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Christine Baranski Talks ‘The Good Fight’ with Zac Posen for Interview Magazine

Spin-offs in TV can be very hit (Frasier) or miss (Joey) and it makes sense to use characters who still have plenty of story to tell. With The Good Wife it became very clear in the final season that there wasn’t much more to say about Alicia Florrick and when they announced the seventh would be the end of the road during last year’s Super Bowl it felt like a relief.

Now comes The Good Fight which will see the continuation of characters that do have more story to tell such as Diane Lockhart and Lucca Quinn; I couldn’t be more thrilled especially with each new promo and interview. Speaking to Zac Posen for Interview Magazine, Christine Baranski goes into depth about what we can expect from the new show as well as her feeling about playing a character like Diane Lockhart for such a long period:

“I said to my manager, because I was in my fifties, “It would be really great to do a dramatic role and play someone elegant and intelligent. There aren’t that many roles out there, but …” I have a kind of remarkable ability to, for want of a better phrase, get what I want. I kind of project. I guess it’s called dreaming.”

In terms of the current political climate/shitstorm* the pilot for The Good Fight was written before the election and they had filmed some of the pilot prior to this; including lines as if Hillary Clinton had won. Like a lot of us the Kings and Baranski thought this was a given “In fact, they wrote a line in the first episode where I announce that I’m retiring to the entire law firm at this beautiful, huge circular table, and I say that there are no more glass ceilings to break. I think that we’re going to have to loop it and they’re going to have to amend that line.” And Baranski reveals some details from the changed pilot (light spoilers ahead) explaining that we will see Diane watching the inauguration and how she feels distraught, but she is moving on with her life and then she loses everything financially. Her reputation also takes a very big hit.

*The Good Fight seems set up to tackle what is going on right now in this nightmare and I wonder how many rewrites they have done in the last week and a half.

This parallels with Alicia Florrick’s story at the start of The Good Wife and how she is finding it hard to get hired (as we saw with Alicia in “A Few Words“). Baranski explains that the only place that will hire her is Chicago’s only African-American firm “So this show will have the opportunity to address not only the feminist issues, ageism, and sexism, but it’s going to address racism in the workplace.” I view this latter aspect with caution as The Good Wife had a habit of exploring racism in the workplace on a very surface level and then dropping it. Hopefully the Kings have learned from experience and will go deeper. And I also hope this is a sign that Lucca Quinn will be just as front and center.

It is not surprising in an interview conducted by Zac Posen that fashion is a topic that comes up especially as Diane Lockhart is one of the best dressed characters on TV (the statement necklaces!) and Baranski always great IRL style.

“The power of fashion, and the power of what you present visually. Women would come up and ask me about a piece of jewelry, a brooch. People are really watching. And Michelle [King] came by. She loves fashion. She will wear Nina Ricci, and she just loves Alexander McQueen. She said, “The one thing we’re not giving up, even though you’re going bankrupt, is the way you dress, because that’s what women expect.” My first fitting was fantastic. Her fashion evolution—there aren’t a lot of power suits, there are a lot of dresses.”

Interview Magazine always gives great photo shoots and this is no exception. From the sequins and sunglasses rooftop delight in the first photo above to the leopard print charms of this one.With The Good Fight there will be a slight change in style “because of her evolution where she’s about to retire, there’s a whole softening of her look.” As long as there are still brooches, necklaces and blazers I’m all good.

How Baranski escapes in real life is to head to her house on the lake and how do I get an invite to this?!

“I have had many famous actors on my dock, because we put wood in the fire pit and bottles of wine, and Cherry Jones and Allison Janney and Mark Rylance and his wife and lots of nude swimming. I got Meryl there.”

Circling back to the kinds of characters you get when you hit a ‘certain age’ and how she thinks this is changing in terms of both her career and others:

“I’m really having my cake and eating it, but what I mean by beauty as a shelf life, in terms of a woman’s life in front of a camera, you can be that beautiful woman. I do think the rules are changing. Witness Isabelle Huppert and her amazing career and this latest movie, but what I’m getting at is if your career is not predicated on just your physical beauty, you’re able to project a sophistication. You can take sophisticated to your grave. You can be that worldly woman, that woman who looks beautiful dressed up. Diane Lockhart walks in a room and she commands space.”

Read the whole interview here and The Good Fight premieres Sunday, February 19 on CBS All Access.

Tags: Alicia Florrick, Christine Baranski, Cush Jumbo, Diane Lockhart, Lucca Quinn, The Good Fight, The Good Wife, Zac Posen

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Categories The Good Fight
Author Emma Fraser

Needing to be Needed on The Good Wife or Why “End” is Disappointing

9 May

Alicia didn’t become a lumberjack and nor did she end up with someone other than the mother, but The Good Wife’s finale sure did burn everything to the ground in a way that was incredibly disappointing. I am sitting here staring at my screen wondering what on earth I just watched and why coming full circle means leaving Alicia with nothing. And no you can’t throw in Ghost Will to appease all those other very bad Diane related decisions because it doesn’t work like that and “End” has left a very bitter taste in my mouth.

Ultimately if Alicia Florrick needs to be needed what does it mean that she ends up alone?Let’s start with THE thing that really spun the whole finale on its head and that is Alicia’s decision to zealously represent her client with no regard for her partnership at work. A couple of weeks ago Alicia watched Diane and Kurt looking all happy and asked them what their secret to good coupledom is; at the time I mentioned that Alicia pretty much screamed RELATIONSHIP GOALS at them. While I am in no way suggesting that getting Lucca to ask about an affair was through jealousy, I do think she went in hard on Peter needing her when a couple of scenes before she was whatevering the whole thing.

