S06.E10: The Trial

[Tara Ariano]

Cary's case goes to trial and he considers a plea deal that would send him to jail. Meanwhile, a joke between mother and daughter lands Alicia in trouble as her campaign for State's Attorney shifts into full gear.

[Sandman]

Good grief, Good Wife! That was some shitty writing.

[momlyd]

The campaign can end any time now. Holy crow, I was sick of politics in real life - I am truly tired of this storyline.

Where was Kalinda at the end of the episode?

Don't do it, Cary!

[Pfj99]

Writers, could you make Alicia more clueless and unlikable?

[stonehaven]

I could not stop rolling my eyes at the contrivances....and I swear they are out to make everyone either really dumb or really stupid. I get the feeling that only Diane Lockhart really cares about Cary while Alicia is amazingly detached...

That whole political storyline was beyond stupid. I..can't..even...

What do you want to bet that Peter will quietly pardon Cary so it won't embarrass Alicia's campaign?

I'd like to see Alicia and Peter talk political strategy. That would have been interesting but the whole Alicia being jealous put the kabash on it.

There were so many interesting ways they could have gone with this show, this season but they just wasted them all...

..and I'm a bit surprised that Cary didn't kill himself in the end...or he still might...

[ChocButterfly]

I can't believe Grace is that stupid! Seriously, reading the note to the teacher!? Why did she bring the note at all? Then again, I can't believe Alicia was stupid enough to write it and give it to her stupid daughter.

 

I know it'd probably would've been out of character, but I wanted Carey to blow up at Bishop, or Kalinda in the house, but Carey better. It's Bishop' s fault he's going to jail, he has done everything, EVERYTHING to protect that asshole and still he screws him over?? I wanted Carey to tell him that he wouldn't be having to go to Barcelona if he had let Dante testify. If i were Carey I'd have taken Geneva's offer and testifiy against Bishop. Of course, then I'd probably get killed by one of his henchmen, but I don't think straight when I'm super mad. And mad for me, beats scared at all times. At least Carey could've scream a bit at him.

 

Whatever happened to the court rule of Kalinda staying away from Carey?

[Jlina]

I have never, ever been so PISSED OFF at a show before. Period.  My God, these writers are clueless and shit, I just wish Kalinda or anyone would shoot Bisphop's smug ass face off.  Cary should've turned on him.  Alicia will cry for Cary but won't go slap Bishop's face?  What a fake ass beyotch.  So above it all...in her little dream bistro with Will's fill in.  Sickening. 

[Tetraneutron]

OK, how is Grace so stupid? Didn't Peter say she was a straight-A student? Was he lying?

 

I'm liking the forward motion (finally!) in Cary's trial. And we're learning about Geneva Pine. Who thinks her affair will be revealed and somehow gets the plea overturned or contested. I liked how everyone was a lawyer, they all tried to grandstand and then immediately called each other on their shit. And then acknowledged that their shit had been called on.

 

I'm legitimately scared for Cary, so good job, show. maybe the Feds get him out somehow. All that stuff with Lana has to be leading somewhere, right?

[Shelby]

What a lackluster episode.

I couldn't care less about the whole stabbing a teacher storyline. Grace is an idiot. Alicia has become one of the most unlikeable characters on TV. Finn and Alicia fizzle. I usually enjoy the Lemond scenes but not tonight. Geneva is having an affair, who cares?

So when does this lame show return? I saw it's not on next week (commercials for The Mentalist), but no dramatic promos about a return date.

[mrsdalgliesh]

So....I was wrecked by that last scene and wrecked by Kalinda seeing her big risk go to shit, and mainly wrecked by MattC hitting it out of the park. 

 

Not angry about the political stuff, because the Kings are going there and I can't do anything about it.  No idea what the various courtroom shenanigans were about (dismissed juror who they show overhearing Cary and Kalinda -- why? DA distracted by love affair -- why?).  

