Slap Unhappy
In the season finale of The Good Wife when Diane slapped Alicia, I did not feel any satisfying book-end symmetry. The last scene was meant to mirror the first scene of the very first episode when Alicia had slapped her philandering husband after his confessional press conference. I was unaware.
We only started watching TGW three seasons ago as part of a self-prescribed regimen of binge-watching. I am a big believer in getting out of the way so the body can heal. Three years ago my dear partner was healing from breast cancer. We coped through mastectomies with The Wire; chemo with Breaking Bad and radiation with Friday Night Lights.
There was still some healing to be done. Someone suggested TGW. Or they might have suggested Kalinda.
We caught up with the general story line pretty easily, but never really had the history with Alicia that you all had. I shouted my way through many episodes: “Oh come on, don’t be such a girl.” “Get a backbone, woman!” “Don’t stand by your man. Stand on your man!” “What is the matter with straight women?” But I didn’t want to slap her.
The slap has churned out many readings. CNN, which will poll absolutely anything, has probably already crunched the numbers on John King’s magic wall. The frontrunner interpretation in my exit poll is that by using Diane’s husband’s affair to keep Peter out of prison, Alicia broke with her oldest female ally and became a less than good person.
But I hated that slap.
May 16, 2016 @ 12:55 pm
I hated the ending…..period!!!! The slap, the talks with Will, the unknown of her being with the new head honcho of Walking Dead…it was a very unsatisfying ending to an overall great show…and of course Kalinda!!!
May 20, 2016 @ 8:56 am
It was a straight couple’s ending to a lesbian-ish/feminist-ish show, which was very, very disappointing, and I’m not really sure why I am so surprised. Of course they would create a final (very thin and inorganic) storyline over the last four episodes to pit the two main female professionals against each other! And over what–Diane’s husband’s affair and his manly pride? Or Alicia’s loyalty toward her philandering, nearly ex-husband? The whole final message was ridiculous: stand by your man, no matter what and throw your female friends/colleagues under the bus. Think of all the people Alicia COULD have slapped: Eli, David, Jason, Fantasy-Will, Cary, or…how about Peter again? (If she had slapped Peter again for some new reason that had to do with her strength rather than weakness, then at least everyone would have gotten the “book ending” structure.) It was a cop out and a fall back to the antiquated myth that love is scarce and so women need to hate each other in business and be adversaries in order to protect their men.
May 20, 2016 @ 2:22 pm
I am with you. Not satisfied with the ending and have watched it since the beginning. Kalinga was hot and a big reason for watching
May 22, 2016 @ 9:37 am
I too hated the ending!! I faithfully watched this show from day one!!! BUT I had a feeling the ending would be stupid , as many shows are!!
I belive it ended with Alicia standing by her man!!! OMG!!!