Episode 18 | Aired Mar 18, 2012
Alicia takes on guest star Michael J. Fox while he defends the national hockey league; Diane juggles her job and two suitors
The employees of Lockhart Gardner are just like any other family. They may fight and bicker all the time, but at the end of the day, they still love each other. But when they don't, it's up to mom and dad -- also know as Diane and Will -- to keep the peace between all the children -- also known as the equity partners. But with Papa Will still under suspension, peace keeping is certainly not an easy task. And with so much going on during last night's "Gloves Come Off," let's jump right in.
As part of his suspension, Will is not allowed to practice the law or consult on any new cases. He can, however, consult on the background of his previous cases. Someone within the firm told the Bar Disciplinary Board Will was still working on cases. David "you call me an ethical midget" Lee pointed the blame at Eli Gold. And Eli politely returned the favor by blaming David Lee. Can't we all just be adults? Nope. We never learned the true identity of the backstabber -- although Kalinda's got her ears peeled -- but Will's situation is only causing more dissension between the equity partners. Diane made it clear that any backstabbing should remain in-house. But it seems like the group of partners is a ticking time bomb. Mama Diane can only hold her unruly bunch together for so long.
But to play devil's advocate here: Will has been walking a fine line when it comes to keeping the terms of his suspension. He is not consulting on cases, but let's be honest, he really is. Yes, there are a lot of gray areas. He hasn't technically done anything wrong at this point. Isn't that all just semantics?
Anyway, the main case of the week had Alicia and Julius helping a client, Grant, sue the makers of a snowmobile for $5 million after his wife died following an accident. The steering column locked up on him, and he crashed the snowmobile into a tree. It seemed like it would be a simple case when Judge Rigby called both parties into the chambers for benched supervised negotiations. "You’re paying, Mr. Hines. By the evidence I’ve seen, you’re paying. The only question is, how much." But nothing is ever that simple on a Sunday-night drama.
The case quickly went from being about a faulty snowmobile to Grant's career as a professional hockey player. The defense claimed that he had no business driving the vehicle in the first place, and that his own chronic traumatic encephalopthy caused part of the accident. If they could prove that Grant was partially responsible, he would no longer be able to sue. Despicable yes, but it was a legal argument. During his 86th game, Grant took a hard hit that impaired his motor skills and ultimately ended his hockey career. The snowmobile company was using this additional evidence to their advantage. The only option for Alicia & Co. was to go after the hockey league. If they could prove that professional hockey was responsible for Grant's injuries, he could still collect.
Enter Louis Canning (Michael J. Fox), the lawyer representing the interests of the hockey league, and the one person to surely make Alicia's eyes roll in court. Alicia and Julius thought bringing in hockey would give them more time to prepare their case, probably forgetting that Canning has always got something up his sleeve. He didn't ask for an extension on the case, and they went right into arguments. The first line of business for Alicia was to look into a criminal battery investigation from that infamous 86th game in which Grant got hit. She sought out Cary for information and learned that Cameron Raker, the player who hit Grant, was suspended by the league. Shortly after, all chargers were dropped by, you guessed it, Peter Florrick. At the time, the assumed it was a pre-meditated hit. Although, fundamentally important to the case, the main reason for this encounter was to learn that Cary had been demoted from the deputy's office following his confession to Peter about his extracurricular activities. Alicia asked if he was safe, to which Cary replied: "Nobody’s told me otherwise, and that usually means no."
Anyway, with the new information from Cary, Alicia had a new angle for the case. But things took a turn for the worse when Dr. Webb, a top neurologist who had agreed to testify for them, backed out. He suddenly had no idea who Will was, and their only logical explanation was that someone -- probably Louis Canning -- had paid him off. So off Kalinda went to prove fraud. But instead of Canning, Kalinda found that Webb was actually meeting with the actor/lawyer Frank Michael Thomas played by the actor/lawyer Fred Dalton Thompson. (I love The Good Wife's use of actual political players in secondary roles.) Thomas wasn't actually working for Canning, but he was suing the hockey league in his own class action case, helping seven players with head injuries. Alicia asked him to join their cause to fight a multi-front war. He not-so-subtly declined: "Not a chance in hell."
Thomas explained that Canning was using the case against Lockhart and Gardner to establish legal precedent before taking on Thomas' class action. If Canning won this case, it would be much easier for him to fight Thomas. Hence the reason he was prepared to defend the league immediately instead of taking an extension like they expected.
