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This week’s The Good Fight was a powerful episode that gave pretty much the entire regular cast something to do, and is sure to rile the feathers of any right wing Trump supporters who may watch the show. (But seriously, do those people watch this decidedly liberal leaning drama knowing the horrified reaction of Diane Lockhart to Trump’s elections is what launched the series last year?)
The episode’s main focus was on a top secret meeting the firm was having with Ruth Eastman (guest Margo Martindale). Eastman handled Peter Florrick’s presidential bid in the final season of The Good Wife and here she’s working for the DNC which is auditioning firms to handle a potential impeachment case against the president should the Democrats win back both the House and the Senate in 2018. Riddick, Boseman and Lockhart are one of ten firms going through the process and Adrian wants this gig badly enough to do and say whatever it takes to land the client.
The problem is trying to get all the partners and other lawyers on the same page. During their first meeting, Eastman asks them to come up with one good defense for their case, but Adrian thinks emoluments is the way to go while Diane thinks obstruction of justice is the best reason while Julius, the firm’s token Republican, thinks it should be up to the voters to remove Trump in 2020. Suspiciously quite is Liz, who is just taking it all in before deciding on her strategy. And then she cuts loose, relying on her previous job working as a lawyer for the government, spinning stories of alleged videotapes of the president in compromising positions and evidence that suddenly went missing. Julius tries to call her out on the obvious lies, but she counters it’s her word against his since the evidence in question has vanished. Her proposed tactic is to simply massage the truth — or outright lie — pretty much in the same manner as the president and his associates currently do.
Adrian’s not thrilled with Liz going off script, but Eastman and the DNC are pleased with the ‘passion’ this team is bringing to the table. Now they just need to settle on one specific charge to make their case. Adrian and Liz finally agree on Diane’s obstruction charge, with Julius playing Devil’s Advocate against impeachment. It’s all show for Eastman, but listening to Adrian and Julian bicker pushes Diane over the edge, saying she’s on board with Liz now. She’s tired of the ‘when they go low, we go high’ mantra, saying it’s time we go lower. She’s tired of ‘being the adult in the room’ while the Republicans gerrymander Democrats out of existence and refuse to confirm a Supreme Court nomination because he was a Democrat’s nomination. Julius accuses Diane of suffering from Trump Derangement Syndrome, saying she’s just as bad as the other side, that she’s basically given up on the law and should just take to the streets at this point. Diane’s response is chilling — she’s got a gun in her desk and she’s thisclose to taking to the streets.
This moment was Christine Baranski’s time to take the spotlight this season. Diane’s speech was exceedingly well-written, voicing the frustrations of many, almost defeated by what’s happening in this country, not knowing fact from fiction anymore with the sense of going insane. Baranski poured every ounce of emotion she had into delivering those lines, through her voice, through her expressions, allowing you to feel exactly what Diane has been feeling for the last two years. It was a bravura performance all around. But the outburst threw everyone for a loop, causing Adrian to fear it may have lost them the job.
On the contrary, it put them in the top two firms for consideration so with a little more direction from Eastman, the partners realize they’re actually being played, or rather are being asked to play parts (although one person being asked to withdraw — thanks to Liz’s clandestine talk with Eastman — is Juliua because he’ll never be on the same page with them), to be ‘more street.’ Adrian is Black Lives Matter, Liz is the ‘angry black woman’, Diane is the ‘voice of reason’. It’s all a little ridiculous and clear they’re all acting (and offended by having to play the stereotypes), but in the end the DNC likes what they see. Except they don’t want the firm, they want Liz. Turns out they’re putting together a team of five attorneys from five different firms, their version of The Avengers. Adrian says that Liz is Wonder Woman then, and Eastman corrects him that that would be the Justice League. All Liz has to do now is sign her NDA and she’s on the team.
Politics is also playing a part in Lucca’s pregnancy. Getting an oddly suspicious visit from Colin’s mother at the office — which nearly causes a client to drop the firm because of Lucca’s supposed ‘mood swings’ — it becomes clear that Francesca plans to use Lucca for Colin’s potential Congressional run. Francesca and the campaign manager even bait Lucca with a tweet comparing her to Sally Hemmings. She takes the bait but sets down her own ground rules for playing along — she won’t marry Colin, she won’t stand by his side, but she will make a few appearances on his behalf. When Lucca and Colin are given some questions that are sure to come up, like where was the child conceived, the answer stuns Francesca into silence (it was the family rest room at the courthouse while the two battled during the Rindell case, and that was how they relived their frustrations). The look on Francesca’s face was priceless, and Andrea Martin is fabulous in the role switching from slightly ditzy busy body to sharp politico.
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Maia and Marissa got some play this week too. Marissa uncovered an alt right website that was selling Kill All Lawyers playing cards which did feature Adrian, Liz and Diane in the deck (as well as some familiar faces from The Good Wife), and she is also getting very deep into her relationship with the guy who saved her and Maia during the ricin scare. On a night out with Maia and her girlfriend (and the two announce they they’re planning to get married), the boyfriend snaps and starts punching a guy he claims took an upskirt photo of Marissa. Amy doesn’t believe that happened and asks Maia if they really have to hang out with them again. She believes the guy is a danger to Marissa, but Maia feels obligated to go out with them again for the sake of their friendship.
It seemed clear to everyone but Maia that Ruth Eastman’s assistant Carin was showing some interest in her, and during a night out with Marissa and her boyfriend, Carin also happens to be at the club, claiming Marissa invited her. She and Maia dance, Maia is confused about what she wants, feeling she and Amy are boring, but she wants stability and she wants to just not be so uptight. Marissa says she should dance with Carin again, no harm in that, but she decides to leave instead. Carin catches her outside to say goodbye, but the two end up making out in the back of the Uber when Ruth calls to tell her they’re ready to pack up and head back to DC. At the offices, Carin asks Ruth if they can’t stay for a few more days and she tells Carin to take a vacation. I don’t think by vacation Ruth meant start going to town on Maia in the conference room where they’d been having their closed door meeting with the firm. With the windows frosted over to keep prying eyes out, it was the only ‘safe’ place in the office they could get together. Except for one major problem that Carin should have been aware of … the DNC cameras which had been used to observe the ‘auditions.’ Still functioning and probably recording the action which will undoubtedly come back to haunt Maia before season’s end. But will it also affect Liz’s opportunity to join the DNC’s legal team? Only time will tell.
What did you think of this episode? Give us your thoughts in the comments section below.
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