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This week’s episode of The Good Fight picked up Maia’s story right where we left off catching her mother in what may have been a compromising position, and gave us two stand-alone stories, one of which forced Diane and Lucca to work together on a case.
Maia isn’t sure what to believe at this point. She caught her mother obviously dressed for bed and her Uncle Jax barefoot and shirt unbuttoned. But Lenore tried to persuade Maia that all was not as it seemed and that what she was doing, she was doing for her husband … but don’t tell him. Not a very convincing argument in Maia’s eyes, so she schedules an appointment to visit her father in jail, her lawyer attached to her hip to make sure nothing is said that could put Maia in more jeopardy.
The visit was hilariously uncomfortable as Henry’s lawyer was also present, leaving the two little room to communicate, forcing Maia to drop hints that perhaps dear old mom was working with Henry’s brother to set him up. A hug offered Henry a brief moment to whisper to Maia that she needed to check Jax’s computer, and he even gave her the password. Convenient. But how would she be able to distract Jax long enough to sneak a peek at his hard drive?
Leave it to Diane’s assistant Marissa, who placed a call to Jax telling him that Diane Lockhart needed to speak with him, and then giving him an absurdly long case number which she then wanted him to read back to her. While all this was going on, Maia was able to get on his computer and take a few pictures of financial documents that could prove he was behind the scheme that got her father jailed. Jax even spoke unkindy of his brother, telling Maia that all he wanted was to be someone and he didn’t care about how bad the finances were. But with documents in hand, she left and snuck in a visit to her father. He seemed pleased to have the information so he could destroy Jax but when it comes to his wife, he’s unsure of what to do.
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Back at Reddick, Boseman, & Kolstad, Diane is feeling the pressure to contribute her partnership fee — which she cannot afford at this point with her finances in shambles — but the firm has a bigger concern: a telecom client has not paid their annual $12 million retainer fee. Adrian Boseman schedules a meeting with the CEO but is told he should come back at talk to the board. On the way out, Boseman spots the CEO chatting with a rival lawyer and needs to pinpoint the reason why he’s talking with another firm, since they get federal tax credit for dealing with a minority-owned business.
Politics is the reason, specifically Donald Trump’s administration. The telecom company needs to be on the government’s good side to have access to towers across the country and Reddick, Boseman, & Kolstad is just a bit too liberal. At one point, Boseman asks everyone in the office who voted for Trump, not to chastise them but to use them to swing the contract back in their direction. One person, Julian Cain (Michael Boatman) finally admits to casting that vote and he is sent to persuade the company to stay with them. He wins, but he soon learns the cost of being the (apparently) lone black person in the firm who voted for Trump comes with a cost … sideways glances, whispering behind his back and near shunning. He was warned this would happen by the rival lawyer who left him with an offer should the liberal shunning become unbearable.
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Finally, Diane is called out of a meeting when a doctor client needs her help. She thinks it’s about a malpractice case but it turns out he’s been arrested for aiding a terrorist by offering assistance via Skype on an operation. Since this is a federal case, Diane’s frenemy Lucca is put on the case with her where they face off against Colin Morello (Justin Bartha), who throws every federal code at them, putting the patient’s life at risk. But Diane and Lucca claim the feds have no proof the patient is a terrorist, and that if their client removes himself from assisting, he could lose his license under state code.
The case gets complicated when it’s revealed Morello does, in fact, know the patient is a member of ISIS, and then it turns out he’s actually an American citizen, the brother of the terrorist who went to Syria to try to convince his brother to return with him to their home. But buying a plane ticket for him made the brother an accomplice, and the judge had to sentence the doctor to be held for the feds to take over. When he called to tell the doctor in Syria that he could no longer help, a commotion erupted in the operating room when the older brother barged in and insisted that they keep working on his brother. The judge eventually found the doctor not guilty of breaking any laws, giving Lucca and Diane a win.
But … at a local bar, Lucca meets up with Colin where she cashes in a bet made earlier at lunch, that the loser would buy the winner a drink. As they enjoyed their cocktail and did a little flirting, a news bulletin flashed on the TV — the US had bombed that spot in Syria, killing both brothers and leading Lucca and Colin to realize they had been set up by the government. They knew the older brother would show up to help his wounded younger brother and they took complete advantage of the doctor, the lawyers and the court.
“The Schtup Files” was another terrific episode with that twist ending that grabs you hard. Christine Baranski really didn’t have much to do this week as Maia, Lucca and even Marissa got a lot more screen time. But the writing was sharp, and the episode also featured another The Good Wife judge, Suzanne Morris, played by Jane Alexander. It’s going to be interesting to see what happens with Cain and how much trouble Morello is going to stir up, particularly if he becomes a bit more friendly with Lucca. It will be an interesting seven episodes ahead.
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