Isn't The Good Wife great?

[suestorm]

looked to me that Zach liked being badarse.. the girls even seemed to like it

[adamgreer]

It is kind of funny that Alicia is still blissfully unaware of it, content with the conspiracy theory that David Lee has bugged her home. Cary and Clarke trying to "act" to throw him off was one of my favorite moments of the episode.

[bwayrose7]

Can we just talk about last night's 100th episode? Aside from the fact that I'm glad to see John Noble on my TV again (I miss Walter Bishop so much!), it was another great hour. If Josh Charles doesn't submit this episode for his Emmy consideration, I'd be surprised. And how great was Eli's spit-take at the end? I doubt Marilyn was implying what I wish she was, but it was great for the comedy nonetheless.

[suestorm]

the main story line with LG and FA going at it in and outside the courtroom is some of the most awesome stuff this side of Walking Dead on TV. Even the Motherinlaw is great.

But im afraid the secondary stories are Ally McBealish stupid.

the new Irish Lawyer is cringy, i get that hes supposed to be "dangerous and charming but to me hes just annoying and not believable.

And another forced Kalinda storyline. Im guessing im not the only one who thought as soon as Kalinda got stopped by the cop that they would wind up in bed together. because of course shes so supposedly irresistible no man or woman can resist her. also can the director or one of her costars please talk to her about her english accent coming out in almost every scene?

[adamgreer]

Holly. Sh*t.

Tonight's episode. Wow.

This show is so good.

Just wow.

[iluvtheatertrash]

Did anyone even know something like that was coming? Holy cow.... I had no idea someone would be leaving. Wow.

[Sutton Ross]

I knew that he only signed a one year contract last year. But, I was hoping he had signed on for another year and it just wasn't public knowledge. I am so upset that they decided to do that. So many people watched the show for the Will/Alicia dynamic so this is shocking. He stated in an interview I just read that it was his decision to leave on his own, to seek other projects. They could have just had him start a new law firm in New York or something. What a horrible way to send a character off, I'm absolutely disgusted with the writers right now.

[adamgreer]

Oh I think it was brilliant. Will's character would never just leave to start a new law firm. He wouldn't ever abandon Diane like that. The only other option they had for the character was disbarment for something.

This was shocking, intense, and very well executed. Brilliant television tonight.

[everythingtaboo]

I had no idea that the back story to tonight was actually actor-related, but in knowing it, I really could not think of any way to "realistically" work that out.


‘The Good Wife’ Bombshell: The Story Behind Tonight’s Shocking Development

[blueroses]

I am positively GUTTED. This ****ed my **** up big time.

But that was some incredible television last night, and this may be the best season to date. I'm shocked that they were able to keep this under wraps.

And now I really want to go and watch baby Josh Charles in Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead. <3

[Jane2]

Never saw this show before but still was able to appreciate how good it is just from last night's episode. It didn't hurt that Max von Essen and Eric Bogosian were guest stars!

[blueroses]

Jane--a little Bogosian goes a long way! He is excellent.

Kalinda and Diane broke my heart last night. And Eli at the end with Alicia? I can't.

[strummergirl]

Don't watch this show too often but I watched the episode. Aside from the illusion that must be used with Hunter Parrish in anything and Matthew Goode's American accent, that was a good episode of television.

Honestly, if Charles wanted it that way, the Kings had not many options. He was such a focal point of the show from Day 1. He couldn't just leave or be disbarred as he was tied to so many characters and the certain shakeups the show had would have that option feel very defeating for other characters. Death had to be an option. An accident would seem so ill-fitting for a character exit as would a long, draining illness that 90% of the time is total TV manipulation (I stopped watching Parenthood for that reason). So him dying in court by a client who people were split on to me makes sense in terms of keeping the actual drama of the show going along and having the character get a definitive exit.

[adamgreer]

Yeah, I just can't think of any workable scenario where he would have abandoned Diane the way Alicia abandoned him. I think this was the only viable option.

[Jay Lerner-Z]

!!!

Wow is right. I had my own idea of how the whole Will/Alicia thing would end up, and this was most certainly not it. I don't know how I feel right now.

Still digesting.

