S07.E20: Party

[meisje]

I also like that Jason seemed to do some investigating this week. Who knew? Mostly he went places and people just told him things, but with the lab tech, he researched her record and had actual facts. It's progress.

 

I thought the same thing at first until it took one simple conversation with Peter to get a long tale of this compromised lab tech's career. Jason had only asked her about the evidence and she had offered that she had an impeccable record, and he left happy, case closed. Why didn't he, um, investigate, the people he was going to interview (good on him for finally getting out the car though!) before he decided what he wanted to ask them, or at least check their stories out afterward before giving his final report? I tell you, he is a dumdum investigator of the highest order! It was silly to make it seem like Eli canned Jason because he's going to bonetown with Peter's smug branch of a wife instead of pointing out that Jason had to do the job twice, only getting any pertinent info from Eli/Peter, and still didn't have anything useful to report!

 

I have a nice sized summer bash at my house every year - 75 people.  I HIRE PEOPLE TO HELP ME.  A  bartender and two roaming servers/helpers.  I want to enjoy my guests and don't want to bother with setting the buffet, stocking the bar, etc.  (I'm not "rich", by any means, but I know how to throw a damn party)

 

There is no reasonable explanation for why a partner in a major law firm did not receive the help of her assistant in hiring someone to take care of the details of the party; apparently it was just the only way the writers could think to throw the flower and cake jokes in. It also made no sense that Alicia would put herself out, in any way, shape or form, for Jackie or Howard: she detests them both and has been clear about that every day of the series. I still recall when she essentially threatened Jackie after she was in the hospital from her stroke, and decided to let the kids get licenses and give them cars so that Jackie would never again enter the apartment. The idea that she would borrow from her sex/drinking time to throw a party like this was absurd -- she wouldn't even open the door for her daughter who was stuck in the hallway with a truck's worth of flowers because she and Jason were having their important staring/sighing time. Alicia's like the honey badger, "Honey badger don't care! Honey badger doesn't give a shit, it just takes what it wants!"*

 

Veronica continues to be awful. Owen, at least, understood what she did, but holy crap to just drunkenly spill the divorce news at a party like that is just so over the line.

 

Speaking of Owen, I don't care for the new caretaker roll he's been playing for a while now. It made sense that he was closer to Veronicka when Alicia was parenting and getting re-started in the workforce, etc., but she barely does anything other than give ultimatums these days. What, for several years now, prevents her from being involved? Owen is actually a full-time professor who, by all accounts, is single and should be out looking for his first(?) important relationship. It just doesn't sit right with me that he's been relegated to full-time sidekick of the drunk mother because Alicia's too important for such plebeian duties... 

 

If I were either Peter or Jason I'd take one look at that hard, sly face of hers and get the hell out of Dodge. To me, she looks and acts like a vampire appraising necks. Makes me want to page Buffy. I expected Alicia to change over these seasons, but not to become a harder, meaner, more shallow, more selfish, more self-absorbed version of her original self. Wow, what a character arc, lol.

 

Veronica is the ultimate in self-centered old bags. She actually makes me not hate Jackie as much. Jackie is a nutbar, but it's usually too intensely centered on her family, as opposed to being so focused on herself that her family can just go hang. Ugh. Just...ugh.

 

Hmm, now the character arcs are lining up for me...

 

*No offense meant to the animal kingdom or honey badgers!

[Klapaucius]

I enjoyed Cary in his t-shirt and jacket when he went to see Canning.

That's also my episode review. I'm happy we interpreted the script in the same way.

[kwnyc]

All these pictures of marriages: from Zack turning from someone who was once a level-headed kid to a college freshman (which...I can buy); to his "fiance's" version of marriage, which was rather tragic; to Jackie & Howard in love and on the brink of a fresh start; to Diane and Kurt pulling together, loving each other, and enjoying a mature relationship, back to...Alicia and Peter. If the show ISN'T setting me up for the two of them to end up together again in some form, I'll eat my hat. (And if it does not, please do not quote this post in two weeks).

 

I think when Grace ends up in therapy, it's not going to be her parents she talks about most, it's going to be her grandmothers, who have given her the most awful ideas about men/humans/behavior and really, really bad information throughout the series.

 

And Alicia was so lawyerly when she repeated back to Jason what he said to her. HOPEFULLY that makes her realize that he's almost a complete stranger to her (except between the sheets). I don't see Alicia, even some new, vaguely self-actualized Alicia, picking up stakes and leaving town with him. He is correct that she likes her nice apartment (even if it doesn't have a doorman), her kids, and her (even at the moment) fairly comfortable life.

