easily explained and fixed.

The protagonist is Laurel Healy (Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Mercy Street, 10 Cloverfield Lane), a kind-hearted, student loan-strapped documentarian who would like to stay far, far away from the nation’s capital and those who populate it. A relatable outsider, she is not trusted by those in power because they don’t think she knows their world. And, they’re sort of right.

Laurel has been semi-forced to relocate to D.C. by her father (Zach Grenier, The Good Wife), who says he will fund her stalled film if she gives him six months working for her brother, Democrat minority whip Luke Healy (Danny Pino, Law & Order: SVU). Laurel is willing to sell out some of her principles, though not keep her mouth shut, for such a bribe, and so she gets to work helping Luke’s constituents.

It takes almost no time at all for Laurel to get drawn into the mystery, though, when one of the voters complains of her husband acting strange. Before the pilot comes to a close, the husband isn’t the only one, and viewers are let in on exactly what’s going on, even if Laurel is still working the long road of clues towards the bad guys (and eventually the solution).

BRAINDEAD is populated with a terrific cast, from the three mentioned above, to Aaron Tveit (Graceland, Les Miserables) as a Republican Congressional aide whom clashes with Laurel, to the handsome investigator (Charlie Semine, Mercy), to Megan Hilty (Smash) in a small role as a newscaster, to the cherry on top, Tony Shalhoub (Monk, Nurse Jackie, Wings), as a mind-controlled senator. Each play comedy well, especially when it comes to characters who aren’t trying to be funny, but Shalhoub also excels at the intentional stuff.

You see, BRAINDEAD is billed as a humorous thriller, and I think that description is apt. There’s the very dark situation that is sweeping across the nation’s capital, but there are over-the-top humorous moments, as well as some more subtle political commentary, that keep things entertaining and without too heavy a tone. It has the feeling of those 1990s movies where the world is in silly danger, but with a higher quality writing and a production that takes itself more seriously, in a good way.

There’s a lot going on, with about half the main characters not even appearing in the first episode. This is good because I think it’s satisfying to see different sides of a situation like this, as there are many facets of what is happening. The entire run is set for thirteen episodes, which is a lot to fill, but despite the fast pace of episode one, I feel the Kings can probably do it well. (And their touted multi-season plan gives me confidence they have a good strategy.)

Still, there does seem to be something missing. I mean, I really enjoyed the pilot and am setting a season pass on my TiVo immediately, but there is still a little hollowness to the hour. I’m not quite sure what is causing it yet, and further hours will likely either illuminate or erase it. But it just feels a couple notches below The Good Wife, in my opinion, lacking quite the sharpness of wit present in the dialogue of that just-concluded series.

BRAINDEAD airs Mondays at 10/9c on CBS.

"The Deconstruction" of THE GOOD WIFE

Article originally written for Seat42F.

This week’s episode of THE GOOD WIFE, “The Deconstruction,” begins with a scene mirroring one from the pilot, this time with Alicia (Julianna Margulies) making an announcement in disgrace, Peter (Chris Noth) the supportive presence behind her. Remembering what a catalyst that event is for the entire series, it should come as no surprise that this hour marks another huge change for the show that refuses to stay stagnant, though somehow the ending still feels unexpected.

Much of “The Deconstruction” involves Alicia warring with Diane (Christine Baranski) and the firm, not because they actually have reason to go to war, but because David Lee (Zach Grenier) is playing them again, always the slimy one. It’s frustrating to watch two long-time friends who just want to be partners again furious with one another once more, and viewers will yearn for resolution. Thankfully, Kalinda (Archie Panjabi) ensures the errors are cleared up, just before R.D. (Oliver Platt) torpedoes resolution.

One cannot blame for Diane for choosing R.D. over Alicia, nor R.D. for not wanting the stink surrounding Alicia, justified or not. R.D. is making the firm huge amounts of money, and Alicia could drive away clients in her current state, not attract them. I’m just grateful Diane and Alicia can still be friends, not holding a grudge from an ugly death match. It’s too bad that David Lee gets away with his secrets intact, as he will probably cause more trouble in the firm, but the situation is wrapped up as satisfyingly as it can be with Alicia still on the outs.

Any other show would have returned the cast to status quo. THE GOOD WIFE makes the opposite choice, casting Alicia adrift with no idea as to what she wants to do next, and only two hours left in the season. One might assume she’ll be a public defender, given how she is attracted to the passion in the movie she is watching and how much she respects Prady (David Hyde Pierce), who will take the job she vacated. But Alicia is also a pragmatist, needing to make more money than that position offers, and while she offered Prady a job, there is no guarantee he will do the same. Since her exit package with the firm is void, though, she may be able to negotiate enough of a pay out to do what she wants, when she figures out what that is.

