S06.E08: Red Zone

[photo fox]

Alicia takes on a college rape case which pits her against Louis Canning when it moves from a university hearing to civil court. Meanwhile, Eli and Elfman conduct a political focus group as Alicia dives into her campaign for State’s Attorney.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghjwwqxfCSY

[Shades of Red]

This episode will likely be a very sensitive one up here in Canada given what's been going on here the past few weeks.  It was handled okay but the outcome was predictable and sadly very realistic.

 

I watched the entire episode but feel as if I missed something - it looks like Kalinda has an epiphany at the end of the episode but I didn't get what conclusion she comes to or why she does what she does? 

 

[Runningwild]

I thought it was supposed to be the Jameis Winston case.  And I too felt like I missed something. It's like the episode was too long and they chopped out parts that might have helped me understand things.

[lunastartron]

That was a pretty reductive interpretation of the affronts to due process that have made a quagmire out of the university sexual assault epidemic. There's little uniformity to the procedures various institutions have adopted across the country, so there are programs that have operated prejudicially against the accused and other, like the one depicted in this episode, in which the bias functions against the accuser. I think it's too complex of a problem to deconstruct within the constraints of an increasingly poorly written one-hour drama.

 

Cary deserved to go to prison for the puerile temper tantrums he directed at Viola alone. He's really so aggressively stupid that he can't control his emotions enough to listen to advice from Diane? By the time he violated the thirty-feet limitation, I was actively hoping he would get picked up by police outside of Kalinda's apartment.

 

You know why people perceive Alicia and Cary as entitled? Because they are. Delighted Eli finally told it to his client straight. She's been disrespectful to him and Jordan from day one, harrumphing at the latter's (professional, entirely expected) questions and dismissing their (albeit erroneously informed but sourced) coaching when they tried to prep her for the Prady endorsement request.

[Sandman]

Eli's admonition to Alicia to let him do his job because he's good at it would be a hell of a lot more persuasive if he were, you know, actually good at his job. As it is, it's just Alicia being told to be obedient and let the menfolk handle the politics, because she doesn't understand. Johnny-Come-Lately has been disrespectful of Alicia, and constantly acts as if he's too good for the gig.

Cary appears to be unraveling completely.

Edited November 10, 2014 by Sandman

[shapeshifter]

...Cary appears to unraveling completely.

I thought after Alicia's pep talk he was supposed to have turned a corner back to sanity as evidenced by his final mock trial testimony performance.

Maybe Kalinda will claim to have given the card to her fibbie friend and then leave the broken card in a nearby dumpster where it can be found. Then she can say: Oh well. She's an FBI agent. I guess she found it.

[Former Nun]

Choppy, choppy, choppy.  Hope The Good Wife isn't going the way of so many (formerly) good TV dramas this season.

[spiritof76]

So this show is super depressing. There is not one story that looks poised for a happy outcome. I was actually glad that Cary was finally straight with Kalinda and told her he didn't want to be with anyone else (even if he was dumb, dumb, dumb) to disobey the 30 feet rule. I was actually equally glad to see Kalinda say she wasn't really about being exclusive. Even if she may have been lying. I'm at the point of just wanting it done. I'm just sad because, even though Cary was acting like a brat tonight, I think it is believable that this all getting to him. And who really does he have to depend on? In my opinion Kalinda, even if they didn't have they no contact rule, would not be that much emotional support to him. That's not a knock on her per say. She cares and shows she cares about people in her own way. But she doesn't really seem to do emotions very well. Alicia is half involved, but he attention is really on her campaign and I'm still waiting for her to drop Cary when the heat gets to much. Diane, i'm not sure what we are supposed to think. She did fire Cary. Twice. She seems to at the very least not want to see anything bad to happen to him, but she's his lawyer not his emotional support. and his family. Well his father has shown to be pretty awful So I agree, Cary can be very entitled. But I do feel a tad sorry for him, because he is really so all alone.

 

I did not get what was going with Kalinda and Bishop and the FBI lady. I think we are supposed to assume she is trying to get info from her to help Cary? But i'm confused where Bishop fits in. I did walk out of the room for a minute, so I maybe I missed some vital information.

[Jlina]

I think the Kalinda aha moment is:  I can't do this to someone I love. (She tears up the card Bishop insisted she put in the chick's wallet.)

 

And she'll now be killed off by Bishop to end her story arc.  However the bathroom eavesdropping sounded like the FBI chick IS working on Bishop to me, so maybe she'll save her?  Naaaah.

 

Gah, they're making Cary soooo slimy it just ruins it. I still cannot believe he even had the conversation to begin with. 

