Peter’s trial relates to his actions when he was State’s Attorney for the second time and we join proceedings right at the heart of the battle in the penultimate episode of The Good Wife. His first run at this job ended in corruption charges and jail time, which was later overthrown and yet his image has been forever tainted. Tainted because not only had he maybe cheated in his position of political power, but he had broken his vows to his wife.
While his original conviction was quashed, the fact that he slept with prostitutes and stepped out on Alicia remains and this is always going to be the foundation of any mistrust from the public and the crux of any argument between Alicia and Peter. Yes he has said sorry on multiple occasions and there are only so many emotional floggings one person can take and yet it is always there; no matter how many times Alicia stands by his side.
When Alicia preps Peter for taking the stand she goes in hard because she knows that is Peter does in fact testify then he needs to be prepared to have all their personal issues used to paint him in a negative light. There is also an element of turning the knife and getting all this shit off her chest; Peter objects to this blurred line between lawyers and husband and wife, but as Alicia points out she is not the one on trial. Which is why when he spits Will’s name out with such venom in retaliation to her jabs that it feels like a gut punch. Alicia takes it and it is also interesting to note that he only refers to Jason as “your investigator.” This reduces him to her employee and makes her relationship here sound tawdry and by using Will’s full name he knows it will hurt the most.
Despite these traded barbs this is a surprisingly civil if not emotionally charged interaction. For starters Peter gets to the heart of his defense; he micro managed to stop any bad convictions so families would not have to go through what the Florricks did. This leads into Peter’s actual performance on the stand and he does well. He mentions his flaws and sells himself to a jury who prior to this had been giving off negative vibes toward both Peter and Alicia. Who knows if they are buying the hand holding between the couple, but Peter sells himself very well in his speechifying moment. And his performance has an impact as the original deal offer of eight years has been reduced to two.
The deal is contemplated over wine and Peter makes a huge confession; he’s not a wine guy and scotch is his preferred choice. The horror! But he declines the scotch and says wine has grown on him. I have a confession too and that is I have never really been a Peter Florrick fan. This comes as no surprise I’m guessing and yet when he was on the stand and in this kitchen scene I really feel for the dude. Part of this is performance related and Chris Noth sure is charming as hell and the other part is the history between these two characters.
Jason talks about how Alicia is in full Mrs Florrick mode and I would agree she is; however this is a very different Mrs Florrick than the one we met in the pilot episode. That Mrs Florrick was a lot more passive and now Alicia is very much the driving force behind everything strategy related. She doesn’t care that Peter could have been sleeping with Geneva Pine and she will fake cry to prove it. I don’t think I have loved Alicia more than I did in this scene. So self-deprecating, so not giving any of the fucks.
Peter potentially taking the deal and therefore going to jail does concern her and she thinks he should wait for the jury. There is no good answer and Peter has decided to go with the deal as he can do his time, write a book when he gets out and start over once again. He worries he will be forgotten, but Alicia assures him this won’t be the case and this plays into the very thing Jason told Lucca would happen; if Peter is convicted she won’t divorce him. I’m not sure if this necessarily lines up completely, but if Peter does go to jail she will definitely feel a sense of wife duty to be there and if that is the case then she will be preoccupied. Jason’s anxiety about their relationship and how deep he has fallen means he can’t investigate stuff pertaining to this case for Alicia anymore, which fair enough.
Once again Lucca takes on the role of relationship coach calling Jason out for his shit, which he then denies of course because he is a brooding guy and loves to play it cool. For now Alicia is very much focused on Peter, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a brief moment for elevator chats (note not elevator smooches).
Speaking the truth is a repeated theme this week and whether it can be separated from personal entanglements. When Cary’s name gets brought up he takes the stand and he claims he is not there purely out of resentment to the Florricks. He is also pissed when Alicia accuses him of doing this simply as a way to get back at her; for all the time they have worked together it is like she doesn’t know him at all.
This isn’t the only misjudgment and Diane fucks up royally when she asks Kurt to oversell his preliminary findings as it is not something he is comfortable doing and it also backfires when it is suggested that he has oversold his evidence. Kurt is an honorable guy and this compromises who he is. Diane knows she has made a mistake and later on we see her climbing into bed with him tearfully begging his forgiveness; Diane is not a crier or a beggar which shows just how much she messed up here.
Diane is in full fierce mode at the trial and back in the office as she goes all Will Gardner on her expansion plans. It is good to see Christine Baranski getting to showcase all sides of Diane Lockhart in this late stage of The Good Wife and see the hole in the ceiling as a chance to break through another kind. Even if David Lee is wanting to cause chaos with discrimination lawsuit threats. This gives us plenty of Diane facial reaction delights and this is also a very good week in the brooch, statement necklace and blazer stakes (including one which looks like a wicker basket). Walls are being broken and ceilings smashed in more ways than one.
In things The Good Wife loves the elevator got a good amount of action (not that kind of action) and a highlight was Alicia and Diane’s facial expressions at the state of their newly broken down offices.
We end in a place of uncertainty; Peter has decided to take the deal and it doesn’t matter as the jury are back. His fate is now in their hands. This is not Peter’s story though and it is the resolution to Alicia’s journey that matters to me. What I don’t want is for Peter or Jason to provide the axis from which she spins and the Education of Alicia Florrick should not lead back to a dude. Sure she can find happiness with Jason, but this is not what the end of this show should rest on and I nervously look forward to whatever resolution the Kings have created for us and Alicia.
TV Ate My Wardrobe 
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