Recapitalism

Now that you've read our recap, we can break this episode down stylistically. It was a dark episode, mostly bereft of color, but it was excellent. The case was a little irrelevant, but the writers compensated elsewhere. Assuming you've already completed your morning jog, let's get this post started.




Ostensibly, it was a Diane-centric episode, but Ms. Lockhart didn't really get very much screen time. Christine Baranski sure milked her scenes, however. During her confession, Diane was remarkably honest. Obviously the interview would be published shortly, but warning Will was frankly the least she could do. For the record, Diane didn't lie during the interview. The firm wasn't lucky Will was disbarred: Will was lucky he wasn't disbarred. If you recall from a few seasons back, the main reason Will wasn't disbarred was because Diane spoke to the board to tell them that Will had encouraged a pro-bono department at the firm (which was a lie because it was her idea, Will accepted reluctantly). Diane never told Will she told the disbarment board, but it's implied he knows. Even if he didn't, she's proved her loyalty otherwise. But we'll go over that in a minute. There's seldom explicit symbolism in the costumes on this show, but that necklace is weighing Diane down. Figuratively, for the purposes of this screecap.



That first picture is hilarious. You're welcome.



Gubernatorial photo op time! Scroll up for a minute to study how great Alicia looks. She rarely dresses like this to work, but this style suits her so well. It's especially refreshing to see her in color. Red seems to be her go-to power color. Last week, she wore red to check out the offices of the firm she's about to head and this week she wore it to her first photo shoot as the official First Lady of Illinois. Mad Men's Talia Balsam was sorely underused as Anne: a, wait for it, nosy reporter who tests Eli's patience! Speaking of which, I know she's just Eli's assistant, but it'd be nice to hear Nora speak every now and then. Dealing with Eli's demands on a daily basis must make you fascinating.



Will asks Kalinda to find dirt on Diane. Finding dirt on Diane must be a challenge, but what's worth noting here is that Will really trusts Kalinda. Sure, she gets paid to investigate, but this is a tough subject and Will lets her in on its nature (Mandy Post interrupted his angry jog, etc.).



We'll get to the case in a minute. Meanwhile, how badly does this office make you wanna be a doctor? All together now: VERY.



I'm still confused why Alicia wants to leave L/G so zealously. It makes her seem kind of greedy. She's an equity partner at her law firm. That's a very big deal for a fourth year associate, but I guess it's not enough for her. Her new firm is allegedly taking all of her current firm's top clients, which would leave the firm bankrupt most likely. Bankruptcy would leave everyone at the firm unemployed. So, let's review: Alicia is willing to have tens of people lose their job because she wants to make more bank! In her defense, working with Will must be extremely awkward now that they're not schtupping and after she left him hanging after that kiss during last season's finale. Also, the lady is ambitious. I hope she gets the self-fulfillment she's looking for because this firm will cost her several relationships. Well, maybe just one big one.



And then they broke up. As a viewer, I enjoy watching Diane more. I don't know if that's because I'm a guy, but I enjoy her more than I enjoy Will. I don't know if that fact is clouding my judgement, because I still can't get my head around what Will did. He kicked Diane out of their firm for something he did. A few seasons ago, Will was suspended for 6 months from practicing the law because he took $45,000 from a client (which is what Diane brought up during the infamous interview). He was a name-parter at a major law firm in Chicago who was suspended for half a year. Nobody wondered why? It's implausible that people didn't talk about why he wasn't working. Several people knew, so it's absurd to think a snake like Wendy Scott Carr wouldn't rat him out to the press or at least some of his clients. The point is, the people that matter probably already knew what he had done, so why is Diane reaffirming the known such a major deal? Especially when it was him who committed the crime. Like I said above, she was the reason he wasn't suspended indefinitely. Also, she had to run the firm on her own while he was suspended. Mr. Gardner should just try a little gratitude. I'm not defending what Diane did, but I am condemning Will's reaction. Can he not.

It is also worth noting that they're both wearing suits during this scene. Regardless of what Cary implied during the episode, Diane and Will are equals. Were equals. Diane's role in the firm is tantamount to Will's. It's remarkable how suddenly Diane gets kicked out. Everything happened so fast and just like that, she's sent packing.

Josh Charles has gotten very good at pouting, hasn't he?



That little pregnant lady is Tara (Genevieve Angelson). Janel Maloney and CJ Wilson play the couple that hired Tara as their surrogate. Janel was ridiculously effective at playing a rich city lady. The costume team really nailed her look, from the razor sharp bob to the oversized sunglasses stuck to the top of her head. It's revealed her first son passed away recently, so her all-black wardrobe might have something to do with that.