 

College girl sure didn't show any gratitude to Alicia, huh?  Surprised.

Edited November 10, 2014 by Jlina

[pennben]

Hee! Was the episode title really the "Red Zone"?  Because all I saw in the dark scene with Cary and Kalinda was red glowing earlobes!!

 

1.  I feel like the show is just mocking everyone that notices that Alicia and Kalinda aren't in scenes together anymore by having a scene where they were together with Alicia present and the role of Kalinda being played by a speakerphone. 

 

2.  Guest actors.....stay away!  Especially if you are known for quirks.  We saw Elsbeth destroyed earlier.  Now, they take Michael J Fox's character and dial him up into unwatchable.  Stay far, far away from the show Martha Plimpton, I don't want to think about what they would do to your character in this season where they are destroying guest stars in fan favorite roles.

 

3.  Cary was a dumbass for even joking like he joked with the dealers.  Another character assassination.

 

If we all agree to vote for Alicia right now, will they stop destroying all the other great characters they've developed over the years?  Hand to god, I'm good with that deal.  Otherwise, I'm left to agree with Sally on the test panel....she's too enititled. 

 

Yet, I was reminded tonight that I really liked Alicia when she was just doing her job, and doing it well.  If she's going to continue to run for office, it would be nice if that competent Alicia showed up.

 

Finally, whether she disappears into the night to never be heard from again, or whatever fate they have in store for Kalinda, if they debase her on the way out, well, I too will be out.

Edited November 10, 2014 by pennben

[CleoCaesar]

I hope Louis Canning dies soon. I've been hoping that since his first appearance. The Kings don't seem to understand that overdoing it with nasty, unlikeable, genuinely annoying and irritating characters because they're "quirky" isn't good writing. See Canning, Tascioni, Sweeney, etc. etc.

 

So what was the card Bishop gave Kalinda? I guessed a tracking device. I can't remember the last time we saw Kalinda with her hair down and no makeup. She looked very different.

 

The campus rape storyline felt rushed and ripped straight from the headlines. If you're going to do it, do it right, writers! Seemed odd why no one asked why the girl didn't report it to the real police, not the campus police.

 

Don't know why but Matt Czuchry and Steven Pasquale's murmuring speaking style is very sexy.

 

I audibly said, "Oh hell no" when I saw Finn and Alicia drinking in her office. That scene was meant to remind us of Alicia and Will's first kiss, right? It looked identical, right down to Finn's light blue shirt and glass of whiskey, and both of them sitting and leaning against the window.

[spiritof76]

I agree they are doing a lot of damage to Cary's character. Even though I do feel sorry for him, I can see they are not doing his character any favors. Maybe they want us, to want him to go to jail?

 

And who exactly are we supposed to believe Kalinda loves? The FBI Lady. Cary? 

 

And did I hear correctly did Castro drop out of the race? If so then what's the point in Alicia still running?

[Artsda]

I don't believe that mock voters panel changed their mind after just one photo op. 

 

I don't understand what the card was supposed to be, credit cards don't snap like that. 

Edited November 10, 2014 by Artsda

[coloradoqt]

 

I audibly said, "Oh hell no" when I saw Finn and Alicia drinking in her office.

I don't like Alicia's relationship with Finn. There is no reason for it. Oh,wait a minute!! Didn't Finn mention his wife last season, now his EX-WIFE. Okay I see where this is going and it's soooo slimy IMO 

[Black Knight]

The campus rape storyline felt rushed and ripped straight from the headlines. If you're going to do it, do it right, writers! Seemed odd why no one asked why the girl didn't report it to the real police, not the campus police.

It was explained at the start, I think by Owen - she didn't report it to the real police because she didn't want her life turned upside down the way it would have been if she'd gone that route. So she just wanted to get the guy out of her classes.

 

Kalinda's storyline is peaking pretty fast, like she's not going to be on the show much longer, and I'm sure Archie Panjabi would like to be done in time for pilot season so she can concentrate on getting her possible new show off the ground, and lining up other possibilities should that show not work out. I expect either Lana will get her put into Witness Protection, or she'll simply vanish to start over somewhere else with a new identity of her own creation. I kind of think it'll be the latter because that would bring the character full circle. I can't see her being willing to testify against Bishop no matter how many promises of safety she's offered, given what's happened to every other witness or informant over the seasons.

 

I like Cary, but he can come off as smarmy and entitled, so I did enjoy Viola's cross-examinations (it's not like there are real-world consequences for these - if that happened during his actual trial, I'd be very upset for him). And he did get back on track in his final session.