There was no looking for another option and while Alicia and Diane were screaming at each other it appeared that Lucca was trying to suggest there was another way; one that didn’t get a follow up and instead Alicia asked Lucca to ask Kurt about a possible affair. We never get to hear the answer because when Diane gets up and leaves the courtroom showing her public disgust and humiliation at this question, we also leave the courtroom too. Considering this evidence is then thrown out I think it is safe to say that Kurt said yes this affair (oh, Kurt) and I don’t get why the torpedoing of Diane’s marriage was the necessary course of action for this finale.

One thing I did get was this idea that Alicia can’t be happy at this place of work which holds so many memories particularly as she refers to this office as having gotten sad and it probably is time for Alicia to move on; but did she have to go out in such a self-destructive and alienating fashion? And while Alicia and Diane are far from the martini drinking besties I wish they were, there is a strong level of respect and going for the jugular like this seems too selfish even by Alicia’s standards this season.

What she has done is dished out a version of her story to Diane all in the name of getting Peter’s plea deal down to probation when he was willing to do two years last week. Some of this is about protecting Grace and her path to college as somehow she was meant to be leaving for Berkeley in the midst of all of this; convenient timing and all that. Grace has deferred for a year and now she doesn’t have to worry about years of visiting her dad in prison. It looks like Lockhart, [insert name here] and Associates is going to need new letterhead paper and signage as that slap suggests Diane is dunzo with Alicia. This puts Alicia in the Peter position mirroring the pilot opening sequence and is that what we are meant to take away from The Education of Alicia Florrick? Everyone is corrupt and will stoop to the lowest level to be left with nothing? We don’t know if Alicia will divorce Peter or if she will go for Eli’s political plan* or if there will be a positive response to her running for office again. God knows I am happy I never have to watch another campaign storyline again.

*I did enjoy seeing The Roosevelt Hotel popping up in the above scene as I got to play New York, not Chicago bingo and because I have stayed there on a couple of occasions.

The number of loose ends is longer than my quest to find out exactly where Robyn went. Even the things I liked about this final season were given a short shrift with Lucca continuing her role of relationship coach and getting used by Alicia to stick it to Diane. Guess someone else is probably out of a job now.

Random aside alert – if there were to be a spinoff can I suggest a college set series with Cary as a guest lecturer at various institutes where he ends up helping solve cases. Maybe the hoodie can make a return.One big aspect of “End” is the conversations with dead people aka here is what you could have won. This is the Alicia Florrick version of the exceptional episode “The Giving Tree,” but this not two seasons ago when The Good Wife was creatively on fire and it ends up being wish fulfillment of the worst kind. Don’t get me wrong as I loved seeing Will Gardner on my screen again and the chemistry between Josh Charles and Julianna Margulies crackles as much as it did before; however all this did was underscore where this show has gone wrong over the last two seasons.

Ghost Will (or really Alicia’s imagined version of Will) appears when Alicia is pondering who she would like to see when she gets home from work offering a glass of wine to her. First Jason, then Peter and sadly no surprise appearance from the other one that got away with Finn Polmar. It surprises her when there is magical option number three and as with other Alicia memory pops or in this case fantasy pops she remarks on how stupid it is before leaning into the fantasy and Will. It is a little fan servicy, but I have to admit as someone who was sailing on the Will/Alicia ship this was an all the feelings moment as soon as I realized the Josh Charles returning for the finale rumors were true. Yes I even got teary because that’s what this pairing does.

And it didn’t just end in the kitchen and Alicia’s venture into old files led to a conversation about the law, college and life. It is very cute and there’s no denying how much I enjoyed seeing Alicia flirting with Will, but it also feels like a bit of an emotional cheat. A distraction of sorts and also a way to try and explain Alicia’s thought process without really explaining anything; “It was romantic because it didn’t happen.” Alicia’s asks “What do I do now?” and this is when Ghost Will tells her to go after Jason as her Peter fever is done with and this is what she does at the press conference the following day. Unfortunately she is chasing a guy who isn’t there and this is when the corridor of slapping gets another hit.

Alicia is left showing those emotions she has been stealing away from and faking in hilarious ways and this crumbling is followed by wiping tears and giving fierce face because Alicia is forever a master at putting on this mask. Or she can give you a demure smile if you want.In the immediate aftermath of watching this finale I am angry and disappointed; for how things went for Diane and that ultimately Alicia burned it all down for a man she is leaving anyway. It makes no sense and I am all for ambiguity, but this ending feels like it is trying to be too clever for its own good and I can see why they put out the ‘not everyone will be happy‘ signals before this even aired. Alicia going all in on getting what she wants after years of sacrifices for Peter is something I am here for, but this version where she blows up everything for Peter is far from satisfying and right now all I want to do is bask in the glory of season 5.

The conflict between Alicia looking out for her interests versus her ‘good wife’ mantle is something season 7 has been striving for and sadly it hasn’t always hit the mark. Part of this I think is due to the decision about whether this was the final season coming in late, which left this season unfocused for large periods of time and it has generally been ticking along. Spending the last 3 episodes covering Peter’s trial has felt like a rush job and really much more time on this rather than his presidential run would have made this storyline/season a lot more cohesive (once again I wonder if this was related to the late announcement). Instead what we are left with is cramming so much ‘goodbye’ plot into such a short space of time giving very little time for character reflection.

