QUICK REVIEW: Fairly Legal “Priceless” S1 E2

The next time I have a disagreement with my boss, I want Kate Reed around to help me out.  That girl can solve any problem…and she is completely believable.  This week’s case was about a man, Steve Jenks, who was wrongfully accused of murder and spent 22 years in jail.  DNA shows it wasn’t him so he is released from prison.   Justin wants to avoid a trial (Jenks’ attorney wants to sue for damages) so he asks Kate to mediate the case between Jenks and the state of California.

Jenks doesn’t seem to care too much about money and seems distant and sad.  Kate is the only one paying attention to this and backs off pushing him to make a decision on a final number (his lawyer wants $20 million and the state wants to give $2.4 million.)   She tries to do things to help Jenks reintegrate himself back into society but nothing seems to work.  He continues to push away.  He calls Kate and his lawyer and starts saying thank you for all they have done and says good-bye.  You think they are setting this up for him to kill himself but instead, Kate figures out where he went and goes to stop whatever he is planning to do.  He’s at Tommy’s Market (the place where the felony murder took place that he was wrongfully accused of) and he is going all Barry Bonds on the shelves and groceries in the store.  Instead of trying to stop him, Kate joins him and she is thrilled that he is finally letting his emotions run free.  We get to see how much this has effected him and how scared he is about what to do with his life now.  Unfortunately, he and Kate get arrested and Justin wants to send him back to jail.   Kate comes up with a brilliant solution.   They go back to the field behind Tommy’s Market (which is where Jenks used to play ball with his friends when he was a kid) and Kate suggests that the state of California buy the lot and build a youth center.  Jenks will be put in charge and will receive a salary and full benefits.  He also promises to pay back all the damages of the market.  It saves the state lots of money and sets Jenks up for life…it’s a great deal for everyone!

The Reeds are also trying to find a time to get together to read Teddy’s will.  Kate keeps putting it off because of  ”work” but it’s because if she hears the will, it really makes it final.   Lauren has also been struggling.  Everyone keeps fluffing her off as the trophy wife who didn’t really love Teddy and just married him for money.  Two episodes in, I don’t believe it.  I think she really loved him and is heartbroken over his death.   None of her clients or subordinates seem to be making her life easier either.  The clients don’t think she has what it takes to run Teddy’s firm but she is slowly proving them wrong.  And the admin assistants either keep getting fired or being rude to her (like Teddy’s secretary.)  But people will go to any lengths to hide their emotions…like filling a sink full of ice water and sticking you face in it and screaming at the top of your lungs.  However, Betty, Teddy’s secretary, was also in the ladies room when this happened and saw the whole thing.  She starts to soften to Lauren a bit and offers to help her moving forward and Lauren appreciates it.

The kicker at the end of the episode was when the will was finally read by Spencer, he announces to Kate and Lauren that the estate has been split FOUR ways.   But there are only three of them.  Spencer then asks “Who the hell is David Smith?”  Well that’s a very good question.  I guess we are going to find out at some point.

 

REVIEW: Harry’s Law “Heat of Passion” S1 E2

Heat of Passion was a liiiiittle bit better than last week with the over-the-top political agenda.  It was still there but was incorporated in a more believable fashion…but still annoying.   But what’s even more annoying, winning cases you have no business of winning.  Let’s look at each case.

Gun Toting Granny

Are you kidding me with this one?   An 87-year-old woman holds up a liquor store at gun point in order to steal money for groceries and she gets a not guilty verdict.  What?   Don’t get me wrong, I am not a heartless shrew.  Do I think there are some terrible situations out there when it comes to poverty in this country….you bet.   Can I understand that people will sometimes do things they wouldn’t normally do because they are desperate and starving…absolutely.   Do I think something needs to drastically change….of course.   But having said all that, this is a woman who brandished a loaded weapon and threatened to kill a liquor store clerk in order to rob him.  And according to Harry, Ohio gun laws are some of the strictest in the country.  I guess they aren’t that strict because a woman can rob a store at gun point and walk away.   This is the type of thing that fuels my fire.  Kelley believes that because the poor are in a terrible situation, that he believes the government put them, they should be able to do whatever they want because being poor isn’t their fault.   In some cases, he’s right.  But in other cases, he isn’t.  And no matter how bad the situation, it doesn’t give people the right to threaten innocent people and rob them at gun point.  Here’s another question I wish was raised…if she was so poor, how could she afford to get a gun and legally register it?   It also kept being brought up that she is 87.  So her going to jail is a life sentence, even for 3 years.   Well she should have thought about that before sticking a gun in someone’s face and threatening to blow it off!

I thought the prosecutor had a terrific closing argument.  He agreed with the compassion people want to feel towards an 87-year-old woman who has had to sink so low that she had to rob someone to get money to get food on her table.  But that doesn’t excuse what she did.   And let’s not forget the innocent liquor store owner who feared for his life because there was a gun in his face.  Harry’s closing argument wasn’t very good because she knew she didn’t have a case.   But this is where the political agenda creeps in and I’m ok with that to a point.  I’d rather have it interjected here, where it makes sense, then in the middle of cross-examination like last week.  Ultimately it didn’t matter because Harry won.  Even she thought the verdict was preposterous.  We all did Harry.     Ugh.

Chinese Law in the USA

The other case, while also outrageous, was much more interesting.  An American woman was working at an American business run by Chinese immigrants.  She was fired because she was pregnant.  He fired her because she already has one child and she is having another one.   Again, WHAT???   I think this is absolutely 100% WRONG on sooooo many levels.   However, it raises an interesting discussion point that my husband and I debated last night.   Is it acceptable for a private business to invoke any rules and regulations they want for their own business regardless of how ridiculous you may think it is?  Let’s think about that for a minute.  It sounds crazy but where do you draw the line?  In the Philadelphia District Attorney’s office (I have a friend who worked there) women and men must wear suits everyday but women are not allowed to wear pants suits, it must be skirt suits.  A little archaic don’t you think?  But that’s the rule if you want to work there.  Some business say you must have college degree to work for them otherwise, you can’t.  Is that ok?  Some businesses don’t want their employees to have visual tattoos or piercings unless in your ear only for the piercings.  Is that ok?  I think it’s a fascinating discussion point.  There are 2 areas where I have a problem with this case…1. The owner is trying to force something on his employee that is law in HIS country, not hers and not the one he has his business in.  2. Was she made aware of that rule BEFORE she was hired?   If Mr Lao didn’t make his employee aware of his rule before she was hired, I don’t think he can enforce.  Plus, in America, it’s illegal to fire a woman because she is pregnant.   Just like it’s illegal to fire someone with an addiction problem.  You need to offer them treatment not termination.  But, if Mr Lao told this woman he doesn’t want anyone working here who will have more than one child, and she took the job anyway and got pregnant a second time, that’s on her (seriously as soon as that rule was said to me, I wouldn’t work for him out of principle.)  In that instance, she knew the rules of her boss and broke them anyway.  It’s a VERY fine line but what is that line?   This is a case I can get behind.

Adam was a little more toned down this week and tolerable.  So I warmed up to him a bit more.   And Christopher MacDonald was fantastic!!!  I hope we see Tommy Jefferson a lot on this show because he was a fun breath of fresh air.

I am going to keep watching, especially since I want to see what happens with the pregnancy case.   But since the soap box material was toned a little bit and interjected in a more appropriate fashion, I am going to hang with Harry a little longer.  The funny thing is, since my husband only watched this episode and not the pilot he thought this was very in-your-face political slant.  I told him it was toned down from last week.   He shouts “this is toned down!   You’re lucky I didn’t see last week then because I wouldn’t watch it again.”   Well sweetie, you aren’t the only who feels that way.

 

REVIEW: Fairly Legal “Pilot” S1 E1

I thoroughly enjoyed this show.   This is my first USA show (ducking while people are throwing things at me) and it did not disappoint.  I am a sucker for a good legal show and I like the twist on it with the lead being a mediator and former lawyer who works for her father’s firm which is now being run by Margaret Hamilton, I mean the woman who is the wife of her recently deceased father.

The show is pretty straight forward.  It centers around Kate Reed (played by Sarah Shahi) who is a former lawyer turned mediator and whose father has recently passed away.   She is working at his firm and her stepmother, Lauren (played by Virginia Williams) is now running the firm.   They don’t seem to like each other on the surface but it’s the pilot so I’m sure more will come out about their relationship and will slowly evolve over time.  Kate looks to be sleeping with Justin (played by Michael Trucco) who is an ADA (Assistant District Attorney) and also Kate’s ex-husband.  Since the show opens with them in bed and ends with some very nice words exchanged, they seem to be on good terms with each other.  Her brother Spencer (played by Ethan Embry) is also an attorney but seems to be a stay-at-home dad and doesn’t appear to work at their father’s firm.  Leo (played by Baron Vaughn) is Kate’s assistant and friend.  Finally there is the mysterious Andrew (played by Tim Fellingham) who is Kate’s neighbor (she lives on her dad’s boat in the marina) and potential suitor, maybe?   We’ll see.

