Diane is encouraged to "do something" after meeting the leader of a female resistance group whose aim is to sink POTUS' approval rating. Maia and Blum's plan for a plea deal goes awry when Assistant State's Attorney Spencer Zschau takes over the case. Lucca receives a surprising new divorce referral while Marissa helps Julius find a campaign manager to support his run for federal judgeship.
In 2018, there were 495 scripted shows airing amongst the linear channels and streaming services. The way people are consuming content now is so different than it used to be. It happens according to one's own schedule. As such, there is less necessity to provide ample coverage of each specific episode in any given season from a show. Moreover, it is simply impossible to watch everything. As such, this site is making the move to shorter episodic reviews in order to cover as many shows as possible. With all of that being said, here are my thoughts on the next episode of CBS All Access' The Good Fight.
"The One Where Diane Joins the Resistance" was written by Jonathan Tolins and directed by Brooke Kennedy
Maia may achieve a minor victory over Roland Blum here but his mentality is slowly infecting everything at the firm. He is actually a part of the familiar environment with the rest of the characters this week. Sure, it's shocking that no one else in the firm knew that Blum was Maia's co-counsel in this murder case. That may show that they trust her to handle that case by herself - just not enough to have her own office. She is learning how to step up and fight for what she wants. She is learning that lesson from Blum. When he points out the apparent injustice she faces at this firm, she reacts accordingly. It may all be her reacting to Blum though. When she has her one unique action, it settles this case completely by earning a good deal for her client while angering Blum further. He will now be an open antagonist to everyone at the firm. Maia may be able to throw back everything in his face to prove that he's not the only person who can be frightening while telling a wild story. And yet, he is also more than comfortable planting drugs in her car to ensure that she gets arrested. He will do whatever it takes to win. His perception of the world may be slanted and off-kilter. But it can still be so devastating to those people who are trying to make a difference. He also has a chilling confrontation with Diane. He presents as the Trump ally who understands that the world will continue to prop up this president no matter what horrible action he does. It's not just a speed bump on the road to progress. That fuels Diane's own journey in the resistance. That too is such a compelling story because it features Diane actually being scammed by the world. She joins for a sense of purpose. She wants to push back against this current administration. She sees the value in taking out one of the troll farms in the city that is creating all of the fake news content online. Of course, the show may also want the audience to perceive that Diane is a victim of fake news as well. When she's online, she is reading a story about Betsy Devos defending the program that puts cyanide in school lunches. That's absolutely ridiculous. It is the show's continued pursuit of satire in an increasingly crazy world. And yet, it's also getting more difficult to tell what's fake and what's real. That is an ongoing struggle for Diane. She is fooled by this women claiming to be a former Obama official who recruits women in order to tank Trump's approval rating. They succeed in that mission for the moment. They continue to gather long after Valerie is gone. And yet, it was all a ruse so that she could scam these women out of money. She hadn't gotten too far with her con. She is only caught because the NSA happen to be monitoring Diane and flag this as a suspicious interaction. That moment is so chilling as well. This world wants the audience to be aware of just how powerful and dangerous the NSA and its employees can be - especially when they don't understand the repercussions of their actions. It may save Diane and company from being scammed. But it's also an invasion considering she is plotting no terrorist activities whatsoever. That's the context for her and Jay to be monitored and is bound to only create more problems for both of them. But again, Blum inspires Diane to take action because it's still far too easy for people like him to thrive in this world. She believes people have to be doing more to combat the perception that is everything is going to be alright at some point. That idea also bleeds into Liz's divorce. That is a sudden development that once again threatens to expose the false perception the firm is trying to maintain. Liz has to settle this case because she can't risk being labeled as a cheater with Adrian or her father as being less than an honorable man. She is sacrificing her personal happiness for others. That's devastating but it's still something she is reluctantly willing to do in order to continue moving forward in this world.
