Summer TV Binge Part II: The Good Wife

Although the central conceit of this blog is and always has been broadcast (non-cable) network TV that I watch through my rabbit ear antenna, I could not be a bigger fan of streaming internet platforms. Not only because they let me binge on yes, even cable shows (I adore Mad Men), but also because they allow me to catch up on broadcast shows that are still airing in time for the new season's premiere. 

Such is the case with CBS's The Good Wife. When I tell one of my friends (a young adult like myself) that I started binging on this show, I inevitably get the same response: a slight smirk and the statement, "My mom loves that show." It's uncanny. Happens every time. But just because I may not be the show's target demographic doesn't mean I don't find this show fantastic.

Here's why I love the show your mom loves: 

The Good Wife Universe

The show masterfully weaves character development and all kinds of conflict - interpersonal, intrapersonal, romantic, professional, political, familial - through its overarching storyline.

Julianna Margulies and Chris Noth on The Good Wife
Source: cbs.com

The title of the show is transparently tongue in cheek. Alicia is no more a "good" wife than the cheating Peter is a "good" husband. Instead, what draws the audience in is the authenticity of her choices. Not in the sense that they are choices I - or most viewers - will ever have to make, but because they are the choices we might make were we in her position. There is a distinction between relatable and realistic. This show is not one where you see yourself in the characters, but it is nonetheless believable. This is due in large part to the political nature of the show and its setting in Chicago, a city with real-life political scandals that make the Florrick's problems seem tame. The corruption, the infidelity, and the lies are nothing new to any American viewer who even passively follows politics. More than that, the show is realistic because the heroes are flawed, and they don't always win. (And when they do win, there's a cost.)

The writers of this show understand that believability is in the details; the lawyers, judges, and politicians whom the viewers meet on the show return again and again, just as they would in reality. There is a limited supply of judges in Chicago, after all. And these recurrences allow the faithful (or binging) viewer to get a more complete picture of the universe in which Alicia Florrick lives and practices law.

The Overarching Plot and the Stand Alone Episodes 

My one (peer) friend who does watch this show doesn't watch it consistently, and yet still really loves it. She's a fan of the TGIT ABC dramas, so I'd guess that some of the soapier, relationship aspects of The Good Wife are what appeal to her. And yet The Good Wife is not overwhelmingly soapy. The characters' relationship arcs feel poignant and significant - not unnecessarily dramatic. They give us enough to go on that we can 'ship one couple and hate another, but those relationships don't overwhelm the episodes. And when a relationship is worn out, the writers know how to kill it. (Yes, sometimes by killing off a character.)

Matt Czuchry plays Cary Agos on The Good Wife.
Source: cbs.com

All this to say, you can watch a single episode of the show and still follow along. That's because, in the great tradition of American legal/crime dramas, the writers are not afraid to craft episodes "ripped from the headlines." The cases that the main cast of lawyers face and settle and try each episode are intriguing in and of themselves, independent of the larger story. And each case is new and different, with its own legal complexities. That keeps the show interesting.

It's that larger story, too, that kept me watching. (I binged on six seasons of the show in about three months...) That wouldn't have happened if this were a run-of-the-mill procedural. Each season had its own fascinating campaign, business deal, scandal, affair, or legal battle storyline running through it. The arrest and imprisonment of Cary Agos in Season 6 had me on the edge of my seat episode after episode. That plot line was inspired. So was the dramatic irony of the Season 5 NSA wiretap plot. The Good Wife does so many things well, one of which is giving the audience just enough information that we feel knowledgable, but utterly powerless. (Which, of course, we are - but that powerlessness means we feel like we're a part of the characters' universe. That is good storytelling.)

The Guest Stars 

A lot can be said about the cast of this show, who deserve the accolades they've received. Julianna Margulies, who plays the titular character, has two Emmy wins and another two nominations for the show. Archie Panjabi scored an Emmy and two additional nominations for her role as Kalinda. Alan Cumming has three nominations for his portrayal of Eli Gold. These three have stood out to me as the most impressive in a cast full of very impressive actors who bring the universe of The Good Wife to life.