 

Are we going to have Alicia defending Peter in court? The promos seemed to suggest it. Because: poor Tom the chihuahua.

 

Will it be in front of one of the quirky judges? (Do we have a quirky federal judge on the roster?)

 

I'm definitely watching until the end...though I will be overseas in 2 weeks and have to wait til I get home to see the finale.

 

It's kind of funny that Mr. Schue is the federal prosecutor, because this show is reminding me of Glee, giving all the old characters one last turn.

[UsernameFatigue]

All these pictures of marriages: from Zack turning from someone who was once a level-headed kid to a college freshman (which...I can buy); to his "fiance's" version of marriage, which was rather tragic; to Jackie & Howard in love and on the brink of a fresh start; to Diane and Kurt pulling together, loving each other, and enjoying a mature relationship, back to...Alicia and Peter. If the show ISN'T setting me up for the two of them to end up together again in some form, I'll eat my hat. (And if it does not, please do not quote this post in two weeks).

 

Good points about Zack/girlfriend and Jackie/Howard. Especially where Diane and Kurt are concerned at least twice at the party Alicia was watching them with what I took to be envy. I really won't have a problem if Alicia and Peter end up together. It won't be the first time a couple has been close to breaking up due to drifting apart, infidelity, etc. only to realize in the end that they love each other and the grass isn't always greener on the other side. I don't see Alicia as going it alone - I just don't think she is wired that way. It would be rather ironic after all the years of the series if the "Good Wife" actually becomes a "Real Wife" - with a real husband -  in the end.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I love Eli but he was a dick at the end of this episode. He insisted on hiring Jason to investigate Peter, despite Jason and Peter both saying he should hire someone else. Then after an entire day of running around the city to investigate, Eli's reaction is to ask whether Jason's feelings for Alicia are interfering with the investigation and then firing Jason. Like you didn't know beforehand that this was a possible conflict of interest?

When Marissa said she was thinking about law school, I was kind of hoping Alicia would tell her not to do it.

[AudienceofOne]

Eli hired him to "prove Peter guilty" because he thought the other investigators were pulling their punches. Then Jason comes back and says, "here is how Peter is guilty" and then Eli fires him for being biased??? The fact Jason went back and kept investigating? Was one of the few times I've liked him since the character was introduced.

[CleoCaesar]

This was a reunion of the show's most toxic, irritating, unfunny guest stars, and it was excruciating. Howard Lyman, Jackie, Louis Canning, Veronica...what, they couldn't throw in a few annoying judges for good measure?

 

Zach is an idiot and I don't blame Alicia one bit for laughing her ass off when he said he was going to write his memoir.

 

FREE CARY!!!

[ktwo]

Who throws/hosts a party only to sit in their bedroom and watch TV? Or let's discuss Zach's personal family matter at the party we are hosting?! Or let me leave the party I'm hosting so I can go outside to discuss my relationship with my boyfriend?! Or let me answer my phone so I can talk to the only other lawyer in Chicago about my husband's arrest and how it involves Cary?! None of those situations could have waited until the next morning?? Good grief, I hate this show!! I'm so glad there are only 2 episodes left.

This was exactly what was clattering around in my head during this episode. Along with what others mentioned above, that there would be staff to deal with all of this. I still managed to enjoy it, however, due to the "gang's all here" philosophy that clearly went into it. And because of the happy news that we won't see the Tascioni of the stupid little dog again.

[Tetraneutron]

I thought it made sense that Alicia would take calls to talk to Peter's lawyer. And that no one at the party would mind, since she was trying to keep Peter out of jail. Same with Eli. Assuming you accept that Jason is the best investigator in town and no one can do what he does (which is easily one of those things you have to believe if you're going to watch TV) it makes sense that Eli would fight to use him. It doesn't make sense that this is when Peter would choose to get territorial, especially now that he's divorcing Alicia and neither of them seem that sad about it. It's a cheap retread of the Peter/Will dynamic during the stuffed ballot box in the Governor's election arc. Except there are none of the stakes since Peter doesn't know Jason, Alicia has no history with him and  wasn't in love with him, they've been in an acknowledged sham marriage for 2 years now, and both Peter and Alicia have slept with other people. I didn't buy that give all that, Peter would let jealousy get in the way of not going to jail. 

Are we going to have Alicia defending Peter in court? The promos seemed to suggest it. Because: poor Tom the chihuahua.

That wouldn't make any sense. Alicia's a witness. And she's still technically married to Peter. There is no way she's going to be the lawyer. 