The astute comment by Jason about why Alicia has stuck with Peter followed by Ghost Will commenting on how little self-awareness Alicia has also speaks to some of the issues; we still don’t really have a grip on exactly who Alicia is after seven years and this ending certainly doesn’t help out in answering these questions.

One last thought and what feels like my Good Wife mantra, but where is Robyn?

Tags: "End", 7.22, Alan Cumming, Alicia Florrick, Chris Noth, Christine Baranski, Cush Jumbo, Josh Charles, Julianna Margulies, Matt Czuchry, series finale, The Good Wife

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Categories The Good Wife
Author Emma Fraser

Entering Mrs Florrick Mode on The Good Wife

2 May

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.

Tags: "Verdict", 7.21, Alicia Florrick, Chris Noth, Christine Baranski, Diane Lockhart, Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife

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Categories The Good Wife
Author Emma Fraser

NYFW Fantasy Costuming: Michael Kors Collection and The Good Wife’s Lucca Quinn

18 Feb

On The Good Wife Lucca Quinn has won Alicia’s trust and friendship (not an easy task) and our hearts all while wearing an array of colorful, sometimes pattern clashing and always interesting pieces that brighten up the courtroom and complement Alicia’s more structured style. It’s like she has taken a page from the Diane Lockhart sartorial book cranked the volume up and put a contemporary spin on it. Our NYFW Fantasy Costuming series is taking a dive into Lucca Quinn suggestions even though there are now only 8 more episodes left of The Good Wife.

Michael Kors Collection is getting the Fantasy Costuming treatment in part because Cush Jumbo who plays Lucca Quinn was in attendance at this runway show:And also because there are a lot of bold looks on show – even if the color palette is more geared towards neutrals – which are ideal for Lucca’s courtroom and office attire. The chain link belts put a twist on the Diane Lockhart statement necklace and there is a whole lot of amazing jacket patterns and texture going on. Collars and bows are also very important and we instantly fell in love with Lucca when she wore that stunning polka dot collar in her first episode.This last skirt probably isn’t courtroom appropriate, but is ideal for post work drinks and dancing.

Tags: Alicia Florrick, Cush Jumbo, Diane Lockhart, Lucca Quinn, Michael Kors Collection, NYFW 2016

Comments 4 Comments
Categories Fantasy Costuming, New York Fashion Week, The Good Wife
Author Emma Fraser

The Good Wife’s Big Super Bowl Announcement: Only 9 Episodes Left

8 Feb

All signs have pointed to this being the last season of The Good Wife: Robert and Michelle King had already announced their departure, as had Julianna Margulies in a roundabout way and even the episode titles suggested this was the end by mirroring the season 1 one word format. The way The Good Wife unveiled this news was not so expected sharing the big news that there are only 9 episodes left (EVER) in a promo right before the Super Bowl halftime show.

This ending makes so much sense and I have been one of many voices saying the time to finish is now as The Good Wife has been meandering and feeling as lost as Alicia has for the last season and a half. BUT this news still hit me like a Will Gardner desk clearing moment and totally caught me by surprise; has any other show revealed when it is ending on a Super Bowl ad? This is such an Eli Gold move.

What happened next was a mixture of emotions from relief that there wouldn’t be a Good Wife without the Kings or Julianna Margulies quickly followed by sadness. Pretty much experiencing all the feelings at the Super Bowl party I was at (and this was all before Beyoncé slayed). So what does this mean for the final arc?

Well, Alicia hit her rock bottom last week as she spiraled and then emotionally vomited all over Lucca, followed by getting her elevator smooches on (about time). Case contrivance also leads Alicia back to Lockhart, Agos and Lee so she is back where the show started, but not back where she started professionally or personally. This season has been somewhat directionless and not just for Alicia so hopefully by having her return to the firm this will also create decent final storylines for Cary and Diane. It is also probably about time that Alicia and Peter call it quits officially and a divorce does seem imminent now that Peter’s campaign is over.

One thing the writers have been very successful in dealing with is the fallout of Will’s death from the immediate period which contributed to the best season of The Good Wife (the aforementioned desk clearance and Alicia’s first time leaving Lockhart Gardner was also a thing of beauty) to the recent ramifications of the road not traveled and lost love. However, there has been a distinct lack of focus at times and there has been too much time invested in recent campaign plot points.

Last year ended on a bitter note with green screen goodbyes and the rumors of rifts on set bleeding into the fabric of the show and even though those details are vague (The Good Wife keeps its shit locked tight) it definitely impacted and overshadowed Kalinda and Archie Panjabi’s departure.

Nothing will hit quite so hard as that seemingly innocuous episode that took place just over midway through season 5 and the straight out of nowhere death of Will Gardner – this is what I mean about The Good Wife having its shit locked tight – even though everyone knew Josh Charles’ contract was only extended for this one season. The aftermath of that moment is the first time I ever cried while writing a review and those episodes are still really difficult to watch even now. I keep wanting to revisit season 5 because it really is GREAT TELEVISION (side eyeing this piece so hard right now) and I know that when I do those swells of emotion will come because that gut punch is how I felt when I saw the announcement last night. Objectively I know it is time, but I am still going to miss the hell out of Alicia Florrick and the many characters that inhabit her world.