 

I liked seeing Alicia working on this CotW - I liked her much more during that then I have in a while. As for the election storyline, well, I liked the focus group part better than I have some of the other stuff they done. But I had to roll my eyes, just like last week, over Alicia needing to be introduced to the concept of photo ops and how she can't do anything off-the-cuff without filtering it through the optics of the campaign. She went through several elections, one gubernatorial, with her husband. She would already know about this, and message discipline. And it's irritating because it simultaneously dumbs Alicia down while making her male campaign advisors look condescending.

 

Didn't Finn mention his wife last season, now his EX-WIFE. Okay I see where this is going and it's soooo slimy IMO

 

From Finn's first episode on, he never wore a wedding ring, so I knew his wife was no longer in the picture and he was either widowed or divorced. They let us know during Finn's brief flirtation with running for SA that it was divorce.

Edited November 10, 2014 by Black Knight

[photo fox]

Count me as one who was totally confused by Kalinda's scene at the end.  What were we supposed to glean from that?  It didn't seem like an "I can't do this to someone I care about" moment, as much as an "I see now what this is!" moment.

 

MC is killing it with this storyline.  He really makes it look like Cary is going off the deep end.  Even physically, he looked like he was about to dissolve into angry tears for half the episode.  If MC does leave after this season (just speculation), I think he's going to see a lot of interesting offers.

 

Good use of Howard Lyman and Viola Walsh.

 

So Castro dropped out of the race because Alicia had one good photo op?  Is that what they're saying?  And it barely gets a mention on the show, and NO reaction from Alicia?  The whole reason she supposedly ran was to get him out of there.

 

It was totally realistic, but the resolution to the rape case left me disappointed because the school won't be making any changes.  I was glad for the young woman on an individual level, however, because she got what she wanted.  The only WTF moment for me was all the texting during the hearing.  It was pretty obvious what was happening, and I'm surprised there wasn't at least an attempt to make them stop, since the panel was so adamant that Alicia not interrupt the proceedings.

 

eta - 

 

Kalinda, just a suggestion, but if you don't want a guy to start thinking this is serious, maybe don't give him a key to your apartment?  That would be a pretty strong signal (to me) of exclusivity in a relationship.  (Just assuming Cary has a key, and didn't add "breaking and entering" to his resume.)

 

Also, in today's game of "How Will They Keep JM and AP from Sharing Space?" we're supposed to believe that Kalinda is just casually hanging at home with Lana in the middle of the day and can't be bothered to be in person at a meeting.  No matter that one of her bosses, who happens to be her close friend (which I still believe, no matter what else is going on with them) is going to trial in 14 days on a serious drug charge.  Okey doke.

[spiritof76]

So Castro dropped out of the race because Alicia had one good photo op?  Is that what they're saying?  And it barely gets a mention on the show, and NO reaction from Alicia?  The whole reason she supposedly ran was to get him out of there.

 

So I didn't imagine that! This episode was a little choppy to me and I thought I missed something, but I swore I heard that. If that's the case, I just don't see what Alicia's point is, in running. She just met this Perdy character. She can't hate him that much already. At least not enough to want to turn her life upside for a political campaign, that she claims she never wanted in the first place. Even if it was a bit self-serving, I could get why she was willing to go for it when it was Castro she was trying to take out. No matter what she said, it was personal with him. But without him running, I don't get her campaign. She cares about the actual job of being States Attorney now? 

[auntiemel]

I'm pretty sure Castro dropping out was more due to NotNiles announcing as opposed to Alicia's photo opp. And Kalinda couldn't be at that meeting because of the 30 foot rule.

[WearyTraveler]

So Castro dropped out of the race because Alicia had one good photo op?  Is that what they're saying?  And it barely gets a mention on the show, and NO reaction from Alicia?  The whole reason she supposedly ran was to get him out of there.

 

So I didn't imagine that! This episode was a little choppy to me and I thought I missed something, but I swore I heard that. If that's the case, I just don't see what Alicia's point is, in running. She just met this Perdy character. She can't hate him that much already. At least not enough to want to turn her life upside for a political campaign, that she claims she never wanted in the first place. Even if it was a bit self-serving, I could get why she was willing to go for it when it was Castro she was trying to take out. No matter what she said, it was personal with him. But without him running, I don't get her campaign. She cares about the actual job of being States Attorney now? 

 

The way I understood it, once the confetti people confirmed that Perdy was announcing, it became real.  Apparently, when you order confetti, that's it: you're running.  Maybe it's the last thing people get for their announcement party, so, when that gets ordered, it becomes a clear signal that everything else that could have possibly been done in preparation for the announcement has been done (shrug!).

