S05.E16: The Last Call

[Pike Ludwell]

To me the issue with the intern is not that she was making a public display of her sorrow but that it was crazy over-the-top given that she had known Will for a week. There's always a person like that in such a situation who has to make his or (let's face it, usually) her emotional reaction so big and make the tragic event about herself. Munchausen by grief proxy!

How did Diane know how well she knew Will, even if she'd worked there only a week. And then you go on to project personality traits onto her as to her motives. And even if she was over emotional, it's possibly a one-time deal. If somehow she repeats that sort of thing talk to her and give her notice. Don't act harsh based on pet peeves and jumping to conclusions and possibly overgeneralizing as to peoples personalities. It's fun to act harsh based on pet peeves, but it reflects poorly on her personality.

[Tara Ariano]

I'm not sure what you mean by speculating about how well Gail got to know Will in that week; I feel like if she'd been close to Will before she got hired at the firm, Diane would have known, or her assistant would have said, but in any case, there's just no way Gail knew Will better or felt his death more deeply than Diane did. Diane's love of Will and their years-long relationship caused her, it seems, to get angry about an acquaintance of a week apparently turning Will's death into a spectacle. If you're giving the intern the benefit of the doubt for her emotional reaction, why not give Diane the same consideration for hers?

[Lisin]

Also I think that If she can't hold it together and at least get to a bathroom she has no place working at a firm like LG anyway so I think Diane's reaction was professionally correct. Attorneys of that caliber get themselves to a private place to have their reactions a la David Lee. And you'd better believe that female attorneys take that shit seriously. You cant cry in the workplace out in public, weeping for someone you just met. I'm sorry, but you can't. You can't even do it over your best friend or lover or partner.  I think it was also illustrating that. I would have done the same thing. You knew him a week lady, calm down. 

[bravelittletoaster]

Yeah, I thought Dianne was pretty justified in her response to that grief as performance art piece by Intern 2 or whatever.

[Cattitude]

Deserved in the sense of someone (Diane) overharshly acting out their own pet peeves, so viewers with the same pet peeves applaud. But the intern might have had very sincere anguish. Diane didn't know. She was just apparently annoyed due to her dislike of such public displays. The intern might never act that way again in the likely scenario that no key person around her at work dies suddenly. I realize many support Diane on this and they applaud her acting on their own pet peeves, and they project all sorts of personality aspects onto the intern, and they feel very strongly about this. But in reality it was very harsh and unnecessarily cruel of Diane.

Totally disagree

 

Also I think that If she can't hold it together and at least get to a bathroom she has no place working at a firm like LG anyway so I think Diane's reaction was professionally correct. Attorneys of that caliber get themselves to a private place to have their reactions a la David Lee. And you'd better believe that female attorneys take that shit seriously. You cant cry in the workplace out in public, weeping for someone you just met. I'm sorry, but you can't. You can't even do it over your best friend or lover or partner.  I think it was also illustrating that. I would have done the same thing. You knew him a week lady, calm down. 

This is spot on. Diane is not acting out some "pet peeve" she is helping this histrionic woman see she is not cut out for the likes of LG if she would act that way in the hall. It isn't a pet peeve with Diane it is part of her core personality to see herself as mentor to young female attorneys and frankly that woman wasn't worth Diane or LG wasting their professional time on if that was her personality. I think it is clear David Lee, Diane and a whole host of other were genuinely upset that Will was dead but weren't making a spectacle in the hall heck even the secretaries had more couth than that.

End of the day if Diane had died and Will saw the same scene he would have done the same, not some pet peeve but professional decorum is always the rule of the day.

[Pike Ludwell]

Diane is not acting out some "pet peeve" she is helping this histrionic woman see she is not cut out for the likes of LG if she would act that way in the hall. It isn't a pet peeve with Diane it is part of her core personality to see herself as mentor to young female attorneys and frankly that woman wasn't worth Diane or LG wasting their professional time on if that was her personality.

