The Good Wife in the Media

[pennben]

 

I think the issue is that one scene together after two years of obviously going to great lengths to have them not film together isn't exactly going to be satisfactory.

 

That's exactly right!  They seem to think that people noticing this ridiculousness of no scenes together will be magically placated by thirty seconds in the last episode.

 

For me, this idiocy destroyed two seasons of the Kalinda character being irrelevant to the show.  I wasn't asking for a last scene, I was noticing how Kalinda had been criminally underused; how stories were compromised and how much we as viewers lost in that time. They can't fix that.

 

Honestly, it is as though they feel that they will wave the magic wand of Alicia appearing before Kalinda and it will be like when folks see a profile of Jesus on a piece of toast:  we will know, we will know what was meant to be and all will be well because we see Jesus, I mean Alicia.

 

Sigh.. 

Edited May 7, 2015 by pennben

[crashdown]

I totally agree with pennbenn (as I often do): there's no way at all that this miraculous "final scene" will prove anything but an absurd, disappointing caricature.  And if they have Alicia and Kalinda hug my dogs better take cover, because I'm likely to hurl the nearest object in the general direction of my poor, long-suffering TV set!

[Janimo]

Word, crashdown!!

I am so tired of this show. It started out with such promise, imo, then went slowly...downhill into the toilet. :(

PS I will follow Archie P where ever she chooses to go in her career; JM, not much.

[Black Knight]

Had their relationship never recovered, it might be believable to keep them apart.  Even so, I'd think you'd throw in a few short scenes every once in a while. 

I loved how the TV Guide article about this lunacy pointed out that it's never before been a requirement that two characters be friends in order for them to have scenes. Alicia and Kalinda did repair their friendship right before it vanished offscreen, but even if one believes that they didn't, or that the friendship fell apart again, it's not an explanation for why they don't have scenes. As we were just reminded this past Sunday, Alicia has no other friends - so all of her scenes, by default, are with people she's not friends with!

 

I don't know what they plan to do with Alicia and Kalinda on Sunday, but it scarcely matters - whatever it is will be unearned and make no sense in context of the last two-plus years.

[Black Knight]

New, extensive interview with Archie Panjabi on AfterEllen: http://www.afterellen.com/tv/429991-archie-panjabi-kalindas-good-wife-exit-chemistry-gillian-anderson-fall

 

Notice she says that she's known that she wanted to leave TGW since S4. Gosh, I'm sure it's a complete coincidence that S4 is when JM started refusing to work with her.

 

Really, the Kings should've just let her out of her contract rather than put us all through the ridiculousness of S5 and S6. Normally when an actor hates another actor, either they keep working together anyway or the other actor is booted off the show. Never before has a show kept the other actor around while keeping the two apart for seasons on end.

 

You'll also notice that unlike others, she makes no claims that we're going to find the ending satisfying.

Edited May 8, 2015 by Black Knight

[Janimo]

Thank you so much for that link, Black Knight. (Y) I;m gonna try to follow Archie's career wherever she goes. She seems to have much respect for her fans.



 

[newsjunkie]

Matt Czuchry is doing a Reddit AMA on Monday.

 

Also, a Brandeis University magazine article on director Rosemary Rodriguez.

Edited May 10, 2015 by newsjunkie

[pennben]

 

And if they have Alicia and Kalinda hug my dogs better take cover, because I'm likely to hurl the nearest object in the general direction of my poor, long-suffering TV set!

 

I guess one good result from tonight's episode is that crashdown's dog and tv likely survived unscathed!

[whatsatool]

I fell asleep during JMs Charlie Rose interview. Did he ask her about the Kalinda apartheid?

[kdm07]

Archie's EW exit interview

 

(posting my thoughts in the BTS thread).

[Saintz]

The Washington Post: Do ‘Good Wife’ stars Julianna Margulies and Archie Panjabi hate each other? Inside the Alicia-Kalinda conspiracy.

 

It's a good recap of everthing that has gone down.

[GHScorpiosRule]

The Washington Post: Do ‘Good Wife’ stars Julianna Margulies and Archie Panjabi hate each other? Inside the Alicia-Kalinda conspiracy.

 

It's a good recap of everthing that has gone down.

 

Yeah, but the author of the piece seems to think that those of us who are saying that the last scene between Alicia and Kalinda that was CGI'd/spliced, whatever, are talking out of our asses, looking for a conspiracy theory when there's nothing there. That we're looking to say AHA! See! Fake Scene! When the Kings are saying it's not. Right. Just like the Kings saying keeping Kalinda and Alicia apart for two and a half seasons was "their intent" all along. Such BULL.SHIT.

