The Good Wife was always going to do a story relating to one of the recent hacks (Sony, iCloud) and they’ve saved it for when Alicia is at her most vulnerable. The most obvious timing would be to use it prior to the election, but this would have probably made her victory unlikely and so they saved it for just after when it could still be just as devastating. I didn’t write about last week’s episode as I was away and while Alicia winning was not a surprise; the day of Halo playing, her victory red, Marissa’s continued employment and Diane’s hunting attire are things I would have loved to write about.
The election story was becoming a little stale with Alicia set adrift from the rest of the show and the hacked email plot brings her back into the fold while also alienating her at the same time. By the end of the episode they are safe from the hack and yet the story is now out there and someone still has two years worth of very incriminating emails at their disposal. What if Alicia getting elected and then failing to actually make it into office is going to be how this season plays out?
Alicia starts the episode in bold white; she’s won and is comfortable in telling the many visitors stopping by her gift packed office that she won’t bow to their every whim no matter how much money they gave or what unwritten rules exist. Soon Eli graces her still very muffin/champagne/ornament filled room to let Alicia know she is doing it all wrong and how this is a game which involves a more diplomatic and roundabout way of saying no. Meanwhile Finn is negotiating her exit package and the amount being offered is not enough to get both Zach and Grace through college (what about Peter’s salary?) and there’s a lot of posturing going on. Just look at the positioning of everyone as they talk figures:
Diane is clearly in charge in the seated position flanked on either side by one person who wants to give Alicia the money (Cary) and two who are very opposed to this notion (Julius – oh hi! – and David Lee). At the end of the episode after email revelations and seeing Alicia in a friendly chat with Castro the positions change with Cary joining David Lee and Julius on the very little money side.
The division between Alicia and her partners has been plotted in a rather unsatisfactory manner as there’s been just one big blowup argument and not much else to suggest dissatisfaction at her distance from the firm and her decision to run. Contentious moments between Diane, Cary and Alicia have always existed as we are reminded by the emails and subsequent remarks but not enough to earn this feeling of dissolution; one forced argument does not a rift make and it would play so much better if the groundwork had been laid out over time in an organic fashion. The offer Alicia gets is small and Finn scoffs at the amount. Alicia uses Eli’s words of advice as to how to say no without saying no (dude needs to write a book) and they take this to be a threat of some kind. If it all does implode for Alicia with her new job will there be a position for her back at the firm or is she blowing up too many bridges?
Alicia’s emails are absent from the initial release as she has been using her campaign email for the last four months and she ignores Eli’s advice about preemptive apologizing going to Finn to say sorry for saying his spine was made of cottage cheese. Finn is the only one who receives such an apology and it is interesting that Alicia is making sure her relationship with Finn stays strong as opposed to anyone at the firm. This goes beyond the flirty feelings I want them to act on and he is someone Alicia wants to keep close, so much so that she offers him the coveted number two position at the SA office. A job he is uncertain of taking for one reason or another.
One thing I do want to note about the black and white ensemble Alicia wears at the end of the episode is the similarity between this and the one she wore when she first returned to Lockhart/Gardner in season 5 for the first time after she left the firm; this was another occasion which involved sitting across from Diane and David Lee. There is a control and confidence in this attire, no it’s not her power color of red but there is something about Alicia in black and white which suggests defiance.
Speaking of statement dressing at the office there is no one who accessorizes quite like Diane Lockhart starting with the power pebble necklace:
Moving onto a subtle but distinctive brooch as the email scandal takes hold:
And ending on a necklace which isn’t quite up to the usual oomph category; it’s part leopard print, part multiple smaller link chains and while it is certainly stylish it doesn’t give off the same level of confidence as her statement jewelry usually does.
One thing “Undisclosed Receipts” definitely delivers is excellent Eli reacts to things material with a lot of this coming from being exasperated by everything Alicia does. One priceless look is when Alicia uses his words back at him to deflect a request. There is pride in that eyebrow arch if you look hard enough:
Eli is less subtle in showing how he feels about phone sex:
And here is a treat as I couldn’t do a post this picture heavy without delivering the gift of screencaps and the email correspondence between Will and Alicia. Steamy emails which were only on screen for the briefest of moments but preserved for posterity here.
You’re welcome.
TV Ate My Wardrobe 
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