"Mentoring" the woman? Then quickly get her in private, see if any special reason for the hysteria, tell her to get it together and not show such a public display again. Maybe she'd just had both her parents killed in a car crash and this was more than she could take. Maybe she was secretly Will's lover. But to just assume she's a chronic drama queen or somesuch .... illogical. To instantly fire her .... way too harsh. It was a horrific circumstance and some degree of insanity is to be expected from people.

[Cattitude]

"Mentoring" the woman? Then quickly get her in private, see if any special reason for the hysteria, tell her to get it together and not show such a public display again. Maybe she'd just had both her parents killed in a car crash and this was more than she could take. Maybe she was secretly Will's lover. But to just assume she's a chronic drama queen or somesuch .... illogical. To instantly fire her .... way too harsh. It was a horrific circumstance and some degree of insanity is to be expected from people.

LG has always been presented as a highly sought after pyramid style intership. It is hard enough just to get a first year internship. I see nothing harsh in what happened I'm sure interns have been let go for much less. It has always been presented as a cut-throat business. In that world you either sink or swim, Diane has always been hard on other female lawyers she isn't there to be their mother, but prepare them for the "real world" of being a female in that world. That woman was clearly not the type for LG

Edited April 1, 2014 by Cattitude

[fastiller]

I'm still stuck on how the attendees of the Correspondence Club luncheon weren't buzzing within moments of the shooting.  At the very least, we should have heard all the cell phones, etc., beeping, buzzing, whatevering.  And Eli shouldn't have been introducing Peter 'business-as-(somewhat)-usual'.  He should have done a one sentence introduction and Peter should have started by saying "we've just heard about this shooting... sorry to cut this short..."

[Lisin]

He should have done a one sentence introduction and Peter should have started by saying "we've just heard about this shooting... sorry to cut this short..."

I totally agree. I don't know why they didn't just SAY what happened instead of trying to act like everything was fine. 

[ApathyMonger]

I'm still stuck on how the attendees of the Correspondence Club luncheon weren't buzzing within moments of the shooting.  At the very least, we should have heard all the cell phones, etc., beeping, buzzing, whatevering.  And Eli shouldn't have been introducing Peter 'business-as-(somewhat)-usual'.  He should have done a one sentence introduction and Peter should have started by saying "we've just heard about this shooting... sorry to cut this short..."

Whatever about Eli/Peter knowing, the first time we cut to the Correspondence Club luncheon is some time after the shooting, while Will is being worked on in the Trauma room, so they probably would have been called prior to us seeing those scenes.

[photo fox]

I guess it wouldn't have killed Diane to ask, "why are you crying?" before the fired the intern, but I don't think she was unfair not to.

Law firm interns are college grads, correct? So, early 20s? Plenty old enough to know that kind of display is completely unprofessional. And I think it would be equally poor form even if she did know Will before.

I've cried at work. I'm not going to lie. Some people are easy criers. I've cried about work stuff, I've cried about personal stuff. In my office, in the restroom, in my manager's office. But not in the freaking hallway! And it's not like she was even making an attempt to get into a private space. She was just standing there drawing a crowd. Get a grip, girl.

[Pike Ludwell]

I've cried at work. I'm not going to lie. Some people are easy criers. I've cried about work stuff, I've cried about personal stuff. In my office, in the restroom, in my manager's office. But not in the freaking hallway! And it's not like she was even making an attempt to get into a private space. She was just standing there drawing a crowd. Get a grip, girl.

I remember on 9/11 there was a temp worker crying out loud in the distance, briefly, in very professional legal offices I worked at. I just viewed it as a reflection of strong feelings being expressed differently by different people. If a manager had walked up to her and fired her on the spot I would have been outraged. Additionally, here's another thought. I HATE people talking too loud, unnecessarily in the hallway. One time a temp worker was standing outside my office talking for a while on their cell phone. Very unprofessional. Should I storm up and fire him on the spot. Same thing as Diane did. To be consistent she will have to be firing anyone talking loud in the hallway, laughing too loud, etc. Would she do the same as to an intern laughing too loud? It's the exact equivalence: deliberate too loud emotion, very unprofessional, probably an element of attention seeking in it. Soon a boss like Diane would be so despised she would become a detriment to the co.