Meanwhile, back in court Canning was able to prove that Grant had faked his baseline test, a test designed to indicate signs of head trauma. Hockey players often fake this test to get cleared for play even after they've been injured. Point for Canning. But Alicia came back with her own move (definitely not courtesy of Will). Kalinda uploaded a copyrighted video to the Internet, and within two hours she had received a cease and desist order from the hockey league. But the website RinkFights.com featured tons of these copyrighted clips, and not a single cease and desist letter had been sent out. Alicia used this to help show that the league liked, and even encouraged fan's enthusiasm for fights. The final nail in the coffin was Thomas agreeing to hand over Dr. Webb to testify in the case.
The hockey league and the snowmobile company (remember the snowmobile that started this whole thing?) worked out a deal, and they paid the full $5 million to Grant for his loss. But true to form, Louis Canning was pleased with the outcome of the case. Why? The case against Lockhart Gardner was just a drop in the bucket. His real intention was to smoke out Frank Michael Thomas and see what he had in store for his upcoming class action suit. And the missing piece of Canning's puzzle was Dr. Webb.
Also returning was Elizabeth Reaser as Tammy Linnata. Tammy was in reporter mode, covering the hockey trial. And she was also out to speak her piece to Alicia. "Are you in bed with him?" I thought, wow, straight to the point! But she was just talking about Frank Thomas. And I assumed Alicia was safe from any accusations. False alarm! Tammy went in for the kill. "It wasn’t over between Will and I when I left for London. Then you slept with him, and it was over." Yikes.
In similarly complicated, but not quite as dramatic relationship news, we got to see Diane in her own love triangle. I really enjoy seeing Diane out of her usual office mode, so it was a nice surprise to have Bryan Brown return as Jack Copeland, the "manly" Australian process-server. Diane testified for Jack in small claims court, so he offered to take her out to dinner. She obliged, but he promptly stood her up due to a "complication." So what's a woman to do? Go visit an old flame, that's what. She traveled the 40 miles to see Kurt McVeigh, whom she had not seen in a year, and was surprised when Miranda, supposedly Kurt's protégé, answered the door. But Miranda's presence didn't stop Diane from confessing her feelings to Kurt and sealing it with a kiss. Not too long after, Kurt scheduled a fishing trip with Diane, and Jack offered to reschedule their date. She agreed to both. Get it, Diane!
We also got to see the aftermath of Alicia's request for a raise. Her old house still seems to be an option, although she admitted that going back to that home wouldn't make sense because it would feel like she was going backwards. Some of the equity partners (see: David Lee) wanted to dump her. But others (see: Eli Gold) wanted to keep her on for reasons more than just her connection to Peter. In the end, Diane offered her a raise but it wasn't as much as she needed. Still, it appeared as though Alicia would take the good faith gesture.
But then that sly Louis Canning got to her. In past episodes, he's been clear about his intentions to offer Alicia a job with his firm. And Alicia has always made it clear that she would not, and could not be poached. She clung to that argument as she told him that poached lawyers are the ones the firm doesn't trust. But her dire financial situation caused her to reconsider, and she at least looked at what Canning's firm was offering. She then realized she could use it to her advantage. She showed Canning's proposal to Diane in hopes of getting a counter offer to stay. That move didn't go over too well with Diane, but in the end, it worked. Alicia turned down Canning's offer, and got the raise she wanted.
Meanwhile, the Alicia/Kalinda relationship finally gained some ground. At the beginning of the episode, Kalinda offered Alicia a beer, but she turned it down. "I'm sorry. I can't help it. I want to move on, but I...look we're working together. That's good enough isn't it?" NO! I screamed at the TV. I get where she's coming from, but I'm ready for these two to make up already. Unfortunately, sleeping with your friend's husband is a pretty hard crime to just forget. Perhaps it was the raise, but something compelled Alicia to tell Kalinda she wanted to try to make it work. Of course, that's only if Kalinda can be honest and forthcoming with her. Kalinda agreed, but she’s definitely hiding something, right? She's always hiding something, and I'm afraid of what that means for her and Alicia's relationship.
All credit goes to EW!
Alicia takes on guest star Michael J. Fox while he defends the national hockey league; Diane juggles her job and two suitors
The employees of Lockhart Gardner are just like any other family. They may fight and bicker all the time, but at the end of the day, they still love each other. But when they don't, it's up to mom and dad -- also know as Diane and Will -- to keep the peace between all the children -- also known as the equity partners. But with Papa Will still under suspension, peace keeping is certainly not an easy task. And with so much going on during last night's "Gloves Come Off," let's jump right in.