 

A big deal has been made about Perdy being a big brand. and Alicia's campaign manager said it again at the end of the episode, but so was Alicia; she has always been, according to previous episodes.  There was that initial polling Eli made that said if the election were held that day (against Castro), Alicia would win, even though she wasn't even running then.  To me, the implication was that Castro got the same confirmation from the confetti people (or from some other source) that Perdy was running, and he knew he couldn't win against two big brands like Alicia and Perdy.  He had the entire campaign time to try to lower the value of Alicia's brand and he had started trying to do exactly that (following her, revealing the abortion that Zach's girlfriend had, etc.), but you know what they say about waging war in two fronts: it's got a high probability of resulting in two losses.  So, knowing that he would be defeated by either one of the other two candidates, he dropped out.  It's not likely people would invest their money in the campaign of the candidate most likely to lose.

As to why Alicia would continue to run, even when Castro is out of the picture, there was a scene where Perdy told Alicia he'd made up his mind to run after he`d interviewed her.  He was all smug trying to make her feel that she herself was the cause of his running and she saw through that (or at least that's how I interpreted what the show told us) and accused him of purposely ambushing her during the interview because he had decided, before hand, that he was going to run.  Basically, she equated him with playing the same dirty tactics Castro was playing, which is one of the things she maintains she wants to eliminate if she wins the election; so, I think the show is trying to say that Alicia will be fighting the same kind of foe Castro is, only with a different face, and perhaps more finesse.  Not to mention, the guy does have a larger base than Castro.

 

I think the show wanted to put Alicia in a more evenly matched fight, where she is as powerful as her opponent (in terms of voters), if not the underdog of the race that will end up overcoming all the obstacles to win the race.

[SaabStory]

So Kalinda "let's her hair down" figuratively and literally with Lana.

I think she is now supposed to have real feelings for her.

Defies Bishop's request.

Why do I think one of them is going to "disappear", figuratively or literally.

 

Even though this season has not been that great for me, less Alicia and more everyone else made this episode a little more enjoyable.

I'm pretty much just hanging in there to see what kind of exit they have planned for Kalinda.

I have a feeling I won't have to wait much longer.

[Kromm]

I'm pretty much just hanging in there to see what kind of exit they have planned for Kalinda.

I have a feeling I won't have to wait much longer.

Archie's exit from the show seems obvious now, if not the exact method.  Either Kalinda is murdered by Bishop, flees his wrath, or goes into Witness Protection (the least likely given how shady her own background is and thus how bad a witness she'd be for anyone).

I suppose a crazy twist could be if she survives the whole Bishop situation and gets randomly murdered by someone else.

Regardless, I think this is going to take over the show and probably be used as a Brickbat with the lame Election story as well (ignoring the fact that Alicia and Kalinda seem to have their own unofficial 30 foot rule for the past few years).

Edited November 10, 2014 by Kromm

[readster]

 

 

So Castro dropped out of the race because Alicia had one good photo op?  Is that what they're saying?  And it barely gets a mention on the show, and NO reaction from Alicia?  The whole reason she supposedly ran was to get him out of there.

  Something really gets me is that Bishop ends up saying that everything with Cary's frame up is to get to him because the FBI can get to him through Cary. I'm thinking now that Castro is the mole and the FBI set this up from the beginning. If you think about it, Bishop constantly has inside information and he keeps telling Kalinda not to worry about how he knows. While Castro is now dropping out because he knows he would lose to Alicia and NotNiles. Castro basically is just going with the flow, I'm sure the FBI gave Castro the info on Cary for the frame up. Castro saw it as a great way to stick it to Alicia and stay on Bishop's good side. Of course his constant leaking info to the press and to Bishop he fell right into the FBI's trap to get Bishop. So, now if and when Bishop goes down and if it leads back to him he can go: "No, I was set up, my family was threaten." "I'm clean and now, can I go back to my life please?" 

 

 

[SaabStory]

....ignoring the fact that Alicia and Kalinda seem to have their own unofficial 30 foot rule for the past few years.

 

Lol.  Honestly, the phone calls, the speaker phone.  It is becoming amusing at this point.  I imagine Alicia will not have the chance to properly say goodbye to Kalinda and we will get a one minute scene of Alicia lamenting the disappearance/death of her friend.

Edited November 10, 2014 by SaabStory

[Shelby]

I was so tired last night while watching this ep, and it's too early on Monday morning for me to say anything insightful.

Really the most enjoyable part of the show was seeing Kalinda with her hair down and very little makeup. She looked so pretty.