Plus all of those costumes that made me long for a job where I get to wear power clothes on a daily basis. *Looks down at the array of knitwear I am sporting right now*

Let’s drink to this show in the best way possible and here’s to the final chapter in the Education of Alicia Florrick.

[Source]

Tags: Alicia Florrick, Julianna Margulies, Michelle King, Robert King, Super Bowl, The Good Wife

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Categories The Good Wife
Author Emma Fraser

When Meddling Goes Too Far on The Good Wife

14 Dec

Voicemails and elevators are two pretty mundane things, but on The Good Wife they are an important part of the emotional fabric. Elevators have been home to overflowing feelings on both ends of the spectrum from guttural sobs to kisses that have been a long time coming; after seven seasons we know how important this location can be. But it isn’t an elevator encounter which delivers the gut punch this week as it is the turn of voicemails in the Alicia Florrick devastation bingo. If she didn’t already have a drink on the go I would suggest she grab one after Eli’s soul unburdening.

The last time this show dealt with voicemails it was after Will’s death and the one he left Alicia just before he was shot and killed. The one which was so vague that it plagued Alicia with thoughts of what he was calling to talk to her about; was he still angry at her? Or was it going to be a declaration of love? It could have been something and nothing, but she was left with no answers and a choice in her interpretation. Alicia ends that “The Last Call” in a cold embrace with Peter picturing the best case scenario with Will declaring his love in what is essentially another version of the voicemail Eli deleted six years ago. The voicemail that Eli tells Alicia about at the end of “KSR.”

Eli’s been on a bit of an emotional roller coaster this year; losing his job, falling in love and trying to do right by Alicia. Okay out of those three things I have a hard time with the Courtney Paige relationship because there is very little heat between the actors and they come across as friends far more than lovers.

Now the Alicia thing is another story and while I think Eli deeply cares about Alicia I don’t believe he has been thinking about that deleted voicemail for the last six years. Maybe when Will died he thought about it especially as the phone call from Kalinda mirrors the original situation, but he is far too detached for it to be eating away at him. Although really that is Eli doubling down on the spin to try and gain favor from Alicia. And if she was looking at me in the same way she was looking at Eli I would be scrambling too.

Yep, that’s a death stare if I ever did see one.

What does this whole thing mean other than opening up the Will wound? Alicia already knew he had left a voicemail way back when (although Will never told her about the contents of the second voicemail), but Eli’s retroactive about turn is more about her relationship with Eli than the path not traveled. Is she meant to dwell on the idea that she could have left Peter long ago? Or is she instead meant to consider how fucked up it is that her personal life has been so open to outside influence? Eli says he wants her to be happy, but we just saw him rooting through her office looking for whatever Jason had left her. Which turned out to be a book relating to her case and nothing sexy as Eli probably thought it would be. A box of mini tacos perhaps.

Eli’s voicemail confession comes after he has had his own heartbreak and I will freely admit that the mere mention of Will’s ‘what could have been’ is enough to have me reaching for the tissues. But as with much of this season I’m not sure what the overall point is and Eli’s conflict is certainly interesting and yet it doesn’t necessarily feel earned. I get that he’s finally seeing there is a world beyond politics, but his ‘love affair’ has lacked any kind of spark especially in comparison to the killer scenes between Alan Cumming and Julianna Margulies.

Another arc which has suddenly come to a head is the oldies vs. youngsters at Lockhart, Agos and Lee. Cary has been straddling the generations and not really winning either camp over and now all the mini-Carys have mutinied. Once again this is an interesting resolution to a storyline which has been meandering all season. Although points must first be awarded to the return of Cary’s hoodie and Matt Czuchry’s excellent confused face.

Look he even brought donuts! And the opening of this episode with the 8 iPhones lined up and an empty office is totally Twilight Zone-esque. Now I want to see The Good Wife pull a Felicity.

Ticking clocks and schemes are two things I love to see on this show and so maybe it has all been a bit directionless for Cary this year, but goddamn did I enjoy seeing him get one over on those smug douchebags. Even more so when Diane looked as proud as she did. Plus there was high fiving.

In fun things that Lucca Quinn wore this week we have a series of different prints.

We also found out over drinks that Lucca avoids disappointment by not expecting anything from anyone and while we still don’t know that much about her on a deeper level, between this scene and how good she is in court my Lucca Quinn crush is still strong.

Control and Alicia’s sense of taking charge is something I have discussed a lot this season and this Eli confession is going to deeply impact their relationship. Alicia has always been aware of a certain aspect of meddling from Eli in her personal life, but this opens up a huge old wound and I’m not sure how Eli is going to regain her trust after this bombshell. It’s not just about the what could have been with Will; instead it is about the overall commitment to Peter’s political career that Alicia has made. Hopefully this will add focus when we return in the new year as while these episodes are enjoyable there needs to be something more. Especially if this turns out to be the final season.