 

Just wrecked by what's happened to Cary.  Bishop. Must. Die.

[Joimiaroxeu]

And we're learning about Geneva Pine. Who thinks her affair will be revealed and somehow gets the plea overturned or contested.

Maybe her scorned lover will rat her out for spite. Boy was that random. Wonder what made her risk her marriage for that guy?

[tomsmom]

The one thing that I just can't let go of is that Alicia, Diane and Cary STILL have not had one conversation about her running for office!!! It makes me crazy!!!

And what about all that BS with Geneva Pine and her husband/BF!! I was thinking that would lead to something big!! I. Don't. Care.

[izabella]

It really sucks being Cary.  Alicia can represent Lemond Bishop and still run for SA while funded by his PAC, no problem or even any questions about it, but Cary ends up in jail.  I do not want to see Cary go to jail! 

 

So, I've forgotten.  Who set up the taped conversation of Cary?  Was that Castro?  Wouldn't someone in Castro's office have been involved in setting it up and making sure that the tape was strategically started and stopped to make Cary look bad?  Maybe Kalinda can find someone who would be guilty of entrapment?

[Tetraneutron]

So....I was wrecked by that last scene and wrecked by Kalinda seeing her big risk go to shit, and mainly wrecked by MattC hitting it out of the park. 

 

Not angry about the political stuff, because the Kings are going there and I can't do anything about it.  No idea what the various courtroom shenanigans were about (dismissed juror who they show overhearing Cary and Kalinda -- why? DA distracted by love affair -- why?).  

 

Just wrecked by what's happened to Cary.  Bishop. Must. Die.

 

The acting between Archie Panjabi and Mike Colter was so good you don't notice it at the time, but looking back, why would she threated Bishop with Child Services? It doesn't make sense. Kalinda is working for the defense, which is opposite the State. And it's the State who would have any influence with Child Services. If Bishop is legitimately worried about Dylan being taken from him, his best bet is to throw Cary to the wolves to make Castro happy. But then AGAIN you come into the problem that all the polts are happening parallel to each other. How are Cary, Diane, and Kalinda not running their trial strategy in the context that Alicia might be SA?

 

I don't think Bishop can die since he's responsible for so many of the show's stories over the years. But I expect it will happen probably having something to do with (no spoilers, just a guess) Kalinda dying or fleeing the country. But it's getting ridiculous. Actually, it got ridiculous in season 4 that Peter was somehow able to run for governor of IL with no one bringing up that his wife represents the most notorious drug kingpin in Chicago. (Colin Sweeney I can accept BARELY). And now Alicia's running to be a prosecutor, of all things, and it's not a race-ending liability?

[Gregg247]

Poor Cary!  I hate that all this stuff is happening to him, and the actor is really selling the misery he's going through.  Something's got to be going on, though (I hope), because Cary in prison means he's off the show.  That seems unlikely.

 

I like Lemond Bishop.  Oh, he's a bad dude, but the guy who plays him performs his role a lot like Ben from "Lost", in that I keep thinking, "He's not such a bad guy after all", and then he does something truly repulsive.  Got me again!

[pennben]

First of all, glad I wasn't having a stroke as I first feared when they were doing the whatever with the guy with the auditory problem!  I kept rewinding to see if I was hearing wrong, then turned on my close caption and decided there was some horrific dubbing problem.  Could have saved 10 minutes of my life if I just let the episode play a few minutes longer.

 

They are just trying to force us to root for Alicia to win the race, whether we like it or not, aren't they?  Now she has to win to save Cary.  Guess what, I'm still not rooting for her to win.

[Texasmom1970]

The show better fix this mess, if Cary goes to jail I'm out!

[Ms Blue Jay]

This show is like an abusive lover.  How many hits can they give us.  How many times have we threatened to leave?  Oh god.  What a mess.  

