The Good Wife: Red Meat
March 22, 2015 9:43 PM - Season 6, Episode 16 - Subscribe
It's election day! Both Alicia and Diane discover that they love shooting. Finn gifts Alicia with a distracting game of Halo while she waits. Diane's on that hunting trip with Kurt, both hunting deer and clients. Dylan gets kicked out of school, Kalinda's being followed, and Bishop comes up with a solution to at least one of his problems.
It's election day! Bishop calls Alicia to wish her luck and she is way too distracted to recognize him or talk, which annoys him greatly because he thought she was bought and paid for. I think she's distracted by that chocolate donut. Finn leaves Alicia a nice distracting game of Halo, which she plays with Marissa, and at one point I wonder if she should be having certain political conversations while players hear her. Later Finn comes on and Alicia asks him out for dinner, but he's already dating somebody. In England, I presume.
Meanwhile, Peter brags that his wife's got the election sewn up to the media, which pisses off Alicia's campaign people and is seen as discouraging voters. Eli winces miserably during their ensuing argument. NICE REVENGE, PETER. They spend the rest of the episode debating doing a last minute robocall and who would make it (NOT PETER...what about that chick from the West Wing? Not that one....) and for what. It's lame. Alicia surmises, perhaps rightly, that Peter doesn't want her to win. I surmise he's getting revenge for Alicia calling him a racist. But later Peter has an "impromptu" speech that blocks traffic, leading to...dammit, Alicia won. There goes the law firm. And so much for that concession speech she wrote months before after filing.
Alicia sneaks off to meet Prady and ask him to be her #2, but he disagrees with her "pessimistic" approach and says it won't work, so no. Marissa will stick with Alicia, Johnny gets all sad when he sees Peter show up at the campaign party and says he's going to leave.
We get to see Diane and Kurt on their hunting trip! Diane even has a hunting outfit! On the other hand, she's trapped with Republicans. Diane perks up when she finds out about rich dudes there needing lawyers, so that gives her something to hunt. At first she's dismayed when the ladies are shunted off to a spa day, but then she takes the opportunity to go after a tech guy's wife who supposedly wears the pants in the family. Kurt helpfully gets himself into a blind with Gil and calls Diane to "get his other gun." How sweet! Too bad Gil starts running for it as Diane makes her pitch. Turns out that's his CALL GIRL, not his wife. AWKWARD!
On the other hand, Diane is left behind with a guy named R.D., and they have a debate about abortion for two hours. Diane also shoots a deer and she likes shooting (oh, Diane, I also liked shooting when I tried it, though I went to a gun range), but doesn't have the appetite to eat her kill. On the other hand, she finds out that R.D. is the fourth richest man in America and he'd probably be delighted to hire her because he had such fun arguing. As long as they don't do pro-life/anti-abortion cases, anyway.
Kalinda's still being followed on the way to school. Bishop "takes care of it" by following her tail to school and having his guys go after the men in the car while they're at a stoplight. This is unfortunately witnessed by someone at the school and Dylan is kicked out, for the third school in a row. Bishop feels terrible for his kid and decides he's going to get out of the business before he ruins his son's life. However, he's got news for Kalinda: she's the one being followed by Geneva Pine's men. He asks her to work with Alicia to get Geneva to back off, because it's the retired dealers with no power who go to jail.
Quotes:
"Don't mock me, I'm carrying a firearm." -Diane
"My god, there must be 400 billion worth of legal fees in that room!" -David Lee
"You hunt deer, I hunt clients." "But which head are we going to mount over the fireplace?" --Diane and Kurt
"Now you know what it's like around your friends." -Kurt as everyone applauds the Republican Senate
"You're seriously thinking of leaving me alone with all of those Republican women?" -Diane
"Every girl's bra size increases a letter when they become an avatar." -Marissa on Halo.
"You want to be the only winner in the family." -Alicia to Peter
Georgette the call girl says that Gil hates Jews but he's not anti-Semitic or anything....she I used to date a Jewish guy and he gets a little jealous.
"Men really secretly want to be manipulated." -Georgette
"Okay, you're Justice Girl, and I'm Badass Kicka." -Marissa
"There are no words for how much I love you." -Diane after Kurt gets in with Gil in a blind and calls her to "go get his other gun."