Tags: "KSR", 7.10, Alan Cumming, Alicia Florrick, Christine Barankski, Cush Jumbo, Julianna Margulies, Matt Czuchry, The Good Wife, voicemail, Will Gardner

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Categories The Good Wife
Author Emma Fraser

Full Disclosure on The Good Wife: The Rules of Being The Presidential Candidate’s Wife

30 Nov

For someone who has known Alicia for as long as Eli has on The Good Wife, he is an expert in how to push her buttons and not in a good way. There has always been a bit of a push/pull between these two characters with Eli trying to work the best angle for the campaign while being more than aware that Alicia isn’t just going to drop everything and say yes. Some of this has been discovered the hard way and he knows better than anyone not to try and use the Florrick kids in any capacity without checking with their mother beforehand. It gets a little murky when Alicia’s love life comes into play and he has definitely overstepped his bounds long before “Discovery” with both Will and Finn. When Ruth comes to him regarding her Jason fears he does what Eli does and pisses Alicia off; ending the episode with a wordless reply and a door getting shut in his face.

Eli has intimate knowledge of Alicia and Peter’s complicated relationship; the affairs that both of them have had, their living situation and even their most recent hook-up. It is actually a very bizarre set-up when you consider all of this and when he tells Courtney that you have to be obsessed with your candidate he is skimming on the thorough and kinda creepy details. Okay the word “obsessed” has those connotations and he is maybe one step away from having a photo collage wall, except that wall is in his mind and files that they gather on the candidate and all their associates.

It is why it comes as a surprise to both Ruth and Eli that he missed the Jason thing (he has seen Jason, right?!). Ruth notices straight away and the way the camera lingers as Jason shows Alicia something on his phone and she puts on his glasses might as well have been Ruth seeing them going at it in the hallway; she is viewing it through salacious smut goggles. AKA what a lot of the audience (myself included) wants to see happen. Please don’t let this be a repeat of the Finn Polmar non-affair.

To give Eli some credit, I guess he is very reluctant when asking these awkward questions and maybe (okay definitely) a little intimidated by Jason, who also happens to have no time for Eli’s not so subtle attempt in telling him to back off. Although it does work because Jason goes from grufty warmness to grufty at a distance and Alicia is pissed. She’s still making homemade margs (and getting better) and alcohol is required to deal with this level of interference from Eli especially when he is giving his rules speech. It also doesn’t help that when he mentions hotel bars all I can think of is the season 2 finale and Will. And now I’m feeling a whole lot of things.

There are ulterior motives at play and full disclosure is not something Eli is offering as he is using the Courtney funded Alicia focus group as a way to see if she is a viable candidate for a Senate position, when Courtney just wanted to see if the Saint Alicia brand had been resurrected for this presidency campaign. Eli has moved beyond his sabotage plan, but the self interest level is still at play. One tactic he employs which is so dumb for everyone involved is sending Nora on an interference mission. When he sells it to her it sounds like it could be something which has a lot more value than cockblocking and after one awkward interruption Nora is no longer up for serving as Eli’s stooge.

Nora happens to interrupt a deep and meaningful about Jason’s previously uncomfortable life – flashback montage please – and now he likes to keep things simple. He is quickly learning that by spending time in Alicia’s orbit things are far from this state. Although he should have known that from the investigation he did on her and like Eli I don’t really buy his excuse of checking out his new boss. Alicia looks concerned by this discovery (drink because I just said the episode title) and it is unclear what she is going to do with this information. Probably start by drinking another margarita.

There are a couple of interesting Alicia costuming touches to note such as the leather and lace combo that comes after Eli’s chat; she certainly isn’t going to tone her wardrobe choices down and in fact this up the sex factor.

The other thing is when she is filming her ‘wife of the candidate’ pieces she is wearing her very wifey pearls, which she then ditches for when she heads to court.

One person who doesn’t worry about pearls and politician’s wife associations is Diane who goes all out on her triple pearl necklace for court.

And I am definitely feeling this look both in the office and out on the street (I couldn’t pick which one I wanted to use so a double shot it is).

Lucca and Alicia are also both sporting fantastic outerwear and a whole lot of side eye.

The case this week has Alicia representing an old client with a new boss as Piper’s brother from Orange is the New Black is the new COO at Chumhum with Lockhart, Agos representing the opposition. This is a Canning case and they know it will look better with Lucca as part of the team because the case is about race, which she is obviously not so thrilled by. Somehow they find a way to have both sides win, but it leaves an unpleasant taste in the end because of a) what Alicia and Lucca had to do at the behest of the dude paying their bills (bury evidence) and b) Diane and Cary also kinda lost because the restaurant in question was failing before the app was launched.

We also get to hear Cary spout a whole lot of white male privilege and I’m not entirely sure if this was out of character or completely in line with what he actually thinks. Cary has been used so little this season it is hard to tell who he is in a post-Kalinda Good Wife as he was so defined by that relationship. Now he is going dancing with Lucca and I would be way more into this if there had been any sense of a build-up; they have gone from pretty much zero non-case based interactions to this in no steps at all.

This season is still trying to figure out exactly what it wants to be and as we near the halfway point it is a little concerning. With one episode left before the break (airing December 13) I hope it figures things out soon.

Tags: "Discovery", 7.09, Alan Cumming, Alicia Florrick, Christine Baranski, costume design, Cush Jumbo, Diane Lockhart, Julianna Margulies, Matt Czuchry, The Good Wife

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Categories The Good Wife
Author Emma Fraser

Degrees of Caring on The Good Wife

16 Nov

Alicia Florrick has got her groove back and her DGAF attitude is aided by how well she knows the political game. The line between public and private life was shattered long ago when she stood behind Peter during THAT press conference and everything since has been a navigation of this moment. Now Peter is running for president there is a renewed and deeper level of scrutiny of their relationship including their living arrangement – thanks Vice – but there are ways of pretending. In the past Alicia would have been frustrated by this turn of events; now she is the embodiment of a shoulder shrug even though her apartment has been taken over by Peter’s campaign.

