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S05.E18: All Tapped Out

Tara Ariano

By Tara Ariano
in The Good Wife [V]

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merylinkid

merylinkid

Well that was stupid ass plan Cary and Clark.   This is the NSA, you never admit to anything with them.  To the NSA you are guilty period.   There is no proving your innocence.

At least the hearing was accurate.  THe NSA really does hide behind the Government Secrets Act to keep from showing anything.  And they are afraid of open court because judges are sick of the game playing and are starting to order stuff be given up.  

Liked how they turned the tables on the NSA though. 

Alicia in angry mode is scary.   Man that self-righteous "I am better than Peter" DA is so going down.  Blaming Finn because the kid snapped is so wrong.  Clearly no one knows the kid did not want to go into segregation.  

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Cutty

Cutty

Kinda meh episode but an improvement on the last. The Finn Polmar subplot in particular was really sloppy and unsatisfying. I'm hopeful the conclusion of the episode gives us a break from the Alicia/Peter stuff for at least a few episodes. Dear Kings: We. get. it. Stop bashing us over the head.

Needs more Christine Baranski.

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cheyz

cheyz

This was the moving forward episode. They mostly wrapped up Will, although things will continue to come up. They mostly wrapped up the NSA plot, although again things might continue to come up. Alicia and Peter have been Marriage of Convenience before (when she found out about Kalinda and kicked him out). They ended the merger talks for now, although I doubt Michael J. Fox will be a regular.

This was a light, fun episode for the most part. Loved Eli "worshipping" Peter. Will he find out what Alicia did to Canning? Wonder if there will be consequences for Canning going forward, we didn't hear what all five hits were for.

I'm looking forward to the rest of the season, and to see where the series goes from here.

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possibilities

possibilities

I was so angry at Alicia when she was sleepwalking through Finn's hearing. But when she shook it off she was back to the take-no-prisoners Alicia I enjoy.

Cary was rightly pissed about the merger not having been mentioned to him, and I was 100% behind him showing her that she couldn't control him or expect him to wait around and endlessly defer. I hate it that no one can trust anyone on this show, but given the reality, none of them have earned that so it's fair. Also, him telling Diane that LG is mismanaged? I hooted! Diane couldn't really disagree, either. Ha.

It was weird and upsetting to see Kalinda and Diane acting all girly grateful submissive and contrite with Canning. I'm sure there's something behind the facade, but it was still disconcerting to see it, even as a ruse.

I enjoyed Peter taking down the tap, even if of course it was as corrupt as the tap itself. I enjoyed Eli enjoying it even more, though I also thought he would have been just as savvy as Peter rather than being so amazed by the performance. But I just love Alan Cumming, so I find myself accepting his swoon of awe despite it being uncharacteristic for Eli.

I thought Peter was going to ask for a divorce, when he actually was just discussing scheduling. I actually thought Alicia was regretting her outburst where she cut him off emotionally last week. What really makes Alicia swoon is the power and he wielded it just the way she likes: solve my problem, I don't care how, you may be a bully and corrupt, as long as you are my own corrupted bullying knight....

Nathan Lane (whose character's name I have forgotten) and Cary should ride off into the sunset together. I mean that in the best way possible.

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Cattitude

Cattitude

Glad Alicia snaped out of that funk and became who she has always been.

Cary Rocked! I really like him and like it when the Kings show him as strong. He IS Alicia's partner and actually the one who had the balls to leave LG first.

I don't care for Finn and since Will is gone I think Cary should get more lead not bring in a new guy.

I know I'm in the minority but I like MJF and the Canning character. Since his is just a guest star I wouldn't mind him in a Peter type reoccuring role. His drinking scene with Diane was good. BTW is Diane starting to drink excessively?

I like Peter and love when he shines in his role. That is why Eli is so loyal. He sees how good Peter is in politics. I don't think Alicia will divorce him. After she gets over misplacing her anger on him, I think like before she will be drawn back to him. This is just what happened before and why she chose him over Will. He was right all along they are all they have left. I really liked that he went along with her "marriage of convenience" plan and acted fine with it. I thought it made her look slightly ridiculous to herself.

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merylinkid

merylinkid

Just a quick note -- even if they did not have a marriage of convenience, they still need to calendar stuff that far out.   As a lawyer myself, I have to keep reminding my family that they have to tell me WELL in advance of important family events (weddings, graduations, etc.) so I can make sure I am not scheduled to be in court that day or right around it.   They don't get that courts set trials months out at the scheduling hearing and an attorney needs to know their availability.