Fun Fact: Did you know 30 Rock's Jenna Maroney's name was loosely inspired by Janel Maloney's? Now you know.



This season has been excellent so far. The plot lines involving the firm in particular have been riveting, but this show still has trouble giving these munchkins screen time. Both Mackenzie Vega (Grace) and Graham Phillips (Zach) have had strong scenes that showcased their acting chops in the past so I don't think they're entirely the problem. The writers really want to show Alicia's life at home, but her kids are just so boring. This plot about Grace being hot is exhausting. She's sixteen. The only strange thing about boys calling her house is that they're calling her house. Can we get this girl a cellphone? That dress was perfectly respectable, so I don't know why they made it seem like she was wearing a crop top she borrowed from Miley. The girl looks great in a not-so-candid candid, though. I'll give her that. But that's it. Nothing more.

Was this the video Zach and the NSA geeks were watching? More importantly, why do I care?



At this point, the partners have already negotiated Diane's exit package, but she's playing hardball. Their offer was pathetic because they based her deal on Jonas Stern's exit package. Remember him? Sexual harrasser, alcoholic, dementia-haver: just like Diane! By the way, as you'll see as you keep reading, after Diane was kicked out of the firm, she only wears black and white. Even while Will delivers the news, she's clad in a neutral animal print blouse and a black suit. She's losing power, which is often represented by color on this show. Regardless, she has full control of this scene. She might have lost her title as managing partner of the firm, but she's showing her strength and her character. She isn't going to be intimidated by the likes of Howard and David. Alicia knows better than to even try.



Melissa George is a vision, but I'm not feeling this Marilyn Garbanza mess. She's supposed to be a great foil for Eli, but she isn't. Eli's interactions with Jackie, his wife, and even Becca are ten times more fun to watch than the ones with Ms. Garbanza. Speaking of which, Parker Posey will return this season and she's always a treat! Anyway, Garbanza is supposed to be the girl who tempts Peter into infidelity. Every time she's with him, she's being coy and seductive in some way. Neither George or the writers are being subtle about this either (reminder: her name is Marilyn). She might grown on me, though. Maybe when she manages to put on her blazer.



Watching Tara in court was hilarious. It was strange to see Alicia backing up someone who was so clueless, but she won so OK. It was also nice to see David Lee in court. That was a first, right? The twist on a regular abortion issue was great and Tara's quirks brought a nice lightness to such a relevant, serious issue. It was hard to watch Tara fight for the baby's life, even if it had serious developmental issues, while seeing the baby's parents relentlessly pleading for its termination. Tara wanted the baby to live knowing he was going to grow up in a bitter environment. At the same time, though, like Kathy said near the end of the episode, Tara never said she wanted to keep the baby herself. She very much saw this as their problem, but who doesn't like to meddle?



The great thing about Archie Panjabi is that, even though her screen time this season is considerably lower, she nails Kalinda's mystique. We still don't know much about her background, but we know her loyalties lie with Will and Diane (maybe more with the former than the latter). It's hard to say if her relationship with Alicia will ever be restored because so far this season they haven't had many scenes together. Alicia has had more scenes with Robyn. God bless her. She's still dressing like she's Neil Gross's soul mate. Kalinda looks great, however. It's remarkable how assertive she is, even in her personal style. That last tableau was so moving. Kalinda just learned that Alicia's leaving the firm with Cary. It's tough to say what hurts her more: that Alicia's leaving or that she didn't tell her.



Grace just wants to be pretty. Alicia just wants to product place her watch. Is either succeeding? It's your call. For the record, Grace looked much better with curly hair. I wonder if her Pastor agrees.



Maybe it's a cape...with sleeves? Either way, someone make this stop.



What made this episode a great candidate as an Emmy-submission for Baranski was this last scene. She's always been very good at portraying how important this job is to Diane, so having her play out how heartbreaking it is for her to have people take her for granted was incredible. Grace just wants to be pretty, but Diane just wants to be appreciated. She's devoted her life into raising this firm and saving it from bankruptcy. We saw her in a similar position back in season 2 when Derrick Bond joined the firm and wanted to kick her out of the firm, but that didn't work out. This worked out for Will. When Diane asks why he's so persistent in wanting to hurt her, he says they had an agreement to stop working together when it wasn't fun. He then asks Diane if she's having fun. Uh... no, she's not having fun because you just fired her, but I'm pretty sure she was fine before that.

Will's douchebaggery makes Alicia want to leave the firm even sooner. Ah, yes. Karma is welcome.