S06.E21: Don't Fail

[ElectricBoogaloo]

When a former client (Dorian Missick) calls Alicia after being charged with murder tied to a case from 2009, Alicia reviews the old case, prompting memories of her early days as a lawyer.

 

Promo:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9joUghIrj_M

[whatsatool]

Finally Alicia and Kalinda in the same scene

[Morbs]

It was so satisfying too......................

 

Is there supposed to be a scene in episode 22 or was this seriously it?

[merylinkid]

Noooooooooooo.   Who the hell would join a firm that Alicia starts?  She walked away from the last firm she started after only a year.   And she treated her partners pretty rotten in the process.

 

Also, Alicia dear, cases you really care about are few and far between.   Don't get me wrong, I love being a lawyer.   But most of my cases don't cause me to dance around in excitement.   Remember that college for 2 kids you had to pay for?   That big deal you made it out of to hold your former partners up for a bigger buy out?  Yeah, good luck paying for college running a firm of "only cases you want."  

 

May be done with this show.   They were never realistic about the law parts anyway, but this is just ridiculous.   Oh Saint Alicia wants to run a holier than thou law firm, let's all jump on board with her.   They clearly have no stories left and are just retreading an old one -- again.

 

Oh and nice that we get Alicia/Kalinda scenes after AP left the show so it CAN"T overshadow JM being the center of attention.

[momlyd]

I thought the show was not half bad, but then, my expectations have been pretty low for a long time.

[Kiddvideo]

I missed the first 15 minutes. Was the Alicia/Kalinda scene then? The one at the end of the show seemed like they were filmed separately (hard cuts when the speaker changed.)

[Artsda]

 

Also, Alicia dear, cases you really care about are few and far between.   Don't get me wrong, I love being a lawyer.   But most of my cases don't cause me to dance around in excitement.   Remember that college for 2 kids you had to pay for?   That big deal you made it out of to hold your former partners up for a bigger buy out?  Yeah, good luck paying for college running a firm of "only cases you want."

Does she have to pay for college? She is still married to the Governor and Peter probably can pay for it all. 

 

Zach should have held out and not called her back. 

[OptimisticCynic]

Finally Alicia and Kalinda in the same scene

Though still not convinced it was actually filmed together. The first one with them drunk I am pretty sure was from an earlier episode. The later scene had no shot with them both in the frame.

[TimWil]

Exactly, OptimisticCynic.. The sole shot of them together in the beginning of the episode was most likely taken from an episode in one of the first four seasons. And if you watch the scene again from later in the episode they're never in the same shot-each actress merely spoke to the camera lens.

Edited May 4, 2015 by TimWil

[merylinkid]

 

Does she have to pay for college? She is still married to the Governor and Peter probably can pay for it all.

Governors don't make all that much.   And she specifically said she had to pay for college when holding out for a bigger buyout from Lockhart/Agos.  Or whatever the hell name it is these days. 

 

You notice that Cary had access to his old Lockhart Gardner files for a case that was clearly over long before the firm split and re-merge whatever the hell happened.

[riverheightsnancy]

No Diane. Boo. This show has become quite the vanity project. Just regurging the same stuff over and over. Starting another law firm??? Do lawyers really change firms this often? How can they stay in business doing stuff like this? Wouldn't they lose clients? It looks so unstable. 

[bentley]

The new law firm has the potential to pit Alicia against both old enemies at the ASA and old friends and/or enemies at Lockhart Gardner, so I'm on board. And since I think Matthew Goode has been criminally underused, I'm all for giving him more screen time so they can do something interesting with his character.

 

I thought it was a 'Eureka" moment for Alicia when she couldn't name any friends. 

 

Wondering if the "You're the Worst" actress will also be joining Alicia's firm, or if that was just a throwaway line about wanting to learn from her. I believe YTW has been renewed, but I suppose she could do both.

 

I'm curious if they shot new footage to look like old footage, or they used additional footage shot at the time but never used to add to tonight's story.

 

I was hoping they might do more with..Dakota? She looked to be an interesting character. 

[buttersister]

Can she do nothing on her own? Run, Matthew's character, run!

[Shelby]

Finally Alicia and Kalinda in the same scene

Please, that scene didn't look like AP and JM even filmed it together.

This season has really made me dislike Alicia and. Juliana. JMs involement as producer has taken this show so far downhill. Also, from what I have read, JM is responsible for AP leaving.

We already had to suffer through the dreadful "Alicia in her mind" episode. Now an episode with so many scenes of Alicia alone with a tape recorder and flashbacks?

