Starting from step one after a phenomenal, swirling, riveting fifth season is a challenge most shows probably wouldn't be able to do, but "The Good Wife" hit the ground running with its season six premiere and was just as shocking as "Dramatics, Your Honor" from the previous season. I thought "Everything is Ending", the season premiere from last year, was a beautifully composed episode, but "The Line" tops it by reconfiguring the tone and funneling the storyline to center on drama within its core characters.
There was nothing procedural about this episode, and though I'm sure the "case of the week" is not gone for good, it certainly will be taking backseat to the storyline involving the main characters. My guess is most of the episodes with a "case of the week" will look like the one from "A Material World", cases that are brief, are directly relate to the Alicia, Diane, or Cary's plight at the moment, and will be emotionally relevant and compelling.
The premiere seems to be setting up an enormous storyline for Cary, and as a fan of now six years, I can finally breath out with relief. Matt Czuchry is finally being put to good use and his acting in "The Line" is without a doubt his best work from the 113 episodes of the series. This storyline is also resurrecting Kalinda's vitality to the plot and waking up Archie Panjabi from her "sidekick" coma. Creators Robert and Michelle King have thrown jabs at cable shows and web series into scripts "The Good Wife", most prominently last season. What they did here was, take the grittiness of "True Detective", the suspense of "Breaking "Bad", and the bleakness of "House of Cards" and did each of those qualities better than said cable/web show.
"The Good Wife" season six has blood running through its veins like no other show its age or in its medium. Mostly shot with hand-held cameras, the show has never appeared more visually attractive, thanks in large part to the desolate jail cells / bright law office color contrast. Filled with metaphors and symbolism, the premiere was very sharply written and executed. "The Line" feels like a statement from the Kings saying, "We're coming for that Drama Series Emmy, cable shows beware!"
Grade: A