Edited April 1, 2014 by Democritus

[Tara Ariano]

Seems like an agree-to-disagree situation, so I bid you adieu.

[Lisin]

For some reason I really liked the part where the judge took Alicia to the courtroom and showed her what happened. It seemed that he didn't particularly want to but he could tell she needed it. I thought it was really nice of him since he probably had no desire to go back in there. 

[Cattitude]

For some reason I really liked the part where the judge took Alicia to the courtroom and showed her what happened. It seemed that he didn't particularly want to but he could tell she needed it. I thought it was really nice of him since he probably had no desire to go back in there. 

I liked it too, but I just kept thinking that man is WAY too calm. I mean from what I understand Judges are very attached to their court rooms, I'd think he'd be at least mad or something that it turned into a crime scene. The bailiff was clearly incompetent, I just would have expected him to be more upset, that plus the witness Jeffery killed was right by the judge and Jeffery obviously wasn't familiar with guns so I just thought he was way too calm.

[fabaa]

First of all, the actor playing Jeffery Grant was astounding. I, like Kalinda, thought Jeffery was guilty, but seeing how hysterical he was made me think he was innocent. What pushed him over the edge was (1) Being innocent and the teacher falsely accusing him (2) Lawyers laughing and appearing not to take his case seriously (3) Solitary. I could see that his current lawyer would win the argument of insanity.

As for Will's call, it was clear to me that Will knew why Alicia is being friendly towards him. He called to clarify that he wont break attorney client privilege. If he was angry about them poaching their customer, then he would have told her off when she approached him at court. 

Its natural to have someone obsess about a loved one's last words to them. When my father passed away unexpectedly, I went through the same process. I don't see Alicia as selfish for trying to seek the truth. She wants to know how he felt about her when his last words to her were ambiguous. 

In the hospital scene, which I thought was well-acted, BTW, notice Finn referred to his wife and children.  So if TPTB are looking at putting him together with Alicia down the road, they will have to deal with those obstacles.  I do think Goode is fitting in with the cast nicely already, but Alicia really needs to not be in a relationship for a while.  I have hopes that she and Peter will have a massive falling-out and they will formally separate.

I took an instant liking to Finn Polmar when he first appeared and before learning he became a series regular. I really did not expect him to be a new love interest, but honestly I am not against it. I trust the show in finding the right pace and timing if Finn/Alicia happen. 

I do hope that Alicia gets off her duff and finally dumps Peter.  I get that she's given the guy mixed signals but she obviously didn't want to deal with him and he still managed to call her and show up at the apartment.

I have been a Peter/Alicia shipper since season one and could see that their relationship is going to implode. The ending scene shows Peter is trying his best to stay close to his wife, but his wife is now realizing that she made the wrong decision of "being a good wife" instead of being with Will. I always believed Owen when he told Will that she left LG to stand on her own so she could return to Will when the time was right.

This show. I love it.

Edited April 2, 2014 by fabaa

[Rogaine2233]

Hunter Parrish (Jeffrey Grant) played one of the kids on "Weeds" and he was phenomenal. I'm surprised we haven't seen him in more stuff.

[bravelittletoaster]

He would have been my choice for Finnick in the Hunger Games.

Eta: love your lambchop avatar, Rogaine!

Edited April 2, 2014 by bravelittletoaster

[dbell1]

Add me to the list of people okay with the intern firing.  I'm on Team Diane. 

What struck me as odd about the shooting is that it was over, Will was dead, but the reporter's phones weren't going off and the room wasn't emptying while crap comic was going on and on. Alicia's keynote speech room went from full to like 10 people in seconds.  Do lawyers in NY have better cell coverage?  

Wonder if Eli let Peter stay clueless so Alicia could get away? 