Most of the episode is Kate running around like a chicken with her head cut off going from case to case.  One case is court appointed, one case is Lauren appointed, and one case she is just sticking her nose in.  But even as crazy as she comes off in the episode, I never feel like she is out of control.  She appears sporadic and bemused but she is smart, passionate, savvy and completely aware of her clients’ situations and how to handle them.   I would think as a mediator, it’s easy to come across as a know-it-all or condescending.  Kate is neither.  She exudes calmness and thoughtfulness and she truly wants to get to the heart of what is concerning her clients and what is causing them to be at odds.  She also has a great sense of humor.  In one of the opening scenes, she goes to get a cookie and some coffee and the store is being robbed at gun point.  She starts to talk to the gunman and store owner to see if they can come to a compromise.  Normally this would come across as preposterous but Sarah Shahi pulls it off very convincingly.  Turns out the gunman wants money for beer and beef jerky and wouldn’t you know it, the store he is robbing has both.  So Kate asks what his cost is on a case of beer and beef jerky and the owner says $17.50.  ”$17.50?  Really?  Who’s robbing who here?” Kate asks.  But the owner agrees to give the guy $50 worth of beer and jerky and it will only cost the owner $17.50.  My real job is in alcohol beverage industry and I have to say, if that truly is his mark up, he is robbing people.  Wow!!!!   Kate instantly comes off as someone you can root for, which I prefer in a lead protagonist role for my enjoyment.

As for the rest of the cast, they were very likable as well.  I am most curious about Lauren at this point.  It’s easy to assume she would be the bitchy trophy wife but she appears to have a genuine interest in keeping afloat her late husband’s firm (it is losing clients left and right and she is working hard to retain them.)  You also see a solid side to her when she has a drinks with a client she is trying to retain.  When he does agree to give her his business and she promises to go the extra mile to keep him happy, he immediately slides his room key over to her side of the table.  ”What is that” she asks and the dirt bag says “the extra mile.”  Oh Lord please tell me people don’t say things that cheesy or nasty!  She politely declines but thanks him once again for his business.  As she leaves, he shouts “what am I too young for you Lauren?  Should I call my father for you?”  What an asshole.  The look on her face made me want to jump through the TV set and give her a hug and him a swift kick in the groin.  I am also very interested to see how her relationship with Kate will possibly change over time as these two will need to work together to save the firm of the man they both love and respect.

Fairly Legal is on Thursdays at 10pm on USA.  I highly suggest you check this show out because it’s a keeper!

 

REVIEW: The Good Wife “Two Courts” S2 E11

This week the case was pretty blah.  It was all the behind the scenes mayhem that was quite fascinating!  Let’s break it down:

Will and The Basketball Game

Will is playing some pick up basketball with other lawyers and judges and Bond.  Will gets into it with another player and some trash talking ensues.  As the player keeps trash talking the next time he drives the lane, Will fouls him pretty hard.  They get in each other’s faces but eventually break it up.  After the game, Will asks him if they are ok and they player responds that they are.

The Case

LGB is defending a kid accused of killing his father.  The client hires a jury consultant that doesn’t assist in picking the jury but actually reading the facial expressions of the jury during the trial to determine which side the jury is leaning towards.  And guess who is the judge in the case?  That would be the basketball player that Will had the run-in with the other day.  It doesn’t bode well for them since he consistently sides with the prosecution.  Will decides they are going to use his issue with him to their favor.  Alicia starts using basketball references during the trial and the judge gets incredibly annoyed and really lays into Alicia.  The jury notices it and starts to sympathize with Alicia and the defense.  It’s a great strategy.  The jury definitely notices the bias and the jury consultant tells them that the jury is moving to their favor.  At the end of the case, when the jury comes back with their verdict, the consultant tells them the verdict will be not guilty.  Will and Alicia are pleased.  When the verdict is read, the jury announces, guilty.  Well the consultant did have an 80% success rate.  Oops.  At the end of the trial, Alicia goes over to the jury foreman and asks him why they voted guilty.  He said because “he did it.”  It was what I have been waiting for from this show for a while.   Alicia can’t always win!!!!  It showed that sometimes, no matter what game playing you use to swing the jury, if they think he’s guilty, they are going to vote that way.  Since I wasn’t as interested in the case itself, I’m not sure if there was enough evidence to support a guilty verdict, but I think the more important point was that LGB’s tricks didn’t work.  The jury knew the judge was biased, they knew the superintendent was an ass, but it didn’t matter.   They thought the defendant was guilty and they voted accordingly.

Peter/Eli/Jackie

Here is the other character I can’t stand with every fiber of my being…Jackie.  All I want to say about this is how annoying Jackie was, as usual, that she wasn’t more involved in the campaign so she brought Eli Stone’s brother in to be her eyes and ears.  Eli was frustrated at her new involvement (I feel your pain Eli) and he asked Alicia the best way to handle Jackie.  She doesn’t want to get in the middle of it but she can empathize with Eli and tells him that the only person she listens to, is Peter.  Smartly, Eli invites Jackie to their status meetings so she can be involved and Peter isn’t too happy about it.  It results in Peter telling her that she can’t be involved and that Eli is in charge so whatever he feels is appropriate for Jackie to know about, Eli will tell her.   Nice play Eli!!!

Blake/Kalinda

Another guy whom every time I think he can’t get any slimier, he does!  Blake announces to Kalinda that he is now her supervisor and starts ordering her around to do menial work.  She is stunned by the news and storms out of his office.  While meeting with Alicia, she asks her what her old address was and who a certain woman is in a file she is looking at.  Alicia asks why she is asking and Kalinda tells her that someone looked into her background and talked to her former neighbor.  It’s interesting that Alicia can tell when Eli Gold is trying to manipulate her for his own benefit, yet she can never see it when Kalinda does it to her.  Alicia is really pissed a leaves Kalinda and barges into Blake’s office demanding answers.  He has a very smug look on his face and refuses to tell her who or why the investigation was happening.  She leaves his office and heads into Will’s.  She asks why she is being investigated and Will looks legitimately stunned.  He has no idea who is investigating her or why but he will look into it and get back to her and put a stop to it.  Later, Kalinda comes to see him.   Will asks what’s up with Blake and she says “you mean my supervisor?”  Again Will knows nothing about this and doesn’t like it at all.  She wants a $50,000 raise to stay otherwise she is leaving.  He says it’s too much but she reminds him that they just paid $120,000 for 2 weeks for a jury consultant.   $50,000 a year to her, shouldn’t be an issue.   He goes to see Bond to see what is going on.

Will/Bond

Earlier in the show Bond asks to meet with Will.  He heard about what happened between him and Diane and Will tells him why he reacted the way he did.  Bond is asking him to make nice with Diane and Will wants to know why.  Bond is bringing in a Super Pack (whatever that is) but it will allegedly bring the firm over $100 million in revenue.  But Bond needs the firm to look solid so he wants Diane kept happy for 2 more months until the deal comes into play….then he wants to vote her out.  Feeling betrayed by Diane, Will is on board.   Later when he goes to see Bond about what Alicia and Kalinda have brought to his attention, he begins to question Bond about the investigations into his lawyers and equity partners.  Bond said he was doing it so he knew what firm he was joining and Will said it continued after he joined.  Bond goes on about needing information but Will isn’t buying it and tells him to knock it off.  Bond agrees to pull the investigations.  I’m surprised Will didn’t push this further.  Once Bond said he wouldn’t do it anymore, Will just said thank you.  I would still want to know why this was going on if they are supposed to be “partners.”   The next thing Will tells him to do is give Kalinda a raise and remove Blake as her supervisor.   Bond refuses.  Will tells him that if he doesn’t, he won’t help him with Diane.  Bond eventually relents and Kalinda gets her raise.   This leads to an interesting turn of events between Will and Diane.

