The Televangelist: ‘The Good Wife’ Season 3 Finale

An uncertain ending for a season where uncertainty reigned.

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Last week I wrapped up watching “Battlestar Galactica” (and yes, I finally get what everyone was geeking out about. All true, and just like the “Portlandia” episode), a show which mastered the art of the season-ending cliffhanger. I can’t give a single example because staying spoiler free makes this show even more heart-pounding, but suffice it to say I was thrilled that the series had already ended, so that after hyperventilating through each finale I could just put in the next disc and see where the show was going from there.

“The Good Wife” took an (octagon shaped) lo-fi page from the book of “Battlestar” last night and gave us a finale that asked more questions than it answered, and set up an entirely new trajectory for its fourth season. I have grumbled at length about the uneven nature of the series, particularly this year, but “Dream Team” was a fitting ending for a season where uncertainty reigned.

A few of the long-term arcs seem to finally be getting some motion, most particularly #Kalinda’sPast (I’m hashtagging it because CBS did and also because it begs for it). #Kalinda’sPast was explored in one of the most forgettable narratives in Season Two, with Blake. This season, Kalinda retreated into the shadows more, to her character’s benefit, which is what made her sudden turn back into Bisexual Warrior Kalinda last night so jarring. I wondered for a minute if I was on the wrong channel. It’s clear that Kalinda’s husband is a threatening figure who has a lot of connections, but he obviously had not tracked her down - or perhaps bothered to - until Alicia poked the bear. Seeing Kalinda finally face up to her past and confront it head on (or in a chair in front of her door with a loaded gun) will be turning over a new and refreshing leaf for her.

It’s the same kind of self-awareness and honesty that Peter gave into last night as well. His matter-of-fact honesty in the deposition about his separation from Alicia will have consequences for his campaign, but it was the right thing to do and something that Alicia would (and did) respect. “The truth is bigger than you think,” she tells him after she decides to drop by their old house and spend time with the family after all. Alicia, too, is facing up to the reality that she has missed her life with her family. The elevator scene with Will was call-back to the beginning of the season when their affair officially began (doesn’t that seem like a long time ago?), except here they both acknowledge that while the affair may not have been a mistake, there is not much future in it. Later, Alicia stands outside her old home and is torn, as she has been all season (but particularly in the last half of it) whether to return to her old traditional life or continue to forge a new one. “The Good Wife” has been excellent at keeping a realistic tone regarding complicated family dynamics. Alicia is looking for a way to reconcile what is best for her as well as for her family. That answer is not simple.