One person not around to help her any more is Kalinda. Kalinda tries to put Lemond (Mike Colter) away and pin it on Dexter (JD Williams). This seems neat in her mind, as even if Lemond kills Dexter, Dexter is a criminal who won’t be missed much. But Cary (Matt Czuchry), not realizing her plan and ever playing the noble knight, nixes that idea by telling Dexter he himself is the rat, which causes Kalinda to flee, presumably after letting Lemond know that she is responsible.

Kalinda’s goodbye in “The Deconstruction” is a sad, yet fitting, one. She gets to say her farewell to Cary, Diane, and, in a note, to Alicia, even as none of them realize what she’s doing. She’s always been a bit of a shady character, but her last act before exiting is to engage in self-sacrifice, giving up her life and her love to protect the people she cares about. Her lingering over Alicia’s photographs reveals the depths of her feeling, and Panjabi sells the moment. I hope one day we’ll see what happens to Kalinda, but I’m relieved she isn’t dead, at least not yet, and leaves on her own terms.

I don’t think Lemond will come through Cary to get to Kalinda. He should be smart enough to know that if Kalinda is going to disappear, she’s going to do it thoroughly and hurting Cary won’t bring her back. Besides, with the evidence that Kalinda gives Geneva Pine (Renee Elise Goldsberry), Lemond will be in jail. Who knows how much influence he’ll have left from behind bars?

As all this happens, THE GOOD WIFE makes time to have Diane help out a grandmother (The Big C’s Phyllis Somerville) caught with E, bringing back Joy (Linda Lavin) and introducing Reg E. Cathey (House of Cards) as a judge. This subplot is not huge, but it highlights how deep THE GOOD WIFE’s bench is and the supreme talents they can bring in, even for one-offs. Plus, the case is thoroughly engaging and exposes yet another part of the judicial system that is just not fair.

I can’t believe only two episodes remain in THE GOOD WIFE’s sixth season. It has not been renewed yet, but signs are positive that it will be. I can’t imagine the story stopping now, and would mourn it greatly if it did not come back. Every single installment, “The Deconstruction” included, is excellent and inspiring.

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

THE GOOD WIFE Fans "Recipients" of Another Great Installment

Article originally written for Seat42F.

Thank you for your advice. All options are open to me, and I’ll make a decision within 48 hours.

That’s the repeated refrain on this week’s installment of THE GOOD WIFE on CBS, “Undisclosed Recipients.” Alicia (Julianna Margulies) has won the State’s Attorney election, but that is just the beginning of her problems. She tries to play open and honest with everyone, donors and her partners at the law firm alike, but it doesn’t work too well. It’s time for her to start being a politician, and Eli (Alan Cumming) makes that very clear to her.

As much as one roots for Alicia to stand up to influence and do the right thing, it’s easy to see why Lemond (Mike Colter) and Redmayne (Ed Asner) think they should have influence over her. They did pour a lot of support into her campaign with the expectation of getting something in return. Alicia may not have agreed to terms, but she did take the money. She could have refused or made a stink about it, but she wouldn’t have won. Perhaps THE GOOD WIFE goes too easy on politicians and the influence of money, or perhaps they are just showing that even the best person is put in a difficult position within this broken system.

Eli provides a way out, backing up the stereotype that politicians are slimy liars. He tells her to deflect and appear to appreciate advice she won’t seriously consider. This works on Redmayne, and it works on Castro (Michael Cerveris), who is looking for professional respect. A variation of this also works on Alicia’s partners, whom are trying to lowball her in buying her out of the firm. But I don’t think it will work on Bishop.

Bishop isn’t a part of that world. He isn’t a public figure in the same way the rest are, preferring to dwell in the shadows. He also uses violence to fight, not words, giving him a different set of tools. Redmayne may forget that Alicia doesn’t choose who he wants, but Bishop won’t overlook Alicia refusing to call of an investigation on him. She could wind up hurt, or worse.

Alicia needs assistance in dealing with Bishop. I think it’s time she brings Eli and Marissa (Sarah Steele) fully into the loop here. Perhaps she puts them at risk by coming clean, but both have been very valuable advisors, different sides of the same coin with varying opinions. If the brain trust of these three can’t figure a way out of this, I’m not sure no one can.

