'The Good Wife - The Sixth Season'
(Julianna Margulies, Christine Baranski, Alan Cumming, Matt Czuchry, Chris Noth, et al / 6-Disc DVD / NR / 2015 / Paramount Pictures)
Overview: Alicia Florrick (Julianna Margulies) stood by her husband (Chris Noth) on his tumultuous path to the governor's office, but now she's entering the world of politics on her own terms by running for state's attorney. As Election Day approaches, Alicia must balance the demands of her firm and campaign as she supports her partner Car (Matt Czuchry) during shocking developments that could end his career… and life as he knows it.
DVD Verdict: Juliana Margulies returns in the role that earnt her two Primetime Emmy Awards alongside Archie Panjabi, Christine Baranki, Alan Cumming and a roster of stellar guests here in the incredible Season Six of the gripping series, 'The Good Wife.' Funnily enough, I kept under-estimating this drama; perhaps because there are no big names associated with the production of it - my mistake! This drama continues to capture me hook, line and sinker every week. I am loving it to the point that it has become one of my 'must see' TV shows.
The character developments are great, indeed, but the focus of the series is not on the main character as a wife or parent - but as a lawyer, and the cases her firm handles. Her struggles with her husband becomes another way of portraying examples from politics, rather than being the center of the series. With that being said, the drama scenes here and there are extremely well written.
In the opening episode, "The Line," loose ends are tied up as Cary is finally arrested and charged with helping trafficking $1.3 million worth of heroin! Florrick/Agos struggle to come up with the bail money though, so it's up to Kalinda to investigate on her own - and to re-acquaint herself with an old contact connected with the case. Diane's offer to join Florrick/Agos stands on the condition she gets an equal vote with Alicia and Cary, which they are not happy with, of course.
David Lee and Louis Canning get suspicious of Diane when she declares her intention to retire and with Cary still held in jail, with bail set at $1.3 million and Florrick/Agos still struggling to come up with the funds, suddenly there those funds are - but not from a source they ever wished to see them arrived from! Indeed, and against Alicia's wishes, Eli conducts polling on any potential campaign for the State's Attorney office for Alicia and discovers that Alicia has a very good chance of winning against the incumbent. He schemes to get Peter's approval, which turns out to be easier than expected, come the end.
And YES, that's all in just the FIRST episode of the new sixth season, my friends! Basically, Alicia has reached a point in her career where she's taking cases "that she wants to take." She is trying to reclaim control of her life and her career in a season that saw it spin out of control. In the Season 2 finale, she also took a major step in reclaiming control by finally, finally sleeping with Will.
Oh, and in the midst of being stonewalled by law enforcement and the State's Attorney's office, Alicia finds out that Peter has been asked to run for president. He's not running to win, he assures Alicia, he's running because he has a very good chance of being asked to be vice president. Alicia is having none of it: She lets Peter ask her and their children for approval, but then tells him that he can't ask his family to make that decision for him, when what he actually seeks is for them to grant permission. If his mind is made up, it's his decision. She does not want him to run. He says he won't — but his presidential campaign will almost certainly be a plot in Season 7. one assumes.
And as for Kalinda ... well, Season 6 crammed in enough OMG moments throughout its incredible run, that's for sure, but to leave such a BIG one for the finale episode, well, WOW! That's about all I can say right now!
Oh, and for TRUE fans of the show, some of the guest stars who have played themselves interacting with the show's fictional characters include: Clinton Administration advisers Vernon Jordan and Donna Brazile; presidential MSNBC anchor and political commentator Chris Matthews; financial TV hosts Lou Dobbs and Jim Cramer; and OJ Simpson lawyer and co-founder of The Innocence Project Barry Scheck. Actor/lawyer/politician Fred Dalton Thompson plays Frank Michael Thomas, a thinly veiled version of himself (Thomas is also a former actor, lawyer, and politician). New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg appeared in the Season Four finale! Anyway, the twenty-two episodes contained on six DVDs here on this sixth season DVD box-set are all Widescreen Presentations (1.85:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs and come with the Special Features of:
Follow the Leader: Inside the Season Finale
The Temptation of Alicia Florrick: The Good Wife - Season Six
Deleted Scenes
The Esteemed Women of Sunday Night: Julianna Margulies and Christine Baranski
Gag Reel
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