I liked the flashbacks, but wish Alicia would have spent more than a few seconds with Diane. She sort of wandered away after hearing "he loved you". 

[Splash]

The intern was more than old enough to recognize that she needed to excuse herself and go somewhere more private to cry.  She wasn't taking cues from her superiors on the proper way to behave and was causing a distraction, since two other employees were consoling her.  Diane might have been a bit harsh to fire her outright, but I don't blame her.  

The one nitpick I have is why Eli wasn't informed sooner about the shooting.  There's a shooting at a city courthouse and the first the Governor's Chief of Staff hears about it is from Kalinda, just before the Governor is about to make a speech at a Correspondence Dinner.  I find it very hard to believe that not one of those reporters received a text about what was going on and that no one on Peter's staff wasn't trying to get in touch with Eli the second the news broke.

I loved David, Diane, and Cary's reactions to the news.  When David left the room, I was sure he was going to start contacting clients, so I was very surprised at his emotion.  But true to David, he got down to business quickly to deal with the incoming client chaos.  Every reaction Diane had was perfect to me, from her dazed reactions when she first walked into the office, to how she bluntly told the partners what happened, to calling that client in to fire him in person.  That client was a prick and I loved how shocked he was when she told him they were done.  I can't decide which scene of Cary's I like better, his stunned reaction when Alicia told him the news or his anger in the deposition.  Kind of a tossup, I think.  

[Pike Ludwell]

Unless you all believe that Diane should also fire new people instantly for laughing too loud in the halls, one must conclude that you folks here understand she was acting on personal feelings, not genuine business motives. Laughing loud and long in the hallway is unprofessional too and highly distracting, and childish. Those who do it are likely to repeat it over and over and over, unlike someone sobbing because a co-worker just died (co-workers die a lot less than laughter situations ensue). So, if you all are willing to instantly fire new employees for other childish loud noise, at least you are consistent, and I respect your opinions. But I doubt she would do so.

On the other hand, if Diane is not willing to instantly fire people for things such as crazy loud laughter in the hall as well, we must conclude she was motivated by personal feelings, along the lines: "My grief for Will is special and precious since I knew him so well. I DO NOT want some B who hardly knew him to be publicly exhibiting greater grief than me!"

That's it in a nutshell. Either admit that Diane should also instantly fire anyone new, making childish inappropriate noise in the hall - thereby showing she is truly just being professional. Or admit she was motivated in a specific instance by irrational personal feelings: Her grief was too special and precious to allow it to be upstaged by someone like that intern. So either applaud her for acting professional (in which case you must also advocate she instantly fire loud, long laughers) OR admit she was acting on emotional feelings, irrationally, but with a mindset of boy that felt good!

Edited April 2, 2014 by Democritus

[shapeshifter]

Is there any chance this episode was written in part to express feelings about and illustrate reactions to Tony Scott's death? I know they dedicated an episode to him, but this one was about the sudden loss of an important colleague and friend.

When Kalinda and Jenna went to see Will's body, the ME at first objected because he was expecting the family to arrive any minute to identify the body, so that means Will's name would not yet have been officially released, hence fanwankability that those attending Peter's event might not know who died.

[photo fox]

Will's name would not yet have been officially released, hence fanwankability that those attending Peter's event might not know who died.

Sure, I can see that. But I still have a really hard time believing that it wouldn't be a HUGE story. Chicago has a lot of violent crime to be sure, but they're not so inured to it that a courthouse shooting wouldn't be breaking news. There aren't that many courthouses in Cook County. And while it's possible that these reporters cover politics and not crime, reporters are inherently news junkies (and gossips!) I used to work in TV news, and even the sports guys would have heard about this story, if it happened in my city.

Thinking about it, the fact that the fatalities wouldn't have been identified yet should only increase the likelihood that the reporters would ask Peter about it. After all, it happened in a courtroom. In a courthouse his wife and her associates are known to frequent. Even if these are political reporters, their assignment desk, knowing they were going to be at an event with the governor, would have been calling/texting/tweeting/sending up smoke signals at them to get a statement from the governor about the shooting. News directors are more insensitive than Diane and her client added together. They wouldn't let that opportunity pass.

