Posted by Janie Logan Feb 9, 2011, 22:22 GMT
Peter (Chris Noth) and Eli (Alan Cumming) alter the course of their campaign for State's Attorney. Photo courtesy of CBS.
Things are definitely looking up on The Good Wife. Now we can laugh even in the midst of all the problems these characters are facing, and that's exactly what Alicia does at the end of the episode: she breaks down laughing as she and Peter lie in bed together talking about their day.
The Democratic primary is far from decided, but Peter's campaign received a boost by the surprising revelation that young voters are drawn to him. They like him because they think he's honest. So now he's targeting them, doing speaking engagements on medical marijuana and calling on a former prison buddy (guest star Method Man) to help with his street cred.
The power struggle at Lockhart/Gardner, while not over yet, is less stressful now. Sure, Bond threw a wrench into the plan with his big announcement at the partners meeting about bringing in a major new client, and it seems as though he and Blake are spying on people's computers. But we are also afforded hilarious little moments of Will and Diane sneaking around--that low-five was particularly wonderful.
With the return of Michael J. Fox as Louis Canning, Alicia was able to turn the tables. The first time they met, she thought she had won by getting a low millions settlement against a big pharmaceutical company. Canning happily shattered her illusion by telling her that he was going home with a nice bonus for keeping the settlement out of the tens of millions.
This time, the case was a class action lawsuit against a pesticide company that had caused infertility and miscarriages among the women of a neighborhood because of chemicals they put in the ground. Canning was competing with Lockhart/Gardner for the women who were suing, until the judge (the very talented and amusing Denis O'Hare, whose quirkiness with the blood donor sticker rivaled the "in your opinion" judge) put them on the same side--that is, until Alicia and Co. proved that he was making backroom deals with the company executives.
Alicia was very proud to have gotten the upperhand, and I was happy for her and the women affected by the pesticide, even though Canning's parting words made good sense--the legal system is mired with lawsuits harmful to business. Just another one of the many thought-provoking questions posed by this show.
Michael J. Fox was terrific once again in this role. It's interesting to see that sympathy for Canning's condition doesn't take him very far because, in the world of shrewd lawyers, he's one of the shrewdest.
Next week, Dallas Roberts returns as Alicia's brother, Owen, which means more frank conversations that will force her to confront her feelings for Will. (A frank confession from me--Elizabeth Reaser really made me want to know what Josh Charles smells like.)
What did everyone else think of "Real Deal"?
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