Note: Do not read on if you have not yet seen Season 4, Episode 13 of CBS' "The Good Wife," titled "The Seven Day Rule."
Alicia got the offer of a lifetime ... and so did four other people at Lockhart/Gardner in "The Seven Day Rule."
Lockhart/Gardner's struggle to get out of bankruptcy raged on in the latest "The Good Wife" episode on many fronts. From the new equity partners to David Lee's prenup case with Neil Gross and his fiancee Deena and the hearing with Louis Canning, it was all bankruptcy all the time. "The Good Wife" does a fine job of showing the underbelly of the law that doesn't get the spotlight on other black and white legal dramas.
Will and Diane offered Alicia equity partnership, which is a big deal for a fourth year associate. She was predictably over the moon ... but then the reality hit. She'd have to pay $600,000. Money she doesn't have. Then, surprise! Alicia found out Will and Diane offered to make four other associates equity partners as a way to reduce their debt. It was a tricky ploy that did not sit well with Alicia. Cary, on the other hand, seemed all for it. Lockhart/Gardner got their money in the end and Deena's business going forward. Success!
Over in family law, Deena, Neil Gross' (recurring guest star Jon Benjamin Hickey) fiancee, asked David Lee and Co. to look at her prenup. Deena wanted to just wrap up the prenup, but David Lee and Cary found time to stall and massage the agreements to get the firm more money. All this to benefit the firm. Shady business, but when it's done with the joyful glee in which David Lee does it, it's hard not to root for Lockhart/Gardner ... and to not be entertained.
Meanwhile, in court, Will and Diane sought to extend their bankruptcy payout by another five months. Not having it, Louis Canning (Michael J. Fox) told Clarke (Nathan Lane) that if he helped him, he'd give him a job after he passed the bar exam. As he got more tangled in the murky waters of the law, Clarke sought to right his wrongs and told the truth in court. His testimony helped Lockhart/Gardner get their extension and they lived to see another five months.
In campaign land, Maura Tierney returned as Maddie and was criminally underused. Apparently during their brief friendship Maddie and Alicia discussed religion. Eli Gold tried to make Maddie's atheism an issue and enlisted Alicia to say she believed in God. However, after all the drama with the family law and equity partnership, Alicia didn't lie and told a reporter at a campaign function that she too didn't believe in God and raised her glass. I guess she believes in wine, which isn't a bad choice.
The episode ended with Alicia pouting about all the equity business. But then suddenly, Louis Canning appeared! He offered Alicia a "get out of jail free card," which, in "The Good Wife" world, is his business card. Once again, he has made her an offer. Diane gave Alicia a vaguely threatening pep talk that seemed to resonate with the two of them. Alicia begrudgingly stopped pouting and showed up at the party, gracious for the chance to become an equity partner and Diane slowly released just the type of woman she was becoming.
One of the stronger episodes of the season, but I still feel as if "The Good Wife" is in a holding pattern, unsure of where it's taking the main stories. So instead of really moving those forward, it's stalling and loading up on the guest stars.
Gasp count: None.
Some other things:
"Sorry to be so melodramatic ..." - Diane
"You don't know what a roller coaster this has been."- Alicia. Girl, we all do.
"If he wants a war, he's got one." - Diane
"You're pouting. It's unbecoming." - Diane
"The Good Wife" airs Sundays, 9 p.m. EST on CBS.