“Nothing is ever over. Remember that,” Will Gardner (Josh Charles) tells Alicia Florrick (Julianna Margulies) in a late-night flashback. But unlike the US v. Nunez case the two lawyers and one-time lovers were once working on, “The Good Wife” — after seven seasons — is indeed over.
Mirroring the thoughts of fans everywhere upon seeing Will back on screen,”It’s just so good to see you again,” Alicia says, and a truer fact hasn’t ever been spoken.
Never has the presence of a dead character been so prevalent on a show. “The Good Wife” did an impeccable job dealing with the fall out after Will’s surprise death. The writers took audiences right along on Alicia’s emotional rollercoaster afterwards, never rushing her healing process, or sweeping the myriad of emotions she went through under the rug. It was wonderful to see Alicia thinking of Will, looking to him for advice and seeking his approval to finally move on in her life.
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It’s fitting that the show’s creators Michelle and Robert King would pen the series finale of “The Good Wife” entitled “End.” This episode jumped out the gate with a surprise twist in Peter Florrick’s (Chris Noth) court case, keeping the long awaited verdict of whether he’d be going to jail or not, a mystery until the very end.
With the help of the investigating prowess of Jason (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) and Cary (Matt Czuchry) expediting the testing of the infamous missing and now found bullets, we discover that Peter has been guilty the entire time. It would’ve been more shocking if he was innocent, but this is how the cookie crumbles.
Does he go to jail? No. Of course, not. In a scene reminiscent of the pilot episode, Alicia stands by her husband as Peter steps down as Governor — which is one part of his plea deal.
However, in order to secure Peter’s deal, Lucca (Cush Jumbo) replaces Diane Lockhart (Christine Baranski) as Peter’s attorney, and has Lockhart’s husband (Gary Cole) reveal to everyone that he had an affair with ballistics expert, Holly Westfall (Megan Hilty). Abruptly leaving the courtroom in tears, devastated with a mixture of anger and embarrassment — an emotional exit that should seal Baranski an Emmy nomination — audiences were sure that this must be the OMG moment of the series finale. Nope.
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While Alicia stood by her cheating, unlawful soon-to-be ex-husband, during his final press conference as governor, Jason apparently suffers cold feet. After seeing someone she thought was Jason, Alicia runs down the back hallway searching him out. It’s the same bleak beige basement hallway for which so many intense conversations have taken place over the series run, and so we know nothing good is about happen.
Alicia doesn’t find Jason. He’s gone.
She finds Diane, instead — the woman she’s supposed to be partnering with on that all female firm. The hatred burning in Diane’s eyes as she looks at Alicia is fierce. No word is uttered, she just slaps Alicia hard in the face before walking away.
The final scene before the screen turns to black is of Alicia wiping tears from her eyes, straightening up her perfectly fitting black dress suit and exiting out — finally, leaving Peter behind her.
Did she turn on Diane on purpose? Is she going back to Peter since Jason is apparently now gone? To hear the Kings discuss all questions and more about the series finale, watch the video below.
