My Take On…THE GOOD WIFE Season 6 premiere
Full disclosure? I’m so tempted to just type “I love THE GOOD WIFE more than mostly everything on TV,” as my review of the Season 6 premiere (Sunday at 9:30/8:30c on CBS), and leave it at that. That’s how much I love it and the premiere, which I’ve been describing to people as “weird/good” because the story goes so far in a direction I didn’t think it ever would that it felt uncomfortable in a great way.
We pick right up where Season 5’s finale left off – with Eli throwing Alicia for a complete loop by asking her to run for State’s Attorney. She answers immediately, and then we’re thrown into the action of what comes next (kind of spoiler-alert: it doesn’t go Eli’s way…but that doesn’t stop him because why would it)?
As Florrick/Agos deals with a surprising wrench in their daily activities, not to mention the trouble bringing on Diane could cause, Alicia and Finn find themselves at odds in the courtroom (hint: he’s maybe a little more formidable than she was anticipating and I don’t remember him being as lovely and charming last season…). Soon enough, the whole gang is involved (Cary, Carey, Kalinda, Robyn, hell, even David Lee and Louis Canning, because it wouldn’t be a crazy good TGW without those two, with some blast-from-the-past guest stars). The episode is tense and funny; smart and surprising; uncomfortable and well-written; I’d argue that Matt Czuchry has never been better.
Season 5 was a tough one for THE GOOD WIFE. Not because it didn’t have meaty stories and a through-line in the whole season that had me watching on the edge of my seat all year. But because it had to organically ‘get rid of’ their lead actor, their lead romantic interest, and the third corner of the professional triangle of Diane/Alicia/Will when Josh Charles decided he was done on screen as Will Gardner. It could have been a disaster but what happened instead was a solid run of episodes that were some of the best in the show’s history, and that momentum runs through hour one to show us that they have no intention of letting us down!
And for the most surprising thought, if we’re being honest? While I love him and loved Will, and though his presence is felt throughout the episode in a natural way, it was one of the first episodes where I didn’t “miss” Josh Charles, because it felt strong and on steady footing all its own. I can’t say enough about how great the show is, and will continue to say so until I can’t speak any more!
Check out some premiere pics and come back to tell us what you thought of the episode!
