There was a lot not to like in this episode.
I’m all for Grace helping her mom out, but suddenly she’s Veronica Mars. It’s one thing to answer phones, it’s quite another to run facial recognition software to discover an undercover FBI agent. I mean, please. The explanation that Zach helped was just not enough for me. We spent all last episode hiring Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s Jason Crouse, and then he’s completely missing from this episode. Morgan’s a series regular this season, so I was kind of expecting to see him.
And Alicia’s case of stumbling onto an undercover FBI agent trying to get Judge Schakowsky to accept a bribe didn’t have the oomph of the show’s typical cases, even if the end result was Eli tipping off the judge so the judge would owe him a favor. The favor will involve somehow getting back at Frank Landau, who took the election victory from Alicia. But I don’t think Alicia would so cavalierly tell Eli what was going on. Wouldn’t the undercover FBI agent still be under attorney/client privilege? The whole case was less about the case and more about a chess move in Eli’s master plan.
The Good Wife is also way too in love with conversations that happen at Alicia’s front door. Sure, Eli would want to come over in person to discuss the concerns that Alicia was the target of an FBI sting, but I have to think that Diane and Lucca are busy enough that they would call Alicia and not just drop by. I can’t remember the last time I popped over to someone’s house unannounced. It’s a TV convention the drama is overplaying.
But the entire episode was worth it, just for the scene where Eli tells Veronica that he needs them to go on a mother/daughter cooking show entitled “Mama’s Homespun Cooking.” Stockard Channing’s reaction of explosive laughter was priceless. And, of course, the cooking show is a disaster because, as Eli puts it, Alicia and Veronica don’t have your typical mother/daughter relationship.
Howard also comes to Alicia for advice, and Alicia bluntly tells Howard that he doesn’t do anything and he needs to start working harder. Howard actually does this—settling cases and bringing in clients. He lands a big client with the help of Peter’s mother Jackie, who is quite smitten with Howard. I can’t tell if Howard actually likes Jackie or if this is some part of his master plan to stay employed at Lockhart/Agos. But I don’t think Howard is a master plan kind of guy.
As funny as it was to see Eli in a small office, I want a little more sophistication between the Eli and Ruth conflict. And I still contend that soon the press has to figure out that Alicia and Peter haven’t lived together in years and are only together at political events.
“Cooked” also saw Alicia making an enemy out of Diane (again), as Diane thinks Alicia is representing Howard in an ageism suit (not true, but she did help him) and Lucca, who doesn’t understand why Alicia suddenly wants to sever their cases.
All in all, not my favorite episode of The Good Wife. What did you think?
Other thoughts on “Cooked”:
As a few of you pointed out to me, something has been up with the show’s titles since the beginning. Season One had one-word titles, Season Two, two-word titles, and so on until Season Five, when the show started going in reverse. I blame not noticing this on being over-tired and distracted by Josh Charles. But I am concerned (panicking?) that the one word titles are the show’s not-so-subtle way of signaling that this is the last season.
Diane’s reaction to the intern telling her she needs to prioritize her personal life and her boyfriend was fantastic.
I feel like we could start a whole show where all the characters we never see anymore hang out. Like, is there a show in an alternative universe with Taye Diggs’ Dean, and Jason O’Mara’s Damian and all the lawyers who were at Florrick/Agos? What I do know is we need to see Lemond Bishop again soon.
If I had all the money in the world, I would have the people who dress Diane, dress me. That blue leather suit was amazing.
Amy Amatangelo is a Boston-based freelance writer, a member of the Television Critics Association and a regular contributor to Paste. She wasn’t allowed to watch much TV as a child and now her parents have to live with this as her career. You can follow her on Twitter or her blog.