"Well, don't worry, we won't make you drink the blood." -Gil
R.D. and Diane have a conversation about Gil's lady: "He said he'd either bring a call girl or a Democrat. We all voted for the call girl." "Is that a joke?" "No."
More R.D. and Diane: "So what should we talk about? Killing babies?" "Sure, why not, we both have rifles. Let's see what comes of this."
"Northbound Lower Wacker is your best bet." This exists? Y'all are weird in Chicago.
"My life is strangling any chance of him living his." -Bishop
Other thoughts: Speaking as a hippie liberal...yeah, realistically speaking I should be anti-gun, more people die when they have guns in the home, I don't particularly want to kill anything or anybody... BUT SHOOTING IS JUST FUN. I speak as someone who kept her shot-out sheets from hunting and put them on the wall just to remind myself that I can aim while sober. Really, isn't that the issue with arguments over gun control? It's hard to get past the "hey, it's fun to hit what you aim at" aspect of it.
That's very nice of you to quit the biz, Bishop. Good luck with that.
And back to the campaign...dammit, I didn't want her to win. I don't want her ditching her own firm. Dammit, dammit, dammit.
It's election day! Bishop calls Alicia to wish her luck and she is way too distracted to recognize him or talk, which annoys him greatly because he thought she was bought and paid for. I think she's distracted by that chocolate donut. Finn leaves Alicia a nice distracting game of Halo, which she plays with Marissa, and at one point I wonder if she should be having certain political conversations while players hear her. Later Finn comes on and Alicia asks him out for dinner, but he's already dating somebody. In England, I presume.
Meanwhile, Peter brags that his wife's got the election sewn up to the media, which pisses off Alicia's campaign people and is seen as discouraging voters. Eli winces miserably during their ensuing argument. NICE REVENGE, PETER. They spend the rest of the episode debating doing a last minute robocall and who would make it (NOT PETER...what about that chick from the West Wing? Not that one....) and for what. It's lame. Alicia surmises, perhaps rightly, that Peter doesn't want her to win. I surmise he's getting revenge for Alicia calling him a racist. But later Peter has an "impromptu" speech that blocks traffic, leading to...dammit, Alicia won. There goes the law firm. And so much for that concession speech she wrote months before after filing.
Alicia sneaks off to meet Prady and ask him to be her #2, but he disagrees with her "pessimistic" approach and says it won't work, so no. Marissa will stick with Alicia, Johnny gets all sad when he sees Peter show up at the campaign party and says he's going to leave.
We get to see Diane and Kurt on their hunting trip! Diane even has a hunting outfit! On the other hand, she's trapped with Republicans. Diane perks up when she finds out about rich dudes there needing lawyers, so that gives her something to hunt. At first she's dismayed when the ladies are shunted off to a spa day, but then she takes the opportunity to go after a tech guy's wife who supposedly wears the pants in the family. Kurt helpfully gets himself into a blind with Gil and calls Diane to "get his other gun." How sweet! Too bad Gil starts running for it as Diane makes her pitch. Turns out that's his CALL GIRL, not his wife. AWKWARD!
On the other hand, Diane is left behind with a guy named R.D., and they have a debate about abortion for two hours. Diane also shoots a deer and she likes shooting (oh, Diane, I also liked shooting when I tried it, though I went to a gun range), but doesn't have the appetite to eat her kill. On the other hand, she finds out that R.D. is the fourth richest man in America and he'd probably be delighted to hire her because he had such fun arguing. As long as they don't do pro-life/anti-abortion cases, anyway.
Kalinda's still being followed on the way to school. Bishop "takes care of it" by following her tail to school and having his guys go after the men in the car while they're at a stoplight. This is unfortunately witnessed by someone at the school and Dylan is kicked out, for the third school in a row. Bishop feels terrible for his kid and decides he's going to get out of the business before he ruins his son's life. However, he's got news for Kalinda: she's the one being followed by Geneva Pine's men. He asks her to work with Alicia to get Geneva to back off, because it's the retired dealers with no power who go to jail.
Quotes:
"Don't mock me, I'm carrying a firearm." -Diane
"My god, there must be 400 billion worth of legal fees in that room!" -David Lee
"You hunt deer, I hunt clients." "But which head are we going to mount over the fireplace?" --Diane and Kurt
"Now you know what it's like around your friends." -Kurt as everyone applauds the Republican Senate
"You're seriously thinking of leaving me alone with all of those Republican women?" -Diane
"Every girl's bra size increases a letter when they become an avatar." -Marissa on Halo.