[Ms Blue Jay]

Well I find that Washington Post article sooooo juicy!  So much I didn't know.  I had never known about this interview:  http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/04/28/the-good-wife-creators-robert-and-michelle-king-on-the-season-finale-alicia-and-kalinda-and-more.html.  Thanks for all the information.

 

Quote from that article I linked:

 

We won't get into a public fight with Julianna on this because she knows this character almost better than anyone. - Robert King

 

Even better than the writers/creators.. Hahahah!

Edited May 11, 2015 by Ms Blue Jay

[Kromm]

Using the phrase "conspiracy theory" is VERY dismissive, when in fact most of what's gone on is obvious, clear and only disputed by the producers, not anyone with common sense, or eyes.

I mean the snide tone in the piece totally disregards common sense--that the people involved could have squashed the rumors in a second flat by the two actresses going to a SINGLE public event (an interview, or even just a panel discussion) together.  And they didn't.  Very noticeably  Both before AND after the rumor factory went into high gear. 

 

I mean we're not idiots, but anyone who's brought up the feud is being sold as one.

Honestly, that's what it comes down to.  What's on-screen (or not) is the tip of the iceberg. The way they were never seen in public with each other is the real evidence.

So whoever this Emily Yahr person is, she can go screw herself.  Want a conspiracy theory?  How 'bout this.  She's been compromised.  Probably just with favors, but the tone of that piece is SO over the top, I can't see why anyone would write it that way without a motive.

[GHScorpiosRule]

Using the phrase "conspiracy theory" is VERY dismissive, when in fact most of what's gone on is obvious, clear and only disputed by the producers, not anyone with common sense, or eyes.

I mean the snide tone in the piece totally disregards common sense--that the people involved could have squashed the rumors in a second flat by the two actresses going to a SINGLE public event (an interview, or even just a panel discussion) together.  And they didn't.  Very noticeably  Both before AND after the rumor factory went into high gear. 

 

I mean we're not idiots, but anyone who's brought up the feud is being sold as one.

Honestly, that's what it comes down to.  What's on-screen (or not) is the tip of the iceberg. The way they were never seen in public with each other is the real evidence.

 

 

Just so we're clear, I'm not calling it a conspiracy theory. The writer of the piece is.

[Kromm]

 

 

Just so we're clear, I'm not calling it a conspiracy theory. The writer of the piece is.

I didn't say you were.

[GHScorpiosRule]

I didn't say you were.

Okay, this is just weird. When I quoted you, the rest of your post wasn't there for me to read. Just your first sentence. But now your complete post appears in your original post and in my response. So that's why I said what I did.

[Black Knight]

Despite the use of the phrase "conspiracy theory," I didn't feel like Yahr was approaching the situation as a skeptic. I think she did an excellent job of laying out the timeline and evidence, and she explicitly blows up the Kings/JM's nonsense about the lack of interaction being because the friendship was blown up by the ONS, by pointing out that the characters had basically made up. (A lot of articles don't mention that part, and make me wonder if I simply dreamed the entire reconciliation arc that comprised basically a season's worth of episodes - from S3b through the end of S4a.) And she does state that it appears that JM helped make the call on ending the relationship.

It's a pretty damning article to me.

[Kromm]

Despite the use of the phrase "conspiracy theory," I didn't feel like Yahr was approaching the situation as a skeptic. I think she did an excellent job of laying out the timeline and evidence, and she explicitly blows up the Kings/JM's nonsense about the lack of interaction being because the friendship was blown up by the ONS, by pointing out that the characters had basically made up. (A lot of articles don't mention that part, and make me wonder if I simply dreamed the entire reconciliation arc that comprised basically a season's worth of episodes - from S3b through the end of S4a.) And she does state that it appears that JM helped make the call on ending the relationship.

It's a pretty damning article to me.

Yeah, but she also says:

 

 

alleged “feud”

Now there's nothing wrong with calling it an alleged feud, but notice how the word feud and ONLY that word was placed in quotes.  That communicates disdain from a writer for a term/idea, whereas the phrase alleged feud, with no quotes is neutral.

 

Also, calling Daniel Fienberg's statement a rant is slanted towards making what he said sound unreasonable.

 

And the ENTIRE "truthers" section is reeking with disdain.