Will/Diane

After Bond’s initial pitch to Will about keeping Diane on board for 2 months until they can push her out, Will asks to meet with Diane and apologizes to her for his over reaction.   He plays nice with and she plays nice with him and they agree to be on the same page and Diane won’t leave.   And everyone watching knows they are both lying.   But after Will finally woke up to the fact that Bond is out for himself and screw everyone who gets in his way, Will rethinks his position.   He and Diane meet again and he tells her exactly whats going.  She asks what his plan is and he wants to go along with Bond so he thinks he is in control but they make a move to push him out and he won’t see it coming.  She’s in.  I love that they are teaming up to take down Bond and he has no idea…yet.   You all know how much I hate Will and as much as I hate Will, I love Diane.  It drove me nuts that much of their issues were because they weren’t communicating with one another.   Technically Diane was wrong in the timing of her paranoia and you could argue that because of her move, Will naturally decided to align with Bond since Diane had already betrayed him.   But she wasn’t wrong ultimately because look at how easily Will jumped ship to Bond.  But I’m glad they are back on the same team and I can’t wait to watch them take down Bond and more especially, Blake!

Diane/Cary

In the meantime, Diane has been recruiting Cary.   First to her firm and then once she patches things up with Will, back to LGB.  Cary was willing to go with Diane but he isn’t sure about teaming up with LGB because of Alicia.  I’m still not sure why he hates Alicia so much.  Could it be as simple as she used a connection Peter had to help her in a case that eventually got her the job over Cary at LGB?   He can be pissed about it all he wants but we all know that if he were in the same boat, he would have done exactly what Alicia did to secure himself the job.  So is he still holding on to that?  I guess.  But in order for him to come back to LGB, he wants double Alicia’s salary and a rank above her at the firm.  Then he’ll come back.  Diane didn’t say no.  I want Cary back at the firm.  I think he is being wasted at the US Attorney’s office and I would much rather see him more frequently and how the dynamic between him and Alicia at LGB would play out.

I know what your thinking.   Did that really all happen in one episode?   Yep, it most certainly did!   The Good Wife is on fire these days and flames are about to go sky-high!!  Too cheesy?  I thought so as well.

 

QUICK REVIEW: The Good Wife “Breaking Up” S2 E10

Why are more people not watching this show?  I am going to go all David E Kelley on you for a moment and get on my soap box.  People can’t seem to get enough of 20 CSIs and 10 Law and Orders and 10,000 Real Housewives of Who Cares.   But put a well written, perfectly acted, thought-provoking show on the air and no one is interested?   What is the matter with the American TV viewer?  Are we that boring and predictable?  Or that brain-dead to watch things like Jersey Shore and Super Nanny?  I guess so.  And trust me, I love some brain-dead TV like Survivor and 90210 and Gossip Girl.  You need guilty pleasures like that to lighten up your real life.  But can’t there be more room for the good shows too?  OK, I’m jumping off my box now.    But people, please, I beg you , start watching this show or re-watching it because it rocks!!!

Breaking up was relatively straight forward…2 college love birds who were persuaded to try some drugs to help keep them awake during finals.  They think they are being arrested for drug possession but they are actually being arrested for murder, since the pharmacist was found shot to death.  They separate the 2 and Cary and LGB try to break them.   One happens to be the son of one of their largest clients and the girlfriend doesn’t have a rich family who can buy her out of problems.  The scare tactics don’t work.  They refuse to turn on each other because they love each other.  There are many sleazy tactics used by both Cary and Will.  It’s a great chess match between the two sides.  Ultimately one side does break…Jonathan, the rich man’s son.  He calls Cary in and says he’s ready to make a deal.  Everyone is pleased, including his father.  That is until he confesses to the crime!  They arrest him and Alexis comes storming out crying asking why he is doing this.  He says, because you saved my life and we are having a baby, so I am going to save yours (she was the one who shot the pharmacist when the pharmacist threatened to shoot Jonathan.)  It was hear-wrenching for everyone in the station including Cary, Will, Alicia, and Diane.  It’s amazing in the face of true love, what two people will do for one another!

While the case was interesting enough, the more fascinating aspect was how all the players involved reacted and showed their true colors in many ways.  Let’s start with the man I don’t love to hate, I just hate him….Will.  Every week this man’s level of disgustingness amazes me.  Just when I think this guy can’t get any lower, he does.  I know they’re lawyers and they need to do some underhanded things sometimes to win.  To me, something like that would be if Alexis really was cheating on him and he had to use it to try to convince his client to turn on her because she can’t be trusted.  It sucks and it’s slimy but it needs to be done.  It’s a whole other thing to use her OB/GYN whose name Jonathan doesn’t know as her “lover” and tell him she is cheating on him when she isn’t.  Even Alicia gave him the stink eye and left the room.   When Will came out, she said she understood but didn’t have to like it.  Well I don’t understand it.  I don’t understand making something like that up just to win.  It’s seeing tactics like that that make me worry for our justice system.

Meanwhile Cary wasn’t so innocent either.   But I think his strategy, while questionable, didn’t cross a line.  He was really just doing his job while sticking it to his old firm at the same time.  He told Alexis’ mom about the deal LGB neglected to share with her and how the boyfriend has a high-profile client as his father yet she doesn’t pay any money to firm, therefore who do you think the firm will protect first.  It may be in her best interest to seek other council.  He wasn’t wrong.  Did he need to do it, no.  But was it fun to see Cary mixing it up, you bet it was.  Watching him go back and forth from room to room trying to play them against each other was very effective but just didn’t work on these two.

What happened with this whole thing really made me wonder if the way they handled pushed an innocent kid to confess to a crime he didn’t commit.  There was never any attempt to really listen to these kids and offer them a package deal to help them out yet still catch the killer.  Their egos got in the way and they were making decisions much of the time to go after each other more than the accused.  In the end, an innocent kid went to jail.  It’s probably why they all looked like they had just eaten 2 lbs of under cooked chicken meat when Jonathan and Alexis finally came out of their rooms as she is crying her eyes out while he is being hauled off to prison.  Not a good day for the folks at LGB or Cary.

But the big HOLY SHIT moment was when Will finally confronted Diane about leaving the firm.  He seemed completely floored by the whole thing, especially when Diane asked him if Alicia told him.  He looked like someone just punched him in the gut.  The mud-slinging begins (she’s paranoid, he’s a liar and a traitor) and before you know it, he is threatening to have armed guards outside her office to escort from the building when she shows up the next.  When he leaves she screams “tell me my fears were unfounded.”  It was a great scene.  I thought Diane was completely paranoid and jumping the gun.   That is until I saw next weeks episode…..

 

REVIEW: Harry’s Law “Pilot” S1 E1

I’m really not sure where to begin.   There are things I liked, things I was confused by, and things I flat-out hated.  I can’t say I liked the show and I can’t say I didn’t like the show.  I guess I will say the jury is still out (pardon the pun.)  I think I need to see a few more episodes to make a proper assessment.

Harry’s Law is about a patent lawyer, Harriet Korn (played by the wonderful Kathy Bates) who decides to tell her boss that she is totally bored with patent law and is frustrated with her job.  Apparently for the last month, her work hasn’t been up to snuff.  So he promptly fires her while she is watching Yosemite Sam on TV and smoking pot.  This was one of the aspects I was confused by.  You have the best patent lawyer in Ohio who was at your firm for 30+ years.  She has one bad month and is a little disgruntled so instead of talking with her about her attitude and seeing if you can come to a compromise, you just fire her?  Does that make any sense?  At least when Ally McBeal left her big firm for Richard’s, it was for a good reason (sexual harassment from her boss.)   After leaving her firm, in a matter of a few hours, a suicide jumper drops on top of her sending her to the hospital with no injuries and a patent lawyer foe hits her with his car sending to the same hospital with again, no injuries.  In the same neighborhood, where she was almost killed twice in one day, she finds an abandoned shoe store that she decides to convert into her new law firm with her assistant, Jenna (played by Brittany Snow.)  The suicide jumper, Malcolm (played by Aml Ameen) comes to see her and asks her to defend him against a 3rd time drug charge.  He’s going to school and knows he has a problem and needs help but he didn’t want to go to jail and that’s why he jumped.  Meanwhile, the patent foe, Adam (played by Nathan Corddry) has decided to leave his cushy job at a firm to join forces with Harry.  This was another confusing part for me.  Why would you leave a job where you are most likely making $175,000-$300,000 a year to join a firm where the partner can’t afford to pay you, just so you can learn from her?  Ok.  Then comes Damien (played by Johnny Ray Gill) who is the local thug who does “security” for the local businesses for a price.  Basically, he threatens them by saying if they don’t pay him to keep them safe, bad things will happen to them.  Nice guy.  Harry turns the tables on him though by saying he will keep them safe and she will give him free legal representation when he will need it.  And it doesn’t take long when he is arrested for shooting someone.   This is our main cast for the show.