[jb1183]

Of course Alicia and Kalinda never sat in on Cary's trial at the same time. Several of the Cary scenes tonight would have been more effective if Diane, Alicia, and Kalinda could all have been in them together, but apparently it's too much to ask that JM and AP even occasionally be in the same scene anymore.

 

Why is Alicia running for SA? Other than to satisfy her ever expanding ego, I mean? She should concentrate on the damn firm she just started a year ago. And I echo the others who are driven crazy by the fact that we've seen no discussion between Alica and her partners as to what her campaign and possible election would mean for the firm.

[shapeshifter]

...I can't believe Alicia was stupid enough to write it and give it to her stupid daughter....

That's the part that doesn't ring true. Alicia is the one who should know better.

...why would [Kalinda threaten] Bishop with Child Services? It doesn't make sense. Kalinda is working for the defense, which is opposite the State. And it's the State who would have any influence with Child Services. If Bishop is legitimately worried about Dylan being taken from him, his best bet is to throw Cary to the wolves to make Castro happy....

So did Kalinda screw Cary in her attempt to help him? It did seem like Bishop's threatening, testimony-changing presence in the courtroom was possibly brought on by Kalinda's threat. But it also seemed like Bishop gave Kalinda Dante because of her threat. So confused.

...If i were Carey I'd have taken Geneva's offer and testifiy against Bishop....

But Carey is so pissed at Geneva et al. right now that he probably wouldn't want to give them the satisfaction--or trust them. Still, I'd like to see Cary working for the SA as a spy in Barcelona to bring down Bishop's now international drug ring.

Whatever happened to the court rule of Kalinda staying away from Carey?

Yes. What's up with that? If it expired at trial, they could've given the audience a reminder.

[Tetraneutron]

I don't think Cary could have realistically accepted Geneva's offer to testify against Bishop. I don't think anyone expected it - you'll notice when Geneva made the offer, she didn't react at Cary's refusal and just moved on to a new proposal. It would be near-certain suicide, and every single person in the story knows it. This is the guy that killed two of his lieutenants because he suspected one of them may have been a CI. He's been on the show for 6 years and killing people is pretty much his only move.

[Ms Blue Jay]

So did Kalinda screw Cary in her attempt to help him? It did seem like Bishop's threatening, testimony-changing presence in the courtroom was possibly brought on by Kalinda's threat. But it also seemed like Bishop gave Kalinda Dante because of her threat. So confused.

 

Bishop "gave" Kalinda Dante, only to screw her over.  Dante testified saying that Cary advised him on how to break the law, which is a lie and will likely get Cary convicted.  After Kalinda's threat Bishop only hurt Cary more, "except" I guess for that "offer" to "work for him" in Barcelona.

[jjj]

I do not understand the interlude with the juror who had trouble hearing.  Even he would have had trouble with Dante's testimony, so why bother with all that confusion about his hearing? 

 

They surely will bring back the plot of Geneva's love triangle, otherwise why introduce that? 

 

And something will overturn this, because it is not just two years in jail -- it is the loss of Carey's license to practice law.  And howver bad the writing is, that will not be the arc. 

[UsernameFatigue]

The whole school note storyline was probably the worst thing I have ever seen on this show

 

That whole storyline was just ridiculous. Not in that Grace would not be stupid enough to give the teacher the note. What is unbelievable is that Alicia would write that note in the first place. One, she isn't that stupid. Two, she has no sense of humour. Three, Alicia has never shown herself to be overly involved with her kids, so for her to take the time to write out a fake note to make Grace feel better just does not ring true. Worst writing ever. And that is saying alot.

 

So if Cary were to take the time served deal and testify against Bishop, wouldn't he still lose his law license? I just don't see any scenario where that is going to happen. If Kalinda had been smart (and I thought she generally was) she would have recorded her visit to Bishop. There is no reason for her to want the guy to testify unless it is to say the tape was edited to make Cary look guilty. So for the guy to suddenly show up to testlfy but say that opposite (and with Bishop in the courtroom) shows he was coerced into lying in court. Of course she didn't know that the guy would lie but it is pretty much a given that Bishop would get back at her somehow. Ugh.