I guess I'll just have to tell myself that the reporters were already at the event when the shooting happened, and had been told to turn off their phones. And they actually did it.

I like your theory about the tie-in to Tony Scott's death. That had not occurred to me, but it does seem likely.

Edited April 2, 2014 by photo fox

[Rogaine2233]

 

Eta: love your lambchop avatar, Rogaine!

Thanks Bravelittletoaster!  I love your name!   I have loved Lambchop since my childhood days.  I would cry when my mother wanted to serve lamp chops for dinner.

[Cattitude]

Wonder if Eli let Peter stay clueless so Alicia could get away?

Heh!

The one nitpick I have is why Eli wasn't informed sooner about the shooting.  There's a shooting at a city courthouse and the first the Governor's Chief of Staff hears about it is from Kalinda, just before the Governor is about to make a speech at a Correspondence Dinner.

It was to illustrate what a special snowflake Kalinda is she always trumps everyone ever and always. (sorry just not a Kalinda fan)

[webruce]

What did Will want to say to Alicia??? Alicia's scenarios make you wonder. The Alicia and Diane hug was great! David Lee quick cry was so real. Thought at first David Lee was trying to take over Wills accounts. But he let Diane fire Bob Klepper as an account. Was surprised that David went along with it. Now maybe Damien Boyle will be next? Waiting to see when David don't agree with Diane.

Alicia and Finn Polmar was a nice talk. He did a great job being with Will at the end. He said he was married, where is wife and kid? Also liked Alicia talking to Judge Politi. But she did seem to be all about her and not really about Will. Was disappointed on Alicias response to Grace too. But you never know what to say in situations like that.

Cary getting upset really made me think he is mad and frustrated too.

Was surprised how Kalinda was pushing Jeffrey Grant in his cell. So he did take out the Dr. Ian Vail who it seems was the murderer of the girl. Wonder if it will ever come out?

Surprised Diane fired intern Gail, was she to hysterical? Will was probably the first person she ever knew that was murdered. Wonder if Diane talked to her hubby Kurt McVie during this all? Or did the last 2 episodes happen over 2 days?

Kalinda checking Wills body, wouldn't his eye be dried or glazed over? I know, hard to portray.

Surprise when Peter finally talked to Alicia on Eli's phone that he didn't at least say "love you?".

Even though we only saw him in background, liked James McDaniel as Detective Lou Johnson. Thought he was good on Detroit 1-8-7. Maybe he will be talking to Kalinda about the belt trick. Or to Detective Jenna Villette for allowing Kalinda such leeway.

[apgold]

 

As for Will's call, it was clear to me that Will knew why Alicia is being friendly towards him. He was going to clarify to her that he wont break attorney client privilege. He could have told her about the customer she poached when he saw her, but he did not.

That's entirely possible and certainly not Alicia's fanfic like fantasy at the end where Will wanted to be with her, it was something more mundane.  

I think Will's death will be the catalyst that breaks up the Florrick's marriage.  Someone pointed out that Alicia was acting like a widow and people were even treating her that way, too speaks volumes.  

Diane's behavior puzzled me throughout this ep, whether it was firing the crying intern or firing their client (and blackballing him to other firms) later in the show b/c "that's what Will what've done"? I did like her comforting Alicia, and forgetting all of the bad blood between them.  I found David Lee to be much more believable and he was absolutely right to start calling Will's clients before the news broke.  No client would want to hear that on the news.  Looks like David and Diane will be battling each other over the future of LG.  I think she might end up at FA come end of the season.

Cary was on fire during the deposition - he kind of reminded me of Will there, and I think that was intentional.  

Poor Jeffrey Grant - the kid is definitely going to trial for murder now and will be in prison the rest of his life.  Hunter Parrish killed it (literally and figuratively), he should get a guest Emmy for that role, IMO.