This show used to be so good, now I just hate watch it.

I'm curious if they shot new footage to look like old footage, or they used additional footage shot at the time but never used to add to tonight's story.

New footage. CB was noticably aged since the early seasons, and Matt Cz.... used to have a real baby face which was missing in the flashbacks. Edited May 4, 2015 by Shelby

[vibeology]

That was better than things have been since it mostly took place in a courtroom and it had very little to do with an election. It was nice to see Alicia be a lawyer and I liked Not-Nancy Krozier as someone who genuinely lacked courtroom experience. It was also nice to see the team work a case, even if the work was in flashbacks. Not convinced that JM and AP shot that scene together and frankly I hope they didn't or there is no excuse for the awful direction of the scene.

 

Loved seeing Matan again; nice to know that Alicia's offer to Matthew Goode to be her assistant was all about her overlooking lawyers with more experience. Also loved seeing Jackie. She's awful but I love her for it.

 

 

You notice that Cary had access to his old Lockhart Gardner files for a case that was clearly over long before the firm split and re-merge whatever the hell happened.

 

I don't understand how everyone working on the show has let this stuff go. It makes no sense for Cary to have the work product that belongs to LG. LG still exists, Canning is the managing partner. I know this show would like us to forget plot points, but the whole splitting firms thing was a big deal and over and over the show acts like it never happened.

 

 

 

Does she have to pay for college? She is still married to the Governor and Peter probably can pay for it all. 

 

The show has always been unclear about money. Alicia was desperate for a bigger buyout from FLA because her salary would be nothing as States Attorney, but somehow when Peter was SA, Alicia stayed at home and they were able to afford the big house in Highland Park and private school for both kids. 

[CMH1981]

Yeah, i'm guessing the actual Kalinda/Alicia in the same frame at the same time is next weeks episode.  It was totally obvious that their bar scenes were filmed separately as well as the laughing at the bar was from seasons ago.   

 

Yawn of an episode though.  I did find it humorous that now that she has decided to mend fences since cutting off contact w/Zach for...what i'm guessing is 6 months if not more, she clears out his room and now he wants to come visit.  That will be an awkward conversation.  I'm guessing he will be staying w/ Peter during his visit.

 

Do we know how long she has froze Zach out for?  How long since the "skeletons in the closet" episode to current time has it been?

 

So from Cary's conversation about LAL they are more corporate lawyers now and don't handle small cases?

[CleoCaesar]

TOO LITTLE, TOO LATE, Kings.

[shapeshifter]

I quit watching this show a couple of months ago, but had it on in the adjacent room while I was web surfing and editing a spreadsheet and waiting for Battle Creek to start. It actually sounded pretty good--like the earlier seasons. I might watch next week, pretending a lot of later stuff never happened.

[MakeMeLaugh]

I liked it. I can't believe it either.

 

Just get back in the courtroom, Show. 

[Dowel Jones]

For the sake of argument, if the jury has determined that a person did not attempt to murder someone, is it really likely that the prosecution will try to prove that they actually did murder someone?  Logic dictates otherwise.

 

Matt Cz.... used to have a real baby face which was missing in the flashbacks.

 

Awhile back I saw some of the first episodes where he showed up, and my reaction was "Who is that high school senior?"

 

So, if Alicia is actually going back to private practice, maybe she should leak to a friendly reporter the real reason behind the fiasco of the SA election and the rigged, excuse me, allegedly rigged, ballot boxes.  It's not like the Party is going to help her anyway now. 

 

Florrick and Finn.  Finn and Florrick.  Florrick, Finn and Aubrey.  And so it begins.

[dr pepper]

Finally Alicia and Kalinda in the same scene

 

felt like a nyaa nyaa to the fans.

[dr pepper]

Ok, so the next season will be Alicia Florrick: People's Advocate. She'll be fighting for the rights of the poor, the down trodden, the marginalized, and the unlucky. She will be paid in hugs and casseroles and an ocassional brake adjustment. To make ends meet she'll compromise enough to do zoning variances. She'll wear dashikis and headbands and feather earrings.. She'll rely heavily on idealistic college student volunteers.

 

Eli will finally have that stroke he's been promising himself.

[whatsatool]

The young lawyer did seem like a slow Jeopardy contestant.

[tomsmom]

So we STILL don't know what was in the letter Kalinda left Alicia???

And THAT was the scene between them that was supposed to make viewers happy???

Eff off show.

