Reading the In-House: Unorthodox (1x07)
Unorthodox
Air Date: 10 November 2009
Case of the Week: Will taps Alicia to rescue Stern’s daughter Anna and her husband-both Orthodox Jews-from charges that they were responsible for injury to a passerby because they did not remove an eruv wire lying on the sidewalk outside of their house on the Sabbath.
Kalinda’s name precedes her in this episode-when Will puts Alicia on the case of the week, he instructs her to meet with the “no-name lawyer” hired by Anna’s husband and to take Kalinda to “get the lay of the land.” Alicia smiles: SOP.
Alicia and Kalinda next show up in a Jewish Orthodox neighborhood-Wynton Ridge, according to the script. (“No shtetl clichés here. Very suburban.”) Unless they’ve bought a British model, Kalinda’s been driving. She’s also the first to speak, looking a bit confused as she confirms with Alicia that Stern’s daughter lives in this area. Alicia admits that they might have the wrong address, but then they catch sight of a woman looking right at them. “Or maybe there’s a methadone clinic near here,” Kalinda says with a completely straight face. (I swear she practices that deadpan in the mirror.) Alicia gives her a look that screams “Really? Must you?” This is, after all, as Will has recently pointed out in a not so subtle fashion (Will, subtle? Perish the thought-that’s what he has pays Kalinda for), Alicia’s chance to impress Stern, the habitually absent third vote that will determine her fate at the firm.
As it turns out, the woman whom they spotted (or rather, who spotted them) is precisely the woman they want: Anna Stern. Alicia reacts, apologizing (for not recognizing her earlier? For not believing this could be her?); Kalinda just stares, giving nothing away, and barely manages to stay on this side of courtesy: “…Hi.”
In the next scene the script has been modified slightly. As in the final cut, Anna starts off by explaining that she was “in rehab out in Westchester, and there was this volunteer there. A yeshiva student.” At this point Kalinda originally interjected “Those hot-blooded yeshivas,” earning her a look from Alicia but a laugh from Anna. As shot, Anna first mentions Isaac’s “amazing LP collection” (code for something?), to which Kalinda incredulously responds, “And so you went Orthodox?” Cue Alicia’s look. Anna takes it lightly, noting simply, “Hey, they were good LPs.” Yeah, that’s not really helping to disprove the notion that “LP” is code for something, but Alicia cracks a smile. As Anna walks between the two SLG employees to set the challah on the table, Kalinda looks at Alicia, but the lawyer’s listening to the Orthodox woman explain: “That’s the problem with love. You can’t make it do what you want.” I think that’s the theme of the show right there, and it wasn’t even in the script.
Unsurprisingly, it’s Kalinda who breaks the moment and prompts Anna to explain what happened. Even Kalinda is shocked when Anna explains that the injured woman is suing her for $1.2 million in punitive damages (their homeowner’s insurance will cover the $20,000 in compensatory damages). The PI shares a look with Alicia as they realize just how much trouble their client is in, then again when they follow her into the next room. Kalinda notices Alicia nodding in understanding, “bonding again-at the drop of a hat,” as the script notes. As Anna explains that she has to do what she’s doing (winding a timer on a light) because she can’t do it on the Sabbath (it’s work), we see Isaac come down the stairs, which puts him behind Alicia and Kalinda. Momentarily oblivious to his presence, Kalinda asks Anna about her dad, if he can help. Before Anna has a chance to respond, Isaac says quietly but firmly, “We don’t want it.” Kalinda is visibly startled-she doesn’t exactly flinch, but she freezes noticeably before turning around in tandem with Alicia. Isaac explains that they’re not in touch with Mr. Stern, putting an end to the conversation and the scene.
Outside, Alicia and Kalinda sit side-by-side on the hood of their car. It’s worth reproducing their conversation in script format:
ALICIA: Wow.
KALINDA: Yeah. A year ago she was club-hopping with Tara Reid. You know what she’ll be doing in another year? Club-hopping with Tara Reid.
Alicia smiles at Kalinda’s cynicism:
ALICIA: Have you ever been surprised by anyone?
KALINDA: Nope.
ALICIA: Even me?
KALINDA: Especially by you.