Her home life isn’t the only thing being invaded by faces from the past and the case of the week sees a return to Lockhart, Agos (and Lee). Louis Canning is the opposing council and he is the one who sent the client to Alicia making this a threeway of sorts with a whole lot of history. Alicia doesn’t let this fluster her and it isn’t like the time she returned to the office after her last split from the firm (cue memories of Will and all the sadness). There are no bad feelings on Alicia’s end even if Diane recently visited her apartment and accused her of sabotage. In fact Alicia has fun with this case and doesn’t go easy on either side much to the chagrin/amusement of the opposing counsel.

It is Lucca Quinn’s first trip to Alicia’s old stomping ground and she envisions Alicia as the “Queen Bee Bitch” and rather than taking offense to this, Alicia laughs at this notion remarking that she is a “much calmer person now.” I’m not sure I would call Alicia a “Queen Bee Bitch” and to borrow a phrase from Donna on Parks and Recreation she is more often a Boss Bitch over a Bitch Boss.

The look on Cary and Diane’s face when Alicia walks into the deposition is priceless; almost as spectacular as Diane’s colorful jacket and gold necklace combo.

What they are up against is a confident Alicia and part of this comes from a renewed sense of control now she is her own boss once again. Yes she is getting clients courtesy of Louis Canning, but she isn’t letting this sway how she proceeds with a case and she goes just as hard against Canning as she ever has. These are no longer the things that fluster her and she’s over caring about her old firm. In a way I do wish there had been some interactions between Alicia and Diane/Cary outside of the deposition because I am always here for those and yet it was probably more effective having her come in and leave in a purely professional capacity.

There is an edginess to her costuming this week and I appreciate that she was already in the leather accented ensemble before she got the case. She didn’t just pick this because she was returning to her old workplace and it also works incredibly well for all the eye rolls and exasperated facial expressions at Eli’s campaign calls.

You know what it also works for? Homemade margarita infused contract signings. The Alicia/Jason relationship edges toward something more and Alicia’s desire to talk is clearly a desire to do something else. And I’m not just talking tacos (her reaction to them being in date was almost as good as her uncontrollable laughter when Jackie announces her engagement to Howard). Alicia loses the jacket and the leather sheath Narciso Rodriguez dress is the perfect seduction outfit.

This is classic Alicia when it comes to a guy that isn’t Peter as she tiptoes around the inevitable. We saw it on many occasions with Will where things almost happened and even if they did she had a habit of finding a reason to stop (okay still being married is a good reason I guess). She didn’t even go beyond a chaste hand touching moment with Finn and there was plenty of opportunity for that to move from flirty drinks to more. Johnny happened but that was a snoozer. And now we have Jason.

This week the cockblock comes courtesy of Vice and their comments about Alicia and Peter’s living situation. Cue an extended stay from Peter and a taco party interruption. Alicia’s DGAF attitude extends to this arrangement and after a particularly good cross she propositions her husband. Peter is also feeling pretty fucking great as he’s just secured a $1 million donation and this is an ideal time for no strings sex. When Alicia and Peter have hooked up in the past it has sometimes been in reaction to outward influences such as parents or Alicia denying her Will feelings; this time it is simply a case of feeling horny and Peter is the uncomplicated choice. There’s no awkward fumbling and they pretty much get down to it in a very matter of fact way. It is notable that it happens in the spare room and not Alicia’s bed further adding to this not caring attitude. If it was in her bed it would mean something.

Alicia also wields her power by getting Peter to not pick up his phone. Yes there might be another $1 million donation on the other end, but a moment like this is fleeting. Post hook up it is pretty chill even with Eli banging on the door and she points out that she was the one who initiated it saying that it is always sexier not to care and that sex is sexier without love. I’m not sure Alicia actually believes the latter because Will, but I think she wants to believe and does so in this moment. She is very good at protecting her heart. And also this reaction to Eli’s judgmental face is my favorite.

Later on when Eli tries to get a rise out of her she tells him that the old Alicia would have been bothered, but not now as the “new me just doesn’t care.” Control plays an important role in this change of attitude; “Bad things happen or they don’t. But there’s just too much craziness in the world.” This also goes back to what happened to Will and his presence is still subtly felt two years later. Eli is the one who worries too much and it is maybe time for him to take a page from the Alicia Florrick way of thinking. It also looks like Eli is taking a break from Operation Destroy Ruth (and Peter) as he has his wooing cap on for Vanessa Williams’ Courtney Page. Another excellent guest star to add to the already long list of excellent Good Wife guest stars.

It isn’t all smooth sailing for Alicia this week and Frank Landau continues to be the angry controlling thorn in her side. He’s all blustery faced threats and the challenge is to find a way to nail him to the wall without implicating anyone else. Inner conflict turns outward with this graphic print jacket from Lafayette 148.

There’s no easy fix to this and I wonder if our friends at the NSA will prove useful when it comes to sorting the Frank problem out. For now Alicia finds herself in a difficult position and it is one area where her level of control is severely reduced and her ability to not care isn’t going to work here.

