Stripped
Original Air Date: Sept. 29, 2009
Patricia Morris Buckley — Staff Writer
pmb@thetwocentscorp.com
A pilot episode gets months, maybe years of attention in getting made. So it’s the second episode of a new series that tells what the show is really going to be like. So how did The Good Wife fare in its’ second outing?
OK.
I still like the balance of the courtroom scenes, the career issues and family concerns of Alicia Florrick. And before I get into the meat of the episode, I’d like to say that the kids who play her kids (Makenzie Vega and Graham Phillips)) are wonderful actors. They seem so real (albeit, a bit squeaky clean), especially as they too grapple with their father’s indiscretions.
I was a bit disappointed that the case this week reminded me of many we’ve seen before. A stripper says after a bachelor party that the wealthy groom raped her. Trouble is, it looks like a poor girl looking for a big payday, especially when it comes out that she once worked as an escort as well. It helps that she refuses the big payday to get justice. (But has she had sex with Alicia’s husband? Maybe.)
Still it’s the interesting turns and twists that make this show interesting — that and the outstanding cast who knows how to play these twists subtly. At one point it looks as if Alicia, who is second chair on the case, has found the evidence to prove the client’s case: The lab made a mistake on the rape kit. But damn, it plays against her as the liberal judge, trying not to look liberal, cancels out the rape kit as evidence altogether. And the big bad rich guy gets off.
Wait, that’s not how it’s supposed to work! But it seems that Alicia has tipped off the attorney general, who arrests the rapist. So the girl does get justice in the end.
Meanwhile, Alicia and her kids are dealing with the leaked video of her husband Peter (Chris Noth at his slimiest best) sexing it up with hookers. Alicia can’t bear to watch it, but the AG hints that there was much more he didn’t leak to the press, stuff that showed her hubby in a much worse light.
It’s not clear, but hinted at, that he has photos dropped off at Alicia’s home showing her hubby with the hooker and doing crack (hence, the title and what’s happening in Alicia’s world). But the kids are the ones who intercept the photos and decide not to tell their mom because it will upset her more (uh, yeah!). The son, Zach, tries to prove they’ve been photoshopped, which they may or may not have been. We’ll stay tuned for that answer.
After Peter asks when she’ll finally forgive him (my answer would be: not in a million years!), Alicia finally lets herself watch the whole video. And her good wife demeanor finally does crack and we really feel her pain.
It’s that balance of work and home life so magically balanced that makes this show so watchable. Yes, I’m ready to add this show to my season pass.
What about you? Does the show intrigue or repel you? How much “bad stuff” do you think Peter is really guilty of? Give us your Two Cents…
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