Season 3 Discussion

[statsgirl]

As much as I dislike Blum, and I do greatly, I have to give kudos to Michael Sheen's acting in the last scene where the realization that he has been disbarred sinks in for Blum. I could feel the terror and the shock in how he breathed and looked.

You know those boxes at the bottom of webpages that tease you into clicking on them to find out what the answer is?  They're called chumboxes. I wonder if ChumHum was named for them.

A mysterious gut doctor is begging Americans to throw out “this vegetable” now. But, like, which?

[John Potts]

On ‎4‎/‎28‎/‎2019 at 9:31 PM, bobbyjoe said:

Every character on the show these days is being written as if they’d suddenly swallowed a bottle of idiot pills.  That confrontation scene with the judge makes no sense whatsoever unless you accept that Adrian and Diane have both turned utterly stupid.

Exactly! I don't mind our "heroes" losing or even playing fast and loose with the law, but they immediately went nuclear with the information on the judge? Without checking it or securing any proof? Is Blum filling the office with stupid gas? At least that plotline is ending soon.

[Aulty]

The Judy Giraffe thing was hilarious and Kurt proved once more why he is one of the best characters on this show.

Is Maia going to DC with Blum (and Rose leaves the show), or will she run his Chicago business? I didn't quite catch that. It was weird that they offered Maia the named partner spot and disgusting that they sidelined the other two.

Also, book club lady sent the police to Diane's house, didn't she? That was a pretty poor move from Jay and Marissa. Liz and Diane warned Jay about her and he chooses such a flimsy strategy?

[Quark]

The giraffe and the breathing thing absolutely floored me.

I hope we never see Blum again. Not especially bothered if Maya has left.

[bobbyjoe]

Can we please, please, please in the first scene of next season have Diane step out of the shower like Bobby Ewing  on Dallas and it turns out this current season was all just a really bad dream?

[milner]

Toby is as bad a judge as I would have expected. 

[langford peel]

I wonder if Rose Leslie is being written out of the show?

If so they are losing one of the few interesting characters and a prime source of conflict that is not cartoonish Trump bashing. 

This show is always much more entertaining when they are highlighting legal dirty tricks.

[statsgirl]

Could they have possibly known about the What's App leak when they wrote this script? They used Apple rather than Facebook but otherwise the listening in is exactly what happened.

[SomeTameGazelle]

11 hours ago, statsgirl said:

Could they have possibly known about the What's App leak when they wrote this script? They used Apple rather than Facebook but otherwise the listening in is exactly what happened.

There was an actual Apple bug with FaceTime in January consistent with their online disclaimer about how it had already been fixed.

Why is Marissa suddenly the cause of so much strife? Giving Maya leverage, riling up Rochelle, telling Lucca she's being considered for partner. Or has she always done this and I never noticed?

I think I missed why the bribed judge ruled in favour of Reddick Bozeman anyway and what, if any, repercussions there were for Adrian's girlfriend.

Maya's character transformation might have been more interesting if she had had a character in the first place. When Diane tried to appeal to her emotions it felt weird because we haven't really seen much of a relationship between them. 

[Ms Blue Jay]

When I was terrified, TERRIFIED that Maya would be made partner, that really made me realize that I really can't stand Rose Leslie's acting tics and I just want her off the show.

I still can't believe they offered her partner like that.

[Joimiaroxeu]

Quote

I still can't believe they offered her partner like that.

Me either, especially since they knew how much trouble it would cause at the firm. It's like they're trying to blow themselves up. They have some big, largely racial problems within the firm and they're determined not to pull their collective heads out of the sand.

I doubt we'll see Blum again and I hope Maia stays gone too.

Guess Gary Cole is up for some contract renegotiations unless he's booked another job. He seems to stay pretty busy though, per his IMDb page.

[perkie1968]

On 5/17/2019 at 2:21 PM, milner said:

Toby is as bad a judge as I would have expected. 

Which made no sense to me.  Aren't all judges lawyers first?  He was acting like he had no idea how the law works.  

Was this the season finale?   Have they been renewed, because I'm not sure I can sit through another season.  

[statsgirl]

4 hours ago, perkie1968 said:

Which made no sense to me.  Aren't all judges lawyers first?  He was acting like he had no idea how the law works. 

He's not the first one on this show or on The Good Wife. Both these shows tend to be over the top.

I believe that all judges are lawyers. But some get promoted beyond their knowledge or experience for political reasons.   In this case, I think that the show was trying to reference the unusually high number of lifetime appointments for judges recently and imply that they are for political affiliations rather than competence.

[vibeology]

The dumb judge is based on Matthew Petersen who, thankfully, withdrew from his nomination since he was so lacking in knowledge. 