 

But honestly again, it ultimately comes down to the writer totally ignoring (it's got to be on purpose) the lack of public appearances with the two actresses (and awkward stuff like everyone BUT Panjabi being invited to certain events).

[Black Knight]

I think she's probably just unaware of it - I really haven't seen that point being made in other articles on the subject that take a "there are backstage problems" slant, either. (And there was at least one time when AP and JM were at an event together after the separation began - it was some kind of charity thing. There's a photo of the TGW group, and of course AP is not standing next to JM, but they're certainly both present.) But she presents the evidence of wonky backstage goings-on without trying to blow holes in the evidence, and that's a big one for me - the norm is for a writer to debunk each point, if the writer's trying to deep-six the theory. Meanwhile, she does blow holes in the argument against anything wonky going on backstage. My feeling is that readers will come away thinking that there is indeed something suspicious about the whole thing, rather than coming away thinking that it's all just smoke and mirrors.

 

"Rant" is a neutral word to me insofar as indicating the reasonableness of a position. It doesn't tell me anything about whether the rant was dead on or not, just about the presentation. Fienberg went on at length and somewhat angrily - that to me qualifies as a rant.

 

As for words like "alleged," - remember it's the Washington Post. The editorial rules are probably a little bit stricter for her than for someone writing for, say, Buzzfeed.

[Kromm]

As for words like "alleged," - remember it's the Washington Post. The editorial rules are probably a little bit stricter for her than for someone writing for, say, Buzzfeed.

As I said (fairly clearly I thought) the problem wasn't "alleged".  It was putting the word NEXT to alleged, "feud", inside quotes.  That's a clear writing tactic to equate something with bullshit.  It's a fairly blatant sign of disrespect from a writer.

Edited May 11, 2015 by Kromm

[blixie]

 

simply dreamed the entire reconciliation arc

I find that Kalicia shippers, IMO, wildly over rate the degree to which Kalinda and Alicia were in any way "reconciled". Detente maybe, but I never detected the same degree of friendship because Julianna never put anything into that and it showed, and of course then she won the BTS battle to 86 ever having to work with Archie again. I was a huge fan of the friendship, but never believed there an iota of sexual or romantic feeling from Alicia towards Kalinda, I loved their friendship and more importantly their working relationship, especially with Matt as their third man, but I never felt for one moment in all of S4 that Kalinda and Alicia's friendship was back on track, and certainly the chemistry was painfully awkward, with one actress carrying all the water, including that fucking nightmare of a husband story. Cary's storyline was totally ruined by that as well.

 

Anyhoodle I'm just glad Archie is free and can move on to bigger and better things.

[dcalley]

Matt Czuchry is doing a Reddit AMA on Monday.

Here is the permanent link for that. Now I need to find him in Freaks and Geeks!

[Klapaucius]

I find so ironic that after they've snubbed, backsided and underused him for seasons now Matt Czuchry is the only one who's promoting the show and facing all the mandatory questions about the "feud" and that fake scene.

Edited May 12, 2015 by Klapaucius

[tennisgurl]

It figures. Poor Carey was the one trying to actually do lawyer stuff in between all the drama, and still gets screwed. Matt is the one trying to do promotion and actor stuff, and he gets screwed over season after season.

[tearbender]

I was always a bit skeptical of the talk that Season 7 would be the last and CBS confirms it:

 

Tassler also would not confirm that the upcoming season of The Good Wife — returning Sundays this fall with a full season order — would be the last, as many reports have speculated. The show has been a prestige project for CBS, which has not traditionally drawn critical raves. And Tassler noted that as long as series creators Michelle and Robert King have the desire to continue, the show would stay on the schedule. “We love having that show on our air and are very proud of it.”

I don't imagine this season merits nominations let alone wins for anything, but the Emmys are fond of nominating the same shows out of habit. I kind of hope what's left of the original cast depart after S7. Let JM really carry the show by herself and see how that works out.

[photo fox]

It's been reported that Christine Baranski and Matt Czuchry recently quietly signed through season eight. And Alan Cumming is presumably on a different schedule, since he wasn't an original cast member. Of course, that just ties them up, but doesn't guarantee the show will continue beyond next year, or that they won't be let go.

[Janimo]

Couldn't we please just have a show with Christine and Matt.....and have Julianna somehow go away..I guess I'm just dreaming, huh? Sigh.....Perhaps they could name it "After the Good Wife, " or "Life After the Good Wife" or sumpin'.