The other thing that happens in “Undisclosed Recipients” is that a hacker leaks the firm’s emails because they are representing a client suing a file sharing site. Because these people let off steam, and also because they work with people they don’t always like, there are many damaging comments made that now come to light. Cary (Matt Czuchry), Diane (Christine Baranski), David Lee (Zach Grenier), Kalinda (Archie Panjabi), Lyman (Jerry Adler), and just-returned-from-New York Julius (Michael Boatman) all succumb to infighting over this. Alicia is spared only because the released emails are from the time of her campaign.

It’s interesting to see dirty laundry brought to light in this particular environment. The type of job and the sort of people who do this work create a much more tumultuous atmosphere than in most offices. Not everything said is what the authors are really thinking, though some of it is. I think it reminds us that we all find ways to work with people we don’t agree with or like, and we can’t condemn others for being no better than ourselves. It’s quite a thought-provoking story, as much as it is a juicy, dramatic one.

That Finn (Matthew Goode) lets comments Alicia pre-emptively admits to making about him roll off his back shows that he’s a different type of person that the rest of the cast. Or he just trusts Alicia more than he would most people, her actions speaking louder than words. He would be a great ally for her to have, a reasonable, logical individual who cares about her. I hope he takes the job as her deputy. Marissa, too, shows no judgment as she reads Alicia’s messages, so she also needs to stick around, given her considered take on the world (though it’s worth noting none are about her).

I also don’t think THE GOOD WIFE has seen the last of these emails. Alicia’s are not released, but they could be, as the hacker says they have two years’ worth of stuff. Given Alicia’s new job and how much more damaging this could be to her in the high-morality role, it seems too tantalizing a bait to not toss in the water. Expect this to come back up at some point, whether it’s sooner or later.

Once more, THE GOOD WIFE gives us excellent, engaging plot with authentic, layered characters in a very real situation. It rips from the headlines, but also stays true to the individuals created. I can find no flaw with “Undisclosed Recipients,” another excellent hour from the stellar series.

THE GOOD WIFE airs Sundays on CBS.

THE GOOD WIFE Good "Source" For Drama

Article originally written for Seat42F.

This week’s episode of THE GOOD WIFE on CBS, “Open Source,” raises a timely debate in a very intriguing case-of-the-week, reminding us why this show alone has the talent to make formulaic stories feel like they’re not so. It also has one of the worst things a person has ever done on the series, and a rocky go for two couples. Needless to say, it is immensely enjoyable.

Let’s start with the case. Diane (Christine Baranski) and Finn (Matthew Goode) take on Nancy (Mamie Gummer) in a battle of wits over a tragic accident that occurred because of a 3-D printed gun. The courtroom battle in front of liberal Judge Abernathy (Denis O’Hare) goes back and forth, with the first and second amendment rights debated. THE GOOD WIFE doesn’t seek to answer whether such a gun’s designs should be freely available online, even though I believe it leans towards no, but instead lets both sides play out in an intriguing manner. When this show is at its best, it makes the audience think, and I hope last night’s episode did that for more viewers than just me.

Because this is about guns, Diane’s seldom-seen husband, McVeigh (Gary Cole), enters the picture. The two disagree vehemently on the politics of the issue, and there’s also the ghost of Will, who saved Finn’s life from a courtroom shooter, hanging over “Open Source.” Diane and McVeigh’s marriage is tense as she oversteps her role as a wife in order to do her job as an attorney and honor a friend’s memory. But again, rather than tell us exactly what each character is motivated by, the writers let the show speak for itself, presenting issues, then stepping back.

Diane and McVeigh are a terrifically delicious pairing. Their spark is strong, and even when Diane wrongs McVeigh, he understands why. As long as she is willing to apologize and promise not to do it again, which she does without prompting, he is willing to forgive and forget. Besides making for good drama, this is an inspirational look at how to make an on-paper mistake of a marriage work beautifully, both expanding their worldview for the other.

Alicia (Julianna Margulies) also has a romance with a man that is threatened by a tough decision. When Johnny (Steven Pasquale) urges Alicia to attack Peter (Chris Noth) alongside Prady (David Hyde Pierce), Eli (Alan Cumming) threatens to take away a promising next campaign from Johnny. At first, he caves, but once Alicia brings up their personal connection and Marissa (Sarah Steele – promote her to the main cast already!) scolds him, he rallies, sacrificing possible professional advancement for the woman he has feelings for. He is rewarded at her apartment later, so I guess his actions pay off, but it will be anything but smooth sailing for them. Though, this might open the door for Alicia to finally leave Peter, especially if she wins the election and they are both in the offices they want.

