S06.E08: Red Zone

[betsyboo]

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?

 

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

 

 

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.

 

This has been confusing me as well. I'm almost certain that after the shooting when Alicia went to visit Finn in the hospital, he was waiting for his wife to come back from the cafeteria. Did i make that up? That isn't to say that they didn't divorce later, but that means it happened in this universe timeline. ??

[Maherjunkie]

I think the second photo op was used to upstage something Castro was doing.  Did anyone notice how the woman in the focus group looked a lot like a little older Grace?  I wondered if it was meant as symbolism or coincidence.  Especially the way they showed her "popping" into Alicia's head.

[Irlandesa]

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 don't think it's totally because of Kalinda.  He had already suspected/known she was seeing other people.  I think the thing on the stand was a reaction to everything.  Part of that is Kalinda but I'd imagine a lot of it is due to the fact that every time they get a break in his defense, that witness dies or disappears.  He's innocent but it's looking bleak.

 

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.

Last night they showed us a lot of Kalinda and Lana in bed.  More than they normally would.  It didn't make me think they were setting Kalinda to run off with her because she's in love with Lana but rather Lana is about to get killed.  They're trying to build up the relationship so we feel just how much it shakes Kalinda into her making some major decisions that will lead her out of Chicago.

[panthergirl13]

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?

Maybe what it's saying is that disabled people can be assholes too. 

 

:)

[CMH1981]

This show has become an utter mess.  So Castro drops out of the race and it's mentioned like an afterthought?!  Really?!  As others have mentioned he was the reason Alicia wanted to run so what is her motivation now?

 

In regards to the joke of Alicia and Kalinda not sharing any screen time at all it has to be a feud b/t the actresses b/c no way in hell would Alicia, a partner refuse to actually converse w/her firms investigator one on one and keep the relationship over the phone or via third party.  If Alicia really had an issue w/Kalinda's betrayal she would have requested to keep Robyn on and use her as her go to investigator and leave Kalinda for everyone else.  God help Archie Panjabi for whatever she did to piss off Julianna Marguiles.  The only thing I can think at this point is JM's husband once said he thought AP was very attractive or something, b/c goodness knows JM has got to lock that fine piece of specimen of husband she has.  Lock. That. Down.  I mean have you seen this guy, he is like a way more handsome Matt Bomer-type.

 

I can't see Kalinda lasting much longer, especially now that Bishop knows she can't be trusted and is working every side/angle.  If they do go the route and make Alicia the new State's Attorney, I would like to see the Kalinda storyline come full circle and she has to go to Alicia to have a new identity created after killing Bishop or being on the run from him.  Leela went to Peter to create the identity of Kalinda after escaping her ex-husband, and for Kalinda to have her final scene w/Alicia would be a good full circle moment.

 

I think I say this every week, but yeah, the creators want Cary gone as well, there is no other way to take it at this point.  He will either go back to jail/be silenced/kill himself at this point.  I do think that the promo for next week was in reference to his first stint in jail when Bishop wanted to see how loyal he was and had him cut his hand.

 

As for the promo of Alicia and Peter in the limo...well Alicia, you gave Peter carte blanch to date/screw whomever he wanted in private but keep the appearance of a sham marriage for public appearances and guess what bitch, i'm guessing that comes back to bite you in the ass.

[Maherjunkie]

It feels like Archie is "Flo" and JM is "Alice" and a unique form of "Kiss my grits!" will show itself shortly.

[kib]

As long as I'm venting, how does Agent Sexy afford driving a Jaguar F-Type convertible?

Lana... Lana... LANA !!!!!! 

[CMH1981]

 

It feels like Archie is "Flo" and JM is "Alice" and a unique form of "Kiss my grits!" will show itself shortly.