There are 2 cases going on, Malcolm’s and Damien’s.  I guess I am supposed to feel sympathy for both of these kids but I can’t.  I just met these characters tonight.  If I have any empathy it’s for Malcolm who I assume is a good kid because he is going to be a regular on the show and work as a paralegal in her firm.  And he seemed genuinely concerned about finishing school and getting help for his drug addiction.  Damien I have no sympathy for.  He’s a thug who goes around threatening people to get what he wants and not 5 minutes later in the show, he’s involved in a shooting at one of the local businesses.  I have to say, I love the way Harry put him in his place and showed that a punk like him isn’t going to scare her.  But she also showed her compassion by saying that if he doesn’t protect the firm, she will defend him for free.  When we get into the individual cases is when I get to the part of the show I hated.  In Malcolm’s case, the prosecutor is in the middle of cross-examining Malcolm and when he asks a question Harry doesn’t like, she announces her opposing opinion in the middle of the cross.  And instead of objecting, the prosecutor gets into it with her and they start to debate the issue of legalizing drugs (oh and bashing Republicans)…IN THE MIDDLE OF A CROSS EXAMINATION AND THE JUDGE DOES NOTHING!  Seriously?   So I guess this was David E Kelley soap box time instead of Harry’s Law time.  And after the spirited debate, the judge asks Malcolm to step down.  Guess he’s not getting questioned after all.  In regards to Damien’s case, we learn that yes he has an illegal weapon (because it isn’t registered) and runs a shady “security” business but he does it to protect the people in a neighborhood that the cops ignore.  So he’s a nice criminal.  When Adam goes to his arraignment, he only needs to enter a plea of guilty or not guilty….that’s it.  Instead, it’s liberal soap box time again and we get a 5 minute rant on how no one cares about poor people.  Finally the judge has had enough and asks for the plea, which he enters not guilty.   Damien is pumped because no one has ever fought for him like that before and Adam is able to get a plea deal.

I hate talking politics.  Especially when it comes to a fun TV blog.  But when a show runner forces my hand, I have to comment on it.  As I have mentioned on this blog before, I HATE when writers and show runners use their show to vocalize their side of the political spectrum instead of focusing on what I as a TV viewer want and that is entertainment, not propaganda.    If David E Kelley wants to vocalize his belief system, fine.  Then do a show about lobbyists or congressmen and women or campaign managers trying to get candidates elected.  Then those kinds of monologues that Harry and Adam had would make perfect sense.  I don’t purport myself to be a Republican or Democrat because I have beliefs on both sides of the aisle…just depends on the topic.  So I don’t care what the view-point is.  What I do care about is having one of my TV characters going all Keith Olbermann or Glenn Beck on me in the middle of my show.   And if this is what Harry’s Law is going to be about, a platform for Kelley to spew his political agenda on my TV screen, especially in a way that disrupts the flow of the show, I won’t be watching anymore.  I guess what bothers me, is that he could have interjected those views about drugs and the poor in a very simple and believable way in the courtroom…during closing arguments.  Not in the middle of a cross-examination and not at an arraignment.  The way it came across was like “stop the show!!!  David has a view-point he needs to get across here.”  And once the stance was made, it was back to the show.  Don’t you dare preach to me.  I think this show has some potential but not if it’s going to be about using this show as a way to vocalize, quite blatantly, what he thinks the American public should be absorbing. For the love of God, the West Wing wasn’t even that preachy.  That’s why I want to reserve judgement on the show until I watch a few more episodes.  If it gets toned down or is inserted in a more subtle way or in a context that doesn’t take away from the characters, plot, or flow of the show, I’m ok.  But if this continues, I won’t watch it ever again.

Having said all that, I do like Kathy Bates.  I know there are some people who have an issue with her character but I don’t.  She seems to be a complex person I want to learn more about.  I find her to be tough, intelligent, honest, fearless, and no-nonsense.  But I also see a softer side and a woman with a great heart and passion for her belief system.  Also liked Jenna and Malcolm.  Adam, I’m not sure about.  He’s a little over the top for me and if he becomes a Kelley cartoon character, like some of his other characters in his shows have become, I won’t like him.  But it’s still early.  I’m not sure how I feel about the shoe store element.  I reminds me a little of the show “Ed.”  Ed had a law firm in a bowling alley and was referred to as a bowling alley lawyer.  ”I own a bowling alley and I’m a lawyer.   Two separate things” is how Ed used to always correct people.  I think as a source of early revenue to help get her firm started, it’s not a bad idea.  But if the show continues and Harry gets more established, I would be surprised to see the shoe element go away.

What did you think of Harry’s Law?  Will you be tuning in again or checking it out if you haven’t yet?   Let me know!

 

REVIEW: The Good Wife “Nine Hours” S2 E9

There are 2 points I want to raise regarding this episode.  The first point is something I have been reading on other blogs or hearing on podcasts and the other point is something I have taken issue with on here before about other TV shows.   I’m also going to preface this by saying that The Good Wife is in my top 5 of favorite shows on TV right now and in the Top 5 of ensemble casts.  Fabulous show and I love it!!!

Point #1 is that I have been hearing a lot and reading a lot about how viewers are feeling that shows aren’t “going there” or “taking risks and stepping out of comfort zones” or are “playing it too safe.”   And with some shows, I would agree.  I think with this episode of The Good Wife, I would agree that some of those issues took place.  Nine Hours was basically about a death row inmate who had 9 hours until he was to be executed.   Alicia received a cryptic call from the 7th District Court of Appeals giving her the impression something was missed in Carter’s case and they may be able to get a stay of execution as a result.  So it’s all hands on deck and the rush is on for LGB to save this man’s life.  I was waiting for so many things to happen….1: they save him and find out he was really guilty; 2: they don’t save him and find out he was guilty; 3: the don’t save him and were able to clear him but ran out of time.  The 4th option, which happened, he is innocent and he was cleared in time, was the most boring of the all that could have happened.  Now I will admit that I sometimes (okay most times) get a little too involved in my TV shows and sometimes (ok lots of the time) have to be reminded by my sweetie, that’s it’s just a TV show.  In this case, I can separate my real feelings about the death penalty, what I think is right and wrong in the real world, and what I want to witness on my TV screen for drama and interesting TV.  So please don’t send me nasty comments about my next statement because I am commenting on a TV show, not my personal feelings.  Saving Carter in time and finding the stay justified was so bromidic and so predictable and easy.  I hated it!!   It was the most vanilla of all that could have happened.   And this is one of those cases where the show didn’t “go there” and I was hoping they would.  I was hoping they found evidence to clear him but didn’t save him in time.  It would have been fascinating to see how something like that would affect the associates of LGB.  And if they didn’t go that route and were determined to save him, I was hoping it would have been found out that he was guilty.   Either scenario would have been much more interesting to watch the ramifications and psyche damages that would have taken place as a result of their decisions and actions.   Instead, the writers did what many writers have been doing and took the generic way out.  LGB, especially Alicia Florrick, are the “good guys” (except for Will and Blake) that we are supposed to root for in this show.  And for the most part, with the exception of the names above, it is easy to do so.  But it can’t always be a win for them.  Which leads me to my next point of issue….

Point #2, I hate when the law firm the TV show revolves around always wins.  The Practice was great example of having twists and turns for Bobby Donnell and company.  They mostly won but there may have been a twist where they won but the person they set free played them.  Or sometimes they flat-out lost.   I think what also helped is that in many episodes, there were multiple cases going on…Eugene and Jimmy may have one case, while Rebecca, Bobby, and Lindsay would have another.  And Eleanor would have her own case.  Usually in the Good Wife, everyone is focusing on the same case.  Or if Diane has a different case from Alicia and Will, you never see it.  In fairness, you do have Peter’s election and Alicia’s family also being highlighted on the show and there is only 42-44 minutes to cram everything in.  Maybe after Peter’s campaign ends, that will change.  I just can’t stand it when the law firm on the show always wins.  It’s stagnant, it’s tiresome, and it’s cliche.  I have less of a vested interest in the case if Alicia and LGB are always going to win.   The closest they ever came to losing or a twist, was the Michael J Fox episode when he told Alicia that even though they won in court, he won in the end because he was able to get them down to a much lower settlement than the client was willing to pay.  It was a nice little twist but not some of the jaw-droppers or game-changers that the Practice had.  Also, The Practice did a great job of incorporating Helen Gamble, the ADA and their friend, into the mix and showcasing her so that we have in interest in seeing her succeed sometimes as well.  That is where The Good Wife is missing the boat with Cary.  He is only ever going against LGB, and losing to them.  Or they call him once a week for about 8 minutes of face time where he helps them out with a case.  It annoys the hell out me.   Either put Cary back with LGB or let him be in the States Attorney’s office and let there be some focus on him.   It’s like they don’t know what to do with him.