Edited November 24, 2014 by UsernameFatigue

[fivestone]

I'm so confused by Geneva's love triangle. No idea what's going on there.

 

I'm also confused as to why Castro is so bound and determined to get Cary. I could sorta understand if he were still in the SA race but now it just seems purely out of spite.

 

Where is Robin? I haven't seen her since the first couple of episodes this season. Did they ever give us a reason that she would be away or did she just vanish?

 

My guess is that Kalinda offs Bishop and then disappears. Either that or she confesses to the crime, exonerating Cary.

[pennben]

 

I'm so confused by Geneva's love triangle. No idea what's going on there.

 

Just another recurring character who had to be shown to be bad to prop up our lead Alicia, our lone beacon of hope in this awful, awful world.  Sigh.

Edited November 24, 2014 by pennben

[wagthedog]

This episode felt like a mess. Much as I thought Matt did a great job conveying Cary's emotions, getting to this point seems ridiculous and the various shenanigans with the judge who was in a rush and the juror who couldn't hear didn't help. (And no, to the post a bit up thread, you're not the only one who wondered about a possible stroke and WTF was going on with the sound. Although once I realized what had happened I had to laugh about it.)

 

As far as Alicia being detached/emotionally distant, I buy that as an understandable response to the stress she's been under. She opens a new law firm under messy circumstances. Will dies. Peter is Peter. Various ass-hattery goes on. (And she's still no longer friends with Kalinda so they can't even have a good "get over it" night out on the town!)

 

Also, while the letter to the teacher and all that followed was silly, I still had a good laugh about the letter. I could actually see such a letter being written. The rest of it not so much, but whatever. It was also funny to see Eli and the other guy (haven't learned his name) stoke out. Sometimes even what's bad can be good.

[Artsda]

Noo Cary. He's going to go to jail and we're stuck with more Alicia's campaign? Ugh.

[OptimisticCynic]

I really don't buy the Finn/Alicia romance at all. I see nothing there except a contrivance since they killed Will off.

[spiritof76]

Whatever else I think about the plot and the other stories on this show, Matt C. acted the heck out of his part tonight. I always think he is good, but tonight I really think he was just top notch. That's why even though I thought the rest of the episode was silly, his performance kept me engaged. If nothing else maybe this will show people that he can carry a show. I can't say enough about him. 

 

Now I just need to know how they write themselves out of this, because anything that's end result, is Cary not being able to practice law, is a no-go. I just don't see that happening. (or I guess I just don't want to see that happening.)

 

Oh have I not mentioned anything about Alicia and her campaign? That's because I don't care. DO.NOT.CARE.

[AudienceofOne]

Personally I found it as gripping as always although the note thing annoyed me.

 

But the one thing I didn't get was why Bishop was keeping Dante away from court. Isn't it also in his best interests for Carey to not be put under extra pressure to flip?

[photo fox]

I guess like the cheese, I stand alone, but I am loving this season! I acknowledge the plot holes, I don't really care about the campaign story, and I definitely need more Diane, but the Cary/Kalinda/Bishop thing and everyone who ties into that is making up for any deficiencies. Cary has always been the most interesting character to me, perhaps because they didn't feature him as much, and I'm really enjoying the focus on him. This is the most engaged I've been with TGW is a long time.

I always applaud the Kings for constantly reaching back into the history of their own show. Bishop has been out there as a menacing presence from Season One, always there in the background, occasionally being more prominent, and now the chickens are coming home to roost in a big way. I love the fact that characters on this show are never really forgotten, that events never really go away, and are always waiting in the wings to come back on the stage. Like Geneva, the judge, and Marissa. They move in and out of the main characters' lives, just like real people in the real world.

