coming on strong

Through its first two season, The Good Wife was a hit-or-miss show from a critical perspective that did well but not exceptional in the ratings. Overall, I enjoyed it and found some episodes gripping. The Good Wife moved to Sunday nights for its third season, and while I have not paid attention to the impact on its ratings, I feel the show has come back much stronger than before.

I still don't care for the case-of-the-week approach to the legal battles of Lockhart-Gardner - it'd be much more engaging and realistic to have cases stretch out over the course of several episodes. The cases themselves have been intriguing, but what elevates the show for me is the periphery. The developing relationship between Alicia and Will, the tension between Alicia and Kalinda, the dynamic within the Florrick family and the sleuthing between Eli and Kalinda have added depth to the show in each episode so far this season.

photo from cbs.com

Perhaps the shows transformation is a result of it freeing Alicia from her marriage and her devotion to keeping it together. Her new life is more interesting, and her character appears more confident and in control. Moreover, the change has also pushed Peter Florrick in new directions, given their children time to explore themselves, and is having an interesting effect on Will. I chuckle watching him bungle the relationship stuff - accidentally saying "I love you," the awkwardness around Alicia's son, etc. His character is usually so cool and calculating, but when it comes to Alicia he becomes clumsy and irrational - qualities most guys can relate to around attractive women.

Last season, it was clear that The Good Wife was going one of two general directions - Alicia and Peter reconciling completely or Alicia and Peter separating completely. It was intriguing to watch it unfold, and Kalinda's involvement in the plot came as a surprise, but the outcome was not unexpected. Conversely, this season The Good Wife could go in any one of dozens of directions. My impression is that the show is more interesting and better for it.