Nice to hear Alicia being called out on being selfish and and entitled.

Cary is just an idiot. He deserves to go to jail?prison for stupidity.

Louis Canning can die anytime. Another character they have made totally unwatchable.

[Kromm]

Lol.  Honestly, the phone calls, the speaker phone.  It is becoming amusing at this point. 

See, the thing about filming a phone conversation is that the actors don't even really have to be talking to each other (they use stand ins if they need to control the timing).

[Shades of Red]

So what was the card Bishop gave Kalinda? I guessed a tracking device.

 

Initially I thought so too and then it looked as if Kalinda had a lightbulb moment when she opened the wallet and saw Lana's ID card.  It's the same size and shape as an ID card and I would think if it was a tracker then something would be activated/deactivated if the card was broken/damaged.  It just makes no sense.  I don't think Kalinda loves Lana and she's just looking out for herself.   Maybe she's gotten wise to the fact that Bishop is possibly setting her up for a fall?

 

I don't like Michael J. Fox's character in the slightest.  He was interesting when he first appeared but as others have said, he's now just annoying and never needs to show up again.  At this stage of the game I'm sure the judges would know he's playing up his illness.  This brings me to Alicia asking him if there's anything she can do for him.  Very odd in my opinion.

 

I think I'm in the minority but I actually like Alicia and Finn together.  Initially when there was talk about hiring another lawyer to cross examine Cary I thought they would hire Finn.  I was a little surprised it wasn't.  I also think there is more going on with Alicia and Finn than we've been shown.  They look very comfortable together especially when one of them was going after the other's business partner with a vengeance. 

[kwnyc]

 

I expect either Lana will get her put into Witness Protection, or she'll simply vanish to start over somewhere else with a new identity of her own creation. I kind of think it'll be the latter because that would bring the character full circle.

I agree with this...I don't think they're going to kill off Kalinda, but she'll definitely disappear in some way.

 

I also wonder whether Castro has dropped out because HE's worried that someone will turn up that he's been working with the feds (or with Bishop?) to bring down Cary or Bishop or both. Maybe Finn knows more than he's telling.

 

And yes, it WAS good to see the good LAWYER Alicia at the school hearing; the show made the ironic point that Alicia could help herself by honestly doing something good/a favor for her family with her defense of the girl who'd been raped AND that she had to create the APPEARANCE of being good with the photo opp at the food kitchen. (Finn looked a little annoyed/disgusted by the photo opp).

 

I'm not spoilered at all, but I wonder if the new opponent, combined with the other shoe that HAS to drop (Lemond Bishop's funding her PAC) will make Alicia withdraw or lose the election badly.

 

I disagree that Eli isn't good at his job. He got Peter, who looked unelectable, to win two elections post-jail. And Alicia still seems to have that sense she always had when she needs to pay attention to someone, or admit that they are right/know more than she does (calling back to a few seasons ago when Eli explained to her that he was a senior partner, and she was an associate and she had to treat him that way).

 

Other callbacks, which I like in a show that has a long run, were that of COURSE they'd call in Viola for a mock trial; she's given them hell before, and Cary needs to know what he's up against. And that Louis Canning IS getting worse, and playing it for everything. (And then doing that manipulative thing he always does with Alicia that she always falls for, talking about his family).

 

I don't actually think that Kalinda broke the card (which I thought was a tracking device) because she realizes Lana is her Great Love...I believe her when she says she doesn't do exclusive (put her together with Shah from Person of Interest...) but that Kalinda can't bring herself to be the cause of Lana's death, which is most likely what Bishop would do.

 

So I know there's a lot of pushback from fans this season because the show has done a mini reboot, but I'm following what they're doing, and think it's probably setting up the next season and a half (didn't I read here that they saw the whole thing as a 7-year arc?)

 

I do miss Will. But I'm in to see what's up next.

[caracas1914]

I hope when Kalinda makes her exit from the show we don't get a big tearful Alicia moment realizing how close she and Kalinda actually were. Much more consistent to make it hardly a blip in her radar screen at this point, and far less offensive to me as an audience member.

Edited November 10, 2014 by caracas1914

[riverheightsnancy]

I have a bad, bad feeling about Kalinda's ultimate end. Not spoilered here, but I think that she is going to kill Bishop perhaps to save Lana or Cary, or both. Technically, Bishop is a cancer that for any semblance of ethics for the firm, this guy needs to go, He is too big, and too obvious about his crimes. EVERYONE knows who he is. How can Alicia state with a straight face that she has no knowledge of any criminal activities? She KNOWS that he is a criminal.  For THAT alone, I would not vote for her for SA. I think some voters might feel a similar way. The ONLY way to get him out, is if he is dead. Solves a multitude of problems. Kalinda has been strongly linked to having done bad things before, so that isn't a stretch.  I think that she will kill him and disappear into the night. She seems really happy with Lana, but she may be doing this strictly for intel, so it is hard to say. Maybe she and Lana will disappear into the night together? 