 

Great comparison, although I do think the better one is comparing Alicia to Cybil and Archie to Christine (Mary Anne) Baranski....just to you know...keep it in the family ;-)

 

Does anyone else notice where it seems everyone at Florrick, Agos, & Lockhart, other than Alicia, doesn't seem to acknowledge nor care that Alicia is running for States Attorney?  It's almost like they all know she will lose so let's just not comment on the Saint Elephant in the corner.  I swear it's almost like the Alicia campaign scenes are from a completely different season of the Good Wife than every other storyline.  They just don't seem to intersect at all except for the rare throw-away line here and there.  I can't imagine what the set is like, much less the read-through.  Do you think when they do a read through that JM requests that Archie Panjabi be on one of those conference room speaker things from another room or some far away place?

 

If Bishop has been following Kalinda and knows about her and the FBI agent lover, then he must know about Kalinda and Cary's tryst.  I'm throwing out another guess that Bishop figures out Kalinda never placed the tracking card on the FBI agent and then decides to have Cary killed ( I really think he will be killed this season and it will be a shocking exit they kept under wraps, just like the way Josh Charles went out last year) and Kalinda kills or attempts to kill Bishop or testifies and brings him down and has to go into witness protection.

 

The reason I think Cary will be killed is b/c I can't see Matt Czuchry wanting to renew his contract give how much or well....how little they have given him until this season.

Edited November 10, 2014 by CMH1981

[doodlebug]

 

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

It was a GPS tracking device.  Since Kalinda wasn't going to give him the info he wanted, he was clearly going to take the FBI agent out of the picture.  Makes it much easier to set up a tragic 'accident' if they know where she is.  Kalinda had no choice but to take it from him and will no doubt be made to pay a price when his guys aren't able to trail the agent.  I suppose its possible he just wants to know when she's out of her apartment so he can have his guys break in and search her computer or whatever for clues as to what she has on him; but I think its more likely he wants her gone.  We've seen he isn't so much interested in longterm results and doesn't much care who he kills.  Even if another agent is assigned, it will give him some breathing space, some time, which is all a guy in his line of work can hope to get. He knows the law knows who he is and what he does, its a matter of time until they catch him.  His game is to be sure they don't catch him this time.

 

 

 

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.

Not usually.  I've participated in marketing for various products and what they usually do is present several scenarios and ask for ratings for each one.  Or they show a single commercial, ask for feedback and then modify based on the feedback and show a revised version in the same session.

 

Finn was married at the time of the shooting and did mention his wife when Alicia came to the hospital.  At some point earlier this season, there was a throwaway line about him having marital problems, but it was very brief and not very specific as to what was happening.  Bad editing strikes again, I suspect a scene to clarify his marital status was cut.  As it is, he is newly separated or divorced while Alicia has recently lost a former love who was still very important to her while playing wifey in a sham marriage.  Neither is in the right place for a serious romance and it will suck, IMO, if TPTB go there.  Far more reasonable if they both maintain their distance at this point.

Edited November 10, 2014 by doodlebug

[mrsdalgliesh]

I saw in this episode the writers attempting to fix a bit of what they've screwed up, while setting up Kalinda's departure.  They basically reset Alicia and Owen (there's no way that brief apology should have been enough), they called Alicia out on being "entitled" (which has been our critique of her approach to the race), and they gave her a COTW so we could remember what we liked about her.  Eli's scolding helped on that score, as well.

 

Plus, Matt C killed as Cary.  The close up on him, just after Alicia left, with his eyes brimming?  Fantastic.

 

Things aren't fixed, not by a long shot, but there are hints that they may be improving.  I will miss what Kalinda might have been, but not how AP has been wasted, and it looks like we'll get a dramatic exit of some sort, and one that ties into the dread that Lamont Bishop has brought to this season. (I am struggling not to type "Lemon" Bishop after Linda Lavin's hilarious mispronunciation,)   As for Alicia, I wonder if we might get a debate between her and Not-Niles in which she says, "you know what?  You're perfect for this job and you should have it.  I quit."  Because I agree that, without Castro, her motivation isn't as clear --- and I didn't read Not-Niles as being duplicitous.  An act like that would certainly put Alicia back in my good graces.   