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izabella

izabella

So that's it with the NSA plot?  All that time, all that lead-up, and it's just over?  What was the point?  To show Peter exercising his political muscle by blackmailing a Senator?

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Gregg247

Gregg247

Peter and Alicia working (somewhat) in concert to get the NSA off their backs was a beautiful sight to behold.  They both played it masterfully, with an able assist from Cary and Clark.  I love these "gotcha" moments in shows like this.

MJF is back!  Thank goodness he's done with his terrible sitcom so he could come back here.  I got lost in his last scene, though; it seemed like he was working WITH Diane and Kalinda to get them out of a bad financial fix Will had gotten them into, and then he was leaving.  Yet earlier, it looked like he was evil and trying to use Kalinda to take down Diane (?)  I'm confused. 

Also, at one point MJF introduced himself as Louis Canning, and I thought he said "loose cannon".  I can't believe I never picked up on that similarity before.  As I've stated before, if they introduce Thomas Wilson (aka Biff Tannen) as MJF's investigator, I'll love this show till it dies! lol

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CleoCaesar

CleoCaesar

(edited)

My #1 most-hated thing about this show is the quirky, repetitive guest stars. I loathe Louis Canning and the douchey NSA dudebros. It's not fun to be subjected to them.

Also, how stupid are Diane and LG? Why do they keep inviting Canning into their lives? His "I'm so trustworthy! But I will screw you over [and he does]" act keeps happening over and over again.

Also, at one point MJF introduced himself as Louis Canning, and I thought he said "loose cannon".

Great catch! Never thought about it that way.

Edited by CleoCaesar
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picklesprite

picklesprite

I love MJF as  Louis Canning, but I was really confused, too, in that scene with Kalinda and Diane.

Cattitude, I'm on board with hoping the Kings let Cary be strong. Which should include cutting off Kalinda, imo. I want to see Cary whup more ass. And it wouldn't hurt to see him apply some of that to Alicia, too. Letting both of them be strong, confident lawyers would be very attractive to me.

Ugh, they have really turned Finn into a a passive, martyred wimp. I'm guessing that will start to change now. Hope so, but they're going to have to let him become more interesting in other ways, too.

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LekoBoy

LekoBoy

What? No mention of (big famous) Michael Urie's (stellar) performance?  Remember, he too, is a failed sitcom star.  I wanna see him, Alan Cumming, and Nathan Lane in an LG conference room, and throw in David Lee as well.  I also thinks Nathan has a little crush on Cary; want the writers to explore that plotline.

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photo fox

photo fox

Cary was rightly pissed about the merger not having been mentioned to him, and I was 100% behind him showing her that she couldn't control him or expect him to wait around and endlessly defer. I hate it that no one can trust anyone on this show, but given the reality, none of them have earned that so it's fair. Also, him telling Diane that LG is mismanaged? I hooted! Diane couldn't really disagree, either. Ha.

I loved all of that as well. Plus the NSA kid saying, "he's kicking ass," and Dell then going to him - and only him - when he needed a lawyer. Nice to see someone in fictional Chicago giving Cary some credit.

Did Cary ever say anything to Alicia about her prospective merger with L/G? Or maybe he figured since he shut it down with Diane he didn't need to? I was really looking forward to him confronting Alicia about that.

 

Cary Rocked! I really like him and like it when the Kings show him as strong. He IS Alicia's partner and actually the one who had the balls to leave LG first. I don't care for Finn and since Will is gone I think Cary should get more lead not bring in a new guy.

I would prefer seeing more Cary instead of bringing in Finn as well. Frankly, I wonder about Finn's intelligence, sticking with Alicia through some very questionable actions on her part. She pulled it out in the end, but I wouldn't have stayed with her that long.

 

Also, at one point MJF introduced himself as Louis Canning, and I thought he said "loose cannon".  I can't believe I never picked up on that similarity before.

I didn't catch that, but I did think it was funny when Diane asked David about "putting the Fox in charge". Coincidence?

 

Needs more Christine Baranski.

Amen.

I enjoyed seeing Alicia and Peter independently working the phone taps to their own ends. I love seeing smart people on my television.

On the other end of the spectrum, I couldn't believe the NSA kids were discussing the lie detector questions - which I'm assuming are supposed to confidential - in open cubes. The hell? Wouldn't everything at the NSA be recorded?

The freight elevator conversation at Florrick Agos reminded me of the old streetside steam grate conversations at Lockhart Gardner. *sad*

And for a final (shallow) note: those thick black stockings with a light gray suit that Alicia sported to Finn's hearing were distractingly ugly.

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Sandman

Sandman

(edited)
Needs more Christine Baranski.

