The Good Wife Screecap: The Bit Bucket
by Ilich Mejía
Before Sunday's episode, check out our recap of last week's show so you're caught up and still confused about what SCIF stands for. Now, we're going to do things a little differently. This is still (sort) a recap of "The Bit Bucket". It was an eventful episode for the L/G crew, but it looks like the fun stuff won't take place until tomorrow night. Anyway, Diane seems impatient, so let's get this image-heavy screecap started!
After Robyn was hired at the firm last year, she said something about how everyone's clothes looked so expensive. That's because they are. You can tell from a distance. Alicia holds on to her black and whites for dear life, but she dove into some color to check out her potential new office space. The girl likes a zip-front jacket, but you have to admit she looks great. Her posture summons power. The suit is just the icing on the litigious cake.
Oh, right. Her soon-to-be name partner also looks nice.
David Lee (Zack Grenier) and Veronica (Stockard Channing) have great chemistry, don't they? At one point, Veronica jokes about running off with David and let's be real: we wouldn't be mad at her. They're so complimentary in their expressiveness. She can't even eat her M&M's without getting messy with him in the room! I'm joking. I don't know why those M&M's are out of order.
The NSA was a big part of this episode thanks to this pair. They're the self-proclaimed "smartest people in the world" so naturally, they dress like this. It was kind of refreshing to get a glimpse into a work environment that was so different from L/G. Obviously there is no dress code, or else Mr. Coexist wouldn't have paired socks and sandals. These kids wouldn't be working as effectively as they were if they were wearing a suit. It was hilarious how their boss, who is wearing a suit, didn't even know their names. He should learn them. When he does, he should tell Coexist to take off those socks.
If you've seen the preview for the next episode, you know big things are going to happen to Diane. Drama will prevail!! We don't see her nervous often, but this judgeship is really shaking her up.
It's rare to see Alicia in anything that isn't a jacket at the office. Diane is more open-minded when it comes to her workwear, but she strongly considers her position. As a name partner, she delivers on the style front. The woman dresses for success and it suits her so well. The best part is that she knows it does. She got engaged last season, so everyone keep an eye out for her rock!
That's a lot of pattern for a room at a gubernatorial mansion, ties included. Just one way to hint at the constant disagreement these guys are in. Mr. Chief Justice (Jeffrey DeMun) is kind of a jerk. His opposition to Diane's nomination really shook things up for the firm and it was all so unnecessary. At the end of the episode, Peter told him off and admitted he really didn't care what he thought. Mr. CJ hasn't been satisfied with her nomination as of last season and Peter decides to tell him to fuck off until now? When Diane has already screwed up by giving that godforsaken interview? Obviously his support wasn't that important, so it's upsetting things had to work out this way. At one point, Eli calls the judge sexist and it doesn't seem to be far from the truth. Peter might have a predilection for whores, but you can't deny the guy is charming and diplomatic. He deals with this jerk well and, unlike Eli, he can disguise his disgust well.
One more thing: Eli was the Best Dressed Male this episode. That tie!
Of course.
Becca (Dreama Walker) is back. Her last appearance was in season 2, but it's great to see her back. She gets the best out of Eli. Here, Eli is livid because his tie matches her sweater. Also, she stole an engraved gavel the Chief Justice had given Peter for his win and is now selling it for a whopping $890. Eli can't really steal it back because Becca is outstanding at playing the victim. She's also clever, though. She managed to steal the gavel by chumming around with Grace. I've read a lot of posts all over about how so many people dislike the Florrick kids. I strongly disliked them both at first, but now I'm indifferent towards Zach. Grace, however, is another story. She's not very easy to like and now she does this. Did she really not remember how awful Becca was with Zach? What makes her think a college-level queen B wants to spend her weekends giving her amateur make-up advice? Ugh.
Speaking of Becca, this episode was jam-packed with recurring guest stars (see Veronica, Chief Justice Ryvlan, and Becca above). Nisa (Rachel Hilson) sobbed her way into joining Becca for Zack's Ghosts of Girlfriends Past. Neil Gross (John Benjamin Hickey) was at the center of this week's case as he returned as the cynical head of ChumHum. His nemesis Patric Edelstein (Jack Carpenter) also popped by, but... yawn. Judge Kluger (Jeffrey Tambor) was the moderator for this week's infinite case again and I have something to say about that: whuck? There's a great list of recurring judges on TGW and many have fun, defining quirks that make them fun to watch. Kluger is just kind of mean and he thinks he's funnier than he is. Why not drag Ana Gasteyer out of Suburgatory for a week so we can hear people's opinions?
Miriam Shor also recurred as the deliciously awful Mandy Post. She's awful. Diane's about-face-face should speak for itself.
Miss Good Wife never looks anything less than good. Her looks are less striking than Diane's, but they're so sharp and well-fitted, it's hard to dismiss them as boring. For the rest of the episode, she was clad in her go-to neutrals (navy counts as a neutral, right?). Alicia's either pissed or thoughtful for most of the episode. She helped deliver a little jewel during that scene with her mother near the end. The Kings have done a great job awarding Alicia her flaws. She's not a Don Draper-level antihero, but she's not perfect and the writing isn't discreet about that. She's not always easy to root for because she can be stubborn and redundant in her mistake-making. The scene provides a modicum of background into why she is how she is. Veronica was a bad mommy (to her, at least) and she divorced Alicia's father impetuously without a clear reason. Alicia resents that, but they agree to set things right. We'll see where that one goes.
Considering his history with Neil Gross, this episode was surprisingly Will-lite. To my chagrin, last season was Kalinda-lite, but I'm hoping they'll compensate this year. Will is clad in his customary stripes and Kalinda looks incredible in silk. I miss her interacting with Alicia. I wish they would remember they made up and agreed to be best friends who told each other personal secrets
Aaah! That ending. I didn't see it coming. Part of why I didn't see it coming is because it's so inconsistent with Diane's character. She's not one to be bullied into a decision as egregious as trash-talking your name partner so easily, especially by someone like Eli. She really respects Will and runs almost everything by him. If she was going to re-do the interview, I would have expected her to explain everything to Will. If he was privy to her circumstances, maybe he could have even helped her with what to say or how to avoid dealing with it at all. He had been fine with her taking the nomination in the first place anyway and it's not like his sins were a secret in the first place. On a lighter note, the woman can wear a dress.
Don't miss tomorrow's recap! If you have any constructive criticism on tonight's screecap, I'm all