 

On the other hand, the Kings may still be wanted to write Breaking Bad: The Alicia Florrick Story.   If that happens, I don't know that I'll be watching.

[photo fox]

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.

I'm not making any ethical judgements, but yes, we are absolutely inured to this. Illinois' current Attorney General (which is actually the state's highest legal official, Alicia is running for State's Attorney, which is a county office) is Lisa Madigan. Her father, Mike Madigan, is the longtime Speaker of the Illinois House. He is widely regarded as the most influential politician in the state, more powerful than the governor. So it's absolutely realistic in Illinois.

[CMH1981]

 

They basically reset Alicia and Owen (there's no way that brief apology should have been enough)

 

How was that apology not enough?  If I recall Owen admonished his sister for staying with Peter after it came to light that he had cheated on her w/hookers.  Owen can't take the same criticism?  He is seeing a married man who did gay bare-back porn.  Owen doesn't have a pot to piss in imo.  His big sister is just looking out for him, just like he was looking out for his big sister years ago.

[mbutterfly]

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.

Now that I've read the idea Kalinda will kill off Bishop (and then be sent to prison or perhaps -- if there were some justification -- into Witness Protection or some such, I like it. Solves a lot of problems and adds a nice twist. Too bad so many people already thought of it. 

[Kromm]

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 ...

Kalinda has seen the bodies, at least figuratively speaking if not literally, whereas Alicia has not.  Kalinda has first hand experience in seeing dangerous people and what they do.  With Alicia it's an abstract.  And in fact, Alicia is shielded by who she is.  She's a public figure.  She can't be murdered or even explicitly intimidated  with impunity (vs. more subtly intimidated, like Bishop's message about the PAC).  Kalinda is not a public figure.  She can be made to disappear quite easily, and even if she's friends or bedmates or is just plain owed favors by people of importance, ultimately no outrage or public curiosity would be raised by her sudden murder or disappearance. 

Now that I've read the idea Kalinda will kill off Bishop (and then be sent to prison or perhaps -- if there were some justification -- into Witness Protection or some such, I like it. Solves a lot of problems and adds a nice twist. Too bad so many people already thought of it. 

If that's the way they go, and Kalinda gets to live, I'd say the most likely scenario following it up is her running--packing up and leaving Chicago in a hurry.  Bishop dead doesn't stop his people from coming after her, plus she'd be on the hook with the authorities too.  

 

Prison would be the same as a death sentence. Even on the women's side, too many people would want to stick a shiv into whoever killed Bishop (she might get congratulated by some people too, but certainly not protected).

[dargosmydaddy]

 

Not spoilered here, but I think that she is going to kill Bishop perhaps to save Lana or Cary, or both.

I was leaning toward Witness Protection while I was watching last night, but killing Bishop (particularly to save Cary) and then disappearing would be much more fun.

 

And for someone who basically makes her living spying and prying, Kalinda isn't exactly discreet when it comes to her own personal life, is she?

[atua]

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?

The mystery card looks like a blank RFID card. The wallet then needs to be brought close to a (possibly disguised) card cloner twice; once to read the FBI card, once to write to the blank. There's no telling what trouble Bishop would get up to, if he got access to a cloned FBI ID card.

[TVForever]

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.

Actually, Eli talks to Peter in pretty much the same way when he needed it. Alicia, unfortunately, needs even more "direction" because she is a political neophyte. She still thinks that the rules of common sense apply when you're a political candidate. Eli knows all too well how the game is really played. Little by little, Alicia seems to be starting to learn this. It's actually been fun watching her missteps.

[Boundary]

Eli knows all too well how the game is really played. Little by little, Alicia seems to be starting to learn this. It's actually been fun watching her missteps.

 

I've enjoyed Alicia foray into politics as well. It has enabled Eli to show off his political prowess, which I always appreciate. I just wish Alicia would be more frank about her ambitions. Also I think it would be fun to see Alicia on the other side of the isle against her former colleagues next season, just don't create any unnecessary antagonism to make it happen TPTB.

