During last year’s Season Five finale we saw Alicia presented with the idea of running for State’s Attorney. Many of us were incredulous—would she actually run… and win? How would that even work? What sense would that make for the series which, up until this point, has been primarily set in Alicia’s law firms? Cary, Diane, Kalinda—what would it mean for all of our favorite characters, who have inhabited those spaces with her?
Well, it looks like we’re about to find out, because it happened. But “Red Meat” plays it smart, and up until the last 10 minutes or so of the episode, it was impossible to know the outcome of the race. But one reason this was yet another excellent installment of The Good Wife is because the so-called B-plot was just as exciting as the A-plot. Sure, we all wanted to know if Alicia would have to give that dreaded concession speech, but Diane’s 3-day hunting “romantic” getaway was equally enthralling. She finds herself in the company of a bunch of Republican billionaires, and sets her sights on the Mark Zuckerberg of Dallas. In hopes of getting him to sign with the firm, she cozies up to his wife, because Cary and David Lee tell her that it’s the woman behind the man who’s running the show. Too bad the woman she’s using to get on his good side is actually his call girl.
Beyond. Awkward.
In other awkwardness, Alicia and Peter face off once again because Peter has done some serious damage to the final hours of her campaign by stating that she’s a shoo-in for State’s Attorney. We voters, we fickle, lazy voters. Elfman and crew freak out because he’s basically told the voters to stay home and relax—Alicia’s got it in the bag! As they frantically try to save the campaign (with celebrity robo callers, obviously) Alicia manages to get in a few games of Halo. Props to Finn for coming through with the best how-to-kill-time-when-waiting-for-major-life-changing-news gift ever.
Alicia’s failure seems imminent, and Diane’s not doing any better. After bombing with her billionaire she resigns herself to hanging out with a fella named RD (played by Oliver Platt). He suggests they talk about “killin’ babies” (you know, just to pass the time) and then he guides Diane through her first kill. It’s a fantastic scene, especially because we see in her eyes what she confesses to her husband later, as she’s trying to wrap her brain around eating the red meat she slaughtered herself—“I liked it.” I feel like there’s some connection the writers were trying to make between this feeling and her thoughts on abortion rights, but I’m not ready to go there yet. In the end, that heated discussion with RD (AKA Reese Dipple AKA the fourth wealthiest man in America) leads to a strong intellectual connection that RD thinks might signify a good relationship as client and lawyer.
I loved all of Diane’s scenes, but I have two major critiques for this episode. It occurs to me that, somewhere along the way, I became bored with the Kalinda/Bishop storyline. I love both characters and used to enjoy watching them face off, but I realize I prefer seeing Kalinda doing the work she loves to do, and she hates working for Bishop! She’s basically a super-tough babysitter, and she’s beholden to this guy. And even though Bishop and his son are interesting, this storyline has run its course. This is also Archie Panjabi’s last season; I want more for her character.
My other issue came from the final moments of “Red Meat.” Alicia wins due to a traffic jam that will stall or block Prady’s would-be voters (strategically created by her apologetic husband), and after winning, we see her meet up briefly with Prady. I loved that moment; it felt right—her asking him to come run away with her (so to speak) to the State’s Attorney office, and him declining, because it wouldn’t work. They’re just too different (I thought this scene was very romantic, in a completely un-romantic way, if that makes any sense.) But then we see this kind of ridiculous scene where Elfman suggests to Marissa that he might stay, and give up that awesome job, because “Chicago” is growing on him. When Peter walks in he suddenly remembers that “Chicago” is a married woman. The last shot we see is of him leaving, the elevator doors closing him off from Alicia and her new life. But why? Why the focus on Elfman, and his perspective? This was Alicia’s big moment—this was her episode! (And Diane’s, honestly.) We never really got to know Elfman, not even as Alicia’s lover, so this ending felt weak and strange (although it does open the door for a possible Finn/Alicia situation).
But all of the hunting and halo-ing that took up the rest of “Red Meat” more than made up for these problems. Again, I find myself nitpicking because, with a show as good as The Good Wife, all a critic can really do is nitpick. It’s a good feeling.
Stray Observations:
Diane checking her camouflaged-self out in the mirror at the top of the episode was so fun. She’s awesome.
I’m also very into her newlywed lifestyle. Watching her make out with her hubby all over the place was great.
“It’s sexist!” (Diane, regarding the spa she was forced to visit, rather than go on the hunt with the MEN, where she belonged.)
Did I Say this was Diane’s episode? This was Diane’s episode.
“People won’t come out if I’m losing, but they’ll come out if they think that parking meters are losing?”
Best Quote of the Episode: “He said he could bring either a Democrat or a call girl. We all voted for the call girl.”
Shannon M. Houston is Assistant TV Editor & a film critic at Paste, and a writer for Pink is the New Blog and Heart&Soul. This New York-based freelancer probably has more babies than you, but that’s okay; you can still be friends. She welcomes all follows (and un-follows) on Twitter.