[John Potts]

On ‎4‎/‎18‎/‎2019 at 6:39 PM, Joimiaroxeu said:

I'm not buying that high-profile post-nup/divorce storyline at all. I think was mostly fan service.

While I admire the "out of the box" thinking, an annulment would only work if they were married under Catholic Law. Since Trump is divorced, they couldn't have been married in a Catholic church so in the eyes of the church, they aren't (and never were) married. Now maybe it would be enough to threaten to invalidate the contract to get a better deal, but I'd think he'd be able to afford lawyers of his own to show it wouldn't work...

More of everyone acting stupid, with the return of ChumHum. No matter if your Executive position is purely PR, you should know to never volunteer information from the stand. In fact, I'm pretty sure he could (and should) have consulted with a lawyer before saying anything. And why was the firm so surprised they were being dumped as the ChumHum lawyers? Over the course of your trial you went from an $8m settlement to double that (not entirely their fault, admittedly) - you haven't exactly covered yourself with glory with this case, why would they stick with you?

For a 10 Episode Season, this has felt so long!

[Ms Blue Jay]

On 5/19/2019 at 11:13 AM, perkie1968 said:

Which made no sense to me.  Aren't all judges lawyers first?  He was acting like he had no idea how the law works. 

I read so many judgements in Criminology by judges themselves that were incredibly shocking.  Like when children are raped for example, judges have been known to say things like "Well she asked for it", etc.   Lots of examples out there.  I don't know if judges like this know nor care about the law. 

On 5/20/2019 at 9:16 AM, John Potts said:

For a 10 Episode Season, this has felt so long!

I think the episodes are really long, right?  Like little mini movies.

[Tyro49]

Is ax-throwing a real thing, or a Chicago thing, or something just made up for this show?

[marinw]

24 minutes ago, Tyro49 said:

Is ax-throwing a real thing, or a Chicago thing, or something just made up for this show?

It's a real thing in my home town of Halifax, Nova Scotia. There are several places that offer both alcohol and ax-throwing. What could possibly go wrong?

Edited May 22, 2019 by marinw

[Broderbits]

3 hours ago, Tyro49 said:

Is ax-throwing a real thing, or a Chicago thing, or something just made up for this show?

One of these places just opened where I live, a small city in upstate NY. It has alcohol but no food, and coaches are available.

[Cranberry]

Definitely a real thing. We have one here in Prince Edward Island, Canada as well (it's called Chuck Hatchets, which I think is great).

[John Potts]

Oh, the ax(e) throwing stuff. While I could believe such places exist and even that there are specialists for those who are "serious" about axe throwing, but I don't believe that any such specialists would make a face when they are compared to "fine wines" (as Diane did). I'm assuming such axes come with a hefty price tag and you really can't afford to alienate your (presumably select) clientele.

But the fact that I was thinking about the market for throwing axes rather than any legal shenanigans is pretty telling!

Also, whaddaya know? Just as I (and Diane) said when they first learned their founder was a serial sex offender, they should have put out a press statement straight away - that way they could control the message. Now they're going to be competing with alternate, hostile versions put about by others (such as Blum).

[Ms Blue Jay]

On 5/20/2019 at 9:16 AM, John Potts said:

For a 10 Episode Season, this has felt so long!

Oh my god.  I am only just now realizing that you guys are saying this was the finale!  Holy crap!  I had no idea.

[HollyG]

4 hours ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

Oh my god.  I am only just now realizing that you guys are saying this was the finale!  Holy crap!  I had no idea.

I didn't know it was the last episode either until I came here. I'm happy it was renewed for season 4, but I really hope they get back to the the same quality of storytelling from seasons 1 & 2. And please NO MORE BLUM! 

[Marci]

Whew, how many liberal agendas can they throw at us in one season? I am very thankful they got away from that violence is OK as long as it helps you get your self-righteous way.

I am drawn to this show as one would if witnessing a train wreck. 

[krankydoodle]

Julianna Margulies Says CBS Tried to Blame Her After She Discussed The Good Fight’s Cameo Dispute

[John Potts]

Just watched the Finale and - boy, was that the carcinogenic plastic thrown onto the dumpster fire that this Season has been. I don't know if anyone else caught the implication that not only is Trump Evil but that everyone who votes for him is a complete idiot (it was so subtle!). And Lampshading how "High School" the goings on inside the firm doesn't make t any less juvenile. I guess I should be glad that at least Blum is gone (is Washington The Good Wife-iverse's equivalent of The West Wing's Mandyville?) - which also provided my favourite scene of the episode (between Maia & Diane) where she went, "I'm doing this for my clients. Blum - he wants to destroy you." But one good scene doesn't make an episode.

Probably won't be back for Season 4, unless I hear it's a big improvement.