[blueroses]

From the producers' open letter to viewers (referenced in the link above):

"The Good Wife, at its heart, is the “Education of Alicia Florrick.” To us, there always was a tragedy at the center of Will and Alicia’s relationship: the tragedy of bad timing. And when faced with the gut punch of Josh’s decision, made over a year ago, to move on to other creative endeavors, we had a major choice to make.

We could “send willgardnerhim off to Seattle,” he could be disbarred, or get married, or go off to Borneo to do good works. But there was something in the passion that Will and Alicia shared that made distance a meager hurdle. The brutal honesty and reality of death speaks to the truth and tragedy of bad timing for these two characters. Will’s death propels Alicia into her newest incarnation."

[blueroses]

Sorry. No idea how that text showed up as "send willgardnerhim" instead of "him." But I did like the Seattle/Dr. Doug Ross reference. <3

[bwayrose7]

It was brilliant and shocking, agreed. But it also kind of ripped my heart out. What I always loved best about Will was his complexity: he started out as the white knight in contrast to the sleazy Peter, but developed into someone fully capable of cold manipulation, amorality, and a nasty vindictive streak. Yet he was probably the most romantic figure on a show full of practical thinkers, demonstrated especially through his two-decades-long love for Alicia that he could never quite shake. I will miss not just the dynamics between him and Diane, or him and Alicia, but this wonderfully complex character who veered regularly between hero and antihero. Kudos to the writers and to Josh Charles- you'll be missed.

[Jordan Catalano]

I was up until around 3am, I was just DEVASTATED by that episode.

It bears constant repeating that this really is the best show on television and I hope will eventually hold a place in the greatest dramas of all time.

[blueroses]

Jordan, it gave me insomnia, too! Impenetrable even by an Ambien CR.

[Sutton Ross]

I think the most important part of the King's statement was this:

"Death also created a new dramatic “hub” for the show. We’re always looking for these turning points—some event midway through the season that will spin everybody’s lives in new directions. These turning points keep the show from slipping into a numbing sameness, and keep the characters fresh: because you see how they react to a completely new status quo. Will’s death in many ways becomes a hub for the whole series, violently spinning everybody in new directions.

Finally, we chose the tragic route for Will’s send-off for personal reasons. We’ve all experienced the sudden death of a loved one in our lives. It’s terrifying how a perfectly normal and sunny day can suddenly explode with tragedy. Television, in our opinion, doesn’t deal with this enough: the irredeemably of death. Your last time with the loved one will always remain your last time. The Good Wife is a show about human behavior and emotion, and death, as sad and unfair as it can be, is a part of the human experience that we want to share."

I get it but I think they could have done something else. The show already got rebooted last fall, I don't think that was necessary.

Here is a great Josh Charles's interview for anyone interested:


Interview

[blueroses]

Josh Charles will be on Letterman tonight.

[songanddanceman2]

Wow, shocked but what an incredible episode, still taking it in. Between this and the brilliant episodes when they left to set up their own firm this has to be it's best season to date.

[Mister Matt]

FINALLY an interesting episode this season. I just found the battle between the firms to be rather dull and uninteresting. To me, the show seemed to be going off the rails, but it looks like this twist was also designed to get the characters back on track. The direction of the main plot (as in "The Good Wife" herself) was headed toward the irrelevance of Lockhart/Gardner. The animosity between the two firms was the only thing keeping Diane, Will and Kalinda on the show. Eventually, Alicia would have to return to Lockhart/Gardner or the firms would have to merge. Otherwise, they would have three members of their main cast being relegated to minor appearances (or in the case of Kalinda as a more fluent character, serve as a romantic catalyst or change firms). By getting rid of Will in this manner, they have created a reason to keep some sort of relationship between the two firms for a little while longer, at least. The continued animosity was getting them nowhere.

[bwayrose7]

Tomorrow's episode apparently is the actual last episode for Josh Charles; it's supposed to include several flashbacks, and apparently one last voicemail from Will to Alicia. Early buzz is that it's a heartbreaking hour- and if this trailer is anything to go by, they're right. The "hey" at the end kills me.

"The Last Call" trailer

[Tom1071]

I hope we have not seen the last of Nestor Carbonell. When she was standing outside that restaurant at the end of the episode I was literally yelling at the tv, "Get your ass in there!"