In the first of five new episodes, last night’s The Good Wife did not disappoint. Not only was the audience given the usual riveting courtroom drama, they also peeled back another layer of Alicia’s relationship with her husband Peter and gave a peek into what makes some of the other character’s tick.
The lawyers of Stern, Lockhart and Gardner go up against former partner, Jonas Stern who is representing Karen Sanborn, widow of Jeffrey Sanborn, managing editor for The Cook County Vindicator, who was killed in a pipe bomb explosion at work as a result of a controversial political cartoon that the paper published. As Stern and his team try to convince a jury that the paper published the cartoon to sell more newspapers, the group at SLG dig deeper and discover that the bombing was an inside job and not the result of a Muslim extremist group.
In court, Alicia plays on the fact that Stern has dementia and is able to rattle him to the point he loses his temper and throws him off his game. At the end of trial, neither Mrs. Sanborn nor Jonas Stern come out a winner; she doesn’t recoup the amount in punitive damages that she wanted and Stern isn’t able to destroy the firm he once was a part of. In addition, his plan to take a number of SLG associates fails, when Cary, who was getting a bit cozy with a Stern associate, is approached himself, and uses that to his advantage when he tells Will.
On the home-front, Peter continues working with the pastor to bolster up his image as well as work on becoming a changed man. With the help of his team, Peter is granted permission to attend church with his family but he uses the opportunity to meet with a man named Gerald Kozko who has potentially damaging information that could be used against him in his upcoming trial. Sensing a set-up, Peter realizes Kozko was wired. Alicia spots the two men coming out the back of the church and she’s furious with Peter for leading her to believe he had truly found religion and wanted to become a better man. Tired of caring, Alicia makes dinner plans with Will which sparks Peter’s jealousy. His efforts to explain the real reason for the meeting with Kozko fall on deaf ears with Alicia not only telling him it’s over, but walking away with no desire to talk. With only a moment’s hesitation, Peter makes the ultimate decision that may cost him his freedom when he crosses out of the apartment to try and save his marriage.
Stay tuned next week as the Florrick’s drama unfolds.