[TVHappy9463]

It's November sweeps right? Because that seemed liked a March/April non-sweeps filler episode to me.  Now that Castro has dropped out will the case against Cary be dropped?  The best scenes in tonight's episode were the Cary witness prep with Christine Baranski and Rita Wilson.  I find it hard to believe they will kill Kalinda off this season after killing Will last season, and she just doesn't seem like the witness protection type for me.  So either she makes herself disappear or she kills Bishop and makes herself disappear.  

[Macbeth]

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

 

  It has gotten so completely ridiculous.  It seriously interferes with the story.  How many ways can the Kings devise to separate JM from AP?

 

  JM is the star - she sets the tone - she needs to grow the F up.

 

  Not surprising the writers are taking pot shots at JM through her character.

 

 

[meatball77]

Kalinda going to jail would be a fitting end.  And would allow the actress to come back for guest roles if she wanted.

[kwnyc]

Now that Eli has given Alicia his lecture, I think it would be awesome if Peter would grab Cary and say: Yeah, I've been to jail, so WHAT? I'm the governor now! 

[Kromm]

Now that Castro has dropped out will the case against Cary be dropped?  

Why would it be?  

 

Oh I get that the motivation for it in the first place was about the election, but he'd be even more embarrassed by letting the case go now.

Edited November 11, 2014 by Kromm

[AndySmith]

I wish they would just kill off Lamond Bishop and move on from that particular plot. I'm so over his character. I'm guessing Kalinda's exit will be her killing him off (maybe to save Alicia? And then they have some sort of brief reconciliation?) and then having to go on the run to avoid prosecution.

[TVForever]

I never thought I'd say this, but I'm grateful for any storyline that will take Kalinda out of the show. I used to enjoy her character, but now I just can't stand her. I'm just done.

[Maximona]

Guess I'm in the minority, but I thought this was a pretty strong episode from the hilarious mock trial prep between Viola Walsh and Cary (Rita Wilson = very funny) to the focus group internalized as a Greek chorus in Alicia's mind.  Loved Owen's puppy dog face, and Eli's little lecture on the true meaning of photo ops.

 

To me, Kalinda has always been the weakest character on the show.  She seems to have wandered in from another genre, a low-budget 1980s thriller or something.  The Good Wife is a dialogue show, and Kalinda doesn't talk.  The character's schtick apparently is her irresistability.  In real life, that kind of charisma is very much in the mind of the beholder, the real life people who impel that kind of reaction have a tendency to be blank screens, and yes, Kalinda is pretty blank.  But it doesn't work (at least for me) given the all-high-speed-repartee, all-the-time style of the rest of the show.  I won't be sorry to see the character go, and I agree with whomever said above that she probably takes out Bishop and ends up in jail -- it would just be too weird to kill her off given Will's sudden death.  No.  She kills Bishop, exonerating Cary in the process, tidying up that increasingly irrelevant and distracting storyline.

 

I assume we're coming up soon on the last season of The Good Wife.  Shows that follow a single character's storyline just don't have the traction of shows that can rip yet another story with a fresh cast of guest stars from the headlines every week. The full circle would be to have Alicia finally ditch Peter and become somebody else's "good wife."  I like her with Finn.  There's an obvious attraction, and he seems to bring out her better qualities.  I've never liked Juliana Margolies as an actress -- although I think she's perfect for this show, and I do like this show.  She has a really limited range and displays of human affection don't seem to be within that range.  Nevertheless, insofar as she's capable of chemistry with a costar, I think she has some chemistry with the actor who plays Finn.

 

 

[Kel Varnsen]

I thought the case against the university was interesting. But the problem was the interesting case just showed how uninteresting the whole campaign plot is. Even worse now that Castro is out. I still have no idea why she is running. And what is the point of the campaign manager if Eli is still doing everything. I thought he said he was too busy, you know, being the Chief of Staff to the Governor of Illinois. Maybe it is just me but that kind of sounds like a job with some long hours.

