Don't get me wrong; I am still excited to see the next episode of The Good Wife, and I quite liked Lifeguard...but, and yes there is a but, I want something more. Maybe it's that I want a reveal about the general direction of the over-arching plot line, and all I got was another solid episode, developing the story at the same pace as previous episodes. I almost think that leaving things as they stood at the end of episode 9, with that kiss, might have been more appropriate.
Lifeguard aired, however, and there is no reason to regret it.
This particular episode was rife with recognizable guest stars, so check out the Star Count. It is interesting how actors always carry their past roles with them, and so the minute I saw Tony Goldwyn, whom I recognize best as Patrick Swazye's deceitful best friend in Ghost, I was apprehensive. And I was right to be, since he, playing Judge Baxter, sent a young defendant off to juvie despite a plea bargain decided upon by his lawyers.
The plot of the episode was not original. I watched an episode of Law and Order not too long ago where a Judge was also sending children to juvenile detention centers for a kickback. Despite the quality of The Good Wife, there are only so many court room plots, however, the use of this device to develop our main characters was fantastic.
Diane (Christine Baranski) was asked to become a judge, but when she refused to ignore the possibility that Baxter was corrupt, she was asked not to run.
Will (Josh Charles), despite his friendship with Baxter - it was good to finally see Will in a context outside the office, and to have someone call him on his attraction to Alicia (Julianna Margulies) - also held to his morals. He may defend pharmaceutical companies against the common people, but he sticks to the law. Sending children to jail for money just doesn't work for him, and his friend was made to face the law for his crime.
Alicia had the least amount of focus this episode, but sometimes that is important. An audience needs to love not only the main character, but also those who surround her and create her universe. While the success of The Good Wife is largely due to Julianna Margulies creation of a vulnerable but powerful, easily relatable woman, the rest of the cast supports her perfectly.
Enjoy tonight's episode as The Good Wife resumes!
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