Truth. I loved that "You're not the enemy. ... You're the Devil" conversation (read: vodka-cular smackdown) she had with Canning.

I like the comment upthread about "Loose Cannon." It never occurred to me until now, but can we assume Canning's name was based on that kind of pun?

Eli's confession of his unworthiness before Peter would have been a lot more amusing if it weren't so demonstrably true. Eli's handled the whole ballot-stuffing situation (and much else recently) amateurishly.

Edited by Sandman
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fastiller

fastiller

Was it Peter that did the used car ad?  I thought it was someone working for F/A - just because I'm not sure how Peter would get the NSA supervisor's direct office line, while F/A's client (whom I can only refer to as "Gabe from The Office" 'cause I don't recall his TGW character name) would have that at hand.

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webruce

webruce

(edited)

Story line A) Cary trying to make a deal with Diane on the merger. But she backed away. Nice to see Julius Cain back. Nice his absence was explained that he was at the NY office, and not like he was there working cases and we didn't see him. Is he the head of the NY office? If not, maybe Canning and Lee could go lead it, lol Also didn't Louis Canning have Patti Nyholm as his partner?

David Lee brought in Louis Canning. Diane saying about "putting the Fox in charge" or whatever was funny. Then him telling Kalinda, "I'm the new Will!" Kalinda, nice throw of Will's ball, replying, "Your not the new Will!" Later it seemed that Diane liked his work. Canning said he has changed, but then he told Diane and Kalinda, " I maybe a scumbag, but hey, I'm your scumbag!" So to me he will be more of a Damien Boyle then a Will Gardner.

Story line B) Alicia stepped up and finally put Jimmy Castro and the board away on the charge Finn Pulmar accusations on the Jeffrey Grant case. Even if they said it wasn't about that it turned into it fast. Was nice to see Matan Brody and you could tell by the look on his face when Alicia went after States Attorney Castro. Alecias immortal words, "Go down on him?" Finn and Matan couldn't hide their smirks.

Story line C2) Cary Argos and Clarke Hayden working on the case of NSA contractor Jeff Dallinger and his problems at work. It was nice to get back at boss Charles Froins. Especially after Jeff's complaint was taken from Roger Garber right to Froins. Then all that mediation stalling.

Nice he got his job back. But those 4 "listeners" do a lot more then just listen to phone conversations. Not sure who planted the "Car For Sale" flyers, but it was funny all the calls Froins got and he later got fired. Also Alicia putting the bug in NSA ears about Louis Canning, lol Very good!

Story Line C1) Well Peter Florrick took care of the NSA tapping problems. Calling Senator Bill and even though he told Peter it was clear had to give in as Peter talked about a confidential West Gate Construction deal. Nice that Peter pushed him to stop the taps. Eli saying, " I am not worthy!" was good. Then when Alicia came to thank him and they went over his itinerary, I thought that they both might have 2nd thoughts about the fight they had. Time will tell. A good and full episode.

Edited by webruce
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ShellSeeker

ShellSeeker

(edited)

Peter told the senator to get the NSA man's contact information for him. What seems like a throwaway line pays off at the end with the car for sale scam.

Ah, OK, now I see. I thought that was hilarious, but I couldn't figure out how it tied into everything else. I loved the way Peter handled that whole situation, and he had it figured out from the start. Eli asked him if he thought his senator contact would tell the truth, and he said, "No."

 

I loved Cary laying the smackdown on Diane about the merger, reminding her that there are 2 name partners at F/A, and laying out his terms. I thought it was really crappy of Alicia last week to not mention that to him even once. Sure, she needed a chance to sober up, but the first thing she should have done the next day was to tell Cary about her conversation with Diane. I would like to see more ass-kicking Cary please! 

 

Finn Polmar strikes me as a wet blanket, and I'm not sure what purpose he's supposed to serve.

 

And I thought Kalinda throwing the baseball was ridiculous -- yes, show, we get it. Kalinda is a bad-ass. We know.

Edited by Queasy-bo
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fastiller

fastiller

And I thought Kalinda throwing the baseball was ridiculous -- yes, show, we get it. Kalinda is a bad-ass. We know.

Queasy-bo

I think this wasn't so much to show Kalinda the bad-ass.  I think it was to show that Louis Canning isn't "the new Will" b/c his reflexes aren't as sharp/fast as Will's were.

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shapeshifter

shapeshifter

(edited)

Was it Peter that did the used car ad?

I'm 99% sure we saw the "newest intern" in Peter's office post the car ad--the same one whose cell phone Peter used to call the senator with the NSA clout.