Alicia laughs as Isaac approaches.
If you can imagine their voices at all (which I’m assuming you can, since I’d bet you wouldn’t be reading this if you weren’t that interested in the show), it’s quite easy to hear this conversation. In many ways it’s a typical Alicia-Kalinda exchange: Alicia is amused by Kalinda’s cynicism, which has proven realistic far too often for Alicia to deride it. That doesn’t mean, however, that she can’t be amused by it-and she is, looking at Anna and trying to see her as Kalinda does, an eternal party girl beneath the Orthodox clothes. Some part of Alicia is no doubt in wonder at the lengths to which love can drive a person, no matter who they are; another part is trying to reconcile her optimistic hope with Kalinda’s snarky prediction. Before, it caused friction between the lawyer and the PI, back when Kalinda thought too little of Alicia and Alicia too little of her; by now Alicia’s realized that different doesn’t mean incompatible, and she allows herself to be amused by Kalinda’s attitude even while refusing to surrender her own optimism.
The second half of the conversation is a little more interesting-and a lot more important. When Alicia inquires if Kalinda has ever been surprised by anyone, her tone may sound light; her question is anything but. She is simultaneously acknowledging that Kalinda is generally spot on when it comes to analyzing people, even from first impressions, and attempting to get Kalinda to give something up about herself-a hint, even, of herself, of her past. Kalinda naturally refuses to take the bait, responding with a playful “Nope.” Both are smiling throughout the conversation: Alicia knows it was a bit of a gambit, but she’s not hurt it failed, and Kalinda doesn’t seem to mind the question, not now that she’s sidestepped the issue. Then Alicia plucks up the courage to ask what she really wants to know: has she herself managed to surprise to Kalinda? Has she managed to show the PI that there’s more to her than the Good Wife? Or did Kalinda somehow see from the first that she was so much more than that? Kalinda knows the answer, as do we; after all, Alicia may have had all the potential in the world from the start, but that’s nothing compared to watching that potential become reality. I think even Kalinda could not have predicted exactly how Alicia would (and will) turn out, but at the same time I’d say that she was being willfully blind if she didn’t suspect there was something there from the beginning. Alicia’s second question masks a broader one, too: is she somehow special in Kalinda’s eyes, or is she simply another bit of human livestock that has been oh-so-efficiently assessed, tagged, and classified by the PI’s experienced powers of observation? Kalinda’s answer boldly claims that she had the Good Wife pegged from the get go-and before either of them graced our screens, Kalinda must have realized that Alicia was somehow special, even if she were just Will’s old flame, even if she were just the disgraced wife of an adulterous and over-ambitious politician, even if she were just a woman ten years older than her colleagues looking for a way to start her life over-or to start it at all. There’s a reason Kalinda was waiting for Alicia in her office that first day-many reasons, in all probability-but never was Alicia just another piece of meat in the chew-’em-up-and-spit-’em-out world of SLG. There’s always been something about her, and even Kalinda-Kalinda especially-knows that. It’s all there in her tone, in her expression, daring Alicia to realize that, and to accept it.
Isaac ruins the moment by coming over to inform them that he’s already hired a lawyer. Alicia asks him at least to explain what happened, but he insists that one has to be Jewish to understand. “It’s important to be Jewish to understand a slip-and-fall?” Kalinda asks. She’s incredulous again, but not to the point of being rude. Isaac barely acknowledges her before addressing Alicia again; Kalinda is noticeably put out. Once Isaac realizes who Alicia is (or rather, whose wife she is), he becomes much more willing to talk with her. Kalinda is supposed to “shoot [Alicia] a smile” when Isaac surprises her with his positive reaction, but it comes out more of a stare (surprise, surprise). Isaac asks Alicia how her husband is doing, to which she responds: “He’s…in prison.” (I suppose that speaks for itself.) Isaac: “Yes, I’m sorry." He sententiously adds: "A righteous man quickly finds the world aligned against him.” Here the stage directions are spot on: “Kalinda clears her throat: yep, ‘righteous.’”