[Pike Ludwell]

This season seems weak so far. The writers are making too many of the characters into victims or idiots. E.g. there was Diane last week very stupidly (and out of character) opening that very strange file, which brought in the virus. Carey is supposed to be a highly intelligent, tough character, but just the opposite this season.  

 

I despise seeing Kalinda  being pushed around by Bishop. I'm sick of his very "polite" (LOL), constant intimidation of her. Writers have needed to make this more into a chess game. Instead of just always relenting to Bishop, have her planning her next, cunning, creative move. Make her the more clever one, and make Bishop into the worried victim. Right now the writers are giving him almost superhuman intelligence and awareness, and making Kalinda into a total victim --- that's not the way that character is supposed to be! The ending of the episode was excellent - a glimmer of hope that things will turn around! I hope she has a plan, and that wasn't just an isolated whim!

[Sandman]

I'm pretty sure Castro dropping out was more due to NotNiles announcing as opposed to Alicia's photo opp.

 

I think Castro's dropping out has more to do with Bishop than NotNiles UnCrane. I just haven't pieced it together yet. But I think that little newsbreak in the corner of screen is going to have a big ripple effect. (Could Agent Sexy be investigating Castro, rather than Bishop directly?)

 

I think Matt Czuchry is playing the hell out of these scenes of Cary's unspooling. But I agree with shapeshifter that by the last scene of the mock testimony with Viola, Cary seemed to have got a grip (at least temporarily?).

Edited November 10, 2014 by Sandman

[Joimiaroxeu]

Didn't Finn mention his wife last season, now his EX-WIFE.

Yeah, I was confused by that. Since when is he divorced? Of course this means he and Alicia will become a couple but now that he's no longer in the SA's office, where's the drama?

 

They let us know during Finn's brief flirtation with running for SA that it was divorce.

I don't remember that at all. It really must have been a fleeting moment.

 

I despise seeing Kalinda  being pushed around by Bishop.

Me too. I guess I don't pay enough attention when I'm watching this show because I don't understand how she came to be under his thumb. Whatever, I agree with the comment upthread that her exit from the show should probably include her killing him. He's like a cartoon villain at this point.

[SaabStory]

Considering the crappy storylines and lack of screen time for Kalinda these last few seasons, I'd really like to see her go out on a high note.  Solving the Bishop problem for everyone would be great, as long as it is realistic.

[caracas1914]

Agree with the assessment that Bishop has gotten too powerful; the implication that he would off Cary, Dianne, Alicia or Kalinda if they crossed him without as much as wrinkling his cuffed shirt is a little too much.

[Ms Blue Jay]

The female student in the rape case was played by the actor who plays David Duchovny's daughter on the show "Californication".  And the funny thing is I've always really disliked her on that show.  That odd, stilted way of speaking; that emotionless personality; the horrible way of conveying dialogue.  But here, I liked her.  Then again the actor is a lot older now than when Californication premiered.  And that is the most interesting thing I can say about this episode.

 

Eli's one little scene was fantastic.  I love Alan Cumming.  Other than that..... nice to see Archie with her hair down.  Very effective to see Cary going crazy.  Rita Wilson's face is weird.  

 

Has any character addressed where Robin went?  I don't even like Robin and the whole thing is perplexing.  I guess I'm just here to see Niles Crane: The After Years.

 

I'm very curious to see what Mike Colter does/gets after this show.  I'm a big fan.  

Here's Mike speaking about playing Lemond Bishop.  I read the whole thing and didn't detect any spoilers.  But beware anyway.

 

http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/interview-mike-colter-tells-s-a-about-playing-villains-and-heroes-in-the-good-wife-and-halo-nightfall-20141013

Edited November 10, 2014 by Ms Blue Jay

[SaabStory]

http://tvline.com/2014/10/15/the-good-wife-archie-panjabi-leaving-kalinda-exits-season-6/

 

This author mentions a strained working relationship.

[Black Knight]

I don't remember that at all. It really must have been a fleeting moment.

It was revealed in "The One Percent" when they were going over Finn's potential liabilities as a candidate for SA - his divorce was listed as one because he divorced his wife after a miscarriage, which looks bad on the surface.

