The Good Wife review – 6×22: ‘Wanna Partner?’

Courtesy of CBS

OMG Kalinda (Archie Panjabi) and Alicia (Julianna Margulies) shared a freaking scene!!!

Let’s bitch it out…

There are a lot of moving parts in ‘Wanna Partner?’ but we have to start by addressing the elephant in the show: Kalinda’s unexpected return. The moment that Alicia and Finn (Matthew Goode) share a drink in the bar, it made my heart yearn for the old days when Alicia went for drinks with Kalinda. And then suddenly she’s there, and there’s tequila shots and Kalinda explains what their friendship meant and how she wishes they could do it over. Oh man – I won’t lie, that scene kinda sold the entire finale for me. It’s pay-off for a six year friendship and closure for Kalinda’s season six storyline and the dialogue and delivery by Panjabi and Margulies is perfectly executed to tug on the heartstrings in all the right ways.

Rewinding back to the start, the final case of the sixth season starts off in media res as Alicia receives a call from Jacob Riktor (Seth Gilliam). We barely have any idea what’s happening before Alicia gets a second call – straight to voicemail – that sounds as though he’s being accosted. With the help of Finn, she eventually realizes that Riktor’s being held in “Chicago’s Blacksite” aka “Homeless Square” in relation to his medical marijuana enterprise. The case that follows has its ups and downs, but ultimately it proves several facts: 1) Alicia is a damn good lawyer, especially when she feels passionately about the case and 2) Alicia and Finn make a great team…possibly too good (more on that below).

Throughout the episode, Alicia repeatedly proves her strength. We saw glimpses of it throughout the State’s Attorney race, but too often she was being handled, her voice and actions restricted. Freed from the constraints of doing other people’s bidding, however, and Alicia has never been more resilient and empowered. She’s always been impressive when she’s working a case, but this is a nice reminder that Alicia has what it takes to make it on her own. As the sun sets on an uneven season that saw Alicia sidelined from the best aspects of the series, here’s hoping that this strong, amazing woman stays on track when the series returns for a (presumed) final season.

Other Observations:

• It’s good to see Wallace Shawn again as Mr. Lester, Bishop’s other lawyer, even if his scenes mostly serve to provide Kalinda with her exit strategy. He’s such a shuffling, devious character – I appreciated that he tried his own proposition of Kalinda before she walked away. It would be fun to see him partner with Canning (Michael J. Fox) since they’re really two of a kind.
• Double bonus points for Kalinda’s final moments as she dons a pair of oversize Jacquie O sunglasses and slowly struts off to destinations unknown. It’s a total fuck yeah moment and a happily unexpected one considering that we all expected her to get gunned down just a few episodes ago.
• The Democratic Committee has asked Peter (Chris Noth) to run for President in the hopes he becomes a viable Vice-Presidential candidate. It’s obviously a shock to everyone: Alicia takes a moment to process before congratulating him and Grace (Makenzie Vega) wants to know if they’ll still “pretend” to be married. This storyline revisits the tension in their marriage, though it leaves things on tenuous footing for the seventh season as it’s unclear if Peter will actually heed Alicia’s request not to run or if he will answer the call of even more power.
• Cheers: Finn accepts Alicia’s proposal to start a firm. Jeers: He later confesses that his girlfriend is actually his ex-wife and they’re making another go of it. And yet, when they get drinks and he confesses he might get sloppy <SIGH> Naturally this means that Finn ultimately has to turn her down, but man…the air sizzles when they share a scene together.
• We learn that Alicia’s ghost writer has been getting feedback from Eli (Alan Cumming), which doesn’t impress her much. The notes suggest that Eli is trying to rebrand her as a housewife in the wake of the District Attorney scandal. Needless to say it prompts her staunch refusal of both the book and the presidential run, which I applaud.
• The Simone (Susan Misner) storyline is an interesting echo of Alicia’s position back in first year. No, she’s not reacting to infidelity by Canning, but she is trying to make her own way in the world. It’s disappointing to both Diane (Christine Baranski) and us that Simone is ultimately fired for fears that she’ll leak firm secrets, although her dismissal…
• …sets up the final cliffhanger when Canning arrives at Alicia’s door to propose they join forces. Admittedly I’m far less excited for this proposition than last season’s cliffhanger when Alicia decided to run for State’s Attorney. I have zero desire to watch Alicia and Canning go toe to toe against Diane, Cary and David Lee (Zach Grenier). Here’s hoping that season seven opens with Alicia turning Canning down.

Best Lines:

• Alicia (curtly, when Lester confronts her about bottled water): “I recycle.”
• Alicia (dismissing Lester): “I need to take this, Mr. Lester. If you could take five steps back so I can close the door.”
• Finn (meeting Alicia’s ghost writer): “Oh wow…that’s impressive.”
• Eli (refusing to sit on the courthouse steps): “I don’t like sitting on steps. I always think dogs urinate there.”
• Lester (when Kalinda semi-blackmails him): “What is it with all these tough talking women?!”

Your turn: were you expecting to actually see Kalinda turn up in the present? Are you happy with her send-off? Do you want Alicia to accept Canning’s offer? Should Alicia and Finn get together? Is there any way that Peter doesn’t pursue the Vice-Presidential nomination? And how do you feel about the sixth season in hindsight? Sound off below.

The Good Wife has finished airing its sixth season. It will/should return for a seventh in the fall on CBS