Kalinda follows Isaac, Alicia, and Anna as they walk down the sidewalk, taking pictures for their case. As Alicia discusses the liability involved, the “no-name lawyer” shows up to help explain the situation. Kalinda can be seen at the edge of the shot checking him out. Ryan Alprin (side note: a rather Jewish surname), the lawyer, is deliberately challenging-I imagine he is trying (or is meant) to look suave and rugged (script: “handsome but quirky, wildly unpredictable, wildly unlawyer-like, and wildly…well…wild”), something like a lawyer equivalent of the scruffy nerfherder Han Solo, but he comes off as a dick, especially when he walks away from Alicia in the middle of a question. Move over, Chris Noth: this love triangle is getting mangled into a love…er, something. (So it’s been a while since I’ve taken geometry, but there’s no mathematical equivalent for this.) Meanwhile, Kalinda keeps her distance, watching (I’m sure) without looking like she’s watching. She can be seen edging back across the road towards Alicia as the shot fades out into the opening credits. (According to the script, Alicia was supposed to shoot Kalinda a look that says “I’ll handle this” before pursuing Ryan Alprin to his bike, but as far as I can tell she never looks Kalinda’s way.)
We’re supposed to disdain the plaintiff (Dawn Decato, 28, “pretty, sweet, athletic”) from the moment we see her in the deposition tape. (Or are we not? Sorry, but whining about the pain that disallows you to pick up your daughter from playing on the floor and the gluten-free foods she needs in a ploy to gain sympathy is a tactic that belongs in an ancient Athenian courtroom-or Glenn Beck’s talkshow-not a modern American trial.) Kalinda notices that Alicia is watching this tape and decides to wander over, notebook in hand. Unfortunately for them, the plaintiff is sure to win over jury members. Kalinda updates Alicia on her investigative work: no eyewitnesses, but she’ll check with first responders. Then she asks, “Any word from your co-counsel?” The way she says “co-counsel” is enough in and of itself to imply all sorts of things, foremost among which being that Alicia might be interested in the man (who badly needs a haircut and a shave, among other things). Despite Kalinda’s grin, Alicia doesn’t take the bait, answering in a very straightforward manner, and they’re back to the tape. Kalinda points out that this will be a tough one. Alicia notes that the jury will love the plaintiff, and Kalinda adds that Alicia will also be dealing with “sympathy issues.” As in past instances, Alicia hears that Kalinda’s saying something else, but she can’t quite interpret it, so she asks straight up if that’s a euphemism for something. “Anti-Semitism,” Kalinda responds very matter-of-factly. She doesn’t envy Alicia this case, and when Kalinda snarkily acts out one of the questions she imagines Alicia will hear in voir dire (“Do you dislike Jews?”), Alicia isn’t sure what to make of it, remarking, “You’re a bundle of fun today.” Just what Kalinda wants to be called-“a bundle of fun.” But the lawyer’s remark puts a genuine smile on her face (no mean feat), so it’s not all bad. (Kalinda was supposed to add: “Least you have a co-counsel you trust.” I’m glad she didn’t-there’s been no trust whatsoever established between Alicia and Ryan so far.)
Alicia has just turned off the TV and stood up, presumably to collect her things and go, when they hear a commotion across the hall. Both of them stare as a male employee overturns his office chair, yelling almost indistinctly: “You’re kidding [me?].” They turn to each other, and Kalinda says simply, “Lay-offs.” (Again, she was supposed to add something: “They’re ‘slimming down’ tax litigation.” But we knew that, and I think she’s more in character when she’s concise.) Alicia is equally succinct, simply shaking her head. She knows, as does Kalinda, that she could well be next.
[Insert scene in which the Han Solo wannabe tries to convince Alicia that he’s the moral David to Will’s corporate Goliath-and oh, they’re fighting for Alicia, even if they won’t admit it.]
Another side note: Am I the only one who finds that coconut from Bora Bora rather cute? Spastic, but cute. It’s supposed to be a monkey, but I like it better when I think of it as some weird creature from the beyond.
While Alicia is chatting with Will and Cary and watching employees fall around her like flies, Kalinda is back in the neighborhood with Ezra, one of the first responders. The script tells us that Kalinda has a Nikon, which I believe is confirmable in some of the close-up shots of her doing her thing. At least I thought I saw the red shutter release somewhere... At any rate, she discovers that the plaintiff tripped in practically the one spot that wasn’t covered by video cameras at the time.
