CBS' The Good Wife - Episode 5.19 Tying the Knot
When Alicia pays a visit to longtime client Colin Sweeney, she finds herself in the unwanted role of witness when a body is discovered in his home. Meanwhile, Eli steps in when an unfortunate picture of Zach threatens to become a public relations nightmare for Peter.
The Good Wife can be dramatic and emotional a ton of the time. And it is so satisfying at both. And yet, it can also be fun, trippy and campy too which can be just as enjoyable. What the show does in this episode is so vastly different than the one where the firm split or where Will dies. It's still the same show but it's also two sides of a spectrum. The fact that the series can pull off both sides equally well is one of the best compliments I can give to The Good Wife.And of course, The Good Wife goes fun and campy with the return of Dylan Baker as Colin Sweeney, Alicia's longtime client who's also a killer. He brings a ton of joy and life to the show whenever he pops up for an episode. That line holds true in this episode despite him largely being a supporting player to the case-of-the-week. It's actually his new fiancé who is the one put on trial for the murder of her friend. Laura Benanti is wonderful here - and largely makes me want to watch her as the lead of her own show even more. Yes, it does undercut a ton of what the Morena Baccarin character was to Colin in previous episodes. But when the show is having this much fun - and can even make a joke about Colin's past marital problems - I don't really mind at all.
But then comes all the fancy tricks with Alicia's memory. That's a narrative device the show has really jumped with this season. It's such a novel idea too. So no matter how often it's used, I still enjoy it a whole lot. It's flashes of memory. It's exactly how the memory works in real life. It gives a sense of honesty to the characters as they try to recollect the tiniest pieces of information from their memory. It makes them both feel real as well as flawed. Alicia does make that mistake here. That mistake makes her seem bias against African Americans. But based on her memory pops, we know it's an honest mistake. She only had a one second glance with the guy. It's also the line of questioning that Diane has to do in order to best represent her client. The fact that its a mixture of friend-client-witness makes it more complex and whimsical.
"Tying the Knot" is also busy - a lot of stuff is happening. That franticness really makes that opening act so successful. Alicia has a certain time frame to get Colin's signature. And she's also dealing with all this other stuff with Zach and Eli and Cary and Finn. It's fun to watch while effectively and brilliantly setting the stage for everything else in the episode especially for all those intricate memory pops later.
And then, there's the actually meat of all those other complications. There's a picture of Zach online with a bong. That leads to one awkward conversation between him, Alicia and Owen. It's actually a story that is set up as important but ultimately doesn't lead to anything. But that's also the point. Eli makes a big deal out of it because of the marijuana issue with the governor's office. It symbolizes how we can make such a big deal out of something and worry only for it to have a simply solution later. Then, there's Finn who now is apparently running for State's Attorney with the support of the Governor. That's such an odd left turn that I wasn't expecting - and neither was he. It was suppose to be a simple solution to his problems with his boss that Alicia mentioned as one idea. On the spot, he went with it. And now, it's being built up into something huge. You see its those ebbs and flows that The Good Wife does so well.
Some more thoughts:
- "Tying the Knot" was written by Nichelle Tramble Spellman and directed by Josh Charles.
- Alicia's family has always been very pro-Will. Seeing their reaction to his death is something I've been wanting for. And that anticipation is worth it. It's such a small and simple scene between Alicia and her brother. But it's great. She's ready to stop crying but that's much easier said than done. He also just wants her to get laid.
- Who else wants to hear Owen's marijuana story?
- Why did Colin Sweeney have his jacket off when he was in the kitchen?
- In their own very twisted kind of way, Colin and Renata really do belong with each other.
- Two weeks in a row with The Good Wife starting at its regular time! Woo! It's a miracle!