[swimmyfish]

The show has always been unclear about money. Alicia was desperate for a bigger buyout from FLA because her salary would be nothing as States Attorney, but somehow when Peter was SA, Alicia stayed at home and they were able to afford the big house in Highland Park and private school for both kids. 

 

I've always been under the impression that Peter has family money, thus affording private school and a stay-at-home wife. Clearly Jackie has a good amount of money, and she certainly would not withhold from Peter if he needed anything.

 

I enjoyed this episode. I am super glad there's no campaign storyline anywhere - although I did miss Eli and Marissa, so maybe I should be a little more careful in what I wish for. On the other hand, Finn was looking especially handsome last night, even without his glasses; I like that he showed up early and often.

 

I think the relationship between Alicia and Cary is one of the best things about the recent seasons of the show, so, although I was not in love with the court case itself, I did enjoy the reminder of how far those two have come. Also, while I'm sure I'm in the minority about this, I really liked the device with the audio from the cassette tapes playing over the flashbacks.

 

And I know he's been on before, but Kurt Fuller as judge makes 2 in a row that were just regular, you know, non-quirky judges. That's a real hot streak.

[FuriousStyles]

I get the show was going for young naive inexperienced with the lawyer...but how about at least making her professional. The two dont go hand in hand. I cringed when she asked Alicia to take a selfie with her.

I thought I would hate this episode when I realized the direction it was going...I.e. another all about Alicia episode but this one wasnt so bad. I think the flaskbacks saved it for me. The first bar scene with Kalinda and Alicia was definitely taken from seasons past and the one later in the episode was just done so awkwardly with the back and forth screens it became obvious the actresses werent in the same room at the same time.

Nice to see some things never change though. Matan's gigantic ego and hubris had him with his foot in his big fat mouth once again. He just can't help himself.

Did anyone else have a problem with Alicia throwing Kalinda under the bus at the end? I mean I know in the grand scheme of things its not that big a deal, Kalinda is likely never coming back, and Alicia did it so she wouldnt have to tell on Finn, but it just seemed so wrong to me.

[Julie23]

Why would Finn become a second named partner in Alicia's new firm, when he already has his own firm? Doesn't he rent space in the same building as Lockhart etc? I can't see him crowding into Zacks old bedroom when he has nice space already and seems to be doing OK. On the other hand, I could look at and listen to Matthew Goode all day, so not complaining if he is there more (but I thought he was busy with another show?)

I thought the Alicia/Kalinda convo was quite clear they were not in the same room.

[readster]

 It wasn't a bad episode at all. I actually laughed when Zach said he was coming home and Alicia just turned his room into her new office. However, I think it was also kind of stupid of her. What she think would happen once the school year was over? The flashbacks worked very well in tone and sequence but the new lawyer and her selfies. That was too much, being a little naive about practicing law and a few other things, that would have been enough. Matan just doesn't learn does he? Of course how many of these characters have done stupid things and still don't learn from them? The case trying to be tried again was a little too much. There were tons of holes then and there were now. "He died from a hemorrhage from the fight six years ago." Really? If it was such a concern or known fact, wouldn't he had regular check ups after being in such a bad beat down? I guess if he would have died in a car accident they could have said he wasn't paying attention because of his injuries from six years ago too. I mean, come on. The way it kept looking, he was in the alley but not in the fight and who ever it was had a beef with the guy who was attacked and the friends knew who it was. Yet, blame the guy who was dealing drugs because that's easier. 

[JodhaBai]

JM and AP couldn't even film a scene together that the Kings had to use a split screen.   Unbelievable.    I'm more interested in what went down behind the scenes than what is happening onscreen.

[ethankoo]

So we STILL don't know what was in the letter Kalinda left Alicia???

And THAT was the scene between them that was supposed to make viewers happy???

Eff off show.

 

The note "mystery" will be reveal in the finale next week.

[TigerLynx]

This should be the final season.  The series should end with Alicia practicing the kind of law she wants to.  Not joining a firm because her husbands scandal has left her with few options.  Not starting a firm with Cary because she's afraid of her feelings for Will.  Not running for SA because Eli suggests it.

 

I wonder if Finn will go along with Alicia's idea, or point out to her that in the last year, she's flip flopped between law firms and partners, and running for SA.

[Black Knight]

I feel like the Kings are trolling JM. Or the viewers. Or both.

