Isn't The Good Wife great?- Page 10
Isn't The Good Wife great?
#225Is The Good Wife Back To Being Great?
Posted: 5/9/16 at 9:31am
Robert and Michelle King have written a goodbye letter to fans, posted on CBS's website.
Dearest Good Wife Friends,
"Thank you" is easy. "Goodbye" is harder.
Thank you for an extraordinary seven seasons of support, encouragement, and commitment to The Good Wife. To say that we could not have done this without you is an understatement.
This is the second time we've written you about the creative decisions involved with The Good Wife:—the first was with the end of Will Gardner; now it's with the end of the series. Both goodbyes involved difficult decisions, and if you found some value in the earlier explanation, you might find some in this one.
We wanted this series—a series that stretched over 156 episodes—to have some shape, some structural meaning. So after we realized we wouldn't be cancelled after 13 episodes, we started to devise a vanishing point we could write toward. That structure, in our minds, was simple. The show would start with a slap and end with a slap. Each slap would involve Alicia. This would be the bookend. She would slap someone who victimized her at the beginning of the series; and she would be slapped by someone she "victimized" at the end.
In this way, the victim would become the victimizer. This is the education of Alicia Florrick.
Alicia's character, to us, was about change. Each season she made choices she could never have made the season before. So over the course of seven years, she became tougher, more powerful, more cunning. Of course, we loved Alicia for this. Each decision made sense in the moment, and we forgave her or congratulated her each time. Even her decision in this last episode—the one that resulted in Diane being hurt—came out of her parental need to keep Grace from following in her path. She didn't want Grace to put her future on hold in order to stand by Peter.
But together all these decisions, legitimate as they were, added up to a character who was becoming more desensitized to her impact. She was becoming more and more like her husband, and, ultimately, Diane was the collateral damage.
That we found interesting. Over seven years could you completely remake your character? Could a victim become a victimizer?
(By the way, parenthetically, that's the cool thing about TV. It allows you to develop a concept that more resembles life. A character keeps changing over the course of seven years, but instead of reading about it in a novel over a weekend, you experience it over the actual seven years—with actors who age along with their characters—except for Grace who seemed to be 15-years-old for a few years. Sorry.)
One theme we kept returning to over and over in the series was: politics isn't out there. It's not something that happens in D.C. or on the news. It happens in our offices, our homes, our marriages. That's why we ended the series the way we did. Alicia is no longer a victim of politics. She is someone who takes charge, someone who controls the agenda.
On one level this is empowering. It allowed Alicia to control her fate. But it also changed her. Ironically, at the exact moment she found the power to leave Peter, she realized she had become Peter.
And that's tragic. Yes, Alicia's story contains tragedy. We still love her. And we hope you do too. The ending is supposed to be unsettling. But we don't think characters need to avoid tragedy to be embraced. We were tempted to have Alicia chase after a man in the end—stop him from getting on a train or an airplane at the last minute, hold him, kiss him. We like those endings. But there was something false about it here. It isn't who Alicia is. In the end, the story of Alicia isn't about who she'll be with; it's about who she'll be.
There is hope in the ending too—we believe. Alicia composes herself and marches toward the future. The two slaps to our mind are chapter endings and headings. If the slap that started the series woke Alicia up—helped her overcome her naivety about her husband and the world's corruption—then this second slap wakes her up to her own culpability. The question is what will she do with that?
Anyway, we should leave it there. We loved writing this series. We loved the comedy, the drama, the tragedy. We loved the lion telephone with Glenn Childs' voice. Elsbeth Tascioni facing off with Bob Balaban. Moo Cow. Eli's raised eyebrow. The Sexual harassment video Alicia and Will were forced to watch. Will clearing Alicia's desk. Cary's trip on mushrooms. Diane's weakness for guns. The YouTube videos the NSA guys sent back and forth.
It's hard to not write for these characters anymore. They seem very real to us—as if we'll turn a corner at the market and find Patti Nyholm there shopping for diapers; or turn another corner and find Judge Abernathy Feeling the Bern.
We've had fun. Thank you for having fun with us. We've also felt sad. Drama embraces both. So thank you for feeling sad with us too. And mostly, thank you for allowing these characters into your home every week for seven years.
It's been an honor to write for them, as well as for you.
