Wednesday, January 12, 2011

THIS WEEK IN "THE ETHICS OF THE GOOD WIFE":  Boyfriend and Girlfriend stand accused of a shooting during a robbery; neither yet is talking about who fired the weapon.  Can one law firm represent both of them during the police investigation/interrogation? Can it only do so if it constructs a wall between the two sets of lawyers involved in the dual representation?

Yet another time-sensitive episode (along with the death penalty appeal and the potential Al Gore plaintiff), and not a bad one.  (Hey, it's always good to see Leelee Sobieski working again; I've been a fan since Never Been Kissed), and we are definitely upping the drama on The Most Important Law Firm Dissolution in the History of the World, though remaining 0-for-12 in solving NYMag's checklist of show mysteries.Yes, I do wish there were some subtlety to Blake's one-note thuggery, and isn't there supposed to be a State's Attorney race going on?  Still, another good, cynical episode, in which there's nothing Will does that doesn't backfire.

4 comments:

  1. They're having the same problem a lot of hourlongs that aren't straight procedurals do--a cast and set of characters that's too big for its own good.  Neither of the Florck kids showed up last night, nor did Eli.  Add to that the excessive number of plots they have going on now--state's attorney race (and related subplots--Eli and the wiretaps, who is Wendy Scott-Carr, Pastor Isaiah), internal Lockhart/Gardner drama, the Will/Alicia love quadrilateral, Blake/Kalinda, Cary's rivalty with Alicia/Lockhart/Gardner, internal Florck family drama that's kid-oriented, and whatever procedural story they have going that week--and they're having trouble balancing things.

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  2. Marsha2:08 PM

    <span>I'm not all that bothered by not seeing everything every week. I just wish they would stop piling new things on at a breakneck pace to the point where it's tough to keep track. (So Grace is now a proto-lesbian who found Jesus?) I have no doubt that some of this is intended to tie together - Grace's plot line has already intersected with Wendy Scott-Carr and will probably continue to, Eli's stuff worked nicely with Alicia and the firm split - so I'm giving them a lot of rope. The next-week-ons seem to indicate Cary's stuff will be folded in in interesting ways soon.  
     
    I enjoyed last night's episode, despite the need to forget a lot of what I know about law. Frankly, I'd watch an Owen-Jackie spin-off in a heartbeat, so anything that puts those two together is fine by me.</span>

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  3. So I have a dumb question for the lawyers out there, of which I believe there are a few.  Last night the aim was to have one of the kids turn against the other and confess to the shooting.  At the end the boy's father said they were going to appeal with other lawyers.  If the new lawyers find the evidence that the boy didn't do it, is that enough to overturn even though there's been a confession?  Can a demonstrably false confession be made immaterial?  And what happens to the partner who pled to the lesser charge?

    I can't believe after 30+ years of crime/law-TV watching I'm just wondering this now.  But everything I know about the criminal legal system, I know from TV, for better or worse.

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  4. At this stage, the case hasn't even gone to trial yet, so it's not even a question of appeal.  It'll be a question of persuading the jury to disregard the confession.

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