 

I mean, thanks for bookending the new Kalinda/Alicia scene with two other bar scenes that remind viewers how it looks when two actors actually film together - first they use old footage of Kalicia from one of their more iconic bar scenes of yesteryear (they even use footage that makes it pretty easy to pinpoint exactly which scene it came from - the tug-of-war over the phone - rather than a relatively generic bit where they're just drinking) in which they're side-by-side in the same shot, and then there's the bar scene between Alicia and Finn where it's not side-by-side, but you can clearly see Finn in the shots focusing on Alicia and vice versa.

 

I can't wait to see what fuckery is planned for next week's finale.

[MoreCoffeePlease]

Alicia: "I'll only take the cases that I want to take."

 

Grace:  "Can you make money doing that, Mom?"        Hee hee.

 

Great job dismantling your son's room ... you don't think he will ever come home?  Why not set up in the dining room.  Stupid, as are many things on this show.

[CoderLady]

Zach's room vs. the dining room makes sense from a business and tax perspective. It gives her and her client's privacy, plus I think the tax laws require that the home business space you're claiming has to be separated from everything else. I doubt that she'll be there for long, anyway.

[Primetimer]

When an old client Alicia got acquitted surfaces again to be re-tried for, essentially, the same crime, Alicia remembers what her career was like before she abandoned all her ideals -- and Julianna Margulies shares physical space with Archie Panjabi!!!

Read the story

[TVHappy9463]

The Kalinda stuff aside.  I liked it, but I think the direction they are heading with Alicia is really only going to be good for one season  I was glad to see Cary helping Alicia.  I was so happy when they started Argos/Florrick.  

[TV Diva Queen]

Bye Felicia...I mean Alicia.  

[Driad]

They could have ended the series at the beginning of this episode. Ghost writer: "I'll want to talk to your friends." Alicia: "Uh -- "

[SaabStory]

I work with people I don't like all the time.  And I don't get paid millions of dollars either. All of the people involved in allowing the personal relationship between two women to dictate the scenes of a TV show should be ashamed of themselves.  That fake bar scene last night was laughable.  They really would have been better off giving the viewers another phone call.

Now I am intrigued about next week's scene.  

 

As far as the note Kalinda left for Alicia, I read something (unfortunately, I can't take credit for it) along the lines of the note saying:

"Peter said I was the best he ever had"

:)

[crashdown]

When an old client Alicia got acquitted surfaces again to be re-tried for, essentially, the same crime, Alicia remembers what her career was like before she abandoned all her ideals -- and Julianna Margulies shares physical space with Archie Panjabi!!!

 

No, actually, she doesn't--the first bar scene is from "Hybristophelia" (1.22)--it's a very well-known scene, and it's definitely NOT the one Alicia is recalling.  That one took place after Alicia felt bad about winning the competition against Cary; Kalinda takes her out for drinks because she wants Alicia to celebrate something good happening rather than morbidly dwelling on her own privileged guilt.  (Alicia seems to have learned that particular lesson very well over the years!)  I vacillated between laughter and fury at the juxtaposition of the Hybristophelia bar scene with the clumsily shot talking heads "bar scene" that we saw later in the episode.  (That bar scene was also completely unnecessary--they could have conveyed the same information over the phone.)  I agree with Black Knight that the Kings are making some sort of passive aggressive point with all this.  Kalicia is an astonishing train wreck at this point.

[jjj]

I'm sure I am in the minority, but when I left for college, I think my room was cleared out before the car was out of the driveway.  Nothing wrong with sleeping in the basement after freshman year!  I made sure I had other options in future years. 

 

I loved the audio "tapes" (so 2000s decade!) and the flashbacks.  Also thought the courtroom scenario was great.  But I don't think they ever identified who assaulted the victim, unless we were supposed to assume it was the bouncer? 

[readster]

I'm sure I am in the minority, but when I left for college, I think my room was cleared out before the car was out of the driveway.  Nothing wrong with sleeping in the basement after freshman year!  I made sure I had other options in future years. 

 

I loved the audio "tapes" (so 2000s decade!) and the flashbacks.  Also thought the courtroom scenario was great.  But I don't think they ever identified who assaulted the victim, unless we were supposed to assume it was the bouncer? 

The more it went on, the more it wasn't the bouncer but someone at the bachelor party who was not happy over something. It also seemed like they were trying to get the bouncer because he was a drug dealer and they wanted to get him. Of course, six years later he has gotten out of the business, gotten married and had kids. However, much like with lawyers and people in the "business" they want to nail them to the wall over something. I agree, if the bouncer would have been exposed as a dealer he would have gone to jail over other stuff and not the beat down. 