Sadly, on the other end of the spectrum, Louis Canning (Michael J. Fox) acts in the most despicable of manners. On his possible death bed, which ends up not being so, he plays on Alicia’s sympathies to hurt her reputation. That David Lee (Zach Grenier) is complicit is even worse, making me think this wolf in the firm will have to be dealt with sooner, rather than later. Still, Canning is the main instigator, and after Alicia rushes to his bedside, I can’t believe he’d be so callous as to do this to her. Hopefully, the results won’t be too big a deal.

“Open Source” is yet another example of an excellent episode of THE GOOD WIFE, of which there are many. Most of its arcs are fairly self-contained, other than some relationship stuff, and yet it never feels that way. The show has done such a great job of building this world that even stand-alone cases seem like part of a larger fabric, rather than procedural. If the show relied too much on them, it would suffer, but the writers never do, making it much more about the characters than any short-sighted stories. THE GOOD WIFE deserves its high esteem as the best regular-season show currently airing on the broadcast networks (Hannibal may arguably beat it, but it’s a summer series).

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

Brilliant "Mind's" Behind THE GOOD WIFE

Article first published as THE GOOD WIFE Review Season 6 Episode 14 Mind's Eye on Seat42F.

This week’s episode of THE GOOD WIFE on CBS, entitled “Mind’s Eye,” is really great, and also very different than any other episode of the series, if not of television in general. A large portion of the hour plays out in Alicia’s (Julianna Margulies) imagination, rather than in reality. This is not a fantasy in the traditional sense, though, nor a musical extravaganza. Instead, the series takes us through her thought process on several issues, sometimes interconnecting, showing possibilities play out and how she comes to the conclusions and decisions that she comes to.

First off, Alicia is preparing for an interview to secure a major endorsement that could win her the State’s Attorney election. Prady (David Hyde Pierce) does very well with his own attempt, making her nervous. She has reason to be concerned. What if they ask about her son, Zach’s (Graham Phillips), abortion? What is they ask her is she’s aware her PAC is being funded by drug kingpin Lemond Bishop (Mike Colter)? Should Alicia tell the truth, or play the politician?

Secondly, Louis Canning (Michael J. Fox) is still suing the firm and threatening to publicly smear Alicia just before the election. Canning is smart, likely having his former partner, David Lee (Zach Grenier), in his pocket. He also milks his health issues for all they’re worth. But when he does turn out to be very sick, Alicia rushes to the hospital, putting her compassion for a human being ahead of her rocky relationship with the jerk of a man.

Both of these intersect, giving her ideas for the other. They are not obviously related, but the mind is good at making connections. People are hard wired to find patterns, and the smartest ones, like Alicia, use that to their advantage. Her jumping back and forth from one notepad to the next, scribbling ideas as they come, is impressive to watch and inspiring. This isn’t just an experimental, cool look into human psychology, but also gives us a deeper insight into a particular beloved character.

This being The Good Wife, romance does come into play in “Mind’s Eye.” Alicia has been unable to move on from Will (Josh Charles), although she has two possible suitors at present, Finn Palmer (Matthew Goode) and Johnny Elfman (Steven Pasquale). This episode has her find a way to let go of Will, finally opening herself up to new possibilities. It’s time, and I’m glad to see Alicia hasn’t given up on finding love.

Charles doesn’t actually appear as Will in the episode, his appearances shrouded in shadow, though the actor’s voice is clear. This might be because of a scheduling conflict, but I think it works out rather well as it’s done. Will is fading, becoming an indistinct memory, and she doesn’t need to have him firmly locked in her mind.

There are also a ton of little, juicy tidbits tossed into “Mind’s Eye.” Alicia imagines Kalinda (Archie Panjabi) and Peter (Chris Noth) together, proving she’s never forgiven her former friend and husband. She sees Richard Dawkins (Michael Siberry) and Pastor Easton (Gbenga Akinnagbe) as she struggles with religion and morality. Sometimes the people in her head turn and talk to her. And, as has become frequent, Marissa (Sarah Steele) pops in to give terrific one-liners and insights. She should be locked into the cast full-time immediately.

Throughout “Mind’s Eye,” Alicia is having trouble finding her voice, both figuratively and literally. She doesn’t know what she wants to do. But at the conclusion, when she makes up her mind, her voice comes back. She compromises with herself and decides what she thinks is best, which often isn’t clear-cut in complex, adult decisions. It’s quite a clever little metaphor that adds to the enjoyment of the immensely enjoyable piece.

Not a lot happens in “Mind’s Eye,” yet it’s one of my favorite episodes of THE GOOD WIFE this season. It shows once again how the series is willing to take chances and make bold choices. This series is on the bubble this year, but I desperately hope it is renewed because it is probably the best show on the broadcast networks, certainly one of the most original, and every week I anticipate it greatly.

The Good Wife airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on CBS.