I know it seems like I am really ripping on The Good Wife.   But as I mentioned above, this is one of my favorite shows on TV.  That’s why I get so upset when I see an episode like this.   This episode had a chance to really set the bar high and take some risks with the characters and the writers chose not to do it.   I know I am probably crossing a line I really don’t want to cross but I am going to say it anyway…sometimes with a show, you can really start to see the show’s creative team’s political view-point, and I don’t like it.  I don’t like being subtly hit over the head with a writer or producers view-point like I am being preached to.  It’s hard not to do that, I realize, when you have a show that highlights politics and law.  And I don’t mind if a political view is highlighted or focused on that is different from mine.  That’s not what bothers me.  Actually there are an even amount of views I agree and disagree with on the show and I like seeing both because it invokes some great discussions.  What bothers me is when I feel like there is an underlying message to an episode where it’s not just about the episode but someone standing on their soap box.  And the episode is more about getting that person’s or people’s personal opinion out there vs. doing what is in the best interest of the show, story, or characters.  It’s a very fine, fragile line that is sometimes hard to determine.  I personally don’t like it whether it’s a view I agree with or disagree with…I don’t like a behind the scene interjection of political views into my shows.  If it’s within the context of the show and it fits with the SL or characters, no problem.   But when I think a better a story could have been had but it wasn’t due to personal views, that’s just wrong.   In my opinion, this wasn’t the best ending to tell the best story.   And I just want to be VERY clear here because I know talking politics (which I hate to do for many reasons) can strike a sharp cord with people….I am not complaining about the view-point itself on the show.  Only that I think a personal view was put before the best SL for the show.  I have no problems with shows interjecting politics into a show, where it makes sense for the show, and I don’t care if I agree with the particular view or not because I think everyone is entitled to their views and opinions and I think it’s important to showcase all views for the sake of discussion.  Just don’t beat me over the head with it and don’t do it and sacrifice a better story.  You know what one of my all time favorite shows is….The West Wing.  Talk about beating you over the head with politics.   But it was ok because I expected it and it was part of what the show was all about…everyday these people fighting for what they really believed in.  Alright now I am off my soap box.

Ironically, as much as I just complained about the episode, I still enjoyed it, if you can believe that!!  I just wish the ending was different.  But as usual, I love how they all worked together as a team to get Carter off death row and get him a new trial.  For those of you that read my blog (thanks Sweetie!) you know about my hatred of Will.  I do NOT want him and Alicia together.  I want her and Peter to stay together.  I think they have great chemistry and I do believe she loves Peter.  So I am Team Peter!!!!   But there were indications in this episode that Will’s pursuit of Alicia is coming back into play now that Alicia has heard the tapes of Will talking to someone about the messages he left Alicia and how he wants to make something work out with her.

What were your thoughts on the episode?   Did you like the outcome?   Do you think there are too many times when personal politics come into play or am I reading too much into it?   What are your thoughts on the Alicia/Peter/Will stuff?

 

 

RECAP: The Good Wife “Bad Girls” S2 E7

Let’s get into the minor, but interesting stories before jumping into this week’s main case.

Peter/Wendy/Eli

Peter and Eli were asked to meet with the leader of the Democratic Committee to discuss the upcoming election.   Peter and Eli think this meeting is a good sign because they are going to announce an endorsement for a candidate (meaning Peter.)  Right away, you know what’s going to happen.  Eli asks if the committee is ready to come off the sidelines and they say yes.   They all agree 3 candidates in the race is too much.   Therefore the committee wants Peter to drop out.   The committee doesn’t want Wendy and Peter is down in the polls so the choice for them is easy.  Eli asks why not Childs and the committee chair reminds him that Peter is down in the polls and that Childs has the power of the office being the incumbant.   Peter typical scores high in African-American communities and therefore get their vote.   With Wendy in the race, they believe she now gets that vote and Peter and Childs split the others and she will get elected.  As a consolation prize, the chairman offers Peter his position in 6 months if he drops out.  It’s a pretty good offer.

When Peter is home, he asks Alicia what she thinks and she asks him what he wants to do.   He tells her it is a lot of money, less time away, its stable.   But she can tell that isn’t where his heart is and tells him not to drop out.   So he decides to stay in.   As a result, Eli goes to visit Peter’s pastor, Pastor Isaiah Easton.  Eli is asking for his endorsement and the pastor politely declines reminding him that he does not endorse candidates.  Then Eli goes to his father (the ex-pastor) Jeramiah and asks him to talk to his son about endorsing Peter.  ”Having trouble with Wendy Scott Carr?” he asks.  He then says “You know it never goes away.  Religion fades, but not politics.”   That’s an interesting comment for a pastor to make don’t you think?   He says that he will talk to his son, anything for a friend.   Why don’t I trust this guy?

Up until this point, we have seen the good side of Wendy.  Now we are starting to see the more “campaign” side of Wendy.  And she is pretty manipulative and VERY smart.   She has such a soft and easy demeanor.  She could probably convince Obama to become a republican she is so matter-of-fact but veracious in her facts.  She has a “chance” meeting with Eli in which she asks him to resign Peter’s campaign and come and work for her…she could really use his help.  Eli reminds her he is already running a campaign and she informs that she knows the democratic committee rejected Peter and that their funds are drying up.  So she gives Eli some time to think about it.  In the meantime she heads to Pastor Isaiah’s church to discuss why he should endorse her.   Is this man the only African-American Church Pastor in all of Cook County?   I guess he’s the biggest and most influential.  But she lays it on pretty thick and when the pastor leaves her, it looks as though she goes to talk to his father.  Immediately after this conversation, the pastor calls Eli pledging his endorsement to Peter.   Eli then meets with Wendy denying her request.  ”You know who I trust the least, the one I steal away from someone else.  If I come work for you, you’ll never trust me.   I’ll never trust me.”   Great point!   When he walks away, she asks who he got, and he tells her Pastor Isaiah.  She doesn’t believe him and he doesn’t care.   I think this was a mistake on his part.  I wouldn’t have told her that information.  This is magnified later when we go back to the church and see the church board come into to talk to Pastor Isaiah with their leader, his father.   They are unhappy with his endorsement of Peter and his father wants to know why he is endorsing Peter and not Wendy.  He tells him, because she put politics before religion and he didn’t.   His father says the board thinks he is putting his personal beliefs ahead of the church.  So when Pastor Isaiah asks him what the board wants, his father tells him, they want him (to take over the church again.)   Wow, talk about being un-Christian.  He decides not to back the African-American candidate so they kick him out?   Wow.  I wouldn’t want to belong to that church community.

Lockhart/Lee vs. Gardner/Bond

We have known since the beginning of the season that Diane has had her concerns about Will jumping ship to align with Derrick over her.   I wouldn’t trust Will either because he is scum but I don’t see what he has done to rankle her confidence in their partnership.   She seems to be a bit paranoid to me.    But then I don’t know the information Blake found out for her regarding Derrick and Will’s previous relationship.   We also learn the gentleman (if you can call him that) in charge of family law, David Lee, doesn’t like Derrick Bond or his management methods at all.   So he goes to talk to Diane about it.   Next thing you know, they are meeting all time.  Now, if you were planning to pull from your firm to start another, wouldn’t you want to meet with the potential future partner OUTSIDE of the workday and your office which is right across the hall from your current partner?  I don’t know, maybe it’s me, but that’s what I would do so as not to arouse suspicion, which is exactly what she has done.

In the meantime, Derrick has noticed this and asks Will if he ever considered buying Diane out.  He immediately says “why would he?”   Derrick tells him because her client list is aging.   Will says his is just as strong as hers, but Derrick tells him his is more diversified.    He asks if all these questions are about David Lee and Derrick announces he is heading back to D.C for a few weeks to tie up some loose ends and bring back something big for the firm.  ”Like what a spaceship” Will asks.  Now that was funny!   He wants them to be the largest firm in the U.S. with offices based in D.C. and Chicago and he wants Will on board.   Well if the firm is going to be THAT big, why can’t he bring Diane into the mix?  I love and hate when shows do this.   Huge decisions are being made based off of wrong information that is generated from supposition rather than fact.  If Diane and Will just talked to one another, they could get this whole thing sorted out.    But they won’t and they will make decisions based on paranoia and things will fall apart.  I hope that doesn’t happen.  I’m not sure how long Will and Diane have been partners, but I do know that it’s longer than they have been partners with Bond.  So shouldn’t there be SOME trust there?  I am really anxious to see where this goes.  So far I am intrigued by Derrick’s character but if he is going to break up the firm and align with someone, I wish it was Diane so they can boot Will off the show!