[kwnyc]

 

Zach is an idiot and I don't blame Alicia one bit for laughing her ass off when he said he was going to write his memoir.

 

Though unlike most college freshmen, Zach actually has a few interesting stories he can tell: he can write about the time his first vote ever accidentally proved that the election was rigged; and (if he knew it) how his relationship with a girl with an Arab last name got the NSA to listen in on his whole family. And how despite his father actually being a bit of a scumbag, he proved that some of the photos were fakes. 

[KaveDweller]

A hilarious ending would be if Peter is actually innocent, but every other character testifies against him because they think it will save their own skin, and he ends up in jail anyway. Then Zach can write a tell all memoir about it.

 

A colleague of mine was given land on Mars (or maybe the moon), as a gift recently and everyone in the office thought it was really cool.

 

That wouldn't make any sense. Alicia's a witness. And she's still technically married to Peter. There is no way she's going to be the lawyer. 

 

I was trying to think of which lawyers we have left on the show that aren't already involved in some way. The only one I could think of is the one played by Meryl Streep's daughter. But I think I missed why the sick dog mean Peter's lawyer can't work anymore? Doesn't he share custody for the dog with Elspeth? It seems like such a contrived reason.

[orza]

But I think I missed why the sick dog mean Peter's lawyer can't work anymore? Doesn't he share custody for the dog with Elspeth? It seems like such a contrived reason.

It is the setup for Elsbeth Tascioni to make her final appearance. She's pretty much the well-known recurring character who didn't show up in the episode, well except for Colin Sweeney.

[Tetraneutron]

It is the setup for Elsbeth Tascioni to make her final appearance. She's pretty much the well-known recurring character who didn't show up in the episode, well except for Colin Sweeney.

I thought the exhusband was supposed to be played by Elspeth in the first place, but then Carrie Preston booked a show so they had to hastily rewrite the character. So we already had Elspeth's goodbye. And she's unavailable for the rest of the series.

Maybe they won't need a lawyer at all. The courtroom stuff so far has been only one small scene with the rest on camera, and Mike Tascioni was pretty extraneous to the drama anyway. It's all about the bsckroom stuff.

Edited April 26, 2016 by Tetraneutron

[KaveDweller]

I thought the exhusband was supposed to be played by Elspeth in the first place, but then Carrie Preston booked a show so they had to hastily rewrite the character. So we already had Elspeth's goodbye. And she's unavailable for the rest of the series.

 

And they already said she couldn't represent Peter because she also represents that Garber guy and it is a conflict of interest. 

[kwnyc]

 

That wouldn't make any sense. Alicia's a witness. And she's still technically married to Peter. There is no way she's going to be the lawyer.

 

YOU know that, and I know that...but does the SHOW know that???

[Dowel Jones]

Paging Louis Litt... Paging Louis Litt...

[meisje]

YOU know that, and I know that...but does the SHOW know that???

 

And the answer is, pretty predictably, NOT. A new way of measuring reasonably intelligent lawyering on the show might be "Does Lucca know that?" since she appears to know the most fun/arcane law facts and catches what both firms have missed. 

 

Paging Louis Litt... Paging Louis Litt...

 

If only the TGW and Suits were on NBC, the home of shows crossing over like a chicken pox outbreak in a preschool! Bringing Louis on to to tear things up would be awesome (step aside David Lee!), as well as Jessica believably partnering with Diane to redefine the firm, and hey, Mike would be pair well with Cary, and Harvey could be a believable and hot-as-hell love interest!

[Tara Ariano]

In case you missed it, here's the Previously.TV post on the episode!

The Good Wife Does Her Last Duty For Her Crappy Mother-In-Law

Hardly anyone has a good time when Alicia throws a party for Jackie and Howard's ketubah-signing party, but at least some of them get very drunk.

[needschocolate]

Sometimes when I watch older shows on a wide screen tv, the characters look a bit shorter and chubbier than the way I remembered them. I had the opposite happen with TGW.  Maybe it is just the settings on my TV but Alicia looked very skinny, like unhealthy skinny, then I noticed that her daughter looked too thin also, and, later, I noticed that Jason and others looked thinner than usual too, even the doorways looked narrower.  When they showed that lawyer laying on a couch, he looked a bit stocky, then he stood up and he was much trimmer.  I got the feeling that they somehow stretch the image vertically to make everyone appear thinner.   Was it just my TV?

