What I’m Watching: The Good Wife

The Good Wife: Season 5, Episode 5 “Hitting the Fan” (A-)

This was an action-packed hour that just didn’t let up, turning everything on its head and reshaping the relationships that these characters have had for so many years. Will’s reaction to Alicia leaving was first one of shock and then one of anger, and telling her that she was poison when they hired her was cruel. The ways in which Diane, Will, David, and Howard approached their dissenting former employees were vastly different, but it still wasn’t a kind process. Hearing “You’re fired!” uttered without any emotion was a sure sign of cutting off relationships and changing things in an irreversible way. Kalinda choosing her side was surprising, cozying up to Cary to get important information about his new firm and then reporting it directly back to Will. Without Diane, the vengeful team of Will and David, with Kalinda under them, might be a credible threat. Using Neil Gross and ChumHum as the make-or-break client was interesting since he’s been portrayed in the past as an unreasonable man who in this hour seemed rather literal about the back-and-forth that occurred with both teams being hit with restraining orders as they were about to meet with him. Peter’s role in this episode was fascinating, as he threatened Will and then stood up for Alicia by talking about what taxes he might impose on internet companies. Coming home for a quickie was a rare moment of martial bliss between him and Alicia, but the final scene of the episode was far more worrisome, since he, unlike Alicia, isn’t forgiving, and Diane seems to have just cost herself the judgeship, which shakes things up in an incredible way.