The Good Wife 2: The Good Fight Season 2

[Lady Octarina]

Maybe they will stick with calling it just "LG"? More business-like, keeps some semblance of prestige and tradition while avoiding Diane's name. Changing it completely would be too risky.

[Zorral]

That doesn't make sense without any L or G there. And Diane wouldn't like it.

[Mladen]

That doesn't make sense without any L or G there. And Diane wouldn't like it.

I am not sure that it works that way. Lockhart/Gardner is a brand, and I easily see Canning and Lee using it. Plus, it would bring some comical effect with Diane possibly fighting what is in public perceived as "her" firm. IIRC, in "Boston legal" Shirley Schmidt fought to take out her name when Chinese came and was rejected. Perhaps we'll see something similar.

[Zorral]

Maybe -- especially as Boston Legal was as much a fictional representation of legal procedures etc. as is The Good Wife! :)

[Mladen]

Oh, this was hilarious...

Sometimes you just need a feminist icon to push you in right direction. Or at least, a direction. I adore Alicia, but when she thought Gloria Steinem saying "

Alicia, I am tired. I need you to take over for me", I just cracked. That was so great in so many ways... And her look "Really, of anyone can hear me now..." was amazing... As I thought it to be, those repetitive "I am not running" reinforced in this episode, came down to "If I ran, what's the plan?"

Will she, or wouldn't she came down to one thing - doing a good job. Steinem asked her about it, Alicia confronted Castro, mostly because, as I see it, she feels man is "evil seed". So, the initial "I am not running" which came from her immediate shock that it was even suggested, her obvious dislike for publicity retaliated in this episode in "would you do a good job?" And that is a thing, isn't it? Not being able to jump into wagon and being elected for the position, but doing a good job. And that is what she feels she can do. And Castro being such piece of work (this is something I am not thrilled about. I wish that TGW didn't play on "unlikable opposition" card yet again. It is cheap, and I am not that fan of it.)

Diane's "Kafka at action" comment was so beautiful description of Carey's trial. But, on Carey's luck, she can also play that card, which subsequently led to that lady to decide. And even though, all three - Carey, Diane and Alicia looked at her work as rather obsolete and annoying, with only Alicia actually doing something to push her to be favorable towards Carey. The other trial was pure gold of American religious debating... I feel like no where in the Christian world, people come up with such literal interpretation of Bible, and it was rather funny to see them in Church squabbling about the verses. As Diane said "Kafka in action" which kinda became leitmotif of this episode.

I am not sure whether Alicia will indeed run, but the show is being carried perfectly by this point. Overall, I had a great time watching this episode.

[Zorral]

It was a lovely scene -- Alicia going to Grace for legal help! Well, biblical help for a Christian mediation instead of trial judge case.

Then Alicia's very short fantasy sequences sparked by meeting Ms. Steinem (who seemed perfectly at home in front the cameras and on screen, btw, unlike some celebrity guests on some shows).

The more I think about this episode the more almost-bonkers it was.

Except for Castro. Is he TGW's new Canning? He's a thoroughly nasty piece of work.

[3CityApache]

Except for Castro. Is he TGW's new Canning? He's a thoroughly nasty piece of work.

I agree, I think they exaggerated his nastiness a bit for it to look realistic.

Watching this episode I couldn't admire more Eli's cunning and his waiting for the seeds to grow. Have you noticed he didn't even have to look at the door to know it's Alicia at the end?

PS. Mladen, Cary's name is spelled like that, Carey is the other one with similar pronunciation in Florrick & Agos.

[Zorral]

How does Castro know that Alicia and Will had an affair, and since he did, then why didn't he know that she and Will had broken up?

[Jaxom 1974]

How does Castro know that Alicia and Will had an affair, and since he did, then why didn't he know that she and Will had broken up?

There were some details and allegations when Will was suspended and on trial for the bribery.

Why didn't he know it had been ended? Castro is kinda an idiot in some ways.

[klemenko]

I don't think running for SA is the best idea for Alicia. After all she is still the wife of the current governor. There is also an issue of potential conflict of interest.

[Zorral]

I don't think running for SA is the best idea for Alicia. After all she is still the wife of the current governor. There is also an issue of potential conflict of interest.

So say all of us! :)

But Castro didn't know for sure -- he didn't have proof or confession did he? that Alicia and Will had an affair? And in any case -- she was separated and he was single. Though of course he was her employer and that makes it harassment whether she was consenting or not -- is that right? If not harassment, something that isn't allowed in the workplace these days, at least.

That too could bite big chunks if she runs for SA.

[Lady Octarina]

I get the feeling Alicia's affair with Will is the worst kept secret in the law circles, since everyone seems aware of it. But yes, it will certainly be used against her in the campaign. Next episode should be interesting, as the promo suggests part of it is about what the opposition might have on her.

All of this, it's such a weird move. She just opened her own law firm, that is now getting bigger, with Diane and the others joining, and she jumps ship? :dunno:

[Zorral]

I get the feeling Alicia's affair with Will is the worst kept secret in the law circles, since everyone seems aware of it. But yes, it will certainly be used against her in the campaign. Next episode should be interesting, as the promo suggests part of it is about what the opposition might have on her.

All of this, it's such a weird move. She just opened her own law firm, that is now getting bigger, with Diane and the others joining, and she jumps ship? :dunno:

Agree!

There's only one thing that we might be missing that is in this mix -- by the end of last season Alicia was having deep doubts about whether this law firm, even being a lawyer, was what she wanted in terms of providing meaning to her life. If this will play into the SA campaign, or even how it could, considering what the position is, also seems iffy.

[Jaxom 1974]

Man. I was not really on board with last night. Until Bishop's reveal at the end. That helped, but we've still had too much Bishop this season. He's better in smaller doses.

