The Good Wife- run, Alicia, run! [edited by MNHQ to say NO SPOILERS PLEASE]

[BOFster]

Anyone watching?

They implied Bishop killed his wife before. I think she'd died of a heroin overdose during the child custody battle. She had been clean, and it was suggested that he had arranged her death as he was afraid of losing Dylan.

That rings a bell! Thanks cani!

I thought the episode was okay, surely the dual storylines of the slimy donor and slimmer, nastier client and then her breakdown at the end we're just highlighting the seedier sides of her work/political worlds. She ultimately wasn't comfortable with either situation which culminated in her tears at the end.
Not sure how the Kalinda and Bishop storyline is going to play out

Ah, thank you, I couldn't remember if it had been mentioned before.

Do I presume the ghastlyColin Sweeney has been in an earlier series ( only started watching fairly recently)?

Yes Poly - he's been in it before and is a proper wrong un. I think its pretty obvious he killed his wife, but had good lawyers (Alicia et al) so got off. He has always been creepy and proprietal towards Alicia.

anyone up to Episode 20 (deconstruction)?

If you are ahead of More4, please take the discussion to a new thread Oscarand. We are studiously avoiding spoilers here.

Could NO SPOILERS be added to the thread title? Is that straightforward to do?

Got it, that is why I checked first.

I quite enjoy the character of Colin Sweeney. The only thing I objected to in that storyline was the appalling accent adopted by the 'actor' playing him.

I enjoy Sweeney too. He's vile, but quite funny, and there's a certain style to his horribleness; he's very self-aware.

I think Alicia did/will take Redmayne's money but hates herself for it. She's realising more and more how unedifying politics (and law) can be, IMO, and had her first proper wobble about it here.

I do wonder if a friendship will develop between Kalinda and Bishop. He seemed to be reaching out to her (she wasn't playing though!). I think it must be a lonely life too.

Cannot WAIT for Diane's husband to come back! I love seeing her with him.

I really want Alicia to lose or withdraw her candidacy. I'm a bit over the SA storyline and want more courtroom and work politics stuff, and more of Alicia's personal and family life.

Based on a couple of things I've read this morning, I think that Nick Clegg has taken a leaf out of Alicia's book (or her team's advice) when it comes to talking about views on religion . Previously describing himself as a non believer, he now seems to be more open to possibilities. This line could have come from Alicia's interview with the pastor a few episodes back:

I sometimes think it must be the most wonderful thing to be infused with faith. It’s not something that has happened to me yet.

www.premierchristianity.com/Past-Issues/2015/April-2015/Election-special-Nick-Clegg

There's also a piece in the Daily Mail, ahead of an interview tonight.

(disclaimer: never before have I linked to a religious magazine/referenced the Daily Mail in a post - can't find any other sources.)

I agree with your observations, OnlyLovers. Now that we know not to always second guess Bishop (i.e. assume he will have everyone killed), I think you might be right about Kalinda. It would be good to see a shift back to more courtroom time, rather than the SA campaign/competition. Prady can have the job.

I also quite like the way the Sweeney character is played. Interesting to see Alicia helping him to avoid committing perjury too.

I agree that she will take Redmayne's but will dislike herself a bit for doing so. She seems to be accepting Bishop funding the pack? I think that's what Sweeney was trying to blackmail her back onto the case with wasn't it? Or am I putting 2 and 2 together and coming up with 7?!

So this might be a totally daft question but the Sweeney actor was so alike the real Sweeney; was it him playing both roles or were they just remarkable lookalikes?

And I don't understand Kalinda has turned into Bishops mug. Does he have that much of a hold over her because of Cary case and if so, what's he threatening?

I must say, that Bishop is really smooth. His piercing eyes, his cool demeanor, the power he wilds in the quietness of his voice coupled with his restrained phone call to All American Mikes parents had me fanning myself a little. He is ridiculously mysterious and smooth; a bad guy with a soft spot. As another MNer said he really can rick a a pink tie. I'm going to totally ignore that he is a murderous and intimidating drug baron.

I'm pretty sure it was him playing both! Awful, terrible attempt at English accent! And a beard to disguise the giveaway turkey neck.

I'll go against the grain in saying that I really hated that episode. Sweeney is pushing more every time to reveal his murderous self to Alicia & she so clearly sees it, loathes it and has to be her lawyerly self. That plus the disgusting Redmayne character & his misogynistic revelling aloud about Alicia to Prady - it was unbearable. I so wanted her to turn his money down (he'd surely never have given it to Prady given his homophobia) but knew she couldn't. Politics and Law - as degrading as each other in this programme. Wish it wasn't so in life.

gozo I think most of us hated it. Dreadful episode in the courtroom scenes. Almost trying to be funny. But it wasn't.

And of course it was the same person playing Sweeney and the actor!!!!

I keep vacillating between thinking LB is the worst man alive and feeling compassion for his obvious but very damaged humanity. The phone call to the parents of the bully was great! He also has a GREAT interior designer.

I feel sad that Alicia is the less ethical candidate in this race I love Frank Prady. I know he was never going to get Redmayne's money, but he also wouldn't have accepted it.

I thought the actor playing Colin Sweeney playing the actor was trying to do an Australian accent? Jesus, the accent was clearly even worse than I thought.

I thought the accent veered from English, to Australian, to English again! I don't see the appeal of Bishop (well I do, but I find it irrelevant). It's all very well him being reasonable and grown up with the parents of his son's bully, but let's not forget, he's a (murdering) bully himself.

I'm not sure that Alicia is less ethical than Frank Prady - no doubt the Redmayne thing will develop, and who knows whether Alicia will end up pursuing the SA role to the bitter end.

I agree that it's a shame to see Alicia being the least ethical of the two.

I will read the entire thread shortly as I've only just found it. I feel a bit 'meh' about this series. I like Alicia being a lawyer with a case each episode rather than the political stuff.
We need more Michael J Fox too, but I guess might be due to his health?

I thought the Sweeney double casting/accent stuff was funny - the writers do seem to be being a bit more 'experimental' this season, and it' isn't going to be to everyone's taste I suppose. I hated the episode with ditzy lawyer bird having all the dream sequences.

I like that she is facing temptation wrt the Redmayne money and the clean campaigning and failing. Makes her more rounded. Although DH and I sit like this at just how much effort people will go to to become a public prosecutor!