I could write PAGES about how amazing Matt Czuchry was in this episode, but I'll spare you my fangirl gushings and just pull out one scene. Cary started out that courtroom scene with Dante with a glimmer of his pre-arrest swagger, albeit showing on a thinner, pallid face. Then it was transformed into anxious confusion when Bishop walked in, and then descended into utter despair when he realized what was really happening. Wow, what a scene. I don't know if MC is sticking around for another season, but either way, I hope he gets some great opportunities after this, as I think he's earned them.

For once, I didn't hate the campaign stuff, as I felt like it offered a nice comedic balance to the trial story. It was a ridiculous contrivance to have Grace deliberately give the note to someone - it would have made more sense that she simply confused the papers. But I absolutely could see Alicia writing it as a frustrated joke, like she started to write a real note, let her feelings flow for a bit, and then started again and wrote a real note. There is nothing more maddening than trying to deal with school bureaucracy, and I guffawed at the "you'll bleed out because the principal can't be bothered" line because the administration at my kids' school is notorious for being impossible to contact. (I trust teachers over assassins, but I'll take assassins over administrators any day.)

Plus, it gave us at least two magnificent quirks of Alan Cumming's Emmy-worthy eyebrows.

[pennben]

For me, I'm tired of Alicia being a passerby in her life and political career.  If they are going to have her grow, well, I'm intrigued. 

 

Otherwise, here we go again.  Years ago, we saw Alicia backing down at a school she was trying to get the kids in, she didn't know how to fix it other than to call Peter.  So Peter came in and got the result Alicia wanted by threatening the principal.  And Alicia loved that...hands clean, Peter the bad guy.  Now, another school issue, Alicia trying to be good in reacting, only to have Peter save the day that she wouldn't because she's "ethical". Did she want to be strong or did she expect Peter to fix it again?  Alicia, you are either in charge of your campaign or you aren't, screw whatever the other guy does.  Own what you do or fire the guys that do what you don't authorize (but appreciate because it helps you). 

 

As for Bishop, well, a candidate for State's Attorney should pay a price for having a drug dealer on the client list.  But, Alicia's not going to pay, Cary is.  But Alicia is going to have a sad for Cary....does that count?

 

And the folks that created the show want to mock cable shows, via their recurring whatever it is that Alicia watches.  Here's a tip, you used to be better before you decided you were good enough to mock other shows within your show because you didn't win Emmys like you thought you should. 

 

Go back to being better like you used to be rather than telling us how good you are. 

 

P.S.  That means not corrupting your supporting cast to make your lead look better.  That doesn't look good on any show.

Edited November 24, 2014 by pennben

[BetyBee]

Very odd writing on this one. The only reason I can think of for Kalinda confirming with Dylan what time he gets home from school is that her back up plan is to kill Bishop.  I'd be okay with that. I have no idea where they are going with the Geneva affair, Alicia's note to Grace or the Finn stuff.  It seems to me from the Alicia/Finn conversations that maybe they have already slept together? They always seem to be skirting something. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I totally felt for the judge at the beginning when he couldn't get the motion activated sink or paper towel dispenser to work. Sometimes the sensors on the sinks just don't work! Then he lost my sympathy when he said he needed tickets for the Neil Diamond concert for his anniversary that night. Fool, don't wait until the day of an event to buy tickets!

 

When I heard what the juror was hearing, all I could think about was PCU: "Can you blow me where the Pampers is?"

 

The only good thing to come of this entire storyline is watching Matt Czuchry finally get to show off his acting chops. It has been painful to watch his soul slowly get crushed throughout the season. He looked so defeated when he talked to Kalinda. I was afraid that he was going to find a tall building to jump off during his walk.

 

When Kalinda was talking to Bishop's son about what time he gets home from school, I thought she was going to somehow get Dante's location from him. Bishop is the worst. Cary has protected him this entire time, refusing to turn against him, and Bishop still totally screwed him. But yeah, thanks for offering to let him become a fugitive and work for you in another country.