"You want to be the only winner in the family." -Alicia to Peter
Georgette the call girl says that Gil hates Jews but he's not anti-Semitic or anything....she I used to date a Jewish guy and he gets a little jealous.
"Men really secretly want to be manipulated." -Georgette
"Okay, you're Justice Girl, and I'm Badass Kicka." -Marissa
"There are no words for how much I love you." -Diane after Kurt gets in with Gil in a blind and calls her to "go get his other gun."
"Well, don't worry, we won't make you drink the blood." -Gil
R.D. and Diane have a conversation about Gil's lady: "He said he'd either bring a call girl or a Democrat. We all voted for the call girl." "Is that a joke?" "No."
More R.D. and Diane: "So what should we talk about? Killing babies?" "Sure, why not, we both have rifles. Let's see what comes of this."
"Northbound Lower Wacker is your best bet." This exists? Y'all are weird in Chicago.
"My life is strangling any chance of him living his." -Bishop
Other thoughts: Speaking as a hippie liberal...yeah, realistically speaking I should be anti-gun, more people die when they have guns in the home, I don't particularly want to kill anything or anybody... BUT SHOOTING IS JUST FUN. I speak as someone who kept her shot-out sheets from hunting and put them on the wall just to remind myself that I can aim while sober. Really, isn't that the issue with arguments over gun control? It's hard to get past the "hey, it's fun to hit what you aim at" aspect of it.
That's very nice of you to quit the biz, Bishop. Good luck with that.
And back to the campaign...dammit, I didn't want her to win. I don't want her ditching her own firm. Dammit, dammit, dammit.
Oh, Chicago! Now you've gone and elected someone who is beholden to Lemond Bishop AND Ed Asner, and is willing to lie about stuff for political gain! You would have been so much better off with Frasier's brother!
I just hope the showrunners aren't going to totally turn this show into "The Breaking Bad Wife" so that by the end of the series she has killed Bishop for political expediency, taken over his drug trade, and reduced Chris Noth to a subservient mouthpiece. I hope some of the "good" from the good wife returns.
I am really enjoying Marissa.
posted by onlyconnect at 6:30 AM on March 23, 2015
I just hope the showrunners aren't going to totally turn this show into "The Breaking Bad Wife" so that by the end of the series she has killed Bishop for political expediency, taken over his drug trade, and reduced Chris Noth to a subservient mouthpiece. I hope some of the "good" from the good wife returns.
I am really enjoying Marissa.
posted by onlyconnect at 6:30 AM on March 23, 2015
I loved the meta joke when the news announced that they were projecting a winner ... right after this message. Everyone groans. Cut to black and an actual commercial.
posted by pmurray63 at 6:37 AM on March 23, 2015 [5 favorites]
posted by pmurray63 at 6:37 AM on March 23, 2015 [5 favorites]
Kalinda gets mistaken for "Mrs. Bishop". Heh. And Lemond's the one person she would never have sex with.
Not sure I bought that Dylan keeps getting expelled from private schools. Why did the schools take him in the first place?
That poor deer. I know there are too many of them, but it's a beautiful creature just living its life and some rich jackass kills it for fun.
I cringed when Diane showed up with Kurt's gun and immediately launched into a pitch for her law firm. She couldn't be a touch more subtle about it? Far better to actually engage with people and get to know them a little first, as she did with R.D.
I did not want Alicia to win. Come on, she goes from stay at home mom whom no one but an old college friend who's in love with her will hire to partner to starting her own firm to State's Attorney in six years?
Huh, turns out Peter actually did want Alicia to win and that he made that declaration because he honestly believed she would win and didn't believe the advisors who said it would make Alicia's voters too complacent to vote. Peter really is quite the ultimate portrayal of a politician of the Bill Clinton type. He's such a mix of really terrible and stellar qualities. As I reflected during a recent rewatch of all the episodes from the beginning, he's an extraordinarily tough-minded man. At the beginning of the show, he'd fucked up so badly he had been publicly disgraced, ruined his marriage and dragged his kids through hell, then wound up losing his job and his home and doing jail time for something he didn't do. He was supposed to serve ten years! But we saw no depression and no self-pity. He took prison in his stride, never complained about it, and asked sympathy from no one. When Alicia told him, "You're looking well," he shrugged and said, "There are some good guys in here." He remained completely focused on what he needed to do to get his life back, and he got it back. Or almost, until more of what he'd done came to light. It's this very toughness that is both a tremendous asset and his Achilles heel. The lack of self-reflection that makes it possible for him to put his mistakes behind him and move on also makes it possible for him to be a colossal pig, because he just doesn't ever feel that bad about anything.
