'The Good Wife' recap: Meet the family

Sometimes it’s hard to believe how much “The Good Wife” crams into 44 minutes of show.  Consider Tuesday night’s episode, in which Alicia did each of the following: Cleared the name of a wrongly convicted sniper, helped find the real one, reunited with her brother, planned a Yom Kippur dinner, and pinned her husband’s chief political rival for malicious prosecution. Just another day at the office, people. 

Zodiac killers aside, the biggest revelation this week was, at least on its surface, something rather mundane:  Alicia has a family.  Last season, I often wondered why Alicia had so few people in her life, other than her kids and Peter.  Now we’re starting to get some answers. On Tuesday night, we met Alicia’s troublemaking brother, Owen (Dallas Roberts).  He and Alicia are not exactly estranged, but are not very involved in each other’s lives — at least of late.  Owen places the blame squarely on Peter, whom he openly dislikes.   

When you’re used to a character who has existed in a genetic vacuum, as Alicia has for the past year, it’s a little bit of an adjustment when you finally do meet a family member (I am thinking, as I do all too often, of “Sex and the City,” where none of the women seem to have a family except for Miranda — and only then, when her mother died). 

All too often, Alicia comes off as more humanoid than human, but the scenes with Owen put her cool demeanor in context. She might scoff at Owen’s psychologizing (“ Does everything have to be about something?”) but the truth is, everything sort of is about something, isn’t it?  Alicia’s mother has been married multiple times, so she is wary of divorcing Peter; This makes perfect sense to me. She also tells Owen that she loves Peter and, as much as I hate to say it, I kind of believed her.  I am intrigued by Owen, whom Dallas Roberts plays as a funny guy with a bit of a manic edge; something tells me he can get a little dark sometimes.  I’m hoping he makes a return visit sometime soon — and that maybe we’ll get to see some of that dark side.   

It was also a relief to see Owen call out Peter, whose glib self-righteousness is really off the charts lately.  “Don’t ever abandon her like that again,” Peter scolds Owen, who lobs one back at Peter by calling him a “whoremonger.”  A low blow, perhaps, but Peter really is appallingly hypocritical.  He might as well have said, “How dare you not come visit my wife, whom I publicly disgraced, while I was in prison, for a number of crimes of which I am, in all likelihood, guilty!”  The money barb (“If you don’t have the money, I’ll sent it.”) seemed especially petty, though it makes me wonder if there isn’t more to this story that will emerge later. In any case, Owen’s retreat from Alicia makes its own kind of sense. When someone you love — whether a family member or a friend — is with someone you despise, I think most people retreat, subconsciously or not.

The Yom Kippur dinner was easily my favorite scene of the episode. I particularly enjoyed Jackie’s awkward, WASPy questions about Judaism, which only got more embarrassing as she swilled more wine.  “It’s not just about the pork, right?” she asks. The tension between Grace, the family’s budding lefty, and Spencer was also a nice touch. Peter, ever the politician, is happy to make nice and talk about his dedication, but Grace isn’t having it.  “What about the flotillas?” she asks, provoking Spencer’s scorn. “The Good Wife” is one of the few shows on TV that would make references to the Pixies, Jimmy Carter and Hamas — all within the same scene.  But hey — that’s why we love it, right? The conversation between Eli and Spencer earlier in the episode was also amusingly caustic.   Eli is a monster and all, but I find his indelicacy oddly refreshing. To wit: “Talk to Peter, find out how much he likes gays and Israel.” 

The animosity between Kalinda and Blake continues to boil.  Kalinda was the clear winner in this week’s episode, almost singlehandedly solving the Northbrook sniper case.  Blake’s presence initially rattled Kalinda, but now she’s back on her A (make that A+) game, arriving at the scene of the sniper’s latest crime almost before the police do.   (Did anyone else find that scene extremely confusing?) Her tête-à-tête with Cary, who I think carries a bit of a torch for his old colleague, was also extremely effective.   I was a little annoyed that last week’s cliffhanger — the dirt Kalinda has on Will and Derrick — was left mostly unresolved.  We see a few photos of Will playing basketball with Blake, but that’s it; It’s not even clear when they might have been taken.  (Though Will is wearing a baseball hat, which in costume designer shorthand usually means "young")  Another thing I’m not so sure of?  How long the Blake-Kalinda rivalry can be sustained.  It’s working for now, but their seething hatred is starting to be a distraction — like something lifted from a Hollywood action movie about rival cops.  Kalinda’s a great character as long as her stiletto boots remain firmly on the ground; no need to make her into Lara Croft.      

What we learned:  Blake and Will used to play basketball together.  Also, Alicia is a real human being with a family and was not, contrary to popular belief, hatched in a laboratory.

Further questions: How far back does the ball-playing go? And does Will and Blake's relationship go beyond the odd game of pickup?  Is Will conspiring with Blake to smoke out Kalinda?  If so, then why? Also, why does everyone on this show say "phone" instead of "call"?  Is there more to Owen's dislike of Peter than meets the eye?

-- Meredith Blake

twitter.com/MeredithBlake

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Photos, from top: Alicia (Julianna Margulies) catches up with her brother, Owen (Dallas Roberts); whatever you do, don't call Kalinda (Archia Panjabi) "Leela."  Credit: David M. Russell / CBS

Comments

[Kiki]

Last night was great! Insight into Alicia Florrick's life thats why I watch this show. Its obvious that Alicia still loves Peter, how could she not? he was the love of her life for 15 years. Also you are right the whole Owen and Peter dynamic was a bit hypocritical. But Peter is right, just because he failed her does not mean her whole family around her should fail her too.