With all our gratitude and affection,
Robert & Michelle King
http://www.cbs.com/shows/the_good_wife/news/1005197/the-good-wife-creators-say-farewell-spoilers-/?ftag=MKT-01-10aaa7b
"You travel alone because other people are only there to remind you how much that hook hurts that we all bit down on. Wait for that one day we can bite free and get back out there in space where we belong, sail back over water, over skies, into space, the hook finally out of our mouths and we wander back out there in space spawning to other planets never to return hurrah to earth and we'll look back and can't even see these lives here anymore. Only the taste of blood to remind us we ever existed. The earth is small. We're gone. We're dead. We're safe."
-John Guare, Landscape of the Body
#226Is The Good Wife Back To Being Great?
Posted: 5/9/16 at 9:50am
That is a great letter, and explanation. I think they ran a great show.
Sometimes their attempts at comedy were stupid and anoying though. Lisbeths whole act, Mamie Gummers whole act and way too much Michael J Fox, and Marissa was grating. Oh the investigator who took his kids everywhere and the lawyer who took his dog everywhere had me grabbing the remote they were so stupid. They all remind me of those SNL skits that are funny for about 10 seconds, but go on and on and on and on and....
But they were great with the drama and twist
When They Go Low, I Go High
Updated On: 5/9/16 at 09:50 AM
#227Is The Good Wife Back To Being Great?
Posted: 5/9/16 at 1:52pm
The slap was great. The Will scenes were trite and cloying. The rest was meh. I just didn't care about the character any more .
"What can you expect from a bunch of seitan worshippers?" - Reginald Tresilian
#228Is The Good Wife Back To Being Great?
Posted: 5/9/16 at 4:01pm
My gut instinct was to like the finale last night, and after thinking about it for a bit, I stand by my initial reaction, with one exception: the destruction of the relationship between Diane and Alicia.
For me, the success of a TV show's finale is not about whether or not it is "fan-pleasing" in that it ties things up in a pretty bow and gives us all the goodies we've "earned" by watching all this time. For me, I like finales that feel like they still belong to the same show and what it was about. That's why I liked Lost's finale, because I always read the show as being about people who needed people and that's what the finale focused on. That's why I hated the HIMYM finale, because it abandoned its ideas about unexpected love in order to write something that ignored how the show grew.
And that's why I liked TGW's finale for the most part. This has never been a show about tidy answers and happy endings; it's always lived in the land of ambiguity and complexity and questions. I didn't mind that Alicia didn't "end up" with Jason; the door was left open, and the voicemail signaled to me that he really was her second love (because voicemails symbolized her relationship with Will as well). I liked that we were given hints that Cary's relationship to the main cast might be slowly mending. I was SO glad to see her give Peter the boot. And call me a sucker, but I loved (and cried through) the scenes with Will: I had forgotten how easy, how special that chemistry was, and it wouldn't have been a finale without Will in it in a significant way.
But by wreaking havoc on Diane and Alicia's mended friendship, I felt the show was untrue to itself; it was always about these strong, ambitious, complicated women navigating some of the most complex gender politics on TV. To wreck that relationship and to do it by making their final interactions be in the role of "good wives" to their respective husbands felt off to me.
That said, I have loved this show so much. I actually loved the sense of humor in this show and found it funnier and sharper than most actual comedies. I've loved the characters. Season 5 will always be the bar I measure good TV against. I've loved it all, and I'll miss this show very much.
#229Is The Good Wife Back To Being Great?
Posted: 5/9/16 at 5:45pm
Suprised no one mention the scene AFTER the final credit
Click Here To Toggle Spoiler Content
where Cary was packing g up to move to Stars Hallow with his new gf Rory! Haha
When They Go Low, I Go High
#230Is The Good Wife Back To Being Great?
Posted: 5/9/16 at 6:12pm
I went into the finale knowing the creators would give us something ambiguous and open-ended. Fair enough. I would have cried a lot more had they made the Jason relationship either succeed or fail conclusively. Leaving it hanging left it in an unemotional place for me, and what do I do with that once there are no more episodes left? Simply frustrating.
Regarding the posting from the Kings, I'm mystified why on earth they would want to turn their heroine whom we were all cheering for over 7 seasons into a victimizer on the order of Peter or Eli in the final episode? What on earth does that achieve, except to tell the audience that you've all been swindled into watching the creation of a monster all along, despite her lovely voice and impeccable wardrobe. Her sarcastic version of a meek smile flashed at Matthew Morrison was the nadir of the episode, and maybe the season. What a bummer.
I was happy as a clam with all the Ghost Will scenes, though I was never much of a fan of Josh Charles for the bulk of the series. Who cares about some arcane shenanigans in Peter's damn court case when all we really wanted to know was the depth of Alicia's feelings deep inside at the end of the story. Those scenes with Will lived where I wanted the show to live in its final beats and that was the Alicia I loved best.
