On the newest episode of CBS'
The Good Wife, Alicia and Diane agree to let a famous liberal lawyer (Bruce McGill) aid them on their latest case but they soon realize he may not have their client's best interests in mind; and Alicia's mother (Stockard Channing) arrives for Thanksgiving seeking moral and legal support from Alicia and Owen.
They say that a parent's personality is very telling of how their child will turn out. This idea is frequently used throughout the medium of television. The sudden appearance of a lead character's mother or father can really help highlight why this character acts the way that they do. Two episode's ago Cary's father popped up and the curtain was finally pulled back on how troublesome their relationship and his past were. This episode featured Alicia's mom (played with wonderful glee by Stockard Channing) coming to town and her appearance did wonders for the show and the Alicia character. Alicia's character details are being perfectly wound up tight and always doing the right thing. The lack of a sense of loyalty and respect in her other family members has made her like this. Her mother is a free spirit and flirting with anyone that might be able to help her get someone. Alicia does not want to embrace this lifestyle and yet grows more upset the longer her mother stays around her. Her closing moment decision to have sex with Peter in the bathroom is impulsive, yes, but is always her way of proving that she wants to be with Peter no matter what her mother does or says.
The family stuff was ideally the most fun and revealing material for this episode. Because of that, I was really surprised by how involved and intricate the case-of-the-week was throughout the hour and how compelling it was as well. This series does a great job of highlighting and challenging the laws of the judicial system. In the end, we know that this show enjoys paralleling the issues happening in the real world. So, it felt heavily unlikely that the series would tackle the downfall of DOMA and delve into a more fictitious parallel of the world. Still, the issue was engaging and really made me question all of the legality of it. Bruce McGill's character was so charismatic and really skilled at demanding you listin to him although you know he is only spewing bull.
I personally would have enjoyed a bit more of the theatrics within all of the family dynamics. But I also do believe that this hour was well balanced and gave enough time for each story to grow and develop. My only big complaints were it needed more Kalinda and it brushed off Cary's assault way too easily.
So what did everyone think of the episode? How will Alicia's decision to sleep with Peter change their relationship? Which character's parental unit do you want to see next? Share your thoughts in the comments.