[romantic idiot]

Hunter Parrish did kill it. But I can't say poor Jeffery Grant. He could have stopped after the first bullet. He could have killed himself with the first bullet. He could have been stronger and held himself together. He's pitiful, but I'm not sorry for him. And he's got rich parents and there's a good chance he's going to be acquitted because of insanity. 

[fabaa]

Hunter Parrish did kill it. But I can't say poor Jeffery Grant. He could have stopped after the first bullet. He could have killed himself with the first bullet. He could have been stronger and held himself together. He's pitiful, but I'm not sorry for him. And he's got rich parents and there's a good chance he's going to be acquitted because of insanity. 

I really do think Jeffery lost it, the way he was crying uncontrollably at the holding cell and repeatedly pulling the trigger trying to die (in the previous episode). 

[bravelittletoaster]

unlike someone sobbing because a co-worker just died (co-workers die a lot less than laughter situations ensue).

I thought at the time [and still do] that the point was that the intern was sobbing as a "look at me look at me grieving" performance piece.  She didn't know Will, which Dianne established before coming to what I think was the right conclusion that the act wasn't a spontaneous display of genuine grief.  Or if she really acts that way every time a virtual stranger to her dies, she's just not cut out for this [or I think, many] lines of work.  It was waaaay over the top and uncalled for.  But then I also wouldn't have a problem firing someone who created a disturbance in any number of disruptive ways as you suggest, so my tolerance for eccentric and or aberrant behavior is probably just way lower.

[Pike Ludwell]

I thought at the time [and still do] that the point was that the intern was sobbing as a "look at me look at me grieving" performance piece.  She didn't know Will, which Dianne established before coming to what I think was the right conclusion that the act wasn't a spontaneous display of genuine grief.  Or if she really acts that way every time a virtual stranger to her dies, she's just not cut out for this [or I think, many] lines of work.  It was waaaay over the top and uncalled for.  But then I also wouldn't have a problem firing someone who created a disturbance in any number of disruptive ways as you suggest, so my tolerance for eccentric and or aberrant behavior is probably just way lower.

If the point was that Diane didn't like her "look at me I'm sobbing" thing, that was still an emotional reason, if she would not act that way in those other sorts of situations. I applaud you for showing consistency and that it would be a consistent, rational policy you would apply. I would respect that. In fact, the bigger problem at work to me has always been the more frequent unprofessional noise makers. The sobbers at death don't bug me that much as it is a rare deal. A boss who would fire a constant annoying hallway loud laugher or person insisting on always talking on their phone through the speaker phone - that would be my hero. If Diane does that she is great. If this was just her going off half cocked out of personal resentment, I don't like it. I'd like to see a followup on another episode, but probably won't happen.

Edited April 2, 2014 by Democritus

[Tara Ariano]

Let's consider your point made, Democritus.

[Pike Ludwell]

Sure, I can see that. But I still have a really hard time believing that it wouldn't be a HUGE story. Chicago has a lot of violent crime to be sure, but they're not so inured to it that a courthouse shooting wouldn't be breaking news. There aren't that many courthouses in Cook County. And while it's possible that these reporters cover politics and not crime, reporters are inherently news junkies (and gossips!) I used to work in TV news, and even the sports guys would have heard about this story, if it happened in my city.

 

Not any sort of big deal. Very minor point in the overall scheme of the show.

[zmeliz]

Peter is toast.

God, I so hope he is. This episode made me realise how much I resent Alicia's decision to stick with him and how much I hate the Peter character because of that ( and the way he treated Carrie, the empowered doormat, on another show:-)) Until Will's death, I just thought he was an obstacle that Alicia needed to overcome and I could live with that. But in this episode, it really hit me how much time I've wasted watching him and Alicia instead of Will and Alicia.

I have to give it to the writers, though: I think this was exactly what we (through Alicia) were supposed to feel.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I lost someone last month so this episode hit a little too close to home for me. Translation: I cried a lot while watching this episode. Everyone grieves differently, so I liked that they showed the way each character dealt with it.

