The Good Wife 2.09 + Undercovers 1.08
TGW: the episode in which Marty McFly and Lisa Kimmel Fisher guest star.
First of all, I don't get why some viewers complain about the Florrick children. They're only used when it makes sense for the story, and I happen to like both of them. Grace routing for Wendy Scott-Carr both fits with her character and was a neat touch, and it also makes Alicia a realistic instead of a super-perfect mother that she doesn't just tell Eli "I'd never suppress my daughter's emerging politics" but instead explains to Grace why routing for the opposition should happen in private until Grace is 18.
This was the first episode this season where Kalinda's characterisation clicked with me once more. Possibly because they didn't go the "look how COOL Kalinda is!!!!!" route while showing some not so cool actions and stopped being coy about Kalinda's bisexuality. As soon as I heard that unmistakable voice I thought "OMG, it's Lisa from Six Feet Under aka Lili Taylor". Which I thought was inspired casting; it made the relevant scenes feel not "omg Kalinda finally kisses a woman on screen, how sexy!" but as a glimpse at an actual (past) relationship. Also that introduction scene - "don't do it again" - was a great way to sketch the character; I liked her, both in her dogged public defender-ness and the sarcastic resentment towards Kalinda. Speaking of people currently working for the state, I also find it interesting and intriguing they're continuing to play on Cary and Kalinda keeping backdoor channels open and helping each other out, with their own agendas in mind, of course, but nonetheless.
Blake's shady past: well, that explains what the hell the point of the burglar scene last week was, I presume. Also it's interesting that this is the second episode hinting at a pre-Gardner & Lockhart connection between Will and Blake; Will this season has not been characterised as grey as he was last season, so I have to admit I welcome this.
Michael J. Fox played yet another memorable guest character. This show is really good with making the opposing lawyers effective and not caricatures; it was, of course, also an odd meta moment if you grew up with him as the eternal teenager in a lot of 80s movies, a bit like seeing Christopher Reeve guest starring in Smallville (one of the few Smallville eps I saw).
Undercovers: In which the hints of a larger arc get stronger which given the fate of the show is frustrating, but the episode was good nonetheless.
Presumably the device implanted in the unfortunate stealth craft pilot was planned was planned as a season long mystery, and knowing Abrams would not be exactly what Sam guessed (a controling device) but something similar, but we'll never find out. Still, given the distinct lack of any non-American accents in the teaser and Shaw's continued reporting to someone he addresses as "Sir" methinks it would probably turn out that the CIA isn't quite so naively Bondian (well, Leiterian, but you know what I mean) and there are indeed black ops going on which the Blooms would not be on board with. In this particular case, I wouldn't be surprised if the revelation was that the CIA was secretly backing a faction of the Chechnyan rebels. Anyway, Chechnya looked enough war-zone like for me not to feel they were trivalizing what is a horrible real life conflict that rarely rates the attention of the world anymore while continuing to devastate the population. Also as a showcase for Hoyt his little subplot was good and gave me fuzzy, Marshall-in-Tuesday like feelings, while Stephen and Sam rescuing themselves out of imprisonment was great again. Damn it, I like team Sam/Stephen/Hoyt and want more missions for them!
Meanwhile, Lizzie rates a subplot of her own and we finally see more of her than just being on the other end of a phone call from Sam. It's a sit com sub plot, but that's part of the series' charm, and Lizzie winning the respect by the entire catering team, including her rival, gay Lance, by standing up to the customer from hell was smashing. (Plus they did include the realistic element of the customer then ending her clientship to the catering service.) I ended watching feeling both cheered and unhappy yet again the show got cancelled.
This entry was originally posted at http://selenak.dreamwidth.org/627616.html. Comment there or here, as you wish.
First of all, I don't get why some viewers complain about the Florrick children. They're only used when it makes sense for the story, and I happen to like both of them. Grace routing for Wendy Scott-Carr both fits with her character and was a neat touch, and it also makes Alicia a realistic instead of a super-perfect mother that she doesn't just tell Eli "I'd never suppress my daughter's emerging politics" but instead explains to Grace why routing for the opposition should happen in private until Grace is 18.
This was the first episode this season where Kalinda's characterisation clicked with me once more. Possibly because they didn't go the "look how COOL Kalinda is!!!!!" route while showing some not so cool actions and stopped being coy about Kalinda's bisexuality. As soon as I heard that unmistakable voice I thought "OMG, it's Lisa from Six Feet Under aka Lili Taylor". Which I thought was inspired casting; it made the relevant scenes feel not "omg Kalinda finally kisses a woman on screen, how sexy!" but as a glimpse at an actual (past) relationship. Also that introduction scene - "don't do it again" - was a great way to sketch the character; I liked her, both in her dogged public defender-ness and the sarcastic resentment towards Kalinda. Speaking of people currently working for the state, I also find it interesting and intriguing they're continuing to play on Cary and Kalinda keeping backdoor channels open and helping each other out, with their own agendas in mind, of course, but nonetheless.
Blake's shady past: well, that explains what the hell the point of the burglar scene last week was, I presume. Also it's interesting that this is the second episode hinting at a pre-Gardner & Lockhart connection between Will and Blake; Will this season has not been characterised as grey as he was last season, so I have to admit I welcome this.
Michael J. Fox played yet another memorable guest character. This show is really good with making the opposing lawyers effective and not caricatures; it was, of course, also an odd meta moment if you grew up with him as the eternal teenager in a lot of 80s movies, a bit like seeing Christopher Reeve guest starring in Smallville (one of the few Smallville eps I saw).
Undercovers: In which the hints of a larger arc get stronger which given the fate of the show is frustrating, but the episode was good nonetheless.
Presumably the device implanted in the unfortunate stealth craft pilot was planned was planned as a season long mystery, and knowing Abrams would not be exactly what Sam guessed (a controling device) but something similar, but we'll never find out. Still, given the distinct lack of any non-American accents in the teaser and Shaw's continued reporting to someone he addresses as "Sir" methinks it would probably turn out that the CIA isn't quite so naively Bondian (well, Leiterian, but you know what I mean) and there are indeed black ops going on which the Blooms would not be on board with. In this particular case, I wouldn't be surprised if the revelation was that the CIA was secretly backing a faction of the Chechnyan rebels. Anyway, Chechnya looked enough war-zone like for me not to feel they were trivalizing what is a horrible real life conflict that rarely rates the attention of the world anymore while continuing to devastate the population. Also as a showcase for Hoyt his little subplot was good and gave me fuzzy, Marshall-in-Tuesday like feelings, while Stephen and Sam rescuing themselves out of imprisonment was great again. Damn it, I like team Sam/Stephen/Hoyt and want more missions for them!
Meanwhile, Lizzie rates a subplot of her own and we finally see more of her than just being on the other end of a phone call from Sam. It's a sit com sub plot, but that's part of the series' charm, and Lizzie winning the respect by the entire catering team, including her rival, gay Lance, by standing up to the customer from hell was smashing. (Plus they did include the realistic element of the customer then ending her clientship to the catering service.) I ended watching feeling both cheered and unhappy yet again the show got cancelled.
This entry was originally posted at http://selenak.dreamwidth.org/627616.html. Comment there or here, as you wish.