The Case

Slone (played by iCarly herself, Miranda Cosgrove) is a young pop star that has been arrested on another DUI charge, meanwhile her parents are going through a divorce.  By the way, I had NO idea Cosgrove was a Disney star until I wikipediaed her.  I feel so old sometimes.  I had no idea who the Pussycat Dolls, Jonas Brothers, and Justin Beiber were until my co-worker with kids told me.  But in fairness to me, I have no kids so why would I know or care.   David Lee is involved with the case because of the divorce angle but he brought Alicia on board because of her “celebrity” status.  Slone seems to really hit it off with Alicia and they are able to land the client.

When the hearing starts, Evangeline from One Life to Live is prosecuting the case and asking for 45 days in jail.  Alicia argues that the BAL test was inconclusive because of her clients bulimia which compounds how alcohol effects her system.   As the arguments are taking place, Cary just walks up to the bench in the middle of Alicia speaking (rude much) and presents the judge with some new information and they arrest iCarly on the spot for attempted murder.   When Alicia asks what this is about, he states that before she was pulled over for DUI, she hit the car of a “friend” of hers knowing she was inside sleeping.  The friend is in the hospital with 4 broken ribs .

Kalinda is giving a briefing to the partners and Alicia about the incident.  She shows them a video of a fight between the victim, Urisa Morgan (the daughter of a Bulls player) and Slone.  She said Urisa was drunk and decided to sleep it off in her car.  Slone is accused of ramming her Escalade into Urisa’s car, knowing she was in there, 3 times, then taking off.    LGB wants to find other witnesses to see if they can prove Urisa got into it with anyone else at the club they were at and if Slone even knew Urisa was in the car.  If not, then the charge should only be criminal damage to property.

Will and Alicia go to interview Slone and while they are waiting for her to finish a recording, one of her “entourage” minions show up and start asking questions about not being able to testify if the lawyers know she is lying.   Well that’s odd.  Then the mother and sister come in and mom tells her other daughter to repeat what she just told her.   And this sounds very staged.   She says she was also at the bar to pick up her sister and that Urisa said she was going to the bathroom to do coke, not her car.   When talking to Slone, Alicia brings up Milla being at the club, Slone gets very defensive and asks her not to put her on the stand.  ”She’ll lie about anything to get me off.”   Now it’s official.   Slone didn’t do this and someone is covering up something.  When Alicia goes to leave, she starts asking Alicia if she liked her music and told her she is trying not to party so much.   Her publicist thinks she needs to downplay her “Disney” innocent image and crank up the rebel to change her image.   You almost get the impression that she is looking for Alicia’s approval.  Or a mother figure approval.

As the bench trial begins, the judge institutes an electronic gag order.  No Facebook or tweeting will be allowed during the trial by anyone.   The first witness is Urisa.  LGB is able to poke some holes in the case because the valet slip from that night (where the valet has to inspect your car and mark the damages) marked previous dents and dings in the same areas of the car where she was allegedly hit by Slone.   Score 1 for LGB.   Meanwhile, Kalinda went to the club to take pictures of the parking spot and the area and poles around it.  She also goes into the club and talks to a young man who was there that night and confirms that Urisa was arguing with a boyfriend as well as Slone.

The next witness is Cory, the minion we met before at the recording studio, who is testifying for the prosecution that Slone admitting to wanting to kill Urisa and so she rammed her car.  Alicia gets up there and asks her if she understands the charge of perjury and she admits that she does.   So Alicia’s only question for her is brilliant…how much do you weigh?  She is questioning her credibility.  She says 110 lbs but her license says 122 lbs.   Then she asks her how old she is.   She says 22.  Her license says 28.  And she says the DMV is screwed up and that’s why her license is wrong.  Ha!!  This was fantastic!

During a break Grace and her friend Shannon go up to say hi to Alicia and to meet Slone.  Alicia isn’t too happy that Grace came on her own and she says it’s ok, they took the bus and Shannon doesn’t live too far.  Alicia explains that that is not how they do it.  She has to ask her permission and then Alicia will bring her to court.   Slone is watching this whole thing and can see how much Alicia really cares about Grace.  Alicia introduces them to Slone and Shannon wants to give her pamphlets about Jesus so Alicia shoos them out of the court room.  Slone comments on how nice Grace is and Alicia is appreciative of the compliments.  When the judge comes back in, he is really angry that his orders were ignored.  Slone had tweeted about Cory and he revokes her bail and sends her right to jail.

Alicia goes to see Slone and Slone asks her to tell the judge that she isn’t THAT person.  It’s only an act for her fans and that she isn’t a bad person.  She also asks if her mom is here to see her.  When Alicia goes to leave and check, Slone tells her how afraid she is.  Alicia puts a calming hand on her shoulder and tells her “I know honey” in a very mothering and compassionate way.  Your heart (at least my heart) starts to break for her.   Outside the visiting area are Slone’s mom, Milla, Alicia, Will, and Kalinda.  They found a man who drove a black Escalade whose car and himself are unaccounted for.  When Milla walks over to her mom, her mom tells her that Milla mentioned to her about another fight that night and is this the man she saw.   Ok mom, how obvious was that.   This lady is awful.   Will, Alicia, and Kalinda see right through it.  But Milla confirms that yes, that is the guy.

They put her on the stand and when she tells the “story” of that night, she makes the comment about seeing sparks coming from the crash area after he hit a wall.  Kalinda remembers from her pictures, the one of the pole/wall area that was all dented in and when back at LGB, she tells this to Alicia and shows her the bruised area on Slone consistent with a seat belt strapped to her on the passenger side.  Milla must have been the one driving the car.  When Kalinda and Alicia bring this news to Slone, they tell her what really happened.  Slone had blacked out and Milla was driving the car.  After Milla crashed into Urisa’s car and then later had the second accident where Slone was arrested for DUI, she called their mother who told her to get out of there and put Slone in the driver seat.  Nice mother.  Slone doesn’t want them to say anything and think about it.  She tells Alicia she couldn’t survive in prison.  Looks like she doesn’t need to make the decision after all because Milla decided to confess and they have a tearful good-bye before Milla is brought into jail.  When she leaves, she walks right by her mother and gives her a look that would kill the entire Nazi Army.   I think I would have punched her.  It’s her fault all this is happening the way it has.

A bit of a softer episode.  The one thing that came out of this week that I am really interested in seeing moving forward is what is going to happen with the obvious divisiveness at LGB.  This can’t end well but I’m not sure how it does end.  As long as Christine Baranski is still on my TV every week, I’m happy!

 

RECAP: The Good Wife “Poisoned Pill” S2 E6

There are shows on the air right now that are having troubles developing plots for its show (I’m looking at you Glee) or can’t seem to develop the supporting characters either by focusing on them too much (and having weak development) or not at all (I’m looking at you Mike & Molly.)   The Good Wife is a perfect example of excellent writing and character development with a main plot and sub plots I am very interested in.   I’ve never written for a TV show (and judging by my writing on here you can see why) but I would imagine it is a difficult web to weave….balancing moving the main plot forward while interjecting sub plots and supporting characters that invoke their own interest but still don’t take away from the main characters and story.   But great writing and a stellar cast will make it look seamless and effortless.