[zoey1996]

I haven't watched any of this before, but I watched all of The Good Wife, to the bitter end. Now that it's on free, I decided to give it a go.  So far, 1 episode in, I am liking it.  Existing characters seem consistent so far, and I have some sympathy with the newly-minted lawyer.  I'll keep watching and see how it goes.

[gingerella]

I am so happy that this show is now on CBS prime time, yeah! I realized halfway in, how much more I enjoy this show because the whole Julianne Margulies and Chris Noth dynamic is gone. I always love anything Christine Baranski is in and I’m so glad to see Diane Lockhart back. The writing is smart and fast, the best of The Good Wife characters are back, and it’s just entertaining to watch good TV for a change. I only hope they continue to run the other seasons  on network TV too. 

ETA: I just hope that they decide to show seasons 2 & 3 on network TV as well. I just have no interest in streaming TV and a show of this calibre deserves to be seen by anyone, not just paying customers (and to be honest, I pay a shit ton to Cox, I shouldn't have to pay even more to CBS, just sayin'...)

Edited June 17, 2019 by gingerella

[rhys]

14 hours ago, gingerella said:

I am so happy that this show is now on CBS prime time, yeah! I realized halfway in, how much more I enjoy this show because the whole Julianne Margulies and Chris Noth dynamic is gone. I always love anything Christine Baranski is in and I’m so glad to see Diane Lockhart back. The writing is smart and fast, the best of The Good Wife characters are back, and it’s just entertaining to watch good TV for a change. I only hope they continue to run the other seasons  on network TV too. 

ETA: I just hope that they decide to show seasons 2 & 3 on network TV as well. I just have no interest in streaming TV and a show of this calibre deserves to be seen by anyone, not just paying customers (and to be honest, I pay a shit ton to Cox, I shouldn't have to pay even more to CBS, just sayin'...)

That's exactly how I feel. I pay waaaay too much for cable as it is--I'm not going to pay for CBS froofroo channels. CBS can eff themselves. I'm looking sideways at you, too, New Twilight Zone. Grrr.

Anyway, I hope all years continue, also. I was sad to see Diane lose her money. Surprised she had it all in one firm. That seemed out of character for her. Nice to see Marissa & her hustle. She's the best.

[shapeshifter]

9 hours ago, rhys said:

I was sad to see Diane lose her money. Surprised she had it all in one firm

Yes, and did I miss her considering hanging out her own shingle? Doing paralegal work? This plot should knock her down a few from her high horse of entitlement, but I don't see it yet.

[Hanahope]

Finally got around to watching the third season while recuperating from surgery.

Definitely not as good as the last two seasons, though I appreciate less focus on Mara.  Her character just makes no sense, she goes back and forth on extremes.  Why in the hell would she ever team up with the guy that got her fired just because she beat him at his own game?  And its not Diane's fault that the firms weren't really looking for another third year associate right at that time.  And seriously, they were going to make her a partner after firing her?  WTF????  

Unfortunately, they replaced the primary Mara focus with that awful awful Blum.  Seriously, I don't know of any attorney that acts like that.  Sure, some are a tad outrageous in certain situations, but he was completely over the top and I can't see any judge putting up with his shenanigans.  And wtf was that lawsuit against the firm about anyway?  And this whole bit about having a full blow multi-day mini-trial on a pre-trial motion to dismiss at the pleading stages is really starting to bug me.

And was it in state court or federal court?  It would seem like a state court case because at least some issues were personal injury cases involving local parties.  So why was there a federally appointed judge presiding (because trump can only appoint federal judges, not state judges)?  

Now, I liked the idea behind the Book Club, taking real 'behind the scene' actions to fight fire with fire, but they really pushed it to the extremes yet again, especially with what appears to be a set up SWATting at the end.  I fear to see the results next season.  Don't you dare kill Kurt, he's one of the best characters.  Who else would be a gop supporter, yet protect his wife against her own mistakes that hurt his party?  

[Dowel Jones]

 (Ep. 2 on CBS-TV) I find it interesting that the firm went to a financier to bankroll the class action suit.  I presume this is a somewhat common practice, is it not? A firm would have to pick its financial backer wisely, as I could see conflicts of interest arising, depending on the type of case. Anyway, I hope the other class action plaintiffs take up with another firm and continue their suit.  Seems to have some merit.

[rhys]

Could anyone see who Diane called at the end of episode 4? She just let it ring twice then hung up when she got the idea about England. TIA

[SunnyBeBe]

I just watched this last night for the first time.  Seems like it might have been two episodes.  I was impressed.  I never watched The Good Wife (long story).  

[Jadzia]

14 hours ago, rhys said:

Could anyone see who Diane called at the end of episode 4? She just let it ring twice then hung up when she got the idea about England. TIA

She was calling Kurt, her husband (ex or just estranged?).