Tags: "Driven", 7.07, Alan Cumming, Alicia Florrick, Chris Noth, Christine Baranski, costume design, Cush Jumbo, Julianna Margulies, Matt Czuchry, The Good Wife

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Categories The Good Wife
Author Emma Fraser

A Guide to Not Backing Down on The Good Wife

2 Nov

Escalation is one strategy used to achieve results on The Good Wife and for several of the characters in this seventh season this has been a key tactic. Eli continues his schemes against Ruth with varying results and over at Lockhart, Agos they are dealing with a disagreement which is impacting relationships with clients. For Alicia and Lucca, their first case officially working together – Lucca answered yes to Alicia’s martini laced question – involves varying extremes of upping the stakes as they go from pursuing a debt collecting agency to a for-profit school.

The Alicia/Lucca partnership is in the fun early stages and they are still figuring things out such as how much they charge an hour. You would think that would be one of the first things to address, but getting cases is the priority. Grace points out the importance of money and while they have not given an explanation as to why she is not at school (when is she meant to graduate?), she is proving useful by reminding her mother that they have bills to pay. The particulars of this case constantly evolve throughout the episode and The Good Wife continues its fun hot streak. Spending a week away from the frantic atmosphere of bond court is much needed, particularly when arbitration is held in such a chilled out setting. The fact that even in season 7 they are finding new ways to present cases is an achievement, even more when all three plot points are threaded together in a cohesive and not too coinkydink fashion.

And speaking of fashion; Lucca continues her reign as the new Good Wife style queen from the teal number with striped cuffs above to injecting a little bit of leather in arbitration.

Leather will always be synonymous with Kalinda, but that hasn’t stopped costume designer Daniel Lawson from using it this season with faux Kalinda investigator sharing this style penchant with her predecessor to Diane’s amazing matching leather skirt and jacket combo. Lucca is all about mixing prints and textures and this is no exception. It also looks like Alicia has been raiding Diane’s wardrobe with this patterned jacket choice.

There is also this fantastic kaleidoscope floral dress and as with their working practices Lucca’s style is far bolder than Alicia’s. Lucca is the one that wants to take things to the next level when they get sued and this is a good thing as sometimes Alicia is in danger of playing it safe. It could cause conflict at a later date, but for now they are a very match for each other and a successful partnership is not about having the same style or opinions on everything. They do have their simpatico moments with shared emphatic objections and there is a fair amount of reading the situation in a similar way.

Lucca isn’t the only one working out in Alicia’s current work situation and Jeffrey Dean Morgan continues to light up the screen with so much grufty sexual magnetism I almost inclined to say “Finn who?” I say almost because I am not going to forget that missed opportunity for a long time. Jason is all kinds of wonderful this week and proves his very low hourly rate just by sitting there wearing glasses. He also tracks down the scam artist and gets Maggie’s money back while also preventing someone else from falling foul of this scheme. All while smoldering and being super casual. There is a darkness to his persuasive tactics, but Alicia has always been a fan of the bad boy.

The episode ends with another unanswered question posed by Alicia and never has “what do you drink?” sounded so much like an invitation in as it does here. Also this dress works so much better without the jacket.

One of their tactics against this for-profit school is to introduce a debt strike and it was Eli and his magically raised plotting eyebrow that suggested this move. Eli has a week of ups and downs with his current employment situation going from outright glee at the media coverage of Peter’s position on unions to despair at Peter’s positive poll numbers. Marissa returns this week (much to my delight) and she is concerned about her father’s spiraling. Eli’s motivations aren’t exactly covert and she knows he is trying to get back at Peter; to counter she has found him an amazing job opportunity to get him out of this mess. All Marissa needs is some cereal and for Alicia to make it look like she is firing him.

Alicia does her part and is very convincing when she dismisses him pointing out that she knows he is using her. This doesn’t have the desired effect and when Eli later tells her he isn’t going anywhere she doesn’t fight him because she knows there is no changing his mind. The debt strike tactic pits Alicia against Peter’s current union position and Ruth is furious at him for how much this is messing with her campaign. At the moment this Ruth versus Eli story is going gangbusters, but there is a danger that it could become quite repetitive and I am proceeding with caution.

The link between all three plots this week is the food service union boss, Ronnie Erickson and this is where the Cary/Howard battle hits breaking point. Howard has informed Erickson of Cary’s temporary home last year and causes major embarrassment for Cary when it becomes clear that they think he is some kind of criminal. Diane has had enough and to stop a lawsuit (because Howard is in a protected class) she hosts a mediation to air grievances and work through them. This has varying results and it turns out that their jokes about Howard’s age have set the tone for other employees. Howard shows the types of products which have been left in his office such as adult diapers and a bib; this is work place bullying and it puts Howard in an entirely sympathetic position. Yes jokes are made about everyone, but they shouldn’t breed this kind of degrading behavior.

Cary does raise the question of whether Howard planted those products himself and while we can’t be a hundred percent certain of their veracity, I am inclined to believe that Howard is telling the truth on this occasion as he appears to be genuinely hurt. This results in sensitivity training giving us this wonderful moment, which Howard definitely milks for sympathy.

Diane still looks great even with cotton wool up her nose.

This earlier outfit and her ‘come the fuck on’ face are also aces.

There is a lot of legal chicken this week and not a whole lot of backing down. Eli is still intent on his current mission, but the Lockhart, Agos dispute looks like it might be sorted (for now). Alicia and Lucca have proved themselves to be a formidable team and I am looking forward to seeing who they will take on next.