Jeffrey Tambor guest stars on The Good Wife
Source: cbs.com

What's been more striking to me as a binge viewer though, is the seemingly impossibly long list of guest stars - huge names from the stage and screen who fit so seamlessly into the Chicago The Good Wife has designed. Names like Matthew Perry, Audra McDonald, America Ferrera, Martha Plimpton, Kristin Chenoweth, Wallace Shawn, Ana Gasteyer, Jeffrey Tambor, Anika Noni Rose, Stockard Channing, David Hyde Pierce, Nathan Lane, and Michael J. Fox. And those are just the ones I can remember off the top of my head! The show is stacked with these stars - many of whom have had recurring roles. The best part is that these stars aren't being used as bait to draw in viewers. This show doesn't need bait. Rather they are being utilized to make a good show consistently great by surrounding a stellar main cast with equally stellar guest actors to work with.

The writing, the acting, the direction - The Good Wife is a triumph. It's original, captivating, quality television, airing in an era when it's easy for broadcast network TV to be anything but. It's been my favorite summer binge, and I can only hope it will be one of my favorite shows to watch this fall.

The Good Wife returns tonight at 9 PM on CBS.

Better Late Than Never? Part #3 - Revenge

There are a few dramas on ABC which I did not watch from the beginning but suspect might be worth my time. In this series, "Better Late Than Never?" I watch a few episodes of a show and let you know what I think as a latecomer. Was I better late than never?

Part #3: Revenge

From the promos, I gathered that this show was about a woman avenging her father's death. (As it turns out, she's actually avenging the fact that he was framed for a crime he didn't commit and sentenced to life in prison.) I didn't know that the show is loosely based on Dumas's The Count of Monte Cristo. Revenge centers around the main character's duplicity. I joined the show in Season 2, Episode 16, "Illumination" and also watched this past week's, "Victory." In the course of her vengeance, Emily returns to her childhood summer home, takes on a false identity, and things get complicated. At least in the two episodes I watched, her true self seems always to be on the verge of being found out. So I was kept near, if not directly on, the edge of my seat.

Source: abc.com

The very cheesy intro graphics could have turned me away, but Revenge actually held my interest. The acting is solid - especially Emily VanCamp's  performance. Her "Emily Thorne" brings to mind Jennifer Garner's "Sydney Bristow." Perhaps because "Emily" is an alias, but also because VanCamp,  like Garner, excels at making the smooth transition between her honest serious face and her deceptive happy one. 

What I missed as a latecomer: A whole lot of plot. Who is trustworthy? I'm supposed to be on Emily's side, right? To whom is she telling the truth? To whom is she lying? I'm not sure, and as a latecomer, I'm definitely not sure what I'm already supposed to know. In addition to the vengeance plot line, there's a political plot line, a mob plot line, a business fraud plot line, and none of them seem particularly connected. If that sounds complicated, it's because this show is rife with complications. I have a feeling, though, that that's what makes it good. 

The Verdict: Better Late Than Never?
Maybe. Particularly if you are a fan of soaps, complex mystery plots, or shows about the lives of the 1%. But you'll have to be really committed, because you'll need to catch up. And it might not be worth it, as the critics aren't giving the second season very rave reviews. 

Better Late Than Never? Part #2 - Once Upon A Time

There are a few dramas on ABC which I did not watch from the beginning but suspect might be worth my time. In this series, "Better Late Than Never?" I watch a few episodes of a show and let you know what I think as a latecomer. Was I better late than never?

Part #2: Once Upon A Time

I joined this show in season 2, episode 15, "The Queen is Dead." I had high hopes, as I am a fan of all things fantasy. A world where multiple fairy tales collide sounded right up my alley.

