I don’t eat my words often and I don’t particularly plan to eat my words now, but one important thing I have learned from watching “The Good Wife’s” seventh season is the importance of commitment.
It is OK to miss an episode or two of a series, but television shows are written like most stories. Freytag’s Pyramid includes “rising action,” “climax” and “falling action” in its logical structure for storytelling, and Episode 13 can be considered the climax of this season.
This is only the second time in Season 7 where Julianna Margulies gets to thoroughly show off her acting chops as she finally experiences a mini nervous breakdown. This season has been dark and depressing from the onset, as Margulies’ character seemed very closed off, robotic even. This episode doesn’t necessarily answer a lot of questions, but brings about the direct confrontation that was needed as Alicia was continually attracting a cycle of self-fulfilling prophecies of failure and passive betrayal … but it wasn’t at all clear why.
We start this episode off with the return of her handsome private investigator, Crouse. He goes straight to Alicia after returning from being “sent away” to work in California by Eli and Ruth’s socially manipulative meddling. Alicia’s sexy love interest’s return is great, but we also find Alicia and Lucca in the thick of things as they stand finally face to face in the courtroom with Alicia’s bully from the first episode of the season, accusing her past bond court judge of being unethical and violating the civil rights of her clients.
This is all small potatoes as Lucca and Alicia are yet get their butts kicked in court, but again this episode kind of reveals her self-fulfilling losses due to damage that’s been going on in her own heart and psyche for some time.
Eli revealing that he deleted a message of true love from her deceased lover, Will, was the first time Alicia showed real emotion on the show, but it also showed the true effects of her long-term mourning. Her anger and pain began to slowly rise to the surface after Eli’s revelation whereas her pain was previously tucked inside of her, causing her to act coldly, selfishly and without much sincere emotional output.
After losing her case, in a very private moment with her business partner, Lucca, Alicia finally breaks her silence. She confesses to Lucca what Eli did to her by repeating a line that she had been sheepishly saying over the last two episodes, “I hurt.”
But this time the “I hurt” was surrounded by confessions of her being completely and utterly sick of her life. She lamented that she was tired of the run around and even her children. She just wanted to get into her bed, pull the covers of her head and never come out.
Her confession, pain and anger was scary, real and somewhat profound for this challenging time in the show’s storyline. Lucca was just as profound as she took Alicia in her arms and confessed that she had no friends and promised Alicia she would be a true friend and all Alicia needed. Very moving. The two women’s bond came off sincere, desperate and very identifiable.
Her release does not keep her out of legal trouble though, as she and Lucca end up getting sued for malpractice for $1.5 million. Nonetheless, her breakdown does give her a lion’s share of courage to finally grab Crouse and kiss him passionately on her elevator as he was leaving her office.
Crouse seemed pleased with her courage, but let her walk off the elevator alone. It must have been very clear to both of them that that kiss was strictly for her — her mental, emotional and physical health.
Eli, Diane and Cary’s appearances in the show were very short and supportive quips to push the storyline of Alicia’s breakdown forward. Eli only arrived in one scene to apologize again and express his deep remorse for lying about Will. After losing it and making out with Crouse (which she does again later in the show), Alicia is finally able to release Eli from the prison of his guilt — and abruptly closes the door in his face.
Her forgiveness was all he was asking for and Alicia gave it and nothing more than that.
Cary offered Alicia a job again, as he had in the last episode but this time Alicia took the job after finding herself in serious trouble with her malpractice suit, a case in which she and Lucca recruited Cary to represent them in.
So, Alicia broke down, went after her lover, forgave Eli and seriously considered going back to working for a firm. It was an action-packed episode, and it was very well acted. Now that we’ve gotten to this point, it is clear to see that Margulies’ cold and restrained acting was calculated and intentional.
It shows how great of an actor she is because you really don’t like her during the entire first half of this season, but now it has been revealed that she really didn’t like herself.
It was hard to watch, but the believability was there and probably a bigger risk that the show should have taken. The next half of the season may reveal if the writers of the Season 7 are geniuses or better off becoming playwrights.