When Finn was first getting blamed for Jeffrey getting put in the general population and thereby causing the courthouse shooting, I was bristling over lots of reasons this was wrong, but none of those reasons came up. The main one was that Will had tried to get Jeffrey to go into solitary and he refused because he didn't want to be alone. Right? Or am I imagining a plot point? Also, it is a very big leap to being beaten up in prison as the cause of the shooting--which was never proven, right too? And, ultimately, the guy who let his gun get used seems like the more obvious scapegoat.

Edited by shapeshifter
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photo fox

photo fox

Finn Polmar strikes me as a wet blanket, and I'm not sure what purpose he's supposed to serve.

And I thought Kalinda throwing the baseball was ridiculous -- yes, show, we get it. Kalinda is a bad-ass. We know.

I'm starting to think Finn's purpose is to draw the Willicia fans' ire ("she can't have a new love interest so soon!"), to pave the way for her next romantic partner ("at least it's not Finn!")

That exchange with Kalinda and Canning made me vaguely uncomfortable. I know he's a self-proclaimed scumbag, and I shouldn't feel any empathy for him, but I thought that bordered on Kalinda mocking his disability. Will wasn't a great lawyer and good friend because he could catch a ball, nor does Canning's lack of physical reflexes mean he can't do the job.

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picklesprite

picklesprite

I may have made this whole thing up, but I think I remember that tossing a baseball was a thing between Will and Kalinda? So doing anything like that with Canning would bring out her anger and grief. Louis Canning wouldn't know that, however, so what she did could definitely have come across to him as her mocking his disability, instead of a more general mocking of everything about him that isn't Will.  Luckily, "quick to take offense" is not Louis Canning's middle name.

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Lisin

Lisin

When Finn was first getting blamed for Jeffrey getting put in the general population and thereby causing the courthouse shooting, I was bristling over lots of reasons this was wrong, but none of those reasons came up. The main one was that Will had tried to get Jeffrey to go into solitary and he refused because he didn't want to be alone. Right? Or am I imagining a plot point? Also, it is a very big leap to being beaten up in prison as the cause of the shooting--which was never proven, right too? And, ultimately, the guy who let his gun get used seems like the more obvious scapegoat.

That was a plot point, but I don't think that anyone but Will actually KNEW that Jeffery didn't want solitary. I believe that was a discussion between Jeffery and Will right before Jeffery shot Will. I'm saying I don't think anyone else heard that conversation. 

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beeble

beeble

I loved seeing Alicia put NSA client's balls in a vise, and Peter doing the same thing to the Senator. Fan-f**king-tastic.  Then Alicia smashed up the courtroom by calling out the hypocrisy of the prosecutors.  Certainly Finn felt guilt and complicity in Will's death: he was probably still experiencing PTSD as well as survivor's guilt. But for the other prosecutors to call him on this was ridiculous and hypocritical.  

 

Grace has taken such a parenting role with her mom lately that I half expected her to call someone in the office to make sure her mom was feeling OK. But she's such a mellow kid when the GW writers need her to be.  Funny that. At least have a reaction shot with Zach.

 

Feeling pretty meh about Louis Canning.  But he might push out Kalinda, and that could push her over to F/A.

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possibilities

possibilities

Will might have been the only person who knew that the kid didn't want to go to solitary, but the fact that he never requested that it happen would be leverage they could use to deflect blame for having kept the kid in gen pop. It seems to me that if the kid had wanted to be moved-- and they'd refused the request-- that would make a stronger case for prosecutorial negligence than if they'd had the kid where he was and no one objected. Given that it was SOP to leave defendents in gen pop, not requesting a move would seem like a problem with the defense, not the prosecution.

 

But, either way, I agree that the guard who didn't secure his weapon would be a least as culpable as any other "third party," and the kid who actually did the shooting would be the most to blame. It's more fun (politically), though, for the SA to have a show of canning his own, and someone higher ranking than a guard (and the guard is probably also unionized so it would alienate more people to go after him) than to blame a dead man (Will) for not requesting a move to solitary, or shrug and say oh well, these things happen, the kid just snapped. Finn is getting blamed for political reasons, not legal or moral ones.

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ShellSeeker

ShellSeeker

That exchange with Kalinda and Canning made me vaguely uncomfortable. I know he's a self-proclaimed scumbag, and I shouldn't feel any empathy for him, but I thought that bordered on Kalinda mocking his disability. Will wasn't a great lawyer and good friend because he could catch a ball, nor does Canning's lack of physical reflexes mean he can't do the job.