 

The Cary thing is ok (nice use of Howard), but Kalinda vs Bishop is getting annoying too. Plus if he is some major drug kingpin, how the hell does he have time to meet with Kalinda every damn day.

[kwnyc]

She has a really limited range and displays of human affection don't seem to be within that range.

 

I agree. I know she's an Emmy-winning actor, but I've thought this since ER. I thought she was the weakest actress in the main cast of that show, though she got better; she did have chemistry with Clooney (but, well, he has it with almost everybody). She is perfect for Alicia, because she can be so formal and forbidding. Baranski's the one who's known for playing grand dames, yet she's one of the finest comedians around. 

 

I think this show is built to Margulies's strengths, which are the fact that she really is quite striking, can portray someone who is very intelligent, but also doubts herself (similar qualities which made the Carol Hathaway character appealing). 

 

Getting back to this actual episode, I think Finn is good (HA!) opposite her, and very different from the bad boys she's previously been with. Maybe the goal IS to put her with a secondary, more compliant/reliable partner than the wild cards that Will & Peter are. If she's the alpha in the relationship, maybe her transition from Good Wife to Successful Politician will be complete.

[Boundary]

I think people are forgetting the Kalinda of early seasons. It's easy to remember the caricature: the leather jacket and boots. But except for Lana and the dirty cop, how many other people did she sleep with for information? A lot of it was implied and she often teased instead delivered, which worked well especially on the uniformed cops. What she used to do, unambiguously, was investigate. Not this huffing and puffing she does these days. We used to see her follow leads, chasing a hunch, finding overlooked witnesses, investigating properly more often than not better than the police. She was at the centre of why LG won most cases. And during those days, cases of the week were well drawn and an episode unravelled the mystery methodically, using investigation (Kalinda) or the law (Alicia or Will). After a while Kalinda's mysterious sex life, her past, even her investigative skills were all undone by the writing. Now all that's left are the boots and jacket. 

Edited November 11, 2014 by Boundary

[pinetastic]

I think Kalinda did a real favor to Cary by shutting him down.  I'm on the fence whether she has real feelings for him or for Lana, but Kalinda would rather protect her friends from an association with her, than be their girlfriend. As Boundary said:

 

What she used to do, unambiguously, was investigate. Not this huffing and puffing she does these days. We used to see her follow leads, chasing a hunch, finding overlooked witnesses, investigating properly more often than not better than the police. She was at the centre of why LG won most cases.

What we love about Kalinda is that she's a badass and smarter than everyone else. Hopefully her half smile when she broke the card meant that she has some good ideas for what to do next. 

[Maherjunkie]

God help me-I will miss her, but not Those scenes.  (Or the ones with Cary either).

[webruce]

Alicia also has strange dreams. It was not as bad as Elsbeth Toscioni's but bad enough.

COTW Jody Milam vs. Troy Anthony. Owen came back to Alicia for help on this. Nice they are talking. Alicia in the College "Court" ran to me like the case with her and Will at the Military court. You had to learn to play by the rules. Her texting helped Jody a lot. Who read the manual so quickly? The misspell to Owen was funny. Miss Renee Boothe came around quicker then Professor George Paley. Then the wall of rapes, that line should have been taken to court. maybe it will come back at a later time? Judy dropped out after Troy was suspended. He would be dumb to, but he could still harass her. Then he would have to appear on "Stalker". If this was any of my cop shows I watch, CSI, L&O:SVU, Criminal Minds etc, the Security Guard Hank Shetty would have been a person of interest.

If Louis Canning had that much trouble to handle a case, wouldn't someone else at least come to assist on his case? Alicia was thinking he was joking. But later told him good luck on his kidney transplant. So will Canning be killed off the show too? He wanted Alicia to see his wife if he died. Again though, why set him up with the big story line to be a head of the L/G/C firm then kill him off?

