I love The Good Wife

I love The Good Wife. Season One is one of the best seasons of television, period. And the best thing about this show has always been the relationship between Alicia Florrick and Kalinda Sharma. Unfortunately, two decisions made by the writers have irreparably damaged this relationship, and consequently the series. First, at the end of Season Two the writers decided to reveal that Kalinda slept with Alicia's husband during her stint at the State's Attorney's office two years before the show began. This undermined the friendship that had grown between these two very different women. And second, in Season Four, they brought in new character Nick, Kalinda's long-lost abusive husband. This guy shows up in the first episode of Season Four as a thug with a criminal record attempting to use Lockhart Gardner to help him get a towing contract from the State. But his real motive is to move in on Kalinda again and get his hands on some money he believes she stole from him.

The problem here is that Kalinda has always been portrayed as a strong and self-sufficient woman. Yes, she was "mysterious," and it was obvious from the start that she had secrets she was hiding, but it seems totally against character to portray her locked in a love-hate battle with an abusive lunatic. While things are left a bit murky as to what Kalinda's relationship with Nick really is, they are shown punching each other, going full-on martial arts with each other, pulling guns on each other, and having what can only be called sadomasochistic sex with each other. In fact, their first "sex scene" looks very much like rape, although it is left up in the air as to whether or not Kalinda was into the whole rape scenario.

I am really enjoying this show. I have heard and seen rave reviews of The Good Wife ever since its debut, but I just started watching it on Amazon. I love Alicia's strength, but the series also shows her emotional struggles in dealing with her husband's betrayal, her mother-in-laws controlling behaviors, raising her children properly, and navigating the political world of her new law firm. These are issues most women face, whether or not they are married or have children. That is what makes Alicia a sympathetic character.

Combine this Greek plotline with engaging legal battles and that is what makes this show so wonderful! Yay for The Good Wife!