The Good Wife "Shiny Objects" Review: Dull Distractions

The Good Wife S06E05: "Shiny Objects"

After last week's very superb "Oppo Research" (Bishop setting up that PAC for Alicia? Terrific stuff), "Shiny Objects" was decidedly snoozy. And I'm saying that about an episode that involved a clown singing, "Here I am, a clown in your mind." I mean, I truly find it startling that an hour involving so many insights into Elsbeth's thought processes could be dull. Or maybe I'm just angry that Elsbeth doesn't like penguins. That's some nonsense right there.

However, aside from mine and Elsbeth's differing opinions on the flightless birds of the sea, I think the real challenge "Shiny Objects" faced was that it featured a number of interesting stories—Alicia versus Elsbeth in court, Diane's frustration with a startup firm, Kalinda reconnecting with Lana, tension in the wake of Alicia's candidacy announcement—that were tarnished by tedious trappings, namely the ransomware plot.

The ransomware thing was classic Good Wife: The show loves to have fun with technology-related topics. That approach has worked for Bitcoin, the formula that search engines use to organize their results, NSA surveillance operations, and Anonymous protesters. And in "Shiny Objects," apart from Diane clicking on the pop-up in the first place—which felt very, "Ha, older people and computers, am I right, folks?"—the show did have its fun, sort of. There was hold Muzak, an old man unknowingly laundering ill-gotten gains (another "old people and computers!" moment), and the eventual resolution, with Carey (who finally seems useful) and Kalinda RATing the Russian cybercriminal responsible for it all. It just never felt like much fun; the energy wasn't there, so a lot of it fell really flat for me. Even Kalinda infecting the criminal's computer with anti-Putin propaganda didn't seem like much of a sly victory, and the datedness of the Pussy Riot reference didn't help.

However, even though none of the ransomware plot really clicked for me, it did give Diane a lot to do, and that involved the realization that the romance of a startup isn't as romantic when you're not young and just starting out. A lack of dedicated IT services, dripping water, and roaches... sure, I would've liked to see Diane's mounting frustrations spread out over at least another episode or two—especially considering the hard sell she gave Dean a few weeks ago—but I like that Diane is, essentially, too old for this shit. The leased floors are a handy escape hatch for The Good Wife's writers, and an even handier way to keep David Lee and Louis Canning in the mix, but I hope that, in contrast to Diane's too-easy arrival, the move back to the same building as Lockhart, Gardner & Canning will at least be met with some resistance. After all, it would mean a shift in Florrick/Agos's culture, something Cary has been trying to avoid, but without much luck or screen time.

In addition to yielding material for Diane, the ransomware silliness also provided Kalinda with something worthwhile to do. Yes, she still had to contact one of her connected exes, this time FBI agent Lana (Jill Flint), but just like with Diane's realization that she misses the life she had, the situation gave Kalinda some personal issues to grapple with as well. Since Will's death, I don't know that I've seen a better Good Wife scene centered on Kalinda and Archie Panjabi than the one in which she tried not to betray any emotions as Lana discussed coming out to her mother. We got to see Kalinda trying to hold it together, and then we saw her shift into trying to appear as the no-nonsense, tough-as-nails dame she presents herself as. Next, it'd be nice to know if these cracks in her emotional facade are a result of Will's death and her relationship with Cary; we can certainly read those elements into her behavior, but I'd also like some real "access" to Kalinda.

That access will have to happen to this season. In case you missed the news, Archie Panjabi will not be back for the theoretical (but probably very likely) seventh season of The Good Wife. She's signed a talent deal with 20th Century Television, which includes her own drama pilot. And given Kalinda's trajectory, leaving The Good Wife to star in something new is obviously a no-brainer for Panjabi. Of all the characters the show could stand to lose as its original series regulars begin to renegotiate their contracts, Kalinda will be the easiest to drop since she's been so adrift for so long. Her departure will be a blow for the show's cast—as well as for the diversity of both The Good Wife's and TV overall—but I hope that Panjabi will be better served by a new project.

For the case of the week, a female CEO was being fired for her purported failure to fit in with her company's corporate culture. However, her termination also appeared to be the result of her being a woman with a forceful management style, which wouldn't've been an issue if she were a man. It wasn't The Good Wife's boldest or most intricate case, but one that I wish had had more time to breathe. This sort of sexist double-standard is a hot issue right now, especially as Marissa Mayer of Yahoo! and Mary Barra of GM tackle a range of problems for their respective companies, so giving it some more play before the case became more of a trade secrets scenario might've been worthwhile. Even the idea that it was a cultural relativism issue was fascinating to me.

Of course, the case was mostly just a vehicle that allowed us to access the inner-workings of Elsbeth's mind, which were represented by associative montages. Honestly, if all of "Shiny Objects" had focused on Elsbeth's mind and xylophone music, I probably would've loved it. The Good Wife continues to excel at creating a subjective experience for both its characters and its audience, and in a way that I don't think many other TV shows are willing to even think about doing. In light of the Kalinda stuff this week, though, I am a little frustrated that we've only had the barest of glimpses inside Kalinda's head, yet "Shiny Objects" spent so much time within Elsbeth's. It feels like more proof that The Good Wife hasn't really managed Kalinda that well, or is even that interested in doing so.

Okay, so there was one other good thing about this episode, and that was the wrangling over the introductions of Alicia at her candidacy announcement. I suspect that, if Alicia had just explained the situation to Finn in a straightforward way instead of handling him, Finn would've understood and stepped aside. That she didn't, however, may telegraph just how much she wants Finn in her life—and by extension, how much she still wants to maintain some connection to Will.

Of course, if things been easier, we wouldn't've gotten that scene between Alicia and Peter in the service corridor, which pretty much atoned for everything else that occurred in "Shiny Objects." It wasn't an exact recreation of the scene from the pilot where Alicia slapped Peter after his resignation announcement, but that sort of callback—both for us to pick up on and for the show to call attention to with the montage of old "stand by your husband" photos—is one of the great perks of television, and of a show as well-crafted as The Good Wife. Alicia still carries all the betrayal, but now she's increasingly able to weaponize her anger and use it against Peter in ways that she couldn't do before. It makes the show so damn rich and powerful, regardless of whether you've watched since the beginning or marathoned it to catch up. It also allows us to forgive the show a few stumbles every now and then.

SIDEBAR

– I love how much I still intensely dislike Josh Perroti—UGH, that sniffy lean-in after he asked Elsbeth to dinner—while still totally grooving on Kyle MacLachlan's performance. It's a master class in acting slimey while still being completely watchable.

– David Lee tearing up the email? Great. Diane explaining how he's being an idiot for tearing up a printed copy of an email? Greater.

– Small thing that I loved: The joint walk-away by Eli and Jonathan. It was a total move by two seasoned politicos who know to escape a spousal slugfest. I'm enjoying Steven Pasquale's work on The Good Wife so far. Then again, anything is step up from Do No Harm.

– I live in Georgia, which is currently home to very competitive races for both the Governor's office and a U.S. Senate seat. Consequently, The Good Wife has become a popular program during which to run political ads. So popular, in fact, that I do a shot every time one of them airs, with an extra shot after each PAC ad. I am so drunk right now.

What'd you think of "Shiny Objects"?