Alas, my first impressions weren't very positive ones. I found that the acting was overdone, the effects were cheesy, and the plot moved incredibly slow. Soap opera slow. Here's a recap: The wicked stepmother and her mother sought out and eventually found Rumpelstiltskin's dagger, while the rest of the characters, who I gather are the good guys, tried to stop this from happening. I say "gather are the good guys" because I was inclined, as I watched this episode, to side with Regina, the wicked stepmother. This was primarily because Lana Parrilla delivers better than anyone else in the cast. Which is in itself confusing, because all of these stars are fine actors. This leads me to believe that the problem is with the writing. Take Sunday night's episode, "The Miller's Daughter," for example. How on earth was Jennifer Morrison supposed to deliver the joke about the invisible chalk without sounding corny? "I drew the invisible line - I think." Really? Episode 16 was supposed to be a big one, judging by how ABC marketed it. They got all #OneWillDie hashtag happy.

15 minutes. #OneWillDie Who will it be? twitter.com/OnceABC/status…
— Once Upon A Time (@OnceABC) March 10, 2013

Frankly, I wasn't very concerned about the impending death. I was too distracted by the spinning wheel scene - à la Ghost. Was it supposed to be evil and frightening? Sexy? Whatever. The plot device that characters can live with their hearts outside their bodies was equally distracting. Because I'm not sure why that worked, I'm also not exactly sure why or how Cora died.

What I missed as a latecomer: Everything, it seems! But most importantly, the timeline. It was difficult to follow what was happening in the present and what was a flashback. (Or are they flashing sideways? This is, after all, another show from the writers/producers of Lost - but not the ones you'd remember - this guy and this guy.) While the exposition delivered in Lost's flashes back or sideways serves to further the plot, these fairy tale flashes in Once Upon A Time only serve to slow it down. The timeline was made even more confusing by the fact that four women who looked to be not fifteen years apart on age are, in fact, four generations of the same family. (Am I wrong, OUAT fans?) 

The Verdict: Better Late Than Never?
No. It seems you had to watch this show from the beginning in order to appreciate it. If I had, I might love it. But I don't think I'll watch Once Upon A Time again. Especially since it's up against The Amazing Race, which makes for a more relaxing Monday morning eve.

Better Late Than Never? Part #1 - Nashville

There are a few dramas on ABC which I did not watch from the beginning but suspect might be worth my time. In this series, "Better Late Than Never?" I watch a few episodes of a show and let you know what I think as a latecomer. Was I better late than never?

Part #1: Nashville

Overall impressions: I have watched the past three episodes of Nashville, and I'm hooked. In "I've Been Down That Road Before," it was the song Consider Me that glued my eyes to the screen. What's great about this show is the fact that it's willing to take a hard look at the entertainment industry, but in a new way. Not as reality trash, or as a CW soap, but as a well-scripted, masterfully-acted drama. By the time the plot really got moving in "There'll Be No Teardrops Tonight," I was invested in the characters' lives. And that's thanks in no small part to the stellar acting from every member of the cast. Hayden Panettiere and Connie Britton deserved those Golden Globe nominations. And in my opinion, Nashville is worthy of an Emmy nod as well. You may be thinking that a show about a rivalry between a seasoned professional and a young star isn't for you. What if I told you it wasn't about that at all?

Biggest asset: The music, which is no surprise, since the show's musical director is T-Bone Burnett. Buddy Miller is one of the music producers as well. To be honest, had I known those talents were behind this show, I would have started watching from the first episode. Nashville's soundtrack is already in my Amazon cart. Panettiere and Britton's musical chops make their whole characters entirely believable. But it's Clare Bowen that really wows me. Listen to this:



What I missed as a latecomer: Some relationship set-up. Because I didn't see what held it together in the first place, I lack a little bit of context as Rayna and Teddy's marriage falls apart. Similarly, I'm a little lost as to why I, as the viewer, am supposed to care about Avery's storyline. It seems to be peripheral to the plot that matters. 

The Verdict: Better Late Than Never? 
Definitely. This show has become a staple of my weekly TV schedule. Not only that, but I hope to catch up on what I missed over the summer. I'm thrilled that I found this show during its first season. I'll admit I am nervous to get too excited. ABC is quick to drop shows that are this expensive to produce. I learned that lesson the hard way when I fell for Pan Am. I can only hope that more viewers find, as I have, that this show is worth watching, even if they haven't been watching it up 'til now.