What I’m Watching: The Good Wife (Season Premiere)

The Good Wife: Season 4, Episode 1 “I Fought the Law” (A-)

I think I’m prepared to say that this is the best drama on network television. This premiere was furiously interesting, functioning on so many different levels in an extraordinarily effective reintroduction to our many characters and where they are now in their lives. Starting with Zack getting pulled over was terrific, and I loved how that entire case played out, complete with YouTube videos, legal arguments, threats by states attorneys, and culminating in Zack watching some good old-fashioned porn. It’s great to see that Alicia and Cary are now good friends, and that Diane and Will haven’t lost any affection for each other, despite the presence of Nathan Lane’s unfeeling trustee. This is a much less showy role that Lane is accustomed to, and he was particularly excellent in his shared scene with David Lee, which was simply fabulous. It’s somehow not surprising that Kalinda and her husband engage in hand-to-hand combat, and that’s sure to be the most invigorating plotline as the season, as he worms his way back into her life and she brandishes weapons at every opportunity to try to get him to stay away from her. Kristin Chenoweth’s reporter was intriguing, and I’d love to see her return for more invasive interviews. Watching Peter and Alicia’s relationship play out first publicly then privately is fascinating, best evidenced in the conversation, minus Eli, in which Alicia asked Peter whether they were living together and he refused to engage in such a personal conversation, instead answering her only in political terms. This is going to be a great season.