Is there anything better than a romantically flustered Eli?
Sure, we’ve seen Eli flummoxed before. When things don’t go his way politically, the man becomes a bundle of explosive nerves. But a smitten Eli? Well he barely knows what to do with himself. He chases after the object of his desire and makes questionable strategic decisions.
It was the return of America Ferrera as Natalie Flores that caused Eli to behave so erratically. And it was positively charming. “I lie 24/7 for my job. It’s actually a gift. But lying to you made my stomach hurt,” he tells Natalie before kissing her. This is an attraction over two years in the making. Let’s hope Ferrera comes back and comes back soon.
While Eli was flirting, Lockhart Gardner changed its name to LG, and Florrick Agos finally got new office space (that is so in need of an HGTV makeover) and its first new client—an immigration case that truly demonstrated how complex and capricious the legal system is.
Howard was politically incorrect all over the place. (Jerry Adler is so terrific in this role.) Robyn became more Kalinda-like to secure her job. Will continues to go down the rabbit hole with his new girlfriend Isabel—a Yoko Ono in the making according to David Lee (who Isabel aptly describes as looking like a jack-o-lantern). (I am not sure what Isabel is up to, but she’s up to something. I don’t trust her.) Alicia shot down Marilyn’s attempts to negotiate Peter’s first visit to her law firm. “There will be no policing between us,” she tells her.
We all know I’ve been having a full-fledged love affair with the show this season, so I thought I would take this opportunity to criticize two things that aren’t working:
The underuse of Kalinda: Let’s be clear. Last season’s disastrous Kalinda story line was not Archie Panjabi’s fault. Now that the writers have extracted Kalinda from that ridiculousness, they really don’t seem to know what to do with her. All she did this week was give Robyn a pep talk. We need more Kalinda, and we need it now.
Marilyn’s ongoing nausea: Yes, many pregnant women are sick throughout their pregnancy. I’m just not sure it makes for a compelling story line. It’s more like an annoying recurring sight gag. But, of note, Peter still seems to be fighting his attraction to a pregnant woman who vomits every five minutes. This, my friends, is probably not going to end well.
The episode ends with Peter telling Alicia, “You know what? I think you’re going to take over the world from here.” She may take over the world, but will her husband remain faithful? That may be the question of the season.