The Case/Michael J Fox

A class action lawsuit against a major pharmaceutical company whose drug was causing people to commit murder and/or suicide.  Lockhart Gardner Bond (LGB) were looking through the plaintiffs who were filing the suit and Will asserted himself into the discussion by making the decision of who would be the test case for and individual suit.   They pick a young girl whose mother killed her stepfather and herself.   The defendant’s firm dropped out at the last-minute and they hired a firm from New York.    Diane thinks this is great news because they will come in with 10 lawyers and look like Goliath while just her and Alicia will be on their side and will appeal to the local jury as “David.”   However, opposing council is not Goliath with 10 lawyers.   It is one lawyer with a “condition” as he calls it, and he immediately appeals to the jury with his charm, charisma, and intelligence.  All while playing his condition to a tee causing Diane to lament: “we just became Goliath.”  The lawyer, Louis Canning, is played by the incomparable Michael J. Fox.  I like how the show keeps finding all these great characters that oppose LGB.   It’s easy to just make their opponents “the bad guys” while always having the lawyers at LGB being the winners and the “good guys.”   But what is happening is that some of these lawyers are really manipulative and crafty but they are so darn likable.  The 2 best examples before Fox were Nancy Crozier (played by Mamie Gummer) and Patti Nyholm (played by Martha Plimpton.)   All very intelligent but ruthless lawyers that will do anything to win a case.   But even though they can be beguiling, they are all very likable in their own way.   Fox was no exception.   When he made Alicia late because he asked for her help in finding his ID which he believed he dropped outside by the coffee stand, you knew this was going to be a solid chess match.    And he was kicking their ass.  Even though they had the facts and the science on their side, Will was right (and that pains me to say), they didn’t have the “sexy” part of the case that the jury could be on board with.   Canning had nothing, but used what he could to win over the jury.  So LGB decided to turn up the “sexy” and they started to introduce testimony that was factual yet interesting to the jury and Canning began to get frustrated and the jury started leaning towards LGB.  Canning also sees this when he slips a note to Alicia that reads “Game On.”    Canning brings a psychiatrist from Wisconsin to the stand to discuss the victim’s state of mind at the time of the murder/suicide.  I was with Diane on this.  I thought that was doctor/patient confidentiality.  apparently not since some of the visits happened when he moved to Wisconsin.  Who knew the laws for that were different depending on which state you lived in!   The doctor revealed that his patient thought her husband was cheating on her.  And not with any old woman, her own daughter!!!    Back at the offices of LGB, they question the daughter and she admits that her stepfather was very inappropriate with her but that nothing ever happened and her mother never believed her.   Will is so pissed off, he sends Blake out on a mission to destroy the doctor’s credibility.   More on that later.  They were able to secure a witness who did in fact ruin the doctor and Canning decides to offer a settlement to LGB.  Later we see the firm celebrating because they were awarded a $35 million settlement of which $7 million goes to them.   Diane thought they would come in at $10, (they would have settled at $20) she asked for $40 and they countered with $30.  They settled at $35.   They are thrilled about this because it makes the firm solvent again.   When Canning shows up, Alicia is surprisingly smug which seems a bit out of character for her.  Although if someone used their handicap against me to win a case, I would be a little bitter too.   But when she tells him better luck time, he mocks her ” Mrs. Florrick you think you were my equal in that courtroom.  You were new math and I was advanced trigonometry.”   “Too bad trigonometry lost” she counters.  ”I didn’t lose.  LGB stumbled their way into a $90 million class action suit and my client asked me to get you down to $50 million.   I landed you at $35.  I am going home with a bonus of $1.3 million and stock options.   That’s not losing.   Have a nice party.”   Ha!!!   Touche Marty McFly!!!   MJF was fantastic and I really hope they decide to bring him back.

Will /Blake/Kalinda

Will and Blake are my 2 most hated people on the show.   Let’s start with Blake.  One of the things I liked about Kalinda and her job is that she isn’t afraid to push the envelope to get what she needs but she knows when not to cross the line and she isn’t nasty or dangerous.   Blake is the exact opposite.  He’s a bad seed and a complete jerk.  The only thing I like about Blake is his story with Kalinda.   What is up with them?   Now in my review of S2 E1, I predicted these 2 will sleep together at some point.   Wow was I way off base about that on so many levels!!!   But he is still calling her Leela.  Why?   He also seemed to know about her sexual orientation where no else did.   Except…Alicia did ask her about it last season and it went unanswered by Kalinda.   So how does he know her from before?   Maybe he doesn’t.  Maybe he investigated her before coming to the firm to size up his competition.   Kalinda doesn’t act like they knew each other from before so I have to think he was able to dig up dirt on her.  And now, with Carey’s help, she able to find out some information on him as well.  Looks like he worked for Derrick Bond’s firm but he also worked for MI-6 which if I remember correctly is some drug cartel.  He got himself in some trouble and Derrick bailed him out.   Makes you wonder if Derrick is a bad seed also.  At this point I am leaning towards no.   But this whole Blake/Kalinda storyline is really intriguing.  And I can’t wait to know more.

As for Will,  I have lost all respect for him as a lawyer and a human being.  I can understand being ambitious and doing everything you can do to save your company.   But he and his methods are unscrupulous.  First he decides to “sexy” up the case.  Ok, nothing wrong with that.  But when their doctor goes on the stand and talk about how the drug had shown to not only have violent side effects, but sexual ones as well.   And when the doctor discusses oral and anal sex being of particular focus, Will gets hysterical laughing in the gallery.   What is he 8?  How unprofessional!!!   Then when he realizes that the test case HE picked is failing, he tasks Blake to find ANYTHING he can that they can use in court on the defendant’s psychiatrist who drove a huge stake through their case.  Blake finds a witness who can discredit the doctor and when Kalinda asks Will (they are sitting together in the gallery) who found the witness, he tells her Blake found her.   When the witness does her job, Canning says his preference is to call the psychiatrist back to the stand to rebut.  However the doctor is in the hospital after a break-in at his office.   Kalinda realizes it was Blake who put him there and her look of disgust says it all.  If you notice, Will looks over slightly at Kalinda when Canning announces this, to gauge her reaction.   This is where I lost the respect for him as a human being.   It’s one thing to have your investigator get you information on a witness that can discredit them and help your case.    That’s your job.  It’s another to condone the violent actions of harming said witness in the act of getting the information.  It was obvious by the look on Will’s face that he was neither surprised, nor upset by this bit of information.   I haven’t liked Will since the beginning but was still keeping an open mind.  My mind is now shut and my opinion cemented.

Wendy/Eli/Grace

Again, another storyline I am really fascinated by.  At first I thought Peter’s re-election campaign was going to be boring.  But since Wendy (played by Tony Award winner Anika Noni Rose) entered the race and Eli (played by another Tony Award winner Alan Cumming) has been in scramble mode ever since, there has been nothing but interest, humor, and scandal!!!  Wendy seems to be the perfect candidate.   “She even has perfect pitch” Eli cries when watching her sing the National Anthem.  Um, did you see her in “Caroline, or Change?”   That girl has a gorgeous voice!!!   Anyway, after doing some digging, there is nothing to be found on Wendy Scott-Carr.  She has a spotless record.  Eli claims there has to be something.    His partner finally finds something…doctors appointments.  Turns out Wendy had breast augmentation to the tune of $19,000.  Now before I knew where this was going, I was a little disappointed.   Maybe it’s me, but I could give 2 craps if a candidate I liked for State’s Attorney had a boob job.  If she’s good for the job, what do I care if she had breast augmentation surgery.   How dumb.   Buuuuuut…this is where it gets clever and interesting.   Eli realizes that Peter would never go for this (using the surgery against Wendy.)  So he does the next best thing.  He calls Childs’ campaign manager and starts shouting about how he had the information first and he better not use it!!  Then he hangs up.  Next, they go out the door of the copy room to spy on one of the Florrick volunteers who just so happens to receive a phone 3 seconds later.  He is a Childs’ campaign plant and Eli knew it.  He asks his partner to go ask the kid to make a photo copy of the information they just found out.   It ends up, Childs’ campaign make a really tacky but somewhat amusing cartoon video about Wendy and her “assets” and Childs’ campaign leaks the story.   Eli is back in his office watching a TV interview of Wendy with a local reporter and they are playing the video.  As soon as Wendy lowers her head and get serious, I know exactly where this is going.   She announces that the reason she had the surgery was because she had to have a double mastectomy because she was diagnosed with Stage 2 Breast Cancer.  If Eli had a gun, he would have shot the TV and then himself.   But since he was smart enough to not have it come back on the Florrick campaign, once Wendy’s interview is released, Childs’ campaign manager resigns.