[Iskaral Pust]

I like Bishop* and I like the twist that he will now think he could have the new SA in his pocket.

*Bishop is a very charismatic presence and he represents a moral failing of the law profession. Too many legal procedurals only defend innocent or one-off guilty clients. This is knowingly representing over a long time period a drug dealer and murderer. It's the closest TGW gets to Breaking Bad. Also, Bishop jerks the characters out of their courtroom bickering and occasionally confronts them with real danger.

Aside from that, a few thoughts on last night's episode:

- I thought that Alicia was losing the moral high ground all over the place. Her outrage/pettiness toward Zach and her condescension to her brother were good examples. Running for public office does not immediately grant you some veto or authoritarian control over the lives of your family or friends. Political campaigns expect to exert some kind of tyranny. She didn't even ask for their help, she just told them what they had to do for her (e.g. her mother). On top of that, she finally tries to fire Bishop as a client but for the wrong reason, and he only accepts for an even worse reason.

- After last week, I was left thinking that Alicia didn't yet have a positive reason to run. This week they beat us over the head with it, so presumably this will be a significant plot point for Alicia's self exploration. So far necessity and then ambition have driven her but, aside from some Steinem fantasy, we have not seen anything like an altruistic or noble motivation. I was not surprised that this cynical show did not require lip-service about public good to get the campaign manager on board, but they will need to eventually find an answer.

- The show is glossing over the public perception of the governor's wife running for a significant state office, with all of 5 years of professional experience and zero political experience. We're asked to believe too much in the halo effect of St. Alicia.

- While I'm glad that Kalinda is no longer a titillation puppet for some improbable girl-on-girl or S&M scenarios, she has lost a lot of screen time. It's great to have so much Eli in the current plot but most of the other secondary characters are too quiet at the moment.

[Lady Octarina]

Great episode, I laughed way more than I should have, as usual. But I was left wondering, when the cop goes after Alicia, did Finn sell her out? Or did Castro have someone follow her/them?

- I thought that Alicia was losing the moral high ground all over the place. Her outrage/pettiness toward Zach and her condescension to her brother were good examples. Running for public office does not immediately grant you some veto or authoritarian control over the lives of your family or friends. Political campaigns expect to exert some kind of tyranny. She didn't even ask for their help, she just told them what they had to do for her (e.g. her mother). On top of that, she finally tries to fire Bishop as a client but for the wrong reason, and he only accepts for an even worse reason.

But that's what makes her such a fascinating character, isn't it, all the flaws behind Saint Alicia? :cool4:

Her outrage was completely justified, though. Zach was a minor when the abortion happened, and he was intimate with his girlfriend under her roof, yet she didn't hear a word about it from him, had to hear it from Eli, of all people, and some guy she didn't even know. That's frustrating, to say the least. I don't have children, of course, but I can see how my mother reacts whenever I finally reveal the truth about something I did years ago, so I think Alicia's reaction is reasonable. Plus, that goes with the recurring theme of Alicia's expectations of handling motherhood and her profession and how devastated she always is when failing to do so.

[Winterfell is Burning]

Great episode, I laughed way more than I should have, as usual. But I was left wondering, when the cop goes after Alicia, did Finn sell her out? Or did Castro have someone follow her/them?

Finn actually says for her to take a cab, so no. Either was just a coincidence or he knew Castro would pull something like this, but couldn't say.

[Jaxom 1974]

Finn actually says for her to take a cab, so no. Either was just a coincidence or he knew Castro would pull something like this, but couldn't say.

He said take a cab and stay and drink with him. She already was drinking the wine at that point.

[Zorral]

I don't know about this season. So far, it's not shaped up as anything at all, much less anything in particular

There isn't enough ensemble, with that snap and crackle that scenes between Diane and Will and Alicia or others would have in the past. Kalinda is just on screen to pull a miracle, such as this last episode finding out about the brat's mom and so on. No Cary. What a commentator above said about Bishop is all true, but Bishop still doesn't carry much interest for we have little to no sympathy for him, despite the devotion he shows to his son. The Zach business was the most interesting -- I'd loved it that in this situation it was the men in his life who covered his a$$, Peter and Eli. I also understand why Alicia was so outraged, but still, that Zach felt he could deal with his father in this very personal matter was rather cool. We all sort of suspected Zach was rather too good to be true for his age, right? :)

But I still can't buy her run as feasible at all -- much less that she's got any reason to run.

We need more scenes and arcs of TGW people doing things, and doing them together!

[Mladen]

I don't know about this season. So far, it's not shaped up as anything at all, much less anything in particular

I love this season... As I said at the beginning, it has rather vibrant tone in it and the last episode was above hilarious, I even had to question myself whether I am giving them slack or whether I truly find it funny. And I realized, it is funny... For my weird sense of humor at least...

But, I would agree with you... We are on episode 4, and it has been Alicia's show to a letter. I am still contemplating about the "surge of masculine energy" Finn provided. Actually, I am thinking about entire supporting cast and their relevance at the moment. I mean, we didn't even have a long "we need to talk about this" conversation between LFA partners. I love each of these episodes, but as a chunk of the story, I also have some issues. Last season had such thematic construction, and I suppose we miss it this season. I am not sure whether we come to game changer with Bishop being behind the money, or whether we'll see this continuing to a certain point.

PS. Mladen, Cary's name is spelled like that, Carey is the other one with similar pronunciation in Florrick & Agos.

Thanks... I still have some issues with spelling some names...

Castro is kinda an idiot in some ways.

This is rather annoying for me. I mean, every single time anyone runs in this show, we have rather unpleasant opponent - Child, then it was Matthew Perry, now this. I am not fond of these scenarios, and I would like to see some opponent that is not mustache twirling villain.