James Castro has dropped out of the race for States Attorney? So his presumed set up of Alicia on the DUI charge was for nothing? Or did he see that after Finn Polmar quit as his ASA he finally saw the light? Or are we now going to see him against F/A/L, like Canning and Nyholm, etc did? Maybe join forces with L/G/C? Him and David Lee together on same side maybe a little to much. Or have him against Finn in court. I hope he doesn't disappear like Glenn Childs did when he lost the States Attorney post to Peter. I miss Glenn Childs. Maybe the addition of Frank Prady in the race scared off Castro? One thing we don't see in these races, is the 3rd or 4th little known candidates. Like in the NY Governor race we only saw advertisements on the Republican and Democrat. Not on the other 3 running on other party ballots. I know on a TV series it is harder to portray that in the story lines, but say a candidate with little or no chance to win could be seen and dismissed by Eli, but Alicia met with him/her and likes what they have on their platform. maybe even adopting(with their consent) an idea for their own platform??!

Alicia and Finn at the soup kitchen was nice. The old "Alicia is doing it as a photo op"part with the "clean pan" was just like you see in the rag newspapers. But her finally listening to Eli and doing it right was a big plus. She saw even doing the right things could be construed as bad.

Johnny Elfman's focus group on the percievement of Alicia look in their voting, had a lot of stuff in it. I was surprised that they talked about every little detail. But the lady telling that Alicia acts like it all about her etc. fits with what a lot of people in the Forums talk about. St. Alicia, she is better then all others etc. But the lady seemed to come around later.
Cary and Kalinda met and are broken up. "That solves that, take care and go to hell!" I believe is what he told her. She would lie saying she was home when she was in bed with Lana Delaney.
Lemond Bishop knew about her and Agent Delaney. She listened in on her talking on cell in bathroom. So she was if I heard right, not wanting to go along with the investigation of Cary to get Bishop. Kalinda told Bishop she was on another case. Even though he didn't believe her. He gave her a credit card type thing to put in Lana's wallet. Is it a tracking device? Is it something he could use to get Lana in trouble if he makes an anonymous call to the feds? Kalinda has 2nd thoughts and breaks it. I would have thought she would have someone test it or look it over? Unless she knew what it was for.

Cary wanting to testify after we heard the tape on his conversations with Trey Wagner, Dante Wallach, and Jim Lenard So they need to find Dante. Diane has Viola Walsh and Howard Lyman help in a mock interrogation. He has problems but after a talk from Alicia he learns to control his emotions better. This to me runs parallel to her own "I'm better then this" thinking., Maybe she learned to be a little humbler from the thoughts of the focus group, and Eli, and Soup Kitchen.

Robyn is missing again. And Dean has gone MIA.

Edited November 14, 2014 by webruce

[Maherjunkie]

I wouldn't mind hearing from Zak too.  You can't call your mother once in a while?

[mrsdalgliesh]

maherjunkie, maybe it's because the last time they talked, she was pretty ugly to him.  "You lied to me, so here's what you should say to the press if you're asked, have a nice life, bye."

 

Although considering how they've been writing things, they probably won't keep that continuity.

[caracas1914]

I'm here for more Alicia/Owen scenes.  He humanizes Alicia in a way a lot the other characters can't.  It's like she can't pretend with him and it's just two kids again with all their issues against their mom, and who can resist Owen's puppy dog looks? 

 

Have a feeling his married pornstar boyfriend is going to make an appearance.

 

Sorry for the cliche, but Alicia should bang her focus group guru, I mean, seriously.  Otherwise, why get the hottest actor they could muster for the role? If not , what a waste.

Edited November 11, 2014 by caracas1914

[Maherjunkie]

Mrs, you are right.  I had forgotten what a shrew she was to him.  As if having a Muslim baby would make her more electable.

