Florrick/Agos takes on the case of an NSA whistleblower, only to learn that the agency has been monitoring the firm as well as Alicia's personal life. Diane faces the difficult task of working alongside Louis Canning when he joins Lockhart/Gardner. Meanwhile, Alicia goes after the State's Attorney when he attempts to make Finn a scapegoat in the Jeffrey Grant case.
At the start of "All Tapped Out," Alicia is still very much in her funk after Will's death. Peter and Finn got her out of her bed and emotional at the close of the last episode. And yet, she still is very much just walking through life but not actively engaging with it. That's a state of mind that's an intriguing place to put that character. But it's also a place the show shouldn't spend so much time in. The show can only sustain being down and dour for a small period of time. The first half of this episode she's in that mindset. Her split from Peter hasn't suddenly fixed her mood at all. She's trying to work but even the smallest details are throwing her off. She's simply not herself. She's misplaced. And yet, that's interesting to watch.But what's even better is seeing how she finds a way to get excited about life again and be that sharp and fierce lawyer we've known her to be. A spark had to be lit underneath her and a blaze sure does emerge here. Her being under surveillance by the NSA has been a slow-burning plot this season - appearing in two prior episodes. And it has immense payoff here. It was built up to be important later this season. And boy, does it deliver. It's the reason why Alicia becomes active again. She's not interested in Cary and Clarke's NSA case until she forces the Zach Woods character into revealing they're listening in on her calls. After that reveal, she's ready to fight and strategize. You can see the wheels start turning in her head again. And it is marvelous. Just look at how much added weight there is during a simple task like picking up a phone. We take those calls as personal things. Now, Alicia and everyone in contact with her has to be aware of what's said there as well. It's just a wonderful thing.
And that fire then continues to grow even stronger with her ongoing case with Finn. The State's Attorney's office is trying to scapegoat him with the Jeffrey Grant case. It's a mystery why he's still working there. We all knew he'll be at Florrick/Agos sometime within the next few episodes. It's a surprisingly simple case too. But it was still able to throw Alicia while she was in her funk state. Once her passion returned, she was able to destroy any case Matan Brody or the State's Attorney had.
Elsewhere, Louis Canning joins Lockhart/Gardner as a new partner. Diane and Kalinda are skeptical of what's really fueling his decision to merge. They simply don't trust him and neither should the audience. He claims he's a changed man but it's difficult to listen to him say that without being hesitant. It's a small faction of this episode. It is largely setting up the story for something larger. I'm glad to have Michael J. Fox back as I like his kind of swarm. But I'm more interested in seeing where this story is going.
Some more thoughts:
- "All Tapped Out" was written by Matthew Montoya & Julia Wolfe and directed by Felix Alcala.
- Zach Woods has been popping up all over the place recently. He did an episode of Enlisted in March. He's a regular on both Silicon Valley and the upcoming Playing House. And now, he's here.
- It was also strange seeing Michael Urie as an NSA worker. I'm happy he's on the show - just wish it was in a more important role.
- Hey, Julias Cain stopped by for a minute cameo. That's odd. He says he's been busy with the New York offices. And yet, he hasn't appeared on the show since season three! I mean if you bring that character back, at least give us a reason why. Not simply, hey this actor is suddenly available again, let's hope the audience doesn't wonder about his long absence.
- The more I think about it the more it seems like the endgame for this season will be Diane and Kalinda joining Florrick/Agos after their firm becomes a sinking ship with David Lee and Louis Canning.