[Carla]

I loved the episode. It's funny how the total absence of Love Triangle bore and Will/Alicia innuendo can free up time for more elaborate plots and other characters.
The Yom Kippur scene (and Jackie's hilarious comment on gay marriage) was definitely a highlight of the episode.
By the way, not to play devil's advocate but however much I dislike Peter for what he did to Alicia, I thought he was right dressing Owen down for his lack of support for Alicia. Granted, Peter was a jerk and without his shenanigans, Alicia wouldn't have needed support but that doesn't give Owen an excuse to not be there when his sister needed him.
Loved the Cary/Kalinda interaction. I wonder if he realized how much she was playing him.
I like that she was off-balance with the Blake character but is striking back. I'm not sure how that makes her Lara Croft but I like that.

[Daisy]

There are a lot of reasons for Alicia not to still love Peter. I could list them all, but to do so would require my own column.

Peter will send money for Owen to visit Alicia? What money, Peter? Did he forget his family had to sell their home and move into an apartment to pay his legal bills? Didn't last season show Alicia freaking out because she wasn't sure how she would pay the bills if she lost her job? I, too, have had enough with the Peter's self-righteousness. Bad things are not happening to Peter, they are happening to himself and others because of Peter.

[sid]

Thank you very much Daisy! You are so correct when you say the chaos in the Florrick's household is as a result of Peter's actions. All he had to do was be a good husband just like he has a good wife. I have a serious problem with it being promoted that just because they are married Alicia should sweep her husband's infidelities under the carpet. Marriage is a contract, a covenant, a two way street and Peter has broken it and he doesn't truly seem repentant.

Peter's attitude with Owen to me suggests that he hasn't changed. I think he was raised wrong and his mother's inebriated slip confirms that. Until Peter can track back as to why he did the things he did, (which were not as a result of marital strife and strain) and make a conscious deliberate effort to adjust his value system and change, he will do it again.

And where does that leave Alicia? If not the repressed wound up woman we see on a weekly basis, it at least leaves her open to contracting an STD, possibly AIDS. Who needs to stay in a marriage like that? It's spousal abuse.

I don't think it is good for Alicia to stand by her man without addressing the issues and root cause of his behaviour. She's doing it for the kids? Well, there are many other messages being sent to the kids other than marriage is forever. It is not just about staying together, it is about the quality of the togetherness and if it is messed up it will produce messed up people. People like to blame marriage...marriage isn't the problem; the problem is how people manage their marriages, how they treat their spouses, how they honour their contract and covenant. That's what the kids need to see and that isn't happening in the Florrick household. So, please spare me about Alicia being a "good wife" because she is staying with her slimy husband. In fact, if she stays with him and she is longing and thinking of another man and having sex with Peter just because she was turned on by another, that makes her just as adulterous as her husband.

[Liz]

Good call on Peter being a self-righteous jerk this episode. Despite everything he has done, he has not paid for any of it. He spent a year in prison, mostly away from general population. And when he was released his wife took him home, his children accepted him again, and he was finally acquitted of all charges. Now he's running a campaign to get back to being what he was. Where are the consequences for his actions? Every time he seethes at Amber Madison for making his life hell I have to wonder if this guy has any clue that he brought it upon himself. Peter only questioned Owen on his absence when Owen cornered him and almost ruined his fund-raising dinner. If he cared so much about his wife, he should have said a word to Owen regardless of whether Owen said anything to him. That's called shifting the blame not looking out for your wife.
I wish there was more Alicia/Will in this episode. Those two are the couple I'd love to see work out their relationship more than any other on TV right now. They're so scrumptiously angst-laden. It is fine for one episode, but I don't want the writers to ignore the old relationships for new ones. When is Alicia finding out about the voice mail?

[Dorothy]

Great posting Liz!

There was not enough Will and Alicia action in the last episode at all but at least we got the scene where Will told Alicia that she should step back from the case. Every time they are in the same room, I can personally feel the unresolved sexual tension. Its killing me!!

She needs to hear that voicemail!!!!! I dont know how but she should! lol.

Loved the scenes with Alicia and her brother. I hope he comes up again :)

[Liz]

Thanks Dorothy. When the show began I wanted nothing more than to watch how and if this broken marriage could be somehow pieced together. It's like putting together broken glass, you are going to cut yourself on the shards, but you'll still try to do it. But as the show went on I fell more and more in love with Alicia. And realized that it is her story that I'm interested in. Not the story of just her marriage. So if her heart lies with Will, that is not a betrayal of the original premise of the show. The show should be, is, and was meant to follow her on her journey - wherever it may lead her. Just because she is a strong, independent woman doesn't mean she has to prove that by staying alone or staying with her husband if she doesn't want to. It means making the choice that you think is right for you and your kids. Having a man in your life or falling in love doesn't automatically make you weak, or a worse mother or a worse lawyer.
Basically, I love Alicia. She regularly outperforms herself, and keeps surprising people who already expect so much from her. All this without being portrayed as a genius who can't go wrong.

And I want Owen to stop by again. If there is a petition for it somewhere I will sign it. Thrice!

[Angie]

I love how I'm not the only one who hates the "phone" instead of "call" thing. And as a former Chicagoan, I can tell you it has nothing to do with locale.

[Jamie]

I really thought I was going crazy with the whole "phone" vs. "call". It irritates me. I think the show is excellent, but just say call. Thanks writers.