Standing ovation for David Buckley. During the past two seasons so many episodes of The Good Wife have relied on the moods set by his score, but with a more aggressive and passionate score this time around, it’s hard to give anyone else the MVP award for this episode other than composer David Buckley.
The last time we had an episode this intense on The Good Wife (other than the one that shall not be named) was “Hitting the Fan.” The season five renaissance starter was a non stop thrilling ride from start to finish that was pitch perfect in its delivery and impact. The episodes are similar in that they both involve the entire cast and are fast paced Although this episode failed to reach the heights that “Hitting the Fan” reached, this episode proved once again that The Good Wife does deadlines like no other series.
First, I’m going to start off with the two side storylines. Although the show has quickly evolved past its title, it’s rare to see Alicia not be part of the main storyline. However, this episode we see characters actively trying to keep her out of it as she prepares for her debate. With a crazy english professor, Finn, and eventually Peter stepping in to stand in as Frank Prady, we see Alicia in all aspects of her preparation. From the good, the bad, the ugly, and the badass. Although the storyline somewhat detracted from the intensity of the episode, it was lovely to see Alicia dig into Peter yet again.
The c-storyline involved Cary prepping for prison with a consultant, Bill (Domenick Lombardozzi). It was a “cute” interlude to the story. It felt more like the comic relief of the episode, save for some emotional Kalinda scenes. However, what it did show us was Cary’s emotional state prior to his impending incarceration. He gets to have those quintessential “why is this happening to me?” moments that he so desperately needed from the first of the season. There of course was emotional impact before, but Cary didn’t seem to be taking his case as seriously as his coworkers and we were taking it. Yet another punch came when Bill asked him if he had any family to take his power of attorney. He didn’t. Instead he named two potential people: his friend Alicia, and his girlfriend Kalinda.
With a six hour time crunch, Diane, Kalinda, and pretty much the entire firm must race to find evidence that proves that the prosecution buried evidence that would have proved Cary’s innocence. Who is most determined of the group is of course Kalinda. She has been known to get herself in trouble throughout the series, but she made a decision that may or may not affect her character’s exit from the series. In an effort to protect Cary in prison, she goes to our favorite drug king pin Lemond Bishop to find someone on the inside for Cary to stick to. However, like everything else Bishop has done in the series it comes with catch. This time it’s a mysterious phone call that Kalinda simply has to answer. I’m sure we’ll come back to this later.
Kalinda spends most of the episode running around in high gear doing everything she can to save Cary from incarceration. However, she does spend one small moment to run back to the hotel where Cary is being prepped to sleep with him as per the instructions of the consultant. Kalinda is loyal to very few people. There’s Alicia, Diane, and of course Cary. However, her loyalty to Cary is something of a passion. Of all the lovers that she has had on the show, none of them have come close to having the Kalinda that Cary has.
In an act of desperation, Kalinda asks her computer programmer to teach her how to change meta data to reflect that detective assigned the case had read an email that proved the drugs were already in the country when Cary gave his “advice.” She of course didn’t have to use this when she found that the Detective’s partner had committed entrapment, but she neglected to tell Diane, who ended up using the meta data in court. Cary was free and everyone was happy. Except for Kalinda, who had mixed feelings. This is sure to play into her exit this season.
However, the most compelling and juicy part of the episode was that kiss. Alicia is naturally very controlled and calculating, however she has those moments of passion where she forgets about the repercussions of whatever she’s doing and just jumps. I like to cherish these moments like her quickie in “Hitting the Fan,” the elevator scene in “Closing Arguments,” and now her kiss with Danny in “Hail Mary.” Of course, it may not mean anything. I mean, her partner had just gone through months of trials, incarceration, and arrests, she would be happy. However, the only thing I could think was what that kiss would mean for the series. The Good Wife rarely does anything without further action prepared. Whether someone say them or Danny starts falling for her, I don’t know, but something is bound to happen.
Overall, “Hail Mary” was a fun episode that missed its full potential by thismuch. We weren’t treated to another “Hitting the Fan,” but I didn’t need another one. What I needed was another proper episode of The Good Wife and that’s what I got. However, I’m just looking ahead at what trouble lies in the rest of the season.
Stray Observations:
- There was a lot less Falicia in this episode (can we make that a thing?). However, the energy was still there. To the point where I just wanted them to do the deed right there by the podiums.
- Speaking of Danny, that argument with Eli was perfect. Literally perfect.
- I don’t understand at what point Kalinda become more than a f*ck buddy. Cary constantly refers to her as his girlfriend. Whether or not she feels the same way is yet to be seen.
- “My whole life I wanted to be one thing – a lawyer and I had it. I had it. I had it figured it out. Get to the top take the cases you want, help the people you want. Now, I can’t, I can’t figure anything out.” I said in my review of season premiere that Cary was odd choice as the emotional center of the episode. However, eleven episodes into this season Matt Czuchry proved he deserved it as an actor and Cary deserved it as a character.
- Stay Tuned for Scenes from Our Next Episode: Debate episodes are always fun, but I hope it doesn’t dominate the entire episode. I have more faith in the Kings than that, but what I’m more interested is the inevitable blow back from what ever happens during the debate. Perhaps revealing that someone did in fact see the Danny and Alicia (Dalicia?).
Hey, I'm Karl, founder and film critic at Smash Cut. I started Smash Cut in 2014 to share my love of movies and give a perspective I haven't yet seen represented. I'm also an editor at The New York Times, a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, and a member of the Online Film Critics Society.