BWW Preview: 'I'm in!', New Doors Open When THE GOOD WIFE Returns

When THE GOOD WIFE executive producers-show runners Robert and Michelle King chose a title for their Season 5 finale back in May, they called it "A Weird Year." For fans and television critics alike, the Kings could just as easily have claimed it "An Extraordinary Year," so good was the fifth season of the CBS Sunday night drama.

From Alicia's iconic "I'm in!" that began the season, through Eli's game-changing proposal in the last scene of Episode 22, Season 5 of THE GOOD WIFE set a relentless pace throughout, reinvigorating characters, plot and theme. It was also a monumental year for the cast itself, with Julianna Margulies winning a Lead Actress Emmy for her role as Alicia Florrick, and the loss of one half of Lockhart/Gardner, original cast member Mr. Josh Charles (and no, I'm still not over Will Gardner's death!).

As we get ready for the Season 6 premiere on September 21st, we take a look at where we left our gang of New York Chicago-based lawyers and political players, and speculate on where they might be heading next (caution - mild SPOILERS ahead):

Alicia Florrick

To say it was a big year for our good wife would be an understatement. She became First Lady of Illinois, left Lockhart/Gardner to start her own firm (after some serious sneaking around), detonated her relationship with Will, then lost Will - and her sense of self for a time - before beginning her journey from saint to powerhouse, when she finally acknowledged her tumultuous marriage with Governor Florrick had moved from revived affection to a partnership of explicit, mutual advantage.

Where to next? It's an advantage that may see a Season 6 Alicia fully embrace her Hillary mantle by stepping out from behind her husband, and into the political arena.

Season 5 ended with this Eli Gold brain-wave, when he realised what most of us already know - Alicia Florrick is the real star of the Florrick political machine. Gold wants her to run for State's Attorney, and if recent SPOILERS (including a rather awesome leaked photo of our girl at a political rally being supported by a certain real-life feminist icon) are anything to go by, Eli's going to get what he wants.

What happens to Florrick/Agos if Alicia runs? What happens to the Florrick marriage? What happens to the little bit of saint left in Alicia, and what happens to her heart now that it is free of both Peter, and Will (sob!)?

We're in, Alicia - whatever doors you open this year!

Cary Agos

Season 5 was all about uneasy alliances for Cary. He started his own firm with Alicia, only to clash with her toward the end of the season, and deepened his personal relationship with Kalinda, only to find out (thanks to a certain tele-conferencing glitch) that her motivations might not be so personal, after-all. There were moments of pure Cary brilliance in Season 5 - who can forget his simmering rage when schooling a mercenary opponent after Will's death - but the old-school, competitive Cary reared his head too, especially when he sold out Diane, and her merger plans, to the despicable Louis Canning.

Where to next? Some fans have argued that the much-loved Matt Czuchry is under-utilized in his role as Cary Agos, but the Season 5 creation of Florrick/Agos put him right at the heart of many of the plot twists and turns - and I have a feeling Season 6 will keep him even busier.

I've always liked Cary in battle with Alicia. As Alicia grows from strength to strength, she needs a worthy opponent, and her dynamic Seasons 1 and 2 competitive relationship with Agos proves him up to the task. Pure speculation here, but I can see Cary distancing himself from any kind of Alicia/Diane alliance, and maybe even moving back to Lockhart/Gardner - minus both Lockhart, and Gardner, of course.

Diane Lockhart

This leads us to our lady in red, the fabulous Diane Lockhart. Season 5 was a biggie for Diane, too. She lost her Supreme Court judgeship (thanks, Peter!), gained a husband, lost her best friend and business partner, Will - and then found herself in yet another fierce battle to keep her firm, after David Lee got over his 15 seconds of grieving to team up with Louis Canning for a take-over bid.

Where to next? We left Diane offering her name, and her $38 million to Florrick/Agos. Will Season 6 see her align with her former foes, and help the new kids on the block create a super firm? Or will she team up with her newly appointed Girl Friday Kalinda - and Alicia, to create the Bechdel Test's ultimate television dream team? Again, it is pure speculation (or perhaps wishful thinking!), but that's an alliance I would give up the ghost of Will to see.

Kalinda Sharma

For a lone wolf, Kalinda does the loyal sidekick gig pretty well. The beginning of Season 5 was all about her loyalty to Will Gardner. She double-crossed her sometime lover Cary to help Will sabotage the newly created Florrick/Agos, and after Will died, she unflinchingly shifted her allegiance to his best friend and partner, Diane.

On the romance front, free of her horrible husband, she let her guard down with Cary - in moments. And used yet another lover to uncover every secret - but her own. A standard year for Kalinda in that regard.

Where to next? Alright, I'll say it. We all miss Alicia and Kalinda's friendship, and no amount of shifting around the Kalinda chessboard of relationships can change that. The Season 2 revelation that she slept with Peter was fantastic for the show - at the time. But it should have opened up a bigger story about the betrayals at the heart of THE GOOD WIFE, instead of falling into the vortex of dropped plots.

Yes, real life might suggest two former best friends could not get over one sleeping with the other's husband. But two former best friends no longer interacting at all does not make for a good story. It's a glaringly obvious absence, and no-one wants to keep watching something not happening. So for Season 6, this is not so much speculation as a plea - here's to a season that finally revisits the Kalinda and Alicia dynamic, in all its messy, tequila-soaked glory. Make it nasty if you have to, writers. Just don't leave it where it is - which is currently nowhere at all.

Will Gardner

Will Gardner is dead. That's what happened to him in Season 5. He started off not talking about that thing two years ago with Alicia (a standard year, yet again), then, after Alicia betrayed him, went to non-stop thinking about that thing two years ago. And then, in the midst of his wounded animal approach to Alicia leaving, he died. And I am still not recovered (expect to hear a variation on this theme - a lot).

Where to next? Dad-to-be Josh Charles will stay close to THE GOOD WIFE, returning to direct episodes in Season 6, and I haven't yet given up hope that more delicious #Willicia memory-pops will surface in the coming months. But there's no escaping the fact that he is gone, and the dynamic love affair between Will and Alicia has been played out in full. I predict some casting challenges across the season in this regard, as viewers continue to see any potential suitor for Alicia through the lens of Will - and the chemistry Charles clearly had with Margulies.

For nearly five seasons, Josh Charles played Will Gardner right on the line of bad boy made good (and sometimes the other way round), giving the show a smart, sexy energy that will be hard to replace. Like Kalinda, my loyalty is to Will first (and Josh Charles!) but like Kalinda, I'll also shift my allegiance to his natural successor if they find someone worthy. Sad as I am to lose my favorite TV character from my favorite TV show - as long as it takes THE GOOD WIFE in a new and exciting direction (and I get the occasional memory-pop), I'm in!

Season 6 of THE GOOD WIFE premieres on CBS, Sunday 21st September.

Note to readers: We haven't even scratched the surface of what to expect when THE GOOD WIFE returns this month. There's Peter and interns, Eli's impending professional freak-outs, Grace's latest obsession (whatever that may be), and the evolution of Finn Polmar to look forward to. We've also got some familiar faces showing up in the premiere, from Michael J Fox's Canning, to Kalinda's old flame, the (much-missed) Kelli Giddish as Sophia Russo. Elsbeth Tascioni (Carrie Preston) will also appear later in the season, and we're going to meet new chacters, via Taye Diggs, Connie Nielsen and David Hyde Pierce to name just a few.

Stay with us, dear readers, as we head into another very good year!

Photo Credit: CBS