After trying to get Alicia to eat and drink things she didn't want to eat or drink all year, Marissa finally comes up with the right proffer: donuts.
posted by orange swan at 8:41 AM on March 23, 2015 [1 favorite]
Not sure I bought that Dylan keeps getting expelled from private schools. Why did the schools take him in the first place?
That poor deer. I know there are too many of them, but it's a beautiful creature just living its life and some rich jackass kills it for fun.
I cringed when Diane showed up with Kurt's gun and immediately launched into a pitch for her law firm. She couldn't be a touch more subtle about it? Far better to actually engage with people and get to know them a little first, as she did with R.D.
I did not want Alicia to win. Come on, she goes from stay at home mom whom no one but an old college friend who's in love with her will hire to partner to starting her own firm to State's Attorney in six years?
Huh, turns out Peter actually did want Alicia to win and that he made that declaration because he honestly believed she would win and didn't believe the advisors who said it would make Alicia's voters too complacent to vote. Peter really is quite the ultimate portrayal of a politician of the Bill Clinton type. He's such a mix of really terrible and stellar qualities. As I reflected during a recent rewatch of all the episodes from the beginning, he's an extraordinarily tough-minded man. At the beginning of the show, he'd fucked up so badly he had been publicly disgraced, ruined his marriage and dragged his kids through hell, then wound up losing his job and his home and doing jail time for something he didn't do. He was supposed to serve ten years! But we saw no depression and no self-pity. He took prison in his stride, never complained about it, and asked sympathy from no one. When Alicia told him, "You're looking well," he shrugged and said, "There are some good guys in here." He remained completely focused on what he needed to do to get his life back, and he got it back. Or almost, until more of what he'd done came to light. It's this very toughness that is both a tremendous asset and his Achilles heel. The lack of self-reflection that makes it possible for him to put his mistakes behind him and move on also makes it possible for him to be a colossal pig, because he just doesn't ever feel that bad about anything.
After trying to get Alicia to eat and drink things she didn't want to eat or drink all year, Marissa finally comes up with the right proffer: donuts.
posted by orange swan at 8:41 AM on March 23, 2015 [1 favorite]
Alicia as elected official can't be more annoying a plot than the election one, right? Also I don't believe Finn is dating someone.
posted by jeather at 5:46 PM on March 23, 2015
posted by jeather at 5:46 PM on March 23, 2015
That was depressing.
I do think Peter was trying to get back at her for her comments about racism, although she couched it as well as she could in the interview. She needed to score some points and she did and he was pissed that it came at his expense. So he came up with the perfect rejoinder, that was masterful. He only came about because Eli reminded him that his reputation was linked to Alicia's success. That's why he made the last minute, traffic-snarling speech but let Eli be the first to call with congratulations.
I enjoyed the Diane story and at least it gave us a glimpse of Cary and David Lee. A final season as SA means new characters and downplaying Florrick-Argos-Lockhart. I know others have commented that for a tentpole character, she's a cipher but I did enjoy watching her story develop. Now I'd just as soon keep watching Argos-Lockhart.
How many more episodes are left in this season?
posted by TWinbrook8 at 11:39 PM on March 23, 2015
I do think Peter was trying to get back at her for her comments about racism, although she couched it as well as she could in the interview. She needed to score some points and she did and he was pissed that it came at his expense. So he came up with the perfect rejoinder, that was masterful. He only came about because Eli reminded him that his reputation was linked to Alicia's success. That's why he made the last minute, traffic-snarling speech but let Eli be the first to call with congratulations.
I enjoyed the Diane story and at least it gave us a glimpse of Cary and David Lee. A final season as SA means new characters and downplaying Florrick-Argos-Lockhart. I know others have commented that for a tentpole character, she's a cipher but I did enjoy watching her story develop. Now I'd just as soon keep watching Argos-Lockhart.