[Isle Of Why]

Welcome to the new viewers! The Good Fight is a separate show and it's not necessary to have watched The Good Wife beforehand. A few characters carry over but you won't be lost or anything.

I hope everyone feels free to discuss season 1. The season 3 talk has kind of died down now, but maybe we could spoiler comments for any episodes after the ones currently airing on CBS?

[Driad]

Thank you!  The first message on page 1 has a link for the old archived forum, which has a separate thread for each episode.  We cannot post to those threads, but they are interesting to read.

[shapeshifter]

2 minutes ago, Isle Of Why said:

maybe we could spoiler comments for any episodes after the ones currently airing on CBS?

Yes, please at least put significant spoilers for later episodes in spoiler tags.

Due to it raining cats and dogs here last night
(it was so loud that I looked outside to see if there were literal cats and dogs coming out of the sky, but it was just rain as if from Thor's hammer)
CBS was unwatchable, but generally this time of year it's okay.

[Dowel Jones]

(Ep.3)

In case anyone is interested, Holder v HLP, as cited in this episode, is an actual case.  A short description:

The Supreme Court ruled against the Humanitarian Law Project, which sought to help the Kurdistan Workers' Party in Turkey and Sri Lanka's Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam learn how to peacefully resolve conflicts. It concluded that Congress had intended to prevent aid to such groups, even if for the purpose of facilitating peace negotiations or United Nations processes, because that assistance did fit the law's definition of material aid as “training”, “expert advice or assistance”, “service”, and “personnel”. The finding was based on the principle that any assistance could help to "legitimate" the terrorist organization, and free up its resources for terrorist activities.

The decision has been widely rebuked by many international groups.

On another note, could anyone tell what was on the Schtup list?

[JayDub]

Was a fervent fan of The Good Wife and watched this new show for the first time (Ep 3) as I refuse to pay CBS of the access crap.

Anyway think I'll watch one or two more shows and then quit. Two many characters I don't have the time or interest to get mentally invested in.

[JayDub]

23 hours ago, JayDub said:

Was a fervent fan of The Good Wife and watched this new show for the first time (Ep 3) as I refuse to pay CBS of the access crap.

Anyway think I'll watch one or two more shows and then quit. Two many characters I don't have the time or interest to get mentally invested in.

Well I watched Ep 1 and 4 and it's starting to make sense but still would not pay CBS Access fee to watch. Will watch Ep 2 tonite.

[JayDub]

At best this show is nothing more than A Good Wife lite.

[shapeshifter]

I've watched a few of the episodes that have aired on over-the-air CBS so far, and it is starting to irritate me the way the last seasons of The Good Wife did.

[Driad]

I didn't like Alicia in TGW so TGF has that advantage. I hoped Kalinda would come back. What happened to her, something about having to leave Chicago?  I have seen only the TGF episodes that have aired on CBS so far.

[cameron]

Lucca's eye makeup is so over the top.

[ItCouldBeWorse]

2 hours ago, cameron said:

Lucca's eye makeup is so over the top.

She did say she was colorblind....

[rhys]

Is this show now back to  being on access/subscription  based? I'm not able to watch on my phone as before if I missed a week.

[Dowel Jones]

I just watched Ep. 7 on CBS so it's apparently still on.  I loved Judge Gallo's comment to Elsbeth-  "You are an acquired taste.  One that I have not yet acquired."

Can a grand jury demand to listen to the recorded conversations in an attorney's office?  I realize the DA is going for an indictment against them, but wouldn't that still be privileged information?  I remember when New York was going after Gotti, they tried to go after his attorney as well, claiming that he was an acting partner to Gotti's criminal activities.  I don't remember if they were actually successful, though. 

Also loved Marissa getting spanked by the process server.  In Italian. You've been served!  Take that!.

[SoMuchTV]

On 7/10/2019 at 11:08 PM, rhys said:

Is this show now back to  being on access/subscription  based? I'm not able to watch on my phone as before if I missed a week.

12 hours ago, Dowel Jones said:

I just watched Ep. 7 on CBS so it's apparently still on. 

I know the newer episodes are All Access-only, but it seems (last time I checked) that you can't even stream the season 1 episodes (that they just broadcast) on the CBS website - it just directs you to All Access.  So either catch (or record) them on Sunday nights, or pony up, apparently.  But, someone upthread mentioned that their library has the Season 1 DVDs, and I discovered that mine does too.  So I'm on the list, in case I don't catch all the summer episodes.

[ItCouldBeWorse]

On 7/10/2019 at 11:08 PM, rhys said:

Is this show now back to  being on access/subscription  based? I'm not able to watch on my phone as before if I missed a week.

It's on my cable company's On Demand.  I also thought season 1 would be made  available online as they are broadcast them, but there it's still only on All Access.  Not a great way to get people who don't yet have All Access hooked so they will subscribe.