[This episode, like others have been and will be, is meant to give Alicia an opportunity to contemplate intimacy, marriage, betrayal, and forgiveness. She sees people around her destroyed-first her colleagues, then her clients. When she goes to Isaac in an attempt to salvage his relationship with Anna, he asks her if she’s forgiven her husband for his betrayal of her. She can’t answer.]
Alicia and Will then discuss the possibility of bringing Alprin on to SLG, and lo and behold the devil himself shows up. Ryan and Alicia go to her office to discuss the case. There he remarks on the coconut-beast from Bora Bora and asks if he can have it; Alicia “slaps him down,” which he apparently likes (per the script).
Cue one of the deleted scenes: It opens with Will asking Kalinda to “do [her] usual thing,” which she takes to mean “investigative thing.” (Well, you are an investigator, K.) When she hears that her victim target subject is Alprin, she’s a bit taken aback: “Alicia’s lawyer?” It’s a very…possessive way of phrasing it, and Will repeats it as: “Her…co-counsel? Yeah.” Kalinda then asks what this is for. (Out of her natural curiosity, of course.) “Me,” Will replies, which leads Kalinda to study him. Will further explains, “In case we hire him.” Script: “Oh, Kalinda nods. Gets it now. Turns back to her notes.” Then she asks if he wants personal stuff, too. He declines (“No. Why?”), confused as to why she would ask. “No reason,” she says, knowing of course that Alprin is in the position to present himself as a rival for Alicia’s affections. According to the commentary on this deleted scene, this was cut because they didn’t want to show Kalinda picking up on the flirtation between Ryan and Alicia and therefore thinking Will was interested in checking out Ryan as a rival instead of as a hire. Nevertheless, Kalinda knows there’s something between Ryan and Alicia (or at least that Ryan would like there to be, and that Alicia might be the slightest bit open to it), and it’s revealed towards the end of the episode that Will had her do the (innocent) background check anyhow. Kalinda is certainly perceptive enough to notice that Will is interested in Alicia, even if he won’t admit it, so the only real difference is that she doesn’t end up asking Will about “the personal stuff,” and he doesn’t have to deny it.
Back to the show as aired: Ryan is there to see Alicia (to discuss the case, of course), and he continues to interject personal questions into their review of the case. She refuses to engage, repeatedly telling him to stop. He apparently likes that she can shut him down, but he’s also up front about analyzing her, telling her that she’s a rule-follower who secretly wants to break the rules, and that she “likes people who scare [her].” Immediate salvation (or is it?) appears in the form of Kalinda, who beckons her from across the hall.
Kalinda proceeds to show her on a (rather professionally produced) diagram of the scene of the crime how the plaintiff pulled off “either the strangest coincidence in the world…or a scam,” since the injured woman managed to find the one spot along the street that the cameras didn’t cover. Kalinda is once again Alicia’s ace in the hole, and let’s not forget interpersonal growth: Alicia is now finishing Kalinda’s sentences. By the end of the scene, they conclude that the plaintiff had a connection in the firm running the security cameras in the neighborhood. Then Kalinda and Alicia catch sight of Mr. Alprin tossing Alicia’s coconut back and forth (yes, that sounds dirty even to me). Kalinda glances at Alicia, who looks back at her. This is how the script runs (or ran at one point):
Kalinda nods, pauses, sees Ryan in Alicia’s office tossing the coconut around. Alicia sees her look.
ALICIA (CONT’D): What?
KALINDA: I had a friend who always told me when I was about to make a mistake.
ALICIA: And…?
KALINDA: You like him.
ALICIA: He’s my co-counsel. (Kalinda raises an eyebrow) I’m fine, Kalinda. Really. I’m fine.
As it is, they pretty much manage to say it all without words.
At Megalith Security, Kalinda discovers that an employee there may give them the answer as to who’s actually at fault concerning the fallen wire. He says that he was putting up the security camera (the one that wasn’t activated until after the accident) just before the accident. Back at SLG, Alicia points out that he had then been within reach of the eruv wire days before it fell; in other words, he had access to the wire in order to loosen it. Meanwhile, Ryan insists on attempting to get as close as possible to a reluctant Alicia, much to Will’s chagrin.