#231Is The Good Wife Back To Being Great?
Posted: 5/9/16 at 10:44pm
Having read the creator's note, I really like the finale. However, I didn't understand their intention by just watching the episode. No matter how great an actress Julianna Margulies is, I just thought she was upset about 1) losing Jason (maybe?) and 2) getting slapped. I also didn't remember the slap from the first episode, although I noticed the bookend of the press conference. Reading the note clarified this all for me and makes me really like how it ended, but I can't helped wondering why it wasn't clear in the episode itself.
"Sticks and stones, sister. Here, have a Valium." - Patti LuPone, a Memoir
#232Is The Good Wife Back To Being Great?
Posted: 5/13/16 at 7:09am
Sources say CBS is in final negotiations to set up a spinoff of “The Good Wife” focusing on Christine Baranski’s Diane Lockhart character that would air on CBS All Access.
Actress Cush Jumbo, who joined the “Good Wife” cast in the show’s seventh and final season, is also expected to star in the spinoff. Sources cautioned that the deal is still in negotiations for a straight-to-series order and may not come to fruition. “Good Wife” co-creators/exec producers Robert and Michelle King would likely co-write the project with another “Good Wife” alum. The pair would be exec producers but not serve as showrunners.
http://variety.com/2016/tv/news/the-good-wife-spinoff-christine-baranski-cush-jumbo-cbs-all-access-1201772883/
"You travel alone because other people are only there to remind you how much that hook hurts that we all bit down on. Wait for that one day we can bite free and get back out there in space where we belong, sail back over water, over skies, into space, the hook finally out of our mouths and we wander back out there in space spawning to other planets never to return hurrah to earth and we'll look back and can't even see these lives here anymore. Only the taste of blood to remind us we ever existed. The earth is small. We're gone. We're dead. We're safe."
-John Guare, Landscape of the Body
#233Is The Good Wife Back To Being Great?
Posted: 5/13/16 at 9:12am
Viewers generally don't like long-running series' to end ambiguously (see, The Sopranos).
#234Is The Good Wife Back To Being Great?
Posted: 5/19/16 at 11:49am
The Diane/Lucca spinoff is confirmed, with a Spring 2017 launch. According to the press release, the events of the series will pick up a year after the finale.
http://tvline.com/2016/05/18/the-good-wife-spinoff-diane-lucca-cbs-all-access-time-jump/
"You travel alone because other people are only there to remind you how much that hook hurts that we all bit down on. Wait for that one day we can bite free and get back out there in space where we belong, sail back over water, over skies, into space, the hook finally out of our mouths and we wander back out there in space spawning to other planets never to return hurrah to earth and we'll look back and can't even see these lives here anymore. Only the taste of blood to remind us we ever existed. The earth is small. We're gone. We're dead. We're safe."
-John Guare, Landscape of the Body
#235Is The Good Wife Back To Being Great?
Posted: 5/19/16 at 12:18pm
I never got why Alicia felt like Jason was the catalyst for changing her life. Except for the attraction, there wasn't a deep connection between them. I could have seen it with Finn. Also, I don't think that Diane was being a good wife per se or that the slap was even about the affair. I think it was because she knew how seriously her husband took his career and reputation and the questioning of it now puts an asterisk next to him. The affair was secondary. Besides, there's been such a frenemy dynamic between the two. I have always felt like Alicia is an anti hero like nancy botwin or nurse Jackie because despite seeming nice, she's out for herself and is rather unemotional. I enjoyed the supporting cast more than her. While I loved all of the characters, the writers never seemed to have a long term plan for anyone. So many stories that went nowhere. That said, I'm going to miss it because despite the flaws, I watched it religiously and felt sad knowing it's over.
#236Is The Good Wife Back To Being Great?
Posted: 5/19/16 at 12:43pm
The way I interpreted it was that Alicia knew she had missed her chances with Will and with Finn, mostly due to her own inaction. When she saw the possibility of a relationship with Jason, she was not going to let it die by dragging her feet.
"You travel alone because other people are only there to remind you how much that hook hurts that we all bit down on. Wait for that one day we can bite free and get back out there in space where we belong, sail back over water, over skies, into space, the hook finally out of our mouths and we wander back out there in space spawning to other planets never to return hurrah to earth and we'll look back and can't even see these lives here anymore. Only the taste of blood to remind us we ever existed. The earth is small. We're gone. We're dead. We're safe."
-John Guare, Landscape of the Body
#237Is The Good Wife Back To Being Great?