I wish someone would have pointed out to Zack that as long as he needs his parents money, he is not an independent adult. If he were my kid, I would tell him that he is old enough to not need my permission to get married and move to France, but if he wants me to foot the bill for his college education, he needs to stay in school - I will pay for 4 years of college if those 4 years are continuous.  The cost of attending a university goes up so much every year, I am not going to pay extra because he wants to write his memoirs.  

On 4/25/2016 at 8:45 AM, TV Diva Queen said:

The funeral flowers and the RIP cake.....hilarious writers, too bad you couldn't do a "big desk in a little office" gag...oh wait, you did that already.

 

I have a nice sized summer bash at my house every year - 75 people.  I HIRE PEOPLE TO HELP ME.  A  bartender and two roaming servers/helpers.  I want to enjoy my guests and don't want to bother with setting the buffet, stocking the bar, etc.  (I'm not "rich", by any means, but I know how to throw a damn party)

Too bad they couldn't work in a scene where Eli has to stand on something to listen in through a vent.

I thought that maybe Alicia had caterers or servers and I just didn't notice.  If there was no help, and Alicia was in charge of al the details, then that was one lousy party to be a guest at - No one making sure the food is stocked and there are enough napkins and people know where to put their coats, etc...

On 4/26/2016 at 7:07 PM, orza said:

It is the setup for Elsbeth Tascioni to make her final appearance. She's pretty much the well-known recurring character who didn't show up in the episode, well except for Colin Sweeney.

Hmmm....maybe that is the ending - Colin Sweeney comes back and has an affair with Alicia, and we know what happens to women who have sex with Sweeney.

[dinkysquid]

I sure won't miss Veronica and her puffy, over-processed face. She's so bloody annoying!

Nice of Jackie to tell Alicia that once she divorces Peter, they're pretty much done.

Only two more episodes left? That was fast!

[bref]

Given the parade of old faces trudging through these last episodes, think there's a chance we'll see Sexy Drug Dealer Guy again? Wouldn't hurt my feelings!

[torqy]

Thanks to those who pointed out Makenzie Vega's teeth. Mrs. Torqy and I were trying to figure out what was different, besides the hair and makeup. (I've thought for some time that she should have been cast as Nicky on Blue Bloods since she looks like she could be Bridget Moynahan's kid.)

All I could think of during the party scenes was a Marx Brothers movie.

[Omega Mu]

On 4/25/2016 at 3:58 PM, ElectricBoogaloo said:

When Marissa said she was thinking about law school, I was kind of hoping Alicia would tell her not to do it.

When Marissa said she was thinking about law school, I was kind of hoping it was the set-up for a spin-off series.

[Hanahope]

Quote

When Marissa said she was thinking about law school, I was kind of hoping it was the set-up for a spin-off series.

That I would watch, with cameos by Alan Cumming and Christine Baranski (and no one else).  Ok, maybe a cameo by Matt C too.

Edited May 10, 2016 by Hanahope

[lucindabelle]

On April 25, 2016 at 9:24 AM, roomtorome said:

The point I was making about lazy writing is that Americans (and others) cannot go to anywhere in the EU for more than 90 days; not without a grueling VISA process - so, no, he can't go to France for year to travel or anything.  It's just a bugaboo of mine when they gloss over stuff like this so they stick this storyline in - in real life, all a parent had to do is point out it is not legal in any way (and, believe me, they are checking) to go for more than 90 days.  That would sober up the kids - and, fast.  The girlfriend could go for more than 90 days as she has a job, but not him.

 

Anyway - says a lot about this crappy episode that I focused on that - and the strange bot person that Alicia has become.  "Happy" seemed to become her code word for the night and I guess I as a viewer am supposed to assume that she will now focus on finding happiness?  Yeah, by now, I really don't care.  

This is an exaggeration. The soon to be wife already has a job, which presumably comes with a visa. Yes there's paperwork for him to accompany her but it is hardly insurmountable.

shes a college proctor and no doubt knows about paperwork,

she has a right to go, she's not going as a tourist.

also, you seem to be unaware that many American students spend whole years abroad as exchange students, legally. Yes there is paperwork. College kids are capable of paperwork. It's not especially grueling.

 

a bigger issue for me is Alicia's handwaving his actually dropping out of college rather than taking a hiatus which most schools allow.

[wendyg]

needschocolate: you should take a look at your aspect ratio settings. Older TV shows were shot/broadcast in 4:3, so yes, when you stretch the picture sideways to fill a widescreen everyone will look short and chubby. THE GOOD WIFE was shot in widescreen and should look as intended, but it's possible your TV is set in such a way as to interfere with that.