 

I like Finn. I just don't like him with Alicia. I wish they would let him find someone awesome to be with.

 

When Cary left the conference room and squeezed Kalinda then Diane's shoulders, it looked like he accidentally grabbed Kalinda's boob which made me laugh.

 

ETA:

It seems to me from the Alicia/Finn conversations that maybe they have already slept together?

If they have, the writers are keeping it a big secret from the audience. The closest they've gotten physically is when he put his hand on top of hers last week as they were sitting on the sofa in his office. They like each other but they know they can't let anything happen because she is married and running for office. The conversation they had in her office was to establish boundaries to make sure that they don't let anything happen between them.

Edited November 24, 2014 by ElectricBoogaloo

[kwnyc]

I also don't think Alicia EVER would have written such a note (unless maybe she was drunk...) and while Grace has been showing signs of maturity, she's still a loose cannon. So that was pretty stupid.

 

It did occur to me when Alicia's handlers disobeyed her and gave the teachers some patronage in exchange for their support that she (and most other candidates) are left with the actions & promises that their handlers made to get them elected. Alicia may be running for office, but it's the showrunners (so to speak) who leave for the next campaign, and put their winning candidates in the position of having to govern based on the behind-the-scenes promises. We are seeing that more clearly than on a lot of other shows. 

 

...and again, an off-year election rarely draws even a small percentage of the electorate, so it's probably going to be a few thousand people who decide the position (I'm trying to remember who the District Attorney is in my county...I'm sure I voted in that election, but it doesn't come to mind immediately).

 

I like the way they've structured the case to take everything away from Cary; he's a good enough lawyer, and has been through enough trials to know that he's not going to win. So the system that Cary has spent his career in (both defending criminals and prosecuting them) is sending a (basically) innocent man to jail. He has no other choice if he wants to live.

 

And while drug dealers and murderers are entitled to a defense and due process, those who deal with them can come away tarnished. We haven't seen Bishop's OTHER lawyer (the Wally Shawn character) around this season...maybe Bishop doesn't see him as worth using to save Cary. 

 

O/T, I saw a preview of "The Imitation Game" this week and was amazed at how charming & sexy Matthew Goode is (with his original accent, in a period piece). He plays a brilliant rake in WWII England, and is quite good.

[Isazouzi]

The only reason I can think of for Kalinda confirming with Dylan what time he gets home from school is that her back up plan is to kill Bishop.

 

I thought it was to prove that Dylan was in the house when the drug dealers visited, hence endangering the child.

 

OK, I need someone to explain to me how witness protection works. No one suggested that Cary could testify against Bishop and enter the witness protection program so I guess it doesn't apply in his case? Why? What's the point of witness protection then? I'm probably getting it wrong.

 

I've never liked Bishop, as good as the actor is. My heart breaks for Cary, but I can't get over the fact that they are/were all knowingly defending a drug lord (yes, his legal business only, blabla). Just no.

 

I love Finn, he's adorable. And I love Finn with Alicia, whether they stay friends or not. It works for me.

[shapeshifter]

Any chance that Kalinda would get Bishop's girlfriend to rat him out? She stormed out in a huff after their argument.

[blixie]

I think only the Feds can offer WITSEC, and right now it's just the SA making a case against Cary, not the Feds 

 

 

But the one thing I didn't get was why Bishop was keeping Dante away from court. Isn't it also in his best interests for Carey to not be put under extra pressure to flip?

 

Yeah I'm not sure how it's in Bishop's interest to throw Cary to the wolves instead of helping/having his guys clear Cary of all charges, and overall I'm still not clear what exactly they think Cary is going to testify about Bishop that will put him away. L&G and F&A really did have nothing to do with his illegal business, if they wanted to flip someone it should be Wallace Shawn. It's why I wanted Cary to flip on Bishop, doing the time to impress  your loyalty means NOTHING to him, he could kill you in jail, he could kill you out of jail. I was annoyed Cary and Kalinda haven't made this argument to Bishop, but eh, it's so fun to use contrivance instead.