 

 

You know, that bothered me too. I couldn't put my finger on what I found to be distateful about that scene, but you nailed it. Like you said, he's a scumbag, and how many times have we seen him play on others for sympathy with his, "These movements you see are due to a condition I have..." But that did seem like Kalinda was taunting him, which was a low blow. Mock him for his tactics and whatnot, but his condition shouldn't be open for ridicule.

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shapeshifter

shapeshifter

(edited)

That was a plot point, but I don't think that anyone but Will actually KNEW that Jeffery didn't want solitary. I believe that was a discussion between Jeffery and Will right before Jeffery shot Will. I'm saying I don't think anyone else heard that conversation.

Given that it was SOP to leave defendents in gen pop, not requesting a move would seem like a problem with the defense, not the prosecution

Wouldn't Will have made notes somewhere of having offered to get Jeffery into solitary to protect the firm and himself since Jeffery was getting beat up and had wealthy parents who would like sue?

Seems like this shouldn't be the last we hear of it.

I also wondered if Canning would motivate Kalinda to leave, but then we saw her teaming up with Diane.

Edited by shapeshifter
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possibilities

possibilities

Wouldn't Will have made notes somewhere of having offered to get Jeffery into solitary to protect the firm and himself since Jeffery was getting beat up and had wealthy parents who would like sue?
Seems like this shouldn't be the last we hear of it.

That's a good point, shapeshifter. I guess it depends on whether the show wants to use the issue one way vs the other, or if they want to just drop it and move on, like they sometimes do.

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Lisin

Lisin

I think everyone involved knows Will was trying to get Jeffery into solitary, that would be a normal defense thing, what I think no one but Will and Jeffery knew or will ever know is that Jeffery didn't want to go to solitary, I don't see how anyone could know that because Jeffery was only talking to Will about it and Will was ignoring him anyway. I doubt Will made notes about it. I also doubt it matters in the long run aside from the fact that we'd maybe figure out why the hell Jeffery didn't want to go.

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darbar

darbar

While I have tons of respect for MJF, I just can't watch him in this role. First and foremost, I can hardly understand most of what he says as so much of his speech has become garbled.

I do love Nathan Lane's character and would love to see more of him, along with Christine Baranski. She's a treasure.

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bravelittletoaster

bravelittletoaster

My #1 most-hated thing about this show is the quirky, repetitive guest stars.

Ha, that's always been one of my favorite things about this show.  It reminds me of the Buffyverse in its expert use of a large rotation of guest stars to make the world of the show feel really expansive.  I don't like all of the stars themselves, but I love how the show manages them.  Probably the best guest cast ensemble on television in my opinion.

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vera charles

vera charles

(edited)

 

Also, at one point MJF introduced himself as Louis Canning, and I thought he said "loose cannon".  I can't believe I never picked up on that similarity before.

Yes, I came here to check if anybody else noticed that. I had to back up the recording and listen again, because I thought he introduced himself with "Hi, I'm a loose cannon" and I thought that was really odd, even for him.

 

When was the last time we saw Michael Boatman as Julius? He just walked in and became part of the meeting and I was like, hey, where's he been for the last couple of years? I think he said New York, but still, that's kind of odd. Michael Boatman and Michael J. Fox together again, it was like a little Spin City reunion.

 

And for a final (shallow) note: those thick black stockings with a light gray suit that Alicia sported to Finn's hearing were distractingly ugly.

I agree. When she walked across the room, I could hear my mother's voice saying that your hosiery should always be lighter in color than your skirt. Apparently, Alicia hadn't heard about that rule.

Edited by vera charles
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ElectricBoogaloo

ElectricBoogaloo

Ha, this was the first time I realized that when Louis Canning says his name, he sounds like he is saying "loose cannon." I, too, rewound just to see if I had imagined it. Good to know I wasn't the only one.

 

I really love that the NSA guys who are listening to all the phone conversations are all so up to date on what's going on in Alicia's life and discussing it like the plot of a soap opera.

 

I loved that Peter realized that his contact guy was lying about NSA not listening to him or Alicia's firm so he put it to the test. I didn't see it as Peter bullying him though. The guy KNEW the truth, lied to Peter about it, and wasn't going to do a damn thing about it. Peter just called his bluff.

 

I'm glad Alicia called the state's attorney office guy on his totally blatant lie. The fact that they were trying to blame Finn for Will's death was beyond ludicrous but it was equally offensive that the office was trying to pretend that putting people in gen pop was NOT standard procedure and that they didn't tell Finn to do it in the first place because they're all so innocent and Finn is the bad bad man who caused this senseless death. Ugh. I am pretty neutral on Finn as a character but watching them try to scapegoat him was making my blood boil, so I'm glad Alicia took care of that.

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