The Televangelist: ‘The Good Wife’ Season 3, Ep 16

• CBS
• If you think you can out-blonde MY blonde, you have another thing coming

I think the New Yorker’s Emily Nussbaum has been secretly reading the Televangelist, because in last week’s issue she brought up everything about “The Good Wife” that I have been preaching all season long. And last night, “The Good Wife” proved us both right by showcasing all of its best elements in one fantastic episode. “After the Fall” had a familiar gimmicky attorney (Mamie Gummer as the faux-ditz), a quirky judge (Josh Hamilton as a lover of ditzy blondes), a Case of the Week ripped from the headlines that had a focus on technology, plus The Secret Life of Will, Donna Brazile, Peter and Alicia’s future and, best of all, Eli Gold versus David Lee. If ever there was a week for new viewers to turn in and get hooked, surely this is it.

I’ll start with the Case of the Week, which was overshadowed by much of the other drama last night but still held its own as both comic relief and a dark commentary on art (a weird but interesting juxtaposition). The suicide documentary (whose directer you may recognize as Rudy from “Dexter”) is based on a real video call Golden Gate, which documented suicides off of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge. Though I haven’t personally seen the film, the verdict from those who have seems to be a resounding “that was the most disturbing thing I’ve ever witnessed.” Does it nearly qualify as a snuff film? Lockhart Gardner was not taking the position of whether the films should exist, but rather proving that they did not cause additional suicides, and whether the director was culpable in the death of his subject.

The case fishtailed around until an ending that seemed to put blame on the unfortunate shoulders of the grieving parents who had been a little too stern with their financial punishment for their daughter breaking her promise to keep up a certain GPA. It was unfair and also unexplored - once the firm could point the finger away from their client and get a settlement that required a mere disclaimer and a share in profits to a prevention group, it didn’t matter who was harmed from the fallout (or that the telephone at the bridge didn’t work and that it takes the police three-quarters of an hour to respond). It’s something that Emily Nussbaum brought up in her article - “The Good Wife” is never black and white. Lockhart Gardner is not an altruistic law firm fighting for good. It’s a law firm fighting for wins. The ethics aren’t always paramount.

The bright spot in the trial was of course the Blonde on Blonde. Alicia cleverly leverages Caitlin’s attractiveness and true naiveté in court to gain the attention and sympathy of the judge who, before, was falling for the other blonde attorney’s fake “I’m just a cute small-town girl” act. Caitlin out-cuted her and used some actual smarts to win the case. Diane, always looking for women to mentor, snatched the opportunity to promote Caitlin and take her under her wing.

Alicia’s response to this series of events was explosive in its silence. In earlier seasons, it was Alicia who played the role of the sexy attorney, wheeled out in front of judges who were partial to women. But early in this episode, Alicia realizes that her charms are not enough for some men who look to younger women, and so she brought in a younger woman. In doing so, Alicia seemed to spawn a clone of herself. Does she feel threatened?