[apgold]

Nice to see Beccabot from Californication as the rape victim.  I'd recognize her voice anywhere.  Speaking of, it would be great if they got DD to guest on this show. He's NY based, right?  I don't see him guesting on Madam Secretary.

 

Louis Canning is just annoying, disabled or not.   The oxygen mask was ridiculous.  Funny that he didn't use it when talking to Alicia outside the courtroom.

 

Felt bad for Cary when he found out about Kalinda and Lana, and worse when she told him she didn't want to be exclusive with him.  Poor guy is facing life in prison and she closed off her access to her MV (Magic Vagina).  He's better off w/o her.  I think Lana is going to wind up DOA.

[lunastartron]

Alicia is pretty much irredeemable to me after that interaction with Zach. The directive to lie about the abortion was a serious transgression, but even more than that, I found her "have fun at college" valediction to be bitchy and puerile, especially as it constituted her entire response to the apology he was issuing. Zach should stay away her, and if she threatens to cut him off, he always has Jackie on whom to depend.

 

I don't find Owen or Dallas Roberts to be endearing at all. In my view, he's as entitled and as wrapped up in his own martyr complex as Alicia; he just dresses it up in a cutesier fashion, which is not a good look on forty/fiftysomething. Additionally, they both subscribe to similarly victim-y interpretations of Peter that neglect Alicia's participation in the toxic Florrick marriage.

At this point, I'm borderline hate-watching due to Alicia's myopic lack of self-accountability. Can't wait to see her excoriate Peter for whatever's depicted in that photograph. You know, months after she declared their marriage a business arrangement out of nowhere because she had randomly decided that the former boyfriend whom she had betrayed in the interests of professional advancement was the love of her life.

 

Does anyone else think Lana herself might actually be the mole?

[AudienceofOne]

Guess I'm in the minority, but I thought this was a pretty strong episode

 

 

I've thought this is a pretty weak season but I loved this episode. I thought it was great.

[WearyTraveler]

Sorry for the cliche, but Alicia should bang her focus group guru, I mean, seriously.  Otherwise, why get the hottest actor they could muster for the role? If not , what a waste.

 

Don't be sorry, he's hot! :D  I think she should bang him too.  I wouldn't mind a peek at his naked chest.

 

OT: Are you Venezuelan? 

[Florinaldo]

Do they really keep calling in the same people over and over for market research? 

In my experience, it is not standard practice. Unless there might be some overarching need to track how the exact same group of people change their opinions as you adjust some of the variables.

 

Or if you are a scriptwriter who needs to establish on-screen how a character they are writing can change its public image and increase its electorability.

 

The theory is that if you use different groups made up according to the same demographics and other relevant criteria, then the results will be comparable between the two. Plus, if you bring back people who were in the initial group, they will not have a fresh perspective since the first outing will have altered their perceptions and they will in effect be biased because of pre-existing knowledge.

 

Plus, Matt C killed as Cary.  The close up on him, just after Alicia left, with his eyes brimming?  Fantastic.

He does great with the little material they give him. These days he often is the best part of an episode and even makes you care about the character he is playing, a rare feat on this show.

[Kiddvideo]

Does anyone else think Lana herself might actually be the mole?

Interesting. I couldn't figure out how Bishop/Kalinda thought Lana wouldn't notice some strange card in her wallet sooner rather than later. Planting a tracking device/rfid card on a federal agent would've brought down more heat than anyone would want, and Kalinda would've fallen under suspicion as someone with access. It also explains how Bishop knew Kalinda lied about which cases Lana was working (making the overheard conversation a red herring), and now he'll know she didn't plant the card.

The question then becomes: Does Kalinda know she's being played?

[Youngy]

Something is going down with Kalinda sooner rather than later. Don't know any spoilers, but that's best guess. The actress is leaving the show. Just a fact.

 

Would surprise me if they killed her - just did that. No one saw Will's death coming.

 

But ... what else? Tend to side with those who think somehow, some way, Kalinda ends up killing Bishop and has to deal with the consequences.