[Ms Blue Jay]

My parents cleared out our rooms too, even though we ended up moving back in the unemployment immediately after graduating, but I still think Alicia is a poor parent.  Horrible with Zach.  I just hope that I don't end up this way -- there are people in my life I don't have stubbornness or pride with and I hope my children would be in that category too.

Edited May 4, 2015 by Ms Blue Jay

[gesundheit]

So from Cary's conversation about LAL they are more corporate lawyers now and don't handle small cases?

They probably just don't do first degree murder cases for their pro bono work -- not uncommon for major firms to shy away from those.

[Aethera]

I think that Kalinda/Alicia set of scenes was definitely a tweak at the complainers online...so absurd.  Clearly, clearly not in the same room.

[MorbidPet]

I think I'm done with the show. Archie used to be the highlight but even with her this season's been kinda blah. Now that she's gone I think I'm gone too. Whatever is going on between Julianna/Archie it did ruin the show. I'm siding with Archie as I've heard many actors saying she's awesome to work with (Gillian Anderson's & Kelli Giddish's praise weighing most as I adore them both).

Where's Robin? I'll miss Diane the most. Adios.

[Zaffy]

(thisi what I wrote in the AV comments):

"Good Wife Is like watching the Groundhog Day of Alicia Florrick while re-re-reinventing herself the same way: fail - join/create a law firm - repeat.
And then, I finally realized why I dislike season 6 so much: it has become the "Alicia Florrick Show".

And the problem is that Alicia Florrick was never a strong enough character to carry her own show, for 5 seasons it was the vessel to take us through a very interesting world, a universe inhabited by many fascinating characters.
It was the center piece of a puzzle. Now its like if it is the only piece left.
I dont think a show has frustrated me so much as Good Wife's has in season 6 ."

 

 

So who had this idea of stripping the show from the rest of the characters and ruin the formula that made it so great? The creators? JM?
Did the rest of the cast also wants to leave the show, so the writers decided to turn it to "the Alicia show"?

I Fast forwarded ALL the flashbacks. I simply didnt care. I stopped briefly on the Khalinda scene, but as soon as I realized they were mocking us I pressed  the FFW again. 

 

When Alicia said that "she wants to practice law the way she wants" I laughed out loud. Literally.  I remembered her saying the same thing with Cary when they were forming Florrick-Agos, that they will become the new Will and Diane and LOLed even more.
Then I felt so bad for poor Cary...he left LG only to end up in the same (if not worst) kind of company in the same offices.

 

It is common in life people to be confused or not be sure what they want to do. Or be in some kind of middle age crisis. Apparently Alicia is taking one more wrong decision after another for the wrong reasons (leaving LG -> creating FA -> then FAL -> the running for SA).
The problem is, despite its title, this show was never only about the Good Wife and Alicia alone cannot support it. Not because JM is a bad actress, but because the character is not that interesting (anymore?). 

 

The fall and rise and then the fall and rise of Alicia Florrick is simply not intriguing  enough, no matter how many law firms she will join/create.
 

Edited May 4, 2015 by Zaffy

[marny]

I will only forgive this crappy season if we find out that the note Kalinda left for Alicia said, "Smell you later."

[vibeology]

My parents cleared out our rooms too, even though we ended up moving back in the unemployment immediately after graduating, but I still think Alicia is a poor parent.  Horrible with Zach.  I just hope that I don't end up this way -- there are people in my life I don't have stubbornness or pride with and I hope my children would be in that category too.

 

Agreed. Its one thing to tell your kid that once they go off to school they're room is turning into something else, its quite another thing to get into a months long fight with your kid, refuse to communicate when them and then take their room down for your own purposes without warning or telling them about it. If I was Zach I'd be very hurt to come home a week later and see that my mom, who I knew was very angry with me, had taken my room down while we were fighting. 

 

Plus (and I know the writers don't watch their own show anymore or else they'd know that files from Stern Lockhart Gardner are with Canning and not Cary) Alicia's apartment has a maid's room. Peter stayed in there when he first got out of prison. Why wouldn't Alicia just use that empty space instead of all the work of taking Zach's room down?

Edited May 4, 2015 by vibeology

[Rosebud1970]

IANAL, but how did the COTW get bumped to First Degree Homicide?  If the guy died 6 years after the beat down from juries received in the fight, where's the pre-meditation there?  Shouldn't the charge have been, at most, manslaughter?

 

It's a sign of Matan's overwhelming hubris that he thought he could charge (and win) the defendent with First Degree.  It's definitely his fatal flaw.