I really felt for Diane. Not only was she there at the courthouse and then at the hospital right after Will died, but she had to be the adult in the situation: calling Will's sisters and Alicia, telling the partners that Will had died, staying at work to deal with an asshole client when she probably just wanted to go home, crawl into bed, and cry. Loved that she fired the wailing intern. While part of me wants to give that girl the benefit of the doubt and think that she is young and this is the first death she's dealt with, I still wanted her to STFU. You only worked in the same office building with Will for a few days and you're crying hysterically? Uh no. Take your attention whoring elsewhere, young lady.

Similarly, I really felt for Cary. I know he wasn't as close with Will as Diane and Alicia, but he was clearly upset and unlike Alicia, he was stuck at work dealing with that deposition. He didn't have the opportunity to wander around the city searching for answers like Alicia so I understood him blowing up at the client in frustration. I also felt bad for him because he and Alicia seem like they have gotten to a good place but when he asked her if she was okay, she just blew him off.

David Lee showing a sliver of humanity (heh, after yelling at the two people in the conference to get out so he could cry in private) and then channeling his energy into contacting Will's clients was very true to his nature. I admit that I was sure he had ulterior motives, but his reaction to Diane firing that jackass client made me rethink that. I also felt bad when Diane yelled at him and then he recoiled when she tried to touch his arm afterward.

I thought Alicia's walkabout was in character. That voicemail gave her something to focus on and obsess about so that she wasn't a completely hysterical mess. It allowed her to think about Will's death tangentially instead of thinking about never seeing him again. Before she heard his voicemail, she was getting really emotional (in a very realistic way to me). Seeing a kid waiting to cross the street made her cry. Seeing someone in Will's office made her think it was Will and when he turned around, she realized she would never see him in his office again. Going off on her own little investigation made her feel like she had a purpose, that if she solved this puzzle, Will's death would somehow make sense.

My issue with what Grace said to Alicia wasn't specifically because of religion itself but that Grace knows how Alicia has responded to discussing this particular topic in the past, so offering up a God related platitude was like someone saying, "Well, Will has turned into a green and purple elephant and is now in an intergalactic zoo." If the person you are saying that to doesn't believe that, then what is the point in saying it to them? If you have to preface a statement with "I know you don't believe it, but..." then just don't bother saying it (I have the same rule for when people begin sentences with "Don't take this the wrong way"). I mean, if someone said, "I know you don't think acupuncture/Paleo diet/balance bracelets really work, but..." what are they really saying? That they already know you think it's a crock of shit but they want to try to convince you anyway. Everyone is entitled to their beliefs but there's no need to keep trying to convince the non-believers that your beliefs are correct. I want to give Grace a little leeway since she's a teenager, but I wish she had just said, "I'm sorry that your friend died. I know it must be really difficult. If you need anything or you want to talk, I'm here."

Poor Eli. Even though he and Will weren't BFFs by any stretch of the imagination, Eli was another one stuck at work and not given the opportunity to process the news privately. When Peter admonished him for calling Dubeck and Eli said he would rather be doing stuff besides thinking of Peter's career, I really felt for Eli.

I think that people were offering their condolences to Alicia because regardless of whether they knew about her affair with Will, it was no secret that they were friends in law school. When someone you have known for over 20 years dies, people normally offer their sympathies even if they know you weren't best friends. I know that knowing someone for a long time doesn't necessarily mean you are better friends than if you've only known someone a few years, but people do tend to take the length of your friendship into consideration.