[Irlandesa]

The campus rape storyline felt rushed and ripped straight from the headlines. If you're going to do it, do it right, writers! Seemed odd why no one asked why the girl didn't report it to the real police, not the campus police.

As has been mentioned, Owen did talk about it. Universities also encourage going to campus police over the regular police.  I wouldn't do that now knowing what I know but as a student?  Who knows?  It sounds like she realized she was raped but also realized that she had waited too long to report and there wouldn't be enough evidence for a criminal conviction.  She just wanted to move on without having to see him again.  They didn't mention it but this is pretty common in cases of sexual assault. 

 

Cary was entitled in this episode but I didn't hate him.  I felt for him.  Matt C has been doing a good job.  It has to be hard knowing he's being targeted for political reasons unrelated to anything you've done for yourself.  And even though he was unnecessarily bitter at the end, I also liked that he let Kalinda know what he wanted from her.

I also like that Kalinda was somewhat honest about what she wanted too.   When it was announced in Sep/Oct that Archie was leaving, I suspected she'd be gone earlier than the end of the season.  The progression of her story makes me think it will be related to the fall finale.

Edited November 10, 2014 by Irlandesa

[Hanahope]

I think Bishop is the only person that Kalinda is truly afraid of, which also leads me to agree that she is leaving by potentially killing him and disappearing as she did before.  It still annoys me a bit how everyone seems to fall in love with her and her magic vagina.  Cary falling apart on the "the stand" is totally because he's not able to be with Kalinda and knows she's with another person.

 

I had never heard of the hearsay exception that allows in evidence when the "declarer" has been killed to keep that person from authenticating the out of court statements.

 

Agreed with the continued assassination of the "quirky" attorneys is getting really annoying.

 

Loved the flip flop of the test panel on how they feel about Alicia. 

 

I didn't get the point of a "silent" advocate on the school hearing.  If they are silent, how can they advocate?

[needschocolate]

Are there really people out there that would admire a woman for sticking with her husband after her had multiple affairs with prostitutes?  I can understand saying that what happens in their personal life doesn't affect how a candidate will perform in office, and voting for them anyway, but admiring Alicia for staying married to Peter doesn't seem like a common reaction.

 

It also doesn't make sense to me that they way you "fix" the bad press of a photo of Alicia in an expensive business suit, cleaning an already clean pot is by having her doling out food in the same soup kitchen.  As a voter, I would see that as more of the same BS.  Then they have the focus group suddenly support Alicia - "Oh, she actually put food in a bowl and hugged a supposedly homeless person, she must not be entitled after all."

[Primetimer]

Alicia lets the participants in a campaign focus group get in her head when she's not assisting a college student trying to get her rapist expelled. Meanwhile, Kalinda gets a tough assignment, and Cary tries to get over himself.

Read the story

[Boundary]

And who exactly are we supposed to believe Kalinda loves? The FBI Lady. Cary?

 

I think it's Lana, we used to call her Agent Sexy back in the day on TWOP. Considering that Archie is leaving the show, I think Kalinda discovering feelings for a long standing acquaintance makes more sense. Even though she's been shown to care for Cary (and Will, in a platonic way) the fact that Lana has been popping up along consistently over the years, even before the show started, means it is legitimate that Kalinda could discover those feelings at some point. Particularly when facing betraying her to Bishop, the ultimate (and most dangerous) betrayal. 

 

I don't understand Bishop's hold over Kalinda. Sure he's a drug lord but Kalinda seems scared of him in a way Alicia is not. She's personally terrified of him and I don't seem to understand why; and I don't understand Bishop's implied insistence that Kalinda somehow owes him something. Never mind the fact that Kalinda can handle a baseball bat very well, if she needs to ...

Edited November 10, 2014 by Boundary

[possibilities]

admiring Alicia for staying married to Peter doesn't seem like a common reaction.

I remember when Hillary Clinton "stood by her man" during the Lewinsky affair. It seemed at the time that there were in fact MANY people who changed their opinion of her (for the better) at the time. I don't understand it, but there seems to be at least a significant portion of the electorate which does appreciate that stance.

[SaabStory]

I remember reading something about Jill Flint (Lana) having a three episode arc this season. I'm not sure if that has changed, but she has been in two epsiodes so far. If she is in the next episode, we might get some resolution to the Kalinda storyline sooner than later. And this is only based on my assumption that Kalinda's exit somehow involves Lana/Bishop.

