Some Love for The Good Wife

I’m doing a slightly simplified blog post today—blogging every day is hard! But it’s a technique that many journalists practice and that I need to develop: I’m linking to an external article I’ve written.

I mentioned yesterday that it would be fun, if not the biggest challenge, to dress as Alicia and Will from The Good Wife. Well, I’m not just a fan of the show; I recap it for the entertainment website Reel Life with Jane.

It’s a great show. It’s well into its sixth season now, and its fifth was quite possibly its best. And that’s saying a lot. If you’re not already watching, I encourage you to start.

The show constantly deals with ethical issues in politics and law and the intersection of the two realms, constantly blurring the lines between good and evil. For example, one question it brought up for me again yesterday, is whether Alicia’s firm should keep a client who is a well-respected member of society for his legitimate businesses, but who is also a known drug kingpin with some questionable practices.

Cary’s not out of the woods yet: Diane learns that [the lead witness] was killed in a car accident. Accident? Really? I’m not so sure. It’s pretty shady. Could Lemond Bishop have been behind it? If so, that was pretty easy. Or could Castro have something to do with it? Could Castro really be that evil? Either way, it again brings up the question of why Florrick-Agos-Lockhart would still want Bishop as a client if he can so easily kill those who get in his way. But we’re jumping the gun; we really don’t know yet if it wasn’t an accident.

Read the whole recap.

Though built loosely around the question of whether the diligent wife will stay with her philandering politician husband, the show has become so much more than that. Creators Robert and Michelle King skillfully balance the procedural stories with the overall arc, and hook viewers with every twist—and there are plenty. The acting is terrific, with several of its cast winning Emmy nominations and awards and lots of guest stars from television and stage, the stories tight and timely, and the music so wonderful, adding drama and excitement to the already thrilling action.

Though there are clearly spoilers in the recap, hopefully it’s also clear enough to explain what’s going on while piquing your interest. If you do watch the show, read and comment about some of the questions, and let me know your thoughts.

Thanks, and enjoy!

3 thoughts on “Some Love for The Good Wife

  1. […] I do enjoy his movies too, especially Charlie Wilson’s War, and I even liked his short-lived show Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. I also adore Sports Night, his two-season 1998 show with Felicity Huffman, Peter Krause, and Josh Charles leading a stellar cast in creating a fictional sports news program. I didn’t think I’d like Sports Night because I don’t care at all about sports, but I remember coming across it years ago while flipping channels at around one in the morning, and it instantly grabbed me. The show really has nothing to do with sports, and there was something so engaging about it. And of course the romance between Natalie and Jeremy, not to mention Dana and Casey, hooked me completely. I eventually got the DVD set, and have been itching to watch it again lately (though that’s also because I miss Josh Charles). […]

  2. […] Moms are just as exciting as the kids, with Christine Baranski as Cinderella’s mother, and Tracey Ullman as Jack’s. Christine is brilliant, of course, but […]

  3. […] but I rarely cry (except for something amazingly horrifying, like Will’s shocking fate on The Good Wife). Maybe it’s not real enough to me, because I’m not personally related to it. Perhaps […]

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