The Good Wife

[Deleted]

Bumping because it is the series finale tonight. Talk about going out with a whimper not a bang. This season has not been great. I understand why they are ending with Peter on trial again. Symmetery, full circle with first season and all that. But I just don't care what happens to him at all. Goes to prison, doesn't go to prison, whatever. Not sure what to expect tonight. The creators have said they see this as a book and this is just a chapter ending. So I am not expecting any big suprises. The only thing that would really shock me is an apperarnce of Kalinda. Not holding my breath for that.

[Martini Girl]

I used to love this show-- the storylines, acting, etc.... -- but I don't miss it in the least. All those rumors about Juliana's ego just ruined it for me. Good riddance I say. I hope Christine, Alan and the rest can find work soon. They're so good, and were so underutilized.

[Ginger]

In the first few seasons, the show seemed to know exactly where it was going and every season was really well plotted. It's hard to believe that it wound up being such a mess.

I blame Juliana's ego for all the behind-the-scenes dramas that forced the show in a bad direction. I blame the Kings for indulging her. I blame Juliana and the Kings for being so greedy that they kept the show going around in circles for season after season instead of guiding it to a good a conclusion two seasons ago.

It seems that everybody involved with the show finally decided to acknowledge that the ship was sinking 2 1/2 months ago and headed for the lifeboats, instead of planning out a decent final season a year ago. Middle finger to all of them.

[Baby Fish Mouth]

So it turns out that watching Alicia get bitch-slapped was a really satisfying ending for me, lol.

I think it was a nice compromise ending. Alicia got a "comeuppance" of sort, but has hope for a happy future.

I wondered if Will might come back. They did a good job of keeping it quiet.

[Mugsy]

It seemed like acknowledgment that yeah, the show was best with Will there, so here ya go, viewers.

While I agree the show went on too long, JM's alleged ego is an easy target. As far we know, it was only Archie Panjabi that she didn't get along with, and some reports say that was AP's fault. I never cared for Kalinda anyway, so I didn't see her departure as a huge loss. After all, Will came back.

I guess Alicia was the good wife to the end, supporting her husband yet again. We are to assume that she lost her friendship with Diane, is leaving Peter, might have a future with Jason, but knows she'll never have her true love.

[Ginger]

I still believe there is a lot to blame Julianna Margulies for. I don't believe it's a coincidence that as soon as she became a producer, the show took a turn in a different direction and that direction was not good.

I've read that Julianna didn't want so many courtroom scenes, one of the reasons being that they required long shooting days to complete. Hence, Alicia ran for office and was rarely in the courtroom anymore.

Also, Julianna basically had the power to decide when the show would end. The Kings could leave and it would go on, but without Julianna, that's the end of the series. (That's basically what happened in February - the show was going to continue without the Kings, but then Julianna finally she was out too and that was it.)

I think Julianna wanted the show to go on as long as possible because it's a comfortable, high-paying job for her. Josh Charles told the producers way before he left that he thought the series should be coming to a close and if it did, he would stay until the end. But if they were going to continue on indefinitely, he was going to have to leave. So he left and the show didn't have a clue where to take Alicia's love life in his absence.

So yeah, I blame Julianna for a lot. She was always going around saying that she earned her producer credit, so she should also get part of the blame for bad production.

[famvir]

I guess Alicia was the good wife to the end, supporting her husband yet again. We are to assume that she lost her friendship with Diane, is leaving Peter, might have a future with Jason, but knows she'll never have her true love.

I agree with mugsy's recap here. And this was a good way to end it. I never got involved with the behind the scenes machinations, I think Will died, and the heart went out of the show. I never got behind Jason, he was a bookend for Diane and Gary Cole. A bearded in the trenches sexy intelligent opposition of all the guys in suit. Diane's foil, yes, but not for Alicia, they should have folded up the tent the year Will left. She should have left Peter for Will, show over.

Jason was never a substitute for Will. So at least we have some heavy smooching and undying love with the guy she waited to long to be with.

I don't care about Peter. And having Diane get hurt that way, that was brutal. So it ends with a slap, and I am not disappointed. We got Will for a huge part of the show, the admittance that Jason is just some guy, Peter loses everything important to him, the kids are alright, Diane, I hope she works it out with Gary Cole's character, but ego wise, probably not.

My closest comparison is the ending of Steven King's Dark Tower books. It was not perfect, but it was satisfying. And I think satisfying is not bad after a long run, particularly where the show was limping along for the last few seasons. I'll take satisfying.

[smitten]

May 8, 2016 22:06:44 GMT -4 Martini Girl said:

I used to love this show-- the storylines, acting, etc.... -- but I don't miss it in the least. All those rumors about Juliana's ego just ruined it for me. Good riddance I say. I hope Christine, Alan and the rest can find work soon. They're so good, and were so underutilized.

I have to agree, as much as I hate to admit it. I loved Carol on ER!!

So that finale was crap. It didn't even feel like a season finale, let alone a series finale.

And yes, it took me a long time to admit it, but Will's death took the show with it. It was never the same after he left.

KNOX OVERSTREET FOREVER!

[sardonictart]

May 9, 2016 12:30:19 GMT -4 Mugsy said:

I guess Alicia was the good wife to the end, supporting her husband yet again. We are to assume that she lost her friendship with Diane, is leaving Peter, might have a future with Jason, but knows she'll never have her true love.

That slap from Diane was delicious. My God, but Alicia deserved it. I took the ending as Alicia is all alone - no Jason, no husband, no Will, no kids, etc. Just her ability to soldier on like a good politico, and it will serve her well in her future in politics with ELi. I liked the finale, and I always missed Will and thought the show was much worse without him so it was nice to see him again.

May 11, 2016 21:10:00 GMT -4 smitten said:

KNOX OVERSTREET FOREVER!

Indeed!

[Martini Girl]

That's a great picture! I loved him in that movie.