How many more episodes are left in this season?
posted by TWinbrook8 at 11:39 PM on March 23, 2015
okay, it's 5 or 6 episodes left and...
"If I set off a bomb in here, we'd have Democrat Presidents for the next 30 years."
posted by TWinbrook8 at 11:56 PM on March 23, 2015
"If I set off a bomb in here, we'd have Democrat Presidents for the next 30 years."
posted by TWinbrook8 at 11:56 PM on March 23, 2015
Does Halo have death-screams that can be heard by other players like that? It's been a few years but that sounded weird.
posted by cardboard at 9:41 AM on March 24, 2015
posted by cardboard at 9:41 AM on March 24, 2015
Was that Halo? I thought so too at first, but then it occurred to me it might make more sense to be the new Bungie game, whatever it's called. Destiny? Disappointment?
posted by insert.witticism.here at 4:19 PM on March 24, 2015
posted by insert.witticism.here at 4:19 PM on March 24, 2015
Oliver Platt as a recurring character, especially up against Diane, will be a great addition to the show. I hope the show moves back to being an ensemble drama.
posted by stowaway at 10:02 PM on March 24, 2015
posted by stowaway at 10:02 PM on March 24, 2015
So many feelings about this episode! On the one hand, really glad the election is finally over after all the build-up, but I so didn't want her to win! I know it fits into the thesis of the show (power > truth and Alicia's corruption/seduction by the former) but I don't want Alicia to be opposing Diane/Cary... ugh. (As others have said, maybe some dirt will come up that will prevent Alicia from taking office... ?)
After the episode ended, my SO turned to me and we both said, "They still never really explained why Alicia needed to run for State's Attorney..." (especially after Cary's trumped-up drug charges went away).
Also feeling ready for the Kalinda-and-Bishop sideshow to wrap up (in whatever way it will), and glad to see Finn back in the mix. Most importantly: Diane and Kurt continue to be flawless and seeing them have their own story in this episode was a delight.
posted by Zephyrial at 2:19 PM on March 25, 2015
After the episode ended, my SO turned to me and we both said, "They still never really explained why Alicia needed to run for State's Attorney..." (especially after Cary's trumped-up drug charges went away).
Also feeling ready for the Kalinda-and-Bishop sideshow to wrap up (in whatever way it will), and glad to see Finn back in the mix. Most importantly: Diane and Kurt continue to be flawless and seeing them have their own story in this episode was a delight.
posted by Zephyrial at 2:19 PM on March 25, 2015
Yeah, I have to say the saddest thing about the last few episodes is seeing Kalinda acting as Bishop's babysitter. She's a much better character than being reduced to looking worried everytime she talks to Bishop after dropping his kid home from school.
posted by TwoWordReview at 4:50 PM on March 25, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by TwoWordReview at 4:50 PM on March 25, 2015 [3 favorites]
"They still never really explained why Alicia needed to run for State's Attorney..."
I think she was just really, really pissed at Castro and his shenanigans. Also he brought up Will.
Unfortunately, that plotline went to hell the second the actor who played Castro dropped out of the show, and she really had no reason on her own to do it. Has anyone heard whatever happened there?!
posted by jenfullmoon at 7:56 PM on March 25, 2015
I think she was just really, really pissed at Castro and his shenanigans. Also he brought up Will.
Unfortunately, that plotline went to hell the second the actor who played Castro dropped out of the show, and she really had no reason on her own to do it. Has anyone heard whatever happened there?!
posted by jenfullmoon at 7:56 PM on March 25, 2015
I thought that Diane's technique of pitching to the young tech magnate was really clumsy for her - just to launch right into the sell like that instead of leading up to it subtly. She's such a great game player and manipulator that it just seemed out of character. But I guess the writers needed to get through that plotline quickly.
Also, when did David Lee come back to work with F/A/L? Did I miss that part?
posted by matildaben at 11:54 AM on March 30, 2015
Also, when did David Lee come back to work with F/A/L? Did I miss that part?
posted by matildaben at 11:54 AM on March 30, 2015
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Maybe I'm stretching here, but I like to think that was all a sly nod to the classic "wrath of the whatever from high atop the thing" scene from The West Wing.
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 10:46 PM on March 22, 2015