Edited April 13, 2014 by ElectricBoogaloo

[John Potts]

While I'm no fan of soapier aspects of the show, for once I actually thought this episode worked. I loved David Lee's response - he took a moment to get upset and then was back on the "all business" attitude I've come to expect (and his comment to Diane was exactly right - I respect your feelings, but others won't, so we've got to think about how this affects Will's clients). Similarly, Eli was all "somebody has to go on doing the business while others grieve". Loved Cary going ape on that guy for no good reason (well, other than to "work out his anger", or however he put it) and even Kalinda got a badass moment (even if I never believed she would go through with it - if nothing else because there would be no way she could wriggle out of doing that). I even liked Grace's attitude - just because you think I'm naïve doesn't make you right to be cynical (though if I was Alicia, I'd have pointed out Grace couldn't be sure he wouldn't go "The other way" - Will was clearly a sinner, after all).

 

Could the people on the show stop talking about "firing" clients? "Firing" means (in this context, anyway) "terminating employment". Lawyers don't employ clients, they employ you! Similarly, they don't belong to any firm, so you can't steal them, though at least there the word is more apt.

 

apgold I think Will's death will be the catalyst that breaks up the Florrick's marriage.

 

God I hope so. Though if she were going to leave him, you'd think she'd have already done  it.

[merylinkid]

Ehh, I'm a lawyer.   We talk about firing clients about the time.   It means terminating the relationship.  Clients can fire us, we fire them.   

[GHScorpiosRule]

Ehh, I'm a lawyer.   We talk about firing clients about the time.   It means terminating the relationship.  Clients can fire us, we fire them.   

Yep. The firm I work in? We did a BOATLOAD of work for this one client, kept them out of jail to this point, who decided to stop paying us, because we told them what they needed to do, and not what they wanted to hear. They owe us in the neighborhood of a quarter of a mil, and we are a small firm. So we "terminated" our representation.

[fastiller]

Yep. The firm I work in? We did a BOATLOAD of work for this one client, kept them out of jail to this point, who decided to stop paying us, because we told them what they needed to do, and not what they wanted to hear. They owe us in the neighborhood of a quarter of a mil, and we are a small firm. So we "terminated" our representation.

Almost 100 years ago, I worked for a bank (at the branch level); we had a (retail, individual) client that was such a total jerkwad - he'd made at least three tellers cry and was just all around unpleasant - that the branch manager made the executive decision to cut him a bank check for his entire balance (app $200k) and tell him to take his business elsewhere.  She had the blessing of the regional manager to do so.  So, 'firing' of clients happens in various types of companies.

[John Potts]

I'm sure lawyers do talk about "firing" clients, but the pedant in me can't help but bristle at the incorrect English usage!

[lucindabelle]

Late to the party, just catching up with this show after being down with a virus,

I was a little puzzled by the intern firing, even wondering if her only knowing him for a week meant she must be sleeping with hm... Because otherwise her grief was absolutely a performance and immature. Even if it were real it was absolutely inappropriate. He was her boss, not her father. And it was not 9/11 or anything like that.

Ugh, I hate that type of "compassionate" person, generally people like that are insensitive to anybody but themselves. Because, in fact, crying loudly like that in that situation is distracting, unprofessional and makes everyone feel worse.

At a different time Diane might have rolled her eyes but one thing sudden death does remind you is that life was short, so omit she went.

Diane is not the interns mom. She has no obligation to treat her with care and understanding. The intern is there to work. She could be fired for wearing the wrong length skirt. I applaud Diane.

[kieyra]

New viewer, I just got to this episode.

 

I think it was well-done in terms of emotional impact, but a lot of that had to do with a structural device that caused suspension of disbelief problems for me. They kept having characters tell other characters verbally about Will's death, and that there had been a shooting at the courthouse...LONG after the news would have been all over twitter and the media. It was most evident to me when: the shooting had happened, then Diane and Kalinda had time to go to the hospital, and hang around, and then find out Will was dead, and then travel BACK to the LG office ... where seemingly no one even knew there had been a courthouse shooting, even though it must have been hours after the fact?
 

Active-shooter situations hit the news IMMEDIATELY now, and the people present in the courtroom at the time of the shooting would have been right there on the docket. Even if we don't assume a local crime reporter was nearby, all those people who survived had phones. 

 

Never mind the room full of journalists at the correspondents' lunch.

Edited December 17, 2014 by kieyra