Edited May 14, 2015 by Janimo

[Klapaucius]

It figures. Poor Carey was the one trying to actually do lawyer stuff in between all the drama, and still gets screwed. Matt is the one trying to do promotion and actor stuff, and he gets screwed over season after season.

At least now we know we can't blame writers for this...since they have restrictions.

[ACS]

Condescension thy name is June Thomas: http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2015/05/18/good_wife_finale_why_are_people_so_upset_over_the_faked_finale_scene.html

 

Unhelpful clickbait claiming to have proof, thy name is "Staff Reporter": http://www.travelerstoday.com/articles/20278/20150517/good-wife-star-archie-panjabi-axed-show-rift-julianna-margulies.htm

[whatsatool]

Thomas piece good until last paragraph. Thanks for link.

[CleoCaesar]

Ugh, Slate continues to be the garbage rag that it always has been.

 

 

I’m frankly surprised that some viewers feel stung by the finale’s technical deception. I hope no one tells them that all those scenes of people driving around in cars involve no actual movement; that the show’s trials aren’t filmed in a real courtroom; or that the Chicago-set show is made in New York. Superhero movies aren’t the only dramas that use green-screen work, and it seems naive to grumble about it.

 

Yeah, that's totally the same thing as inexplicably faking a scene between two main characters because the actresses can't stand each other.

 

I can't believe people get paid to write nonsense like that.

[whatsatool]

Don't diss Slate

[Kromm]

Don't diss Slate

Not even when they DESERVE it?

Condescension thy name is June Thomas

There's a list of a few media people (including that Washington Post lady) where the aura of anti-GW-critic condescension really makes me think its all part of a network of people doing favors for CBS, or the Kings, or maybe even Marguiles or her agent. 

[stealinghome]

Honestly, I've always found many professional TV critics to be really reluctant to criticize The Good Wife even in moments when the show has really deserved it. I've always chalked it up to the fact that so many critics were so incredibly dismissive of the show when it first aired...they all had to eat crow when it not just made it past its initial 9 (or so)-episode order, but went beyond that to become a moderate ratings hit/Emmy and other awards darling. So now no one has the balls to call the show out when it's not very good.

 

I think it's also a product of, fans often hold TGW to a higher standard because we know how good the show can be (seriously, I caught a S2 rerun the other night and almost wept at how good this show used to be), but critics tend to compare it to other shows on network TV--and as much as I think TGW isn't very good anymore, the acting/production values/many individual scripts still place it above 90% of network TV. The problems really come in the larger narrative, but an individual episode of TGW is usually just as good as anything on cable TV.

[Janimo]

Give me a break....sigh....the article is dated today, May 21, 2015.

http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/may/21/news-junkies-good-wife-writing-team-is-one-of-the-sharpest-in-tv

[Shelby]

In the June 1 US Weekly, which I received today, an small write-up confirms the final JM/AP scenes were filmed separately and that body doubles were used.

Not really news because we already knew that, and because it's US Weekly.

[Janimo]

Well, to my way of thinking, no news is good news, at least from JM's perspective. (snark intended). I think all of the "publicity" regarding the AP/JM final scene "together" will continue to haunt JM into season seven.....but maybe that's just wishful thinking on my part.

[WearyTraveler]

Well, if it's confirmed that the scene was shot that way, then, it's confirmed that the reason the actresses haven't filmed a scene together was because of backstage issues, and not because the plot dictated it, as TPTB would have us believe.  I just wish people were more professional about things like this.  It's ridiculous.  The job is the job.

 

Whoever started it, whoever is the most to blame, whatever the hell happened, they should just suck it up and do their jobs!

Edited May 21, 2015 by WearyTraveler

[Kromm]

Well, if it's confirmed that the scene was shot that way, then, it's confirmed that the reason the actresses haven't filmed a scene together was because of backstage issues, and not because the plot dictated it, as TPTB would have us believe.  I just wish people were more professional about things like this.  It's ridiculous.  The job is the job.

 

Whoever started it, whoever is the most to blame, whatever the hell happened, they should just suck it up and do their jobs!

Or the biggest rule of all... if there really IS some problem big enough you can't work around it... don't LIE about it.

 

It's always the coverup that gets under the public's skin the most.  People hate being lied to more than they hate the idea that some stupid actors can't get along. Ergo, CBS and the Kings look like the big jackasses here, as much as Marguiles. Protecting their brand (aka their title character's actress' rep) led them to making weak lies and excuses for years (and possibly coopting some people in the press to mock "conspiracy theorists") and so now it's THEIR rep that's damaged. Albeit probably only temporarily, if we're being honest, since the public also has short memories.