 

That said, every Kalinda scene for me is crazy-uptight. I know she's leaving the show, and I know how they killed off Will, so I'm on edge whenever she appears about what will happen next.

 

May not like it, but Good Job, Show!

[TVForever]

 

 

 

 

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.

Okay, I noticed that the characters weren't really in each others' orbit as much, but based on what you're saying (and other comments I've been reading), is there something going on between the two actors? What's the scoop?

[lucindabelle]

I call bs on the college tribunal as one of those Only on Tv tropes... only on atv are the cards so overtly nd bizarrely stacked against the girl, In a panel led by an old man who hasn't even read the manual. Colleges have got to be terrified of bad press if not lawsuits and considering it costs nothing to let the girl have her say, even if irl they didn't want to deal with expelling him, they could let this go on for days and days, be sympathetic, and take some candy ass measures to console her. That said it was fun watching Alicia be a kickass lawyer.

What did kalinda say at the end?

[mbutterfly]

It's November sweeps right? Because that seemed liked a March/April non-sweeps filler episode to me.  Now that Castro has dropped out will the case against Cary be dropped?  The best scenes in tonight's episode were the Cary witness prep with Christine Baranski and Rita Wilson.  I find it hard to believe they will kill Kalinda off this season after killing Will last season, and she just doesn't seem like the witness protection type for me.  So either she makes herself disappear or she kills Bishop and makes herself disappear.  

I really like the idea she kills Bishop and makes herself disappear. 

[Kel Varnsen]

I call bs on the college tribunal as one of those Only on Tv tropes... only on atv are the cards so overtly nd bizarrely stacked against the girl, In a panel led by an old man who hasn't even read the manual. Colleges have got to be terrified of bad press if not lawsuits and considering it costs nothing to let the girl have her say, even if irl they didn't want to deal with expelling him, they could let this go on for days and days, be sympathetic, and take some candy ass measures to console her. That said it was fun watching Alicia be a kickass lawyer.

Thinking about it now that does seem kind of weird. Especially once the governor's wife shows you would think they would be like "oh crap we better not fuck this up". Because as far as they know Alicia and Peter are happily married. For all they know she could be reporting what she sees back to Peter and he could launch some kind of governor's investigation into sexual assault on college campuses.

 

For that matter, Eli has said that Alicia is a big deal and reporters and such are following her around. Even more opportunities for bad press for the school. Lastly if the university can afford Canning to be their trial lawyer, wouldn't they want to make sure they had some kind of legal counsel on hand when they had the tribunal, just to watch out for the university's interest, and keep them from getting sued. 

[mbutterfly]

The Good Wife is a dialogue show, and Kalinda doesn't talk.  The character's schtick apparently is her irresistability.  In real life, that kind of charisma is very much in the mind of the beholder, the real life people who impel that kind of reaction have a tendency to be blank screens, and yes, Kalinda is pretty blank.  But it doesn't work (at least for me) given the all-high-speed-repartee, all-the-time style of the rest of the show. 

I agree with most of your post. I liked the non-talking mysterious Kalinda character and thought it played very well against the dialogue of the other characters. But I really disliked sexually irresistible Kalinda. When she leaves (and I hope for the scenario you mention) I believe they will need to bring in another non-talking character who moves among the chatterers in some intriguing way. 

[oceanblue]

I'm guessing that the focus group was paid decently for their time.  Pollsters might use a group over several days, but it's ridiculous that they'd do it for a State's Attorney's race.  I've run US Senate races and Congressional races and never done it.  And won.

[marceline]

 

Now that I've read the idea Kalinda will kill off Bishop (and then be sent to prison or perhaps -- if there were some justification -- into Witness Protection or some such, I like it. Solves a lot of problems and adds a nice twist. Too bad so many people already thought of it.

 

I want to see this just so I can see how they put a woman already living under a fake identity (Remember "Leela?") into Witness Protection.

 

Sorry but I haven't forgotten that Leela mess.