Back in court, Ryan is well on his way to skewering Hank the security guy when Alicia receives a note from the bailiff: “We need to talk.” Alicia indicates the witness stand, that she can’t leave when they’re in the middle of frying Mr. Megalith Security. Kalinda won’t take it: “Alicia frowns, gestures sharply towards the witness stand: Not now. But Kalinda points just as sharply towards the door. Now.” (Is it wrong of me to enjoy their silent little tug-of-warswills so much?)
Kalinda’s waiting for her in the hallway, her phone to her ear as Alicia finally makes it out of the courtroom. Alicia’s not happy, impatiently snapping that she’s in the middle of trial and asking if it can wait. “No, it can’t,” Kalinda says, deadly serious. (Seriously, Alicia, give the girl a little credit: she knows when something's important, and even better she knows when it's career-threatening.) The PI explains that Will was having her look into her co-counsel. Alicia gives out a genuine yelp, outraged, until Kalinda waves her hand (“Not what you were thinking”), explaining that Will was thinking of hiring him and that it's SOP. Alicia accepts it, but she’s still impatient and annoyed at being dragged out of court. Kalinda explains that she’s on with “a friend” (she tosses that phrase around far too often for someone who can barely count the number of friends she has on one finger) from the bar association, who can’t find his bar number. The investigator finds herself in the unenviable position of having to explain that Mr. Ryan Alprin is not a lawyer. It turns out that he went to law school but failed the bar and never retook it. Alicia is well and truly shocked: “How is that even possible?” “The system is based on trust more than we think,” Kalinda mutters. So much for trust among lawyers, even especially wildly wild scruffy ones like Alprin. Alicia’s at a loss as to what to do: Ryan is up there cross-examining a witness, and he’s winning their case. Kalinda won’t even let her think of letting him finish-not only is Ryan committing a state crime, but Alicia could be disbarred if she doesn’t take this new information to the judge right away. “If I know he’s not a lawyer,” Alicia points out. She’s clearly been around Kalinda too long (if that’s possible). Kalinda rejoins that Alicia will know that for a fact in two minutes. Kalinda is still on hold while Alicia formulates a plan: if she can get the jury into deliberation, their verdict will stand even if Ryan is shown to have been ineligible to serve as a lawyer during the trial. Pausing in mid-sentence, Alicia gets up and literally steers Kalinda to face her. “I need you to take a walk around the block,” she tells Kalinda. The poor PI is terribly confused-how is she supposed to take a walk while Alicia’s in danger of losing her case and being disbarred? But Alicia’s figured out what to do (hint: plausible deniability), and now she has to try her hand at the double-speak at which Kalinda excels. “I need you to take a walk around the block now, and we’ll talk later,” she repeats slowly and deliberately, willing Kalinda to understand what she’s really saying. Kalinda shrugs off her hand to point emphatically at the lawyer: “I want to be clear. You want me not to be here when I get this information?” This isn't the time for errors in communication; she won’t endanger Alicia like that. Alicia explains that they’re minutes away from sending the case to the jury and again tells Kalinda to “go for a walk.” Kalinda watches her as she re-enters the courtroom: message received.
Back in the courtroom, Alicia pulls the plug on Alprin, who is forced to rest his case. Afterwards, she pulls him aside to instruct him to turn himself in to the judge. He tries to apologize, but she smacks him down-he’ll get no leniency from her, especially not after he tried to get so close to her.
The verdict turns out favorable for Alicia’s team, even with Alprin off the case. Anna and Isaac reconcile, and Alicia admits to Will that she “made a mistake” ever thinking Alprin could have made a viable hire. Her words would have had much more impact if she and Kalinda had had their earlier silent conversation aloud. As it is, it’s Kalinda who ended up saving both Alicia and Will from making a mistake with Alprin, following through on her unspoken promise to warn Alicia as her own “friend” had once used to warn her. Alprin’s phone message to Alicia in the final scene also picks up on the theme, with him admitting to his own mistake.