Posted: 5/19/16 at 12:58pm
^^^^ that makes sense but in the long run, I think he'd just have ended up the push out of the nest since she could never be able to to be as spontaneous as the relationship dictated. He'd be perfect for her mother though! Their relationship was so high school. Luca pretty much all but passed a note saying do you like me? Circle yes or no!
#238Is The Good Wife Back To Being Great?
Posted: 5/19/16 at 5:21pm
AC126748 said: "The Diane/Lucca spinoff is confirmed, with a Spring 2017 launch. According to the press release, the events of the series will pick up a year after the finale.
http://tvline.com/2016/05/18/the-good-wife-spinoff-diane-lucca-cbs-all-access-time-jump/
"
Can we get kalinda back or the blonde haired investigator? Also I totally fell Cary was so underused this season. He's the only person I care bare looking at on the show.
In our millions, in our billions, we are most powerful when we stand together. TW4C unwaveringly joins the worldwide masses, for we know our liberation is inseparably bound.
Signed,
Theater Workers for a Ceasefire
https://theaterworkersforaceasefire.com/statement
#239Is The Good Wife Back To Being Great?
Posted: 5/19/16 at 5:24pm
It strikes me as very odd that this is the second show for CBS' streaming only service. Star Trek's reboot made sense in that format--and I admit I'm being stereotypical here, but I would think The Good Wife's audience would be more into watching the show on a broadcast network...
John Adams
Broadway Legend Joined: 4/1/13
#240Is The Good Wife Back To Being Great?
Posted: 5/21/16 at 1:13am
Although the character was necessary to the success of the show, I thought that Diane was one of the least interesting characters. As "the other female lawyer", I believe the character functioned very well in making Alicia appear to be the stronger of the two. I think the men were more interesting characters because the stronger they were, the stronger Alicia looked when she rose above them.
To make Diane the focus of a spinoff would either: A) be not as interesting as watching Alicia, or B) make it appear that Diane was "hiding" whatever characteristics this new spinoff will ascribe to her to make her an interesting central figure.
If any new spinoff is to be successful in the wake of The Good Wife's success, the new central figure should have displayed some type of interesting characteristic(s) that we, as an audience, would like to see more deeply explored (like in the character of Saul Goodman from Breaking Bad). I don't feel that's the case with Diane Lockhart.
Kalinda Sharma, however? Oh, yeah... Lots to explore there!
#241Is The Good Wife Back To Being Great?
Posted: 5/21/16 at 7:23am
I would imagine you are in the minority of finding Diane to be an uninteresting character (as evidenced by the fact that Baranski is the only cast member who has, thus far, received an Emmy nomination every season she's been eligible). I found Diane's character fascinating -- and the interplay between her and Alicia, as powerful professional women separated by a generation, was one of the highlights of the series for me. It will be even more interesting to see how her relationship with Lucca further develops.
"You travel alone because other people are only there to remind you how much that hook hurts that we all bit down on. Wait for that one day we can bite free and get back out there in space where we belong, sail back over water, over skies, into space, the hook finally out of our mouths and we wander back out there in space spawning to other planets never to return hurrah to earth and we'll look back and can't even see these lives here anymore. Only the taste of blood to remind us we ever existed. The earth is small. We're gone. We're dead. We're safe."
-John Guare, Landscape of the Body
John Adams
Broadway Legend Joined: 4/1/13
#242Is The Good Wife Back To Being Great?
Posted: 5/21/16 at 7:52am
AC126748 said: "I would imagine you are in the minority of finding Diane to be an uninteresting character (as evidenced by the fact that Baranski is the only cast member who has, thus far, received an Emmy nomination every season she's been eligible)."
Yup, could very well be! 
But the evidence doesn't necessarily lie in the fact that Baranski received numerous Emmy nominations. The noms went to the actress, not the character, because Baranski is an amazing actress.
If Emmys were the deciding factor, you might say that my opinion becomes more strongly validated, as Baranski never won the award, but Margulis won twice, and Panjabi won once (over Baranski's nomination that same year).
#243Is The Good Wife Back To Being Great?
Posted: 5/21/16 at 12:02pm
Actually the character I'd be really rooting for on the new show would be Lucca, who held my interest far more than Dianne. Love every single thing Cush Jumbo did on the original series and one season wasn't remotely enough to plum her wonderfulness. I have no clue how on earth to tune in to CBS All Access (yes, I'm over 40), but I'll figure it out once this show airs.
#245Is The Good Wife Back To Being Great?
Posted: 8/1/16 at 5:10am
Ha! I didn't even watch this show and even I wanna see those emails, too.
