Course uncorrected. Argh.
Unfortunately, I thought this episode was an example of the writers trying too hard. It felt like I could hear them thinking throughout the show. The result was that the episode felt like pieces of a predictable jigsaw puzzle with moments that were meant to be heartwarming but were unearned. For me, this episode title refers to my relationship with these writers. Yes, I am again the cranky woman shaking her fist at her TV.
When I feel this disappointed, it feels best to revert to list form:
1. Taye Diggs has charisma to spare. He is a gorgeous man. But am I the only one who kept thinking about Julius (Michael Boatman)? Earlier on in this show, Julius was one of the main attorneys at the firm. He was always fighting for a greater representation of minorities there. He was gone for a long time from the show, but in the second half of last season, we saw him again sitting in meetings at the firm. What happened? It seems strange that there hasn't been a sentence or two to explain his absence.
2. On the surface, I liked Diane's speech to Dean to convince him to come with her to Florrick/Agos. But why should I believe that Florrick/Agos is this shining light of liberal values? They are currently working hard to shut down computer coders who complained of unfair labor practices. Lemond Bishop, the city's top drug lord, is also one of their top clients. Why should we be inspired by this firm? I felt that when Diane walked down the hallway and other defectors from the firm began joining her, that was supposed to be a glorious moment for the viewers. To me, I thought about when Alicia had been been escorted out of the firm and had to take the long walk down that hall. That was a moment of high emotions. I did not feel anything more than nostalgia and puzzlement here.
3. In the previous episode, Canning and Lee had seemingly caught on to the fact that Diane was defecting to Florrick/Agos. This week, Canning was said to be out for health reasons, and David Lee seemed asleep at the wheel. That did not seem believable to me.
4. Gunter's actions in the elevator and at Florrick/Agos also did not seem plausible to me. I did not believe that Alicia and Cary would be okay with a man dressing in the elevator and wandering around their offices with his shirt off, asking if there was hot water available in the bathroom today. I do not think that would fly with their clients or with them.
5. I am sick of the State's Attorney storyline. It feels long and drawn out. The Valerie Jarrett scene fell flat. I want Eli to have better things to do. If Alicia is going to run, I would like that to occur. These scenes feel like filler.
6. In the end of Season 5, Alicia and Peter had that scene where Alicia basically told him that it was over and that they were now living separate lives. I understand that there are moments, like the scene in this episode, where the two characters need to connect. Peter's reasoning on not wanting to sign these second mortgage papers felt true to me. As governor, he really cannot not be seen as helping Cary get out of jail. I also could believe Alicia's frustration. Cary is her friend and her business partner. Although Peter apparently co-signed on the condo, he doesn't live there. (And when did they purchase the condo? What happened to the storyline about their old family home?) But I am tired of their fights. It has felt quite evident that they are not the people that they were at the onset of their marriage. I thought they had agreed that the marriage was over. I just want them both to move on.
7. When Lemond Bishop had one of his crew members killed, I wondered why. It was convenient for the plot here, as that person had been considered Cary's best eyewitness, and now Cary was more in jeopardy. But what was it about him that made Lemond Bishop think that he had been the informant?
8. In the end, ChumHum advanced the money so that Cary could get out of jail. After all the struggles to obtain the money, this solution felt anticlimactic to me. It did feel great to see Cary waiting for Alicia when she got out of the elevator, but the hug felt like a Hallmark moment. It was hard for me to imagine that they had not hugged before.
Generally, before I write these posts, I watch the episode twice. I started watching this episode again and turned it off. I couldn't bear to see it again. Let's end on one good note. I loved seeing Lemond Bishop at his son's soccer games. That was surprising and funny and intense, and I enjoyed seeing that.