[Ohmo]

The Good Wife: Matthew Goode Exits Ahead of Season 7

[milkyaqua]

Meh, not that shocking that Goode isn't coming back.  But good grief, does this mean even more Michael J. Fox?

[newsjunkie]

I doubt that US Weekly has actually more independent confirmation than TV Line or EW, their online report on it just quoted TV Line. The whole thing, including the "confirmation," still seems very strange. TV Line is a great site, and they're probably write about Matthew Goode, but they were less than correct when they reported about Josh Charles renewing a year & staying through Season 5 (and in my understanding, he didn't even make a decision until closer to March than that report dated the beginning of February. It also seems irresponsible of EW to allege that something began in Season 1 and/or that it had somthing to do with the Emmy Award, since there was no separation until several years later. To me it still seems almost too convenient that someone would come out and say exatly the thing people are speculating about, it feels like generally these things turn out to be completely different in some way than we imagine, in the truth is stranger than fiction variety (the speculation feels almost too obvious). And I also feel like it's a "Those who know do not talk and those who talk do not know" situation.

Also that Guardian article, even though it references the finale, might have been timed to the Thursday airings of the still ongoing Season 6 in Britain.

Edited May 23, 2015 by newsjunkie

[crashdown]

Firewall and Iceberg have a segment on their most recent podcast on The Good Wife's finale and the drama of the confirmed split screen.  It starts at 3:35 and runs to 21:40.

Edited May 23, 2015 by crashdown

[ACS]

Firewall and Iceberg have a segment on their most recent podcast on The Good Wife's finale and the drama of the confirmed split screen.  It starts at 3:35 adn runs to 21:40.

I get why they have to equivocate, because they are journalists and not professional speculators but I thought that their argument about Archie Panjabi not necessarily being blameless was weak.  But maybe I've done too much research to be convinced.  That said, I appreciate their critique of the awful splitscreen debacle and the impact Kaliciagate had on the show.

[crashdown]

It was definitely weak.  Archie had absolutely nothing to gain and everything to lose by separating her character from Alicia--it's absurd to pretend this level of agnosticism. But other than that, I thought it was a nice segment, and I'm glad the press has pushed this thing as hard as they have.  It's too late to change any Kalicia storylines for the better, but maybe it'll make someone think twice before accommodating the next diva ultimatum on some other show in the future.

[CarobCake]

This is genius:

 

http://schwarmerei1.tumblr.com/post/119675521629/outrageous-kaliciagate-theories

 

I honestly cannot phantom a reason... other than Archie sleeping with Julianna's real life husband, all other theories seem just so... juvenile. But I guess sometimes people are exactly that. Who knows...

[GHScorpiosRule]

This is genius:

 

http://schwarmerei1.tumblr.com/post/119675521629/outrageous-kaliciagate-theories

 

I honestly cannot phantom a reason... other than Archie sleeping with Julianna's real life husband, all other theories seem just so... juvenile. But I guess sometimes people are exactly that. Who knows...

 

 

And I don't buy that. I think, at least for me, it's that Margulies is/was having trouble distinguishing between real life and art.  We all know that she has said that in real life, she would "NEVER" become/remain friends with the woman who slept with her husband.  Guess what? Happens a LOT on television, in the movies, on the stage. It's called ACTING. What? Did she think that if her character of Alicia Florrick bridged the friendship so that she (Alicia) and Kalinda were best friends again, that would mean, that should this happen to her in real life, she would remain friends with the woman?

 

I just can't wrap my brain around this; because it wasn't just the Kings; there was a line in this past season, I can't remember who Kalinda was talking to, but he or she said how she and Alicia used to be best friends, and Kalinda breaks in with a line about no, they weren't "really friends", and I remember yelling BULLSHIT! at my television screen. Sure, we viewers who saw this friendship were just smoking Crack, right? 

 

I just look at the last four letters in her last name: MarguLIES.

[CarobCake]

But that doesn't make sense either. Because why then agree to do a scene with the character, but not with the actress?? This is personal and it has to do with Archie. My other theory is that she killed Margulie's dog... maybe she slapped her kid? Oh wait, that's another show...

 

I only wish someone would tell! Here's to hoping someday an autobiography explains this mess, until then...

[WearyTraveler]

I think whenever someone tries to hide something (as they are blatantly trying to do here), it creates more interest in finding out what the secret is.