Tags: "Payback", 7.05, Alicia Florrick, Christine Baranski, costume design, Cush Jumbo, Diane Lockhart, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Julianna Margulies, leather, Matt Czuchry, The Good Wife

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Categories The Good Wife
Author Emma Fraser

Shaking the Tree on The Good Wife

26 Oct

Alicia held favor in bond court for a very brief amount of time on The Good Wife before the judge was back to calling her Marie Antoinette and taxing her heavily. The issue being that she was causing waves in how the system flows as the court is more concerned with processing speed, rather than dealing with cases on an individual basis.

Everyone is a number and one in a stack of many files; those numbers include probation offers, bail money and their place in the pile. It can even be their weight which factors into nothing more than a way to sort out which bond lawyer gets first pick.

If this was a reality show then I’m sure Alicia might be pulling out the “not here to make friends” moniker as she is ruffling pretty much everyone’s feathers by disrupting procedure as she actually listens to her clients and actively tries to get them the best offer. But she has actually made friends and despite many exasperated looks from Lucca Quinn throughout “Taxed” it hasn’t damaged the rapport they have built up over the last few weeks; much to my delight.

A+ disdain and patterned outfit combo.

The whole system needs a makeover, but money rules everything and there is “no glory in this slog.” Alicia is shaking the wrong tree, or really she is shaking the one which won’t pay the bills especially when Judge Schakowsky is at the helm. Alicia has a pretty decent civil action case because the store in question could easily be accused of racial profiling – as several real stores have – and instead she trades that for surveillance footage which clears her client. The problem is that it shows her client’s mother originally stole the sweater in question. Not exactly the win Alicia was hoping for. What it does do is open her eyes to her current working situation; Alicia has no desire to go back to Lockhart, Agos and this freedom in cases is exhilarating. And yet she is still bound by bureaucracy and people who don’t want to fix what is broken.

Cary wistfully remembers starting the firm in Alicia’s apartment and this is the wrong way to go about getting Alicia to return to Lockhart, Agos by doing Reese Dipple’s bidding. The atmosphere between the pair is warm and there is hope for a working relationship between Alicia’s startup and her old firm despite the prickliness from Diane last week. Alicia doesn’t want to be stuck in the favor cycle and starting over was meant to wipe the slate clean; now she is stuck in another kind of legal purgatory with Judge Schakowsky.

Over martinis with Lucca – wearing another fantastic outfit – she ponders her next move and when Lucca spells out the disadvantages of Alicia’s current strategy an offer is made. This is the offer I have been expecting/hoping for with Alicia asking “Want to do it together?” That is shaking the tree for better paying cases. We don’t get Lucca’s answer and this isn’t the first time Alicia has offered this kind of deal to someone (Finn *sob*), but they have proved their success as a team and I can’t see why Lucca would turn her down. Job security is one reason to stick with bond court and there have been a couple of moments of conflict; however this would be a good move for both Alicia and Lucca. Seeing Alicia working in a different legal environment has been fun and yet I am now at the point where a break from Judge Schakowsky would be bliss.

Another person who is causing a stir is Jason Crouse and woah is the screen oozing with all the sexual tension whenever he is on screen with Alicia. When Jeffrey Dean Morgan first appeared a couple of weeks ago I was maybe reluctant at accepting this new potential love interest; now I am all in. I am also fully prepared to be disappointed. Jason is a bit of a mystery and this is apparently part of the whole investigator persona – here is another investigator mystery WHERE IS ROBYN? – and Alicia learns a few more things this week. He used to be a lawyer and he got disbarred for punching a judge. He also claims he is one of the calmest, sweetest dudes but he agrees with Alicia’s assessment that she should worry about him. He claims he is not joking and this only makes him seem more enigmatic (and attractive). Just look at the way he looks at her (*swoony sighs*).

Tree shaking is going on all over the place this week and Eli is playing mischief maker by taking Cary’s turned down request to Alicia and putting the other female Florrick’s onto Peter, but really onto Ruth in a bid to mess with her. And at first it works as Jackie feels put out by Peter’s new campaign manager and Grace is passionate in her disagreement over physician assisted suicide and this bill. Ruth is no fool and she quickly figures out Eli’s scheme and sweet talks her way with both Jackie and Grace; Eli is going to have to work a lot harder if he wants to sabotage Ruth’s efforts.

Euthanasia and this forthcoming bill provide the thrust of Diane’s storyline and it is so good to see Diane in a strong plot of her own. Last season Diane had to go against her principals to secure Reese Dipple as a client and they even got rid of Alicia at his request because he comes with a lot of prestige and so much money. He is their new ChumHum and once again Diane is put in a difficult position to keep him happy. Dipple doesn’t make an appearance and I’m guessing Oliver Platt wasn’t available. Not to worry as Sandy Cohen himself, Peter Gallagher is here as a very welcome proxy and he puts Diane in charge of an anti-euthanasia case, much to her chagrin.

Diane might not agree with what she is fighting against, but they want her because she knows the case and she knows the opposing counsel. Louis Canning is a formidable foe and yet Diane is more than aware of his sympathy inducing diversion tactics. She can also argue against something she believes in even if she can’t always hide her distaste at the methods and overall objective. It even looks like they have won it until Canning finds the message board smoking gun. It is a mighty fine week when none of the usual victors – Alicia, Eli, Diane – actually succeed in what they set out to achieve as it can get really boring when our guys win every case.