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The Good Fight is finally back on CBS All Access with a strong, and timely, third season premiere. It’s also a pretty shocking one as well considering the new revelations about the firm’s founding father Carl Reddick that comes out of nowhere as the firm attempts to rebrand itself in the wake of Carl’s death. Hoping to punch up the new website, various partners and former employees of Reddick, Boseman and Lockhart are interviewed for a video to run on the site with everyone saying glowing epithets about Reddick, particularly his involvement in the Civil Rights movement.
But things hit a snag while interviewing his former secretary, Cynthia Cromley (guest star Regina Taylor), who breaks down and reveals years of sexual misconduct that throws everyone for a loop. Marissa is down for letting this information get out into the world, but Adrian is concerned something like this could ultimately destroy the firm. Then they discover Ms. Cromley was promised a pension she never received, a fact her daughter is very angry about, so much so that she alerts the local news that they should pay a visit to her mother’s house when Adrian, Diane and Jay are attempting to smooth things over with Cynthia.
Of course the reporter who shows up is Naomi Nivola, Adrian’s former student we’ve seen before (she was in the same class with Liz) but without any information to go on, she believes it’s Adrian who committed the act the firm is trying to cover up … which is great for the firm because if Adrian agrees to an interview, he can honestly answer that he did not sexually assault Ms. Cromley and the issue should blow over.
Except … while the partners are meeting to discuss NDAs (Non-Disclosure Agreements, which the episode helpfully takes a break to explain through song and animation, similar to what the producers did on the highly under-rated BrainDead) and payouts, the stenographer says that perhaps she is not the best person to be taking notes on this matter because she is a victim too. The emotional toll this has taken on Liz is taking her to the breaking popint and she pulls Marissa aside and asks her to find out if there’s anyone else at the firm who has been in a similar situation with her father … and to speak to no one else but her. Lots of red NDA folders pepper the episode (also helpfully pointed out during the end credits).
With Ms. Cromely paid off and an NDA signed, the steno refuses either payment or an NDA, claiming that too many men, particularly black men, are being brought down by these accusations and she’s not going to be a party to any of it. The question now is, will she stick to her guns or will this be something that comes up to haunt the firm later down the line? The Good Fight loves to introduce something into the story that eventually returns later in the season. But for now, all is well and no one is the wiser to Carl’s antics.
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Meanwhile, Diane is having her own issues with the recently reunited Kurt, with everything being hunky-dory now that he’s staying put in Chicago. But Diane notices one of his rifles is out after a trip to the shooting range, one that Kurt doesn’t particularly like. And then she finds some blonde hair on his jacket and a scent that isn’t Kurt’s. Confronting him about another affair, Kurt denies it but Diane thinks he’s lying. Kurt is obviously not telling her the truth but when he finally does, it’s more shocking than anything Diane could have imagined. No, it’s not the chirpy blonde he’d had an affair with in the past; worse, he’s been hanging out with Eric and Don, Jr. and he’s being paid to escort them on safari. Diane really has no idea how to deal with this news.
But the safari is eventually postponed when Kurt is injured, accidentally shot in the shoulder with some buckshot, which really sets Diane off. So much so that as Kurt sleeps, she sees the wound which vaguely looks like the president … and then it begins speaking to her, taunting her, but she gets the upper hand, deciding that now is the time to get her informant Tara (the one from last season who had information about an affair with the president and abortion) to come forward with the information. But Tara ultimately decides she can’t come out of the shadows, not because of a threat to her life, but because she just doesn’t want to be put through the media circus ringer. And who could blame her?
The premiere was really chock-full of story even though two of the main characters got little to do. Maia’s subplot found her with a scratched cornea that resulted in uncontrollable watery eyes, which everyone interpreted to mean she was upset about being left out of all the new publicity for the firm (mainly because of her last name, as everyone assures her she’s doing a fine job). Marissa gives her a pep talk and a stylish pair of sunglasses and tell her to use them wisely, and she does, suddenly transforming from meek mouse to IDGAF woman who is all too comfortable putting her feet up on the desk, and spooking Julius in the process with her new attitude. It seemed a bit nonsensical, but again, they love to introduce plot points that will pay off down the line.
The same with Lucca, who seemed to be mostly out of the loop during the whole Carl Reddick drama, although she did have some input on one of the board meetings. In the end, the firm offered to let her head the divorce cases for the firm — a pretty dead end position that they once insisted be handled by a man but now they want a woman and that woman is Lucca, forcing her to hand off another big case she’d been working on. Again, it was an odd plot point (but at least we got to see her interact with Andrea Martin in one scene, and I suppose Justin Bartha is not coming back as a regular as his character has gone off to DC), but one that we should assume will play out down the line.
All in all, it was a very strong start to the season and proved once again that The Good Fight is one of the best dramas on television.
What did you think of the premiere? Give us your thoughts in the comments section below.
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