 

I hope Kalinda shoots Lemond square in the face.

[pennben]

If Cary (and Alicia) only represented legitimate business interests, what could he flip on to prosecutors about? How could he flip and not violate his oath to client confidentiality?  What's that you say?  They knew they were in bed with a big time dealer who does big time bad stuff, but looked the other way so they could keep the money?  Impossible!

Edited November 24, 2014 by pennben

[Sandman]

That whole storyline was just ridiculous. Not in that Grace would not be stupid enough to give the teacher the note. What is unbelievable is that Alicia would write that note in the first place. One, she isn't that stupid.

 

And neither are we in the audience. In order to sell their stupid "Alicia the Political Newbie" plot, the asshat Kings have turned her into a blithering idiot. She's been married to a politician for twenty years! Even if Alicia never entertained the thought of her own political career, it's not physically possible for her to be this clueless. Matt Czuchry is acting his skinny little butt off, it's true, but I can't force myself to care. The whole thing is so contrived it's infuriating. Lemond Fecking Bishop has taken over the whole goddamn show. And Eli and his stupid sidekick can bite me.

 

I'm done letting the Kings jerk me around.

[shapeshifter]

I think only the Feds can offer WITSEC, and right now it's just the SA making a case against Cary, not the Feds...

Good point. Enter Lana, stage left?

[Broderbits]

To me, Cary has always seemed kind of entitled and surprised when he doesn't get his way. He has shown some spectacular bad judgement in talking to Bishop's crew, even if it was joking around. Bishop's other lawyer, Wallace Shawn, would never have gotten caught in a situation like that.A smart lawyer should know better; and even if he retains his license who would want to hire him? And what exactly is Castro's problem? Agree that Matt Czuchry is doing a fabulous job!

 

Knew that once Grace was back in the picture she would bring the stupid. Not to excuse Alicia, but that kid is an idiot.

 

I haven't seen the actress who plays Geneva in anything else, but here she only has 2 expressions: pout or smirk.

[photo fox]

When Kalinda was talking to Bishop's son about what time he gets home from school, I thought she was going to somehow get Dante's location from him.

I thought she was going to find out that Dylan was there the day of the infamous taped conversation, and would somehow have some bearing on the case.

[beeble]

For me, this episode was all about Cary. I didn't like that the tension was constantly cut by the silly note story - I have to wonder how someone as clueless as Alicia survived as Peter's wife during the early years. She is shocked by patronage, she doesn't know that her sense of humor could be misinterpreted, and she only now sees that campaigns can get ugly and dirty. Did Peter drug her during his first State's Attorney campaign? I think he must have, and that she just stood there next to him, stoned out of her gourd like a nice Stepford Wife.  (Oh, and private school teachers aren't in unions in Illinois. That's a public school thing. And right now, with the public school teachers in Chicago getting royally screwed over, it would have been interesting to see how real Democrats would have handled this. ) 

 

Kalinda looked scared to death at Lemond's, for good reason. However, how did she not realize that Lemond would try and intimidate Dante into lying? Why didn't the defense get a deposition, or some closed-door testimony? I suppose that's all about the judge.

 

By the way, what was up with the Neil Diamond concert and the dude who told Geneva "We have to talk"? Just to show us distractors? 

[marceline]

Special needs Grace strikes again. That child is so stupid I'd be afraid to leave her alone around a dry cleaning bag for fear she'd suffocate herself.

 

I hate seeing Cary and Geneva on opposite sides. I loved them when they worked together and thought they made a good team. And I guess we can add Geneva to the list of characters who've been "Elsbethed." 

 

I still don't care about the election but I do enjoy seeing David Hyde Pierce. He needs a show of his own. 