While all this is going on, Grace Florrick was caught on video at a Wendy Scott Carr rally and she is quoted as supporting her candidacy and talking about between her running and Obama in office, politics is cool again!   Really, Eli is going to need some serious yoga and massage time at Eden West (see the movie Couple Resort) after all this stress.   Eli tells Alicia about the incident and she says she’ll have a talk with Grace.     At Casa Florrick Alicia and Grace have a chat about what happened.  Grace says that she only wanted to hear her speak and Alicia tells her that is fine but she did more than that, she spoke to someone and she knows because they video taped her.   Grace seems like a pretty smart girl. She HAD to know that if she showed up at a Wendy Scott Carr rally, there would be cameras.  And if those cameras spot her opponent’s daughter there, that could be a problem!   Use your head Grace!!!!   Grace tells her mom that it’s a free country and she should be allowed to answer a question truthfully.  Alicia reminds her that her doing that can hurt her father and if she were Wendy’s daughter, she can talk in public about how good she is.   “So I can’t say what I think?”  Grace asks her mom.  ”Sure you can…here at home” Alicia replies.  ”But not to other people?”   “When you are 18.”   Ha!!!   Good one Alicia.   “Mom this is politics, it’s different.”  ”No this is FAMILY, it’s not different” Alicia firmly reminds her daughter.  And I say BRAVO!!!!   But Grace shows Alicia the cartoon video of Wendy and Alicia asks her where she found it.  When she says online, Alicia told her it could be anyone’s including the other campaign.  ”Is it?”  Grace asks.  And we find out later that Grace is part right and part wrong.  Other campaign leaked it and was responsible for it, but it was Peter’s campaign that found it and leaked it to them.   But, Peter had no idea about it.  So her dad did not condone this at all.  I’m not saying Peter is a saint, but he is in the clear on this one.   Grace eventually finds that out.

Epilogue

Yes people, this all happened in one episode!!   Are you as exhausted reading about it as I am writing about it?  But that is what makes the Good Wife special.  All characters are developed so well that I am riveted by every line of dialogue.  Although I wish we saw Cary more and gave him more to do.  At this point ass face Blake is more of a regular character than he is and that doesn’t sit well with me!  And guess what, I didn’t really get talk about Kalinda and Donna (played by Lily Taylor!!!)  Next week I will discuss that further.  The ratings aren’t as strong as last year and I can’t figure that out at all.  For those of you who are fans of the show, pass on to your friends why they should be watching.  If you are new to the show and aren’t sure if you should be watching it, I HIGHLY suggest you tune in to see one of the best shows on TV.  And if you never miss a week, do your best to watch at 10pm vs. the DVR.   See you next week at LGB!!!

 

RECAP: The Good Wife “VIP Treatment” S2 E5

The Good Wife is on a roll this season.  After recouping from watching “Cleaning House” (which by the way, I totally guessed that it was Wendy who leaked the deposition and was running for State’s Attorney) we head into another intense episode, albeit a different level of intensity.   While still at the CCBAG, Courtney comes to see Alicia regarding a client who wants to talk to her about a sexual assault.  Alicia wants to follow-up in the morning but Courtney is insisting on Alicia seeing her now because of who she is accusing.   Alicia goes to talk to her and we find out the man she is accusing is Joe Kent, who is about to receive the Noble Peace Prize for his work with women in 3rd world countries and is one of the big players in the democratic party.  Alicia immediately heads back to the Gala and informs Derrick, Diane, and Will about what is going on.   They all leave and head back to the office.   They begin to question the victim, Laura (played by Natalie Knepp), a massage therapist who was hired by Kent via the hotel to give the massage, and already something seems off.  The victim is very Annie Dukes with the Lockhart/Gardner team and no one is sure whether or not to believe her.   Diane wants no part of this case, Derrick is unsure, and Will, as usual, sees dollar signs.  The problem is, if they take the case against Kent and lose, they will lose half their client base.  If they take the case and win, it will be a windfall of clients and huge for the firm.  It’s 7pm and they only have until 11pm because the victim has a an appointment with another law firm at 11pm.  So 4 hours to figure out if they take the case.

The countdown begins and L/G sends Kalinda to the hotel where Kent is allegedly staying to get some information, while the partners and Alicia begin to further question Laura.  In their questioning there are some inconsistencies and some holes in her story.   Also, Laura is awfully calm and matter-of-fact when telling the story which seems a bit odd and Alicia and Diane notice the same thing.   When Diane pushes her a bit more, the victim asks her why she is being so harsh?   Diane explains to her that this is only the beginning of the type of questioning she will endure from Kent’s people.   Diane also mentions to her how calm she is after such a brutal attack.   Why isn’t she more upset?   Why isn’t she crying?  Laura responds “I didn’t know there were rules on how someone reacts to something like this.”  She then proceeds to tell a story from her childhood and how that was the last time she has cried and that she is sorry and wishes for their sake that this happened to someone who cried.  Well said and it’s a valid point.   Natalie Knepp does an excellent job of keeping you guessing (at least keeping me guessing) whether or not this happened.  You want to believe her but she is so withdrawn and cavalier in her delivery, maybe she was put up to this by someone else?   You really don’t know.  Even up until the last scene with Alicia, I’m still not 100% sure but I definitely have a side I am leaning towards.

The partners are still not sure whether they should take this case and they are all starting to flip from their original position.  Diane now thinks they should move forward, Derrick isn’t sure and Will thinks this is a bad idea.   Especially after Kalinda found champagne glasses with Laura’s lipstick on a glass at his hotel room.   When asked, Laura says she was just trying to make the customer happy since he is a VIP and that sometimes she will do things like because the money is so good.  But that was it.   Blake on the other had breaks into her apartment to do some digging and finds out that there is a roommate who is also a massage therapist and Diane wants him to look into her as well.   We also see him steal money from the girls “to make it look like a break in.”   This guy is a jerk.  I already knew he was but each episode he is confirming that fact more and more.   Blake sets up a VIP massage with Laura’s roommate and when Blake offers to pay for something extra, she refuses.   He mentions that Laura was willing to go the extra mile and the roommate confirms that sometimes Laura will do extra things for her clients and that she can call her if he would like that special treatment.   When Laura is confronted with that bombshell, she denies it.    She explains that it is very competitive since there are so few VIP treatments through the hotels.   So even though her and her roommate are friends, she was trying to sabotage her with the hotel to get her fired from getting VIP customers since the hotel frowns upon “extras.”  With friends like that, who needs enemies right?   Sheesh.    Now the partners are really confused so Will goes to talk to a friend of his that happens to be Kent’s lawyer, who is a real asshole by the way.   This conversation doesn’t go well at all and ends up in a fist fight between Will and the punk attorney.   Needless to say, there won’t be a settlement or information shared.

In an interesting turn of events, punk lawyer shows up at the CCBAG to find Peter and Eli and announces that Kent will give his support to Peter in the election.  It does come with a catch, he wants Peter to tell Alicia to drop this “nuisance” case of sexual assault against Kent.   Peter denies and tells punk attorney that he hopes Alicia wipes the floor with them.   Eli is about ready to bust a gut!!!   Alicia, Will, and Derrick then show back up at the CCBAG to question Cary.  When they asked the victim why she didn’t go to the police or prosecutors office, she says she did but one of the attorneys told her to see L/G, specifically Alicia and that lawyer was Cary Agos.  They talk to Cary and Cary says he sent it over to them because it is a good case.   He also tells them to look into a woman by the name of Meredith as well.  They aren’t sure whether to believe Cary because he is still out to hurt them and can’t be trusted.    But they decide to have Kalinda look into this to be sure.   In another interesting twist, Peter’s hand has been forced….Kent has announced his backing of Peter as State’s Attorney.   Eli is thrilled and Peter is not.  Peter realizes that if he doesn’t get Alicia to drop this case and Kent is found guilty, Peter will be supported by a rapist.   Crafty move by Kent.

Kalinda does end up finding Meredith and she confirms that Meredith was also a massage therapist and had the same happen to her with Kent.   The statute of limitations is up on her crime but she would be willing to testify on Laura’s behalf.   At the same time Mrs. Kent calls Diane and asks her to drop the case.    She said her husband does great work for these women in 3rd world countries and that these people need her husband.   When Diane asks if she cares about these allegations, Mrs. Kent paused briefly and says no, she doesn’t care what her husband does as long as he helps these women.   Diane then politely declines to drop the case and the partners now agree, they need to take this case.   It’s 11pm and when Alicia goes to tell Laura, she is gone.   Alicia finds her in elevator and is prepared to tell her they are going to take the case.   Laura has decided not to pursue it.   Alicia mentions the other therapist who was assaulted by Kent and Laura can be a key person in making sure he doesn’t do this to anyone else.   She understands that, but she also understands that in cases like this, Kent’s team will look into her and her background and that they will find skeletons in her closet.   She doesn’t want to go through that and she refuses to.

It’s a shame but true…..more times in cases like these the victim gets put on trial instead of the accused and even with victory or defeat, the victim usually is worse for the wear.  It’s wrong and I could blog 2,000 words on that topic alone…don’t get me started!   But do you have a feeling this case isn’t over yet and may be revisited at some point this season?  I do and I hope so.   I found this to be one of The Good Wife’s best episodes.   There were so many twists and turns and all along, I really wasn’t sure who was telling the truth.   I really hope the writers bring this one back and cast a big time guest star as Kent.   Charlie Sheen might work…maybe too well.