What I’m Watching: The Good Wife

The Good Wife: Season 5, Episode 4 “Outside the Bubble” (B+)

More than anything, this episode was a showcase for Diane and for Christine Baranski, who this past year was the only regular cast member to earn an Emmy nomination for her performance. Diane has always been a consistent character whose ability to deal with whatever came at her was admirable. It’s understandable that she would start to crack under the pressure of what’s going on now, being forced out of her own firm and having to contend with her friends not being anywhere near compatible with her new husband. Kurt doesn’t make it easy, but that’s the great thing about Gary Cole here, painting the Sarah Palin-loving, gun-owning ballistic expert as utterly uninterested in what anyone else thinks about him. Telling Will what she had correctly deduced about Alicia’s plan to leave with the fourth-years was a noble move that indicates just how committed she is to the longevity of the firm of which she’ll no longer be a part. It’s hard to predict what’s going to happen now that the secret is out, and it will be interesting to see how Will handles it since he’s much softer than Diane and certainly David, and especially considering his relationship with Alicia. The returns of Rita Wilson’s Viola Walsh and Emmy winner Carrie Preston’s Elsbeth Tascioni were welcome, and what a case this was! Howard’s part in it was the most lamentable, while Kalinda resolving it was equally amusing and considerably more productive. The latest squabble between Eli and Jackie was the best one yet, and it’s great to see the eternally argumentative Eli compromise for once and see very positive results right away.