 

I've never had a problem with the lack of Kalinda/Alicia scenes but I agree that it's ludicrous that they aren't working together in this situation.

 

I think that re: Cary/Kalinda/Bishop by the end of the season at least one person will be dead and one will go to jail. That's the only prediction I'm making.

[xyzzy]

He has shown some spectacular bad judgement in talking to Bishop's crew, even if it was joking around.

 

This is what bugs me more than anything else. Even if they had the whole conversation, it would be very difficult for me to believe that the discussion wasn't a cover for actual advice. It has a winky-wink flavor to it. "So, uh, lawyer guy, I was watching this movie and I was wondering about x, y, and z." "Oh, a movie you say? I see. Well, in this totally hypothetical situation..." It may be technically legal, but Carey isn't stupid. He's hanging out with three known drug dealers working for a cutthroat kingpin and they want to discuss hypotheticals? Just, no.

[roomtorome]

I'm not a fan of MC - and don't feel a thing with respect to how the character is supposed to be feeling because he always has pretty much the same expression in every single scene regardless of what is happening except last night there were a few tears.  Sorry, I don't buy that someone wouldn't be more emotive about being screwed over the way he has so it left me cold and my feeling is - put him away and let's get past this horribly constructed storyline 

 

The teacher note thing - it's like the writers decided to take their hiatus break before they stopped writing the episodes.  Simply stupid and awful.  Reminded me of the way soaps are written with certain writers writing specific plots and for specific characters and then throwing it all together in one show.  None of this show was seamless as though it was the same show - can't imagine what they are thinking.

 

Did love the judge last night though - The judges on this show are some of my favorite characters.  Too bad they are trying to gin up some chemistry between Alicia and Finn - it's not there (not that I can see anyway) and they have now had a few very uncomfortable "conversations" - 

 

Someone needs to throw the writers a plot line - 

[lovinbob]

Things I just don't get:

 

• Alicia Florrick, worst business partner and friend ever.

If I were Cary, I would HATE Alicia. It is just ridiculously negligent of her to partner with him on a new firm, which is on precarious legs, and then abandon it to run for office, an office she doesn't seem to care about because she's acting like an ass. She's not attending to the firm, and she's not being supportive of Cary. If ever there was a time for her to take care of the firm's business, this would be it, when her partner is facing major prison time. And then she shows up at the end of the episode and gives him a big hug—is that supposed to prove to the audience (and Cary) that she's supportive? What have you done for him lately, Alicia!

 

(Not to mention that he's being pursued due to the vendetta against the Florricks.)

 

• Geneva Pine, beautiful, accomplished woman having a career-threatening affair with a slimy looking detective.

What? Why? At least they could have made the detective someone sexy and enticing. Not that John Ventimiglia isn't an attractive man, but he is kind of known for playing losers and punks, and as he was portrayed on this show, there isn't anything about him I'd find alluring. I wish I had some idea why Geneva would go this route.

 

• Dumb Contrivances and a Dumb Campaign

As if Alicia doesn't have enough problems in her campaign, she does stupid shit like the Grace note? This particularly plot twist was so unnecessary! What purpose does it serve, except to show how ill-equipped Alicia is for office (or at least, to run for office). My only hope is that this will be one of the many factors that convinces Alicia that running for States Attorney is just a supremely bad idea. There are so many reasons why, but not one of her supposed allies, friends, or dependents (Owen, Veronica, her kids, Finn, Diane, Cary ...) is telling her, are you sure this is the right time? Mom/Alicia I need you. Of course she shouldn't dispose of her own hopes and dreams to take care of others, but is this really her dream? And ... I just wish the show would explore this territory through some dialogue rather than just leave these doubts and frustrations to the viewers to vocalize.

 

 

On another note, I love Steven Pasquale in this role but I wish he were having sexy times with someone!

[Primetimer]

It's finally time for Cary's trial, which means it's also time for Cary to face head-on exactly how weak his case is.

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