[Gregg247]

I felt really bad for Cary last night.  His life is falling apart, and there's no one there to support him, even his (sometime) girlfriend.  I really bought into his panic and desperation.  Cary is one of my favorite characters, so seeing him get dragged through all of this drug trial stuff isn't very fun or entertaining for me.  I want him found Not Guilty quickly so he can get back to practicing law and building up his law practice (and getting a better girlfriend).

 

I didn't care for the case-of-the-week story about the campus rape.  Is that how these things are actually handled on campus these days?  A professor and a student listen to a he-said/she-said and then decide if the guy gets expelled or not?  That seems like a sure-fire way to get sued by SOMEONE involved.

 

Glad to see MJF back on the show, and actually locking horns with Alicia in court.  Those two are so good together that its a treat to watch them spar.

[Joimiaroxeu]

It was revealed in "The One Percent" when they were going over Finn's potential liabilities as a candidate for SA - his divorce was listed as one because he divorced his wife after a miscarriage, which looks bad on the surface.

Thanks. Just goes to show how little I care about the character. If he's been divorced all this time why haven't he and Alicia hit the sheets yet? Sure there was a conflict of interest since his former job is prosecuting Cary but it's not like Alicia's ethics haven't already been proven to be flexible.

 

I remember when Hillary Clinton "stood by her man" during the Lewinsky affair. It seemed at the time that there were in fact MANY people who changed their opinion of her (for the better) at the time. I don't understand it, but there seems to be at least a significant portion of the electorate which does appreciate that stance.

I guess the producers of this show are in the bag for HRC? I didn't think the episode was being very subtle about presenting many of the same arguments people have against her (via the focus group woman who kept going back and forth on her opinion of Alicia) and then shooting them down one-by-one. Perhaps IL voters are assumed to be inured to all manner of shady/shaky politics because I don't see how the sitting governor's wife running for the state's highest elected legal office passes anyone's smell test.

[Morbs]

I thought the card was a hotel key.

 

Do they really keep calling in the same people over and over for market research?  They would have a hard time getting me to do it once, let alone several times.

[caracas1914]

The Bishop of it all is overwhelming all the storylines in the show, it's like there is  no way to extricate someone so powerful and menacing without toppling over the whole house of card of the law firm, Kalinda, and Cary's trial.

 

Would not be surprised if the Kings conveniently  have a random "accident" or let Bishop be taken out by a rival in order to tip toe out of the morass they've created.

Edited November 10, 2014 by caracas1914

[kib]

I'm curious how Michael J Fox squares how his character is evolving with his real life condition.  Obviously the easy answer is 'it's just a role' but Canning has morphed from a smart, slightly sympathetic character occasionally using his condition to his advantage to a effin' cartoon character gleefully mocking any attempts our culture has made in accommodating various disabilities.

 

Am I being too sensitive, or is this no longer passing the smell test of offering a glimpse of a population not often appearing in the media verses confirming the biases of our worst selves?

[milkyaqua]

I guess the producers of this show are in the bag for HRC?

 

I seem to recall something about the Kings being Clinton fans so that's not surprising.

 

I don't think Kalinda loves Agent Sexy.  I just think she realized that that card would put her in danger (some sort of tracking device?).  Although, it makes no sense to me for Bishop to hurt Lana because another agent would be assigned to the case anyway.  Maybe it buys him time?  As for Kalinda's fear of him, I can only guess that she's used to dealing with dangerous people so she knows better than say Alicia or Diane what someone like Bishop is capable of.  I also could see Kalinda being gone by the Fall finale which for this show is 23 Nov.  I'd prefer they not kill Kalinda off.  I do like the idea of her getting rid of Bishop and having to go on the lam.

 

I was glad Cary finally made a decision about Kalinda although I thought it was stupid he risked his bail to do it.  Frankly, I've never liked the two of them together especially since it seemed like Cary wanted more from the relationship and that just was dumb to me.  Although I do believe that Kalinda is trying to help Cary even though it's not going to end up good for her.  I was also glad that Alicia told Cary to get over himself.

 

Speaking of Alicia and the focus group, I found it funny that the young girl basically said what a lot of folks seem to feel about Alicia and that's that she is entitled.  How that works for Alicia going forward in the election I don't know.  I did find it odd that Castro's withdrawal was just thrown in as no big deal.  Don't know why he withdrew (fear of Prady?) but I do think Alicia will stay in the race.  Hopefully, she loses.

 

What is with this show making their guest stars annoying to the nth degree?  The Canning nonsense was over-the-top.  Why character assassinate all of your guest stars show?

 

As for Finn and Alicia.  I like them as friends because Alicia needs a friends but as a couple?  Maybe when this show ends its run but not now.