S06.E04: The End of Eli Gold

[Zaffy]

Quote

Eli Gold's trial is underway, with Marissa Gold as part of his legal team. Liz and Ri'chard attempt to solidify their working relationships leading to a surprise discovery about Ri'chard's history and Liz's father. The firm attends a Democratic fundraiser.

[Zaffy]

The warning before the episode begins, kind of spoils the plot, but still it is a shocking development.

I loved every single moment between Eli and Marissa... they are both amazing actors, I shed a tear at the end of the episode, when Marissa prayed and Eli was inside the car obviously moved. Very powerful scene...

So the protesters are apparently some kind of Alt Right? Certainly antisemite.
That was quite the surprise for me, I thought the protesters were the exact opposite. Nice twist.

So, Ri'Chard is on a revenge mission? hmm..I still find him  annoying.

MVP of the episode: Alan Cumming. 
I guess we won't see him again in the series, although one can always hope.

[Poohpoohpooh]

I was very impressed with this episode. Fun fact: the director for this ep is James Whitmore Jr (a longtime TV director) who is also a regular director on NCIS, and he has directed Gary Cole at least once on NCIS last season (he's plays the new lead agent).

Really cool as I consider NCIS a forgettable popcorn procedural, but the same director delivers this unforgettable TGF episode.

[milkyaqua]

Inside The Good Fight's Ill-Fated Plot to Assassinate Alan Cumming's Eli Gold

As Good Fight co-creator Robert King reveals to TVLine, the original storyline had the gunmen hitting his intended target. “We were going to kill Eli Gold,” the EP shares. “It was going to be an anti-Semitic assassination. But there was a lot of argument [in the writers room] that we not do that. People were upset about it.”

In the end, the Kings agreed. “It felt cheap to bring Eli back in Episode 2 only to kill him in Episode 4,” notes fellow co-creator/EP Michelle King. “It had the potential to feel like a stunt.”

[SoMuchTV]

One thing I've been scratching my head about all this season.  The streets surrounding their office building seem to be pretty much a war zone, with rioters and car bombs and police blocades, yet nobody has a problem with popping out from office to court to doctor to fundraiser to homes... I know there was a line in this episode about needing to go in and out through the loading dock, but it looked like the level of chaos would have made even that very difficult.  I'll go with it, though.  I do want to see how (if?) they wrap everything up.  (This is the last season, right?)

[Haleth]

Yikes, I’d forgotten the warning at the beginning about brain splatter until the guy pointed the gun. That was… graphic. 

[marinw]

Yikes!!!

Beautiful, beautiful acting by Alan Cummings in that scene with Marissa after the shooting.

Ri’chard just got a lot more interesting.

So nice to see Kurt again. And Diane’s silver dress was stunning.

So why aren’t the people working from home if the area around the office is so dangerous? They could go back to Zoom.

Edited October 1, 2022 by marinw

[TVbitch]

So I guess "the end" just referred to Eli's appearance in the show, since he did not die and will continue to work. Loved seeing AC again. 

Diane needs to check herself. I miss Will, he would set her straight! 

[gesundheit]

Yes! An episode where I'm rooting for Marissa again! All it takes is an assassination attempt on Eli and the murder of a one-episode character. 

So... was Ri'Chard's harem actually his harem? Or were those just women who live there with kids? I was confused. Also, ick. Also, Andre Braugher and Audra McDonald are just fabulous.

I actually like Diane/Kurt scenes when they play out but I still cannot really come to terms with somebody with her worldview spending her life with someone who does damage control for the NRA. This is not just a casual, moderate conservative who disagrees with her on a few things. I guess part of the point is that she has a level of privilege that allows her to say "oh but it doesn't count in my personal life," but it should. I don't know, it's just hard to watch when that reality comes up.

Always a pretty crucial episode when the series title is in the dialogue!

[Zaffy]

9 hours ago, gesundheit said:

So... was Ri'Chard's harem actually his harem? Or were those just women who live there with kids? I was confused.

He explained at one point, I think they were relatives, his wife's sisters and/or his sisters or something. Not sure those women were also his lovers. In any case, all these eccentric people in Good Fight (and Wife) can be exhausting.
I am not sure what point the Kings wanna make, but it seems most of the seasons have one over the top character as a key player, like that obnoxious lower played by Martin Sheen, last year it was the DIU Judge, this year is Ri'Chard..
It is good when it is in small doses, like Elzbeth Tasccioni, but quite unbearable in heavy doses.
If the point is how awful the rich, privileged and powerful can be, I think Succession achieves that better.

[gesundheit]

On 10/4/2022 at 5:41 AM, Zaffy said:

He explained at one point, I think they were relatives, his wife's sisters and/or his sisters or something. Not sure those women were also his lovers. 

Right, that's what I was wondering after his explanation -- who are they to him? All he explained was how he'd met them originally, I just wasn't clear on whether he was in a sister-common-law-wives situation or what.

Honestly I think he's a delight, I prefer him a million times over the Michael Sheen character or the mock court guy, but I also don't need his home life to be extra weird. 

Edited October 10, 2022 by gesundheit
Michael Sheen is not Martin Sheen!

[Milburn Stone]

On 9/29/2022 at 7:16 PM, milkyaqua said:

Inside The Good Fight's Ill-Fated Plot to Assassinate Alan Cumming's Eli Gold

Plus, this way, they can make the secondary point that Jew-haters are morons.

(Reminded me of the indicted Jan. 6 insurrectionist whose defense was that he didn't know the Capitol was where the Senate and House of Representatives are.)

[Quark]

Another fabulous episode.

The acting on this show is just sublime.

[Joimiaroxeu]

Kurt came back at just the right time because Diane is probably looking even harder for a way to cheat with her doctor. Wait until Kurt meets him.

OMG, it felt like I'd stopped breathing for minute. I know the producers wanted to make a point but I don't think TGF needs to do graphic stuff like that. This isn't an action movie.

A $10,000 suit, drinking a $900 bottle of wine. Guess Ri'Chard is an adherent of the Prosperity Gospel.

Heh, Diane incorrectly assumed the blonde woman was her doctor's significant other. Now she can go back to crushing on him.

Marissa threaded the perjury avoidance needle like a pro when she had to give her testimony in Eli's case. She didn't quite lie but her version of the truth was probably more narrow than the prosecutor realized. She's her father's daughter all right.

It was heartbreaking when Eli drove away and Marissa started praying for him, with the moment undercut by that antisemitic chant. AC should get an Emmy nomination just for look on his face as he was being driven away from the sound of those bigots.

Over on reddit there's a theory floating that Eli ordered the hit on guy who was shot in front of him. The thought is that a professional hit man would a) know what his target looks like, and b) not miss a close shot. If Eli did do it, boy does he have nerves of steel. He was inches away from actually taking that bullet himself if the shooter had gotten jostled by accident.

[Hanahope]

I enjoyed the conversation between Diane and Eli , it was a great summation of current political issues. 

that shot, wow.