The Good Wife is a network drama that must air 22 episodes in one season.
This put it as an extreme disadvantage, as its creators have noted on many occasions, when compared with cable shows that only churn out 12 or 13 per season.
So many extras hours to produce can lead to something like The Good Wife Season 6 Episode 14, a clear filler episode that was perfectly well done.
And yet was also a perfect waste of time.
Pretty much nothing happened this week. At all.
The series used an unusual device in which nearly the entire hour was told from Alicia’s point of view.
She had laryngitis, so she didn’t talk much (it would not shock us if star Julianna Marguiles actually had laryngitis and the episode had to be written around it).
Instead, we got various looks inside Alicia’s head as she dealt with such issues as an impending interview with a newspaper’s editorial board; a lawsuit from Louis Canning; and fantasies about Will, Finn and John.
Yes, Will. Despite no real build up to it, The Good Wife revisited Alicia’s romance with her late colleague, providing fans with a couple off scenes in which she cozied up to him on a rooftop.
Except it wasn’t really Will. It’s not like Josh Charles came back for a guest appearance, as these scenes kept Will in the shadows and were used as a form of closure.
At one point, Alicia finally said goodbye to the supposed love of her life.
Overall, the episode served to depict all that Alicia is juggling these days, along with the emotional state it has left her in.
She feels guilty after ignoring Zach after the abortion bombshell. She feels torn over Lemond Bishop creating a PAC for her State’s Attorney race.
She feels bad that Canning is sick (and, yes, he appears to really be sick, as the one real development this week was him being hospitalized), but she also feels confident.
As you’ll note when you watch The Good Wife online, Alicia at one point imagines Frank Prady saying he’ll never lie in office. But she replies that perhaps this means he should not be in office. Sometimes, quickly frankly, one has to lie.
I’m finding my voice, Alicia told her campaign manager as the hour concluded and she walked into an important interview.
Now let’s just hope The Good Wife has a bit more to say for itself next Sunday night.