Watching more female-led network shows emphasizes how much "The Good Wife" accomplishes with its forty minutes every week. Each episode since its big rival last year, even the weaker ones, were more interesting than the best episode all season for other shows. Anything coming off "The Line" was going to be a letdown, and to characterize "Trust Issues" as a letdown would be inaccurate. This episode does not contain the weight of the premiere, but it's rock solid. "Trust Issues" previews the newest twist in the Florrick, Agos, & Lockhart firm, shows character evolution, and ends with a spellbinding group of scenes.
Before I fall into the specific plot points of the episode, the season five champions Julianna Margulies and Christine Baranski, get their first episode in season 6 to fully strut their acting talents. (Last week was more of a showcase for Czuchry, Panjabi, and Cumming.) Taye Diggs was added to the cast in "Trust Issues", and while I think he'll grow into his character, how his character sets a new course for Florrick, Agos, and Lockhart is what I'm loved. Not only the show is wholeheartedly embracing their feminist nature, but by adding all minorities to the staff of what could become the biggest law firm in the state of Illinois, "The Good Wife" declares itself the classiest liberal show on television.
The scene that ends the first half of the episode in which Peter and Alicia quarrel over Cary's bail money is so significant. Anytime Julianna Margulies and Chris Noth share a scene together, you know there's a reason, and with this scene, the Kings wanted to show the viewers how each of the characters have evolved and the paradoxical nature of the show and plot arc. When the series began, Alicia played by the rules and Peter bent them. Alicia is floundering in the internal problem with Cary, she's desperate. You can feel the desperation seeping through Margulies' acting. Alicia has grown to understand how the world works: to end up on top, you cannot play by the rules 100% of the time. Yet, Peter has seemed to learn his lesson, now that he's moved to the prestigious offices of the state, and refuses to sign it for "what it looks like". But yet, there is a suspicious undertone of Peter "punishing" Alicia for distancing herself from him and basically nullifying any emotional connection in their marriage.
The best scenes in "Trust Issues" are found in the final four minutes of the running time. Diane's grand exit from Lockhart Gardner Canning is probably not what fans were expecting without David Lee and Louis Canning dramatics. "The Good Wife" is making the decision to define this moment as Diane's farewell to her crumbled past and the triumph of her exiting with minority lawyers. Dialoguelessly reminiscent of "Outside the Bubble" and a victorious way to bid adieu to Lockhart Gardner. Following that, "The Good Wife" continues to mine this newfound love between Alicia and Cary. Not romantic love, but almost like sibling love. The hug between is the emotional bullet point, and "The Good Wife" shoots and scores. The relationship between them is deepening, as shown with her devotion to paying his bail and having his back when he was at his worst.
Grade: A-