As part of his suspension, Will is not allowed to practice the law or consult on any new cases. He can, however, consult on the background of his previous cases. Someone within the firm told the Bar Disciplinary Board Will was still working on cases. David "you call me an ethical midget" Lee pointed the blame at Eli Gold. And Eli politely returned the favor by blaming David Lee. Can't we all just be adults? Nope. We never learned the true identity of the backstabber -- although Kalinda's got her ears peeled -- but Will's situation is only causing more dissension between the equity partners. Diane made it clear that any backstabbing should remain in-house. But it seems like the group of partners is a ticking time bomb. Mama Diane can only hold her unruly bunch together for so long.
But to play devil's advocate here: Will has been walking a fine line when it comes to keeping the terms of his suspension. He is not consulting on cases, but let's be honest, he really is. Yes, there are a lot of gray areas. He hasn't technically done anything wrong at this point. Isn't that all just semantics?
Anyway, the main case of the week had Alicia and Julius helping a client, Grant, sue the makers of a snowmobile for $5 million after his wife died following an accident. The steering column locked up on him, and he crashed the snowmobile into a tree. It seemed like it would be a simple case when Judge Rigby called both parties into the chambers for benched supervised negotiations. "You’re paying, Mr. Hines. By the evidence I’ve seen, you’re paying. The only question is, how much." But nothing is ever that simple on a Sunday-night drama.
The case quickly went from being about a faulty snowmobile to Grant's career as a professional hockey player. The defense claimed that he had no business driving the vehicle in the first place, and that his own chronic traumatic encephalopthy caused part of the accident. If they could prove that Grant was partially responsible, he would no longer be able to sue. Despicable yes, but it was a legal argument. During his 86th game, Grant took a hard hit that impaired his motor skills and ultimately ended his hockey career. The snowmobile company was using this additional evidence to their advantage. The only option for Alicia & Co. was to go after the hockey league. If they could prove that professional hockey was responsible for Grant's injuries, he could still collect.
Enter Louis Canning (Michael J. Fox), the lawyer representing the interests of the hockey league, and the one person to surely make Alicia's eyes roll in court. Alicia and Julius thought bringing in hockey would give them more time to prepare their case, probably forgetting that Canning has always got something up his sleeve. He didn't ask for an extension on the case, and they went right into arguments. The first line of business for Alicia was to look into a criminal battery investigation from that infamous 86th game in which Grant got hit. She sought out Cary for information and learned that Cameron Raker, the player who hit Grant, was suspended by the league. Shortly after, all chargers were dropped by, you guessed it, Peter Florrick. At the time, the assumed it was a pre-meditated hit. Although, fundamentally important to the case, the main reason for this encounter was to learn that Cary had been demoted from the deputy's office following his confession to Peter about his extracurricular activities. Alicia asked if he was safe, to which Cary replied: "Nobody’s told me otherwise, and that usually means no."
Anyway, with the new information from Cary, Alicia had a new angle for the case. But things took a turn for the worse when Dr. Webb, a top neurologist who had agreed to testify for them, backed out. He suddenly had no idea who Will was, and their only logical explanation was that someone -- probably Louis Canning -- had paid him off. So off Kalinda went to prove fraud. But instead of Canning, Kalinda found that Webb was actually meeting with the actor/lawyer Frank Michael Thomas played by the actor/lawyer Fred Dalton Thompson. (I love The Good Wife's use of actual political players in secondary roles.) Thomas wasn't actually working for Canning, but he was suing the hockey league in his own class action case, helping seven players with head injuries. Alicia asked him to join their cause to fight a multi-front war. He not-so-subtly declined: "Not a chance in hell."
Thomas explained that Canning was using the case against Lockhart and Gardner to establish legal precedent before taking on Thomas' class action. If Canning won this case, it would be much easier for him to fight Thomas. Hence the reason he was prepared to defend the league immediately instead of taking an extension like they expected.
Meanwhile, back in court Canning was able to prove that Grant had faked his baseline test, a test designed to indicate signs of head trauma. Hockey players often fake this test to get cleared for play even after they've been injured. Point for Canning. But Alicia came back with her own move (definitely not courtesy of Will). Kalinda uploaded a copyrighted video to the Internet, and within two hours she had received a cease and desist order from the hockey league. But the website RinkFights.com featured tons of these copyrighted clips, and not a single cease and desist letter had been sent out. Alicia used this to help show that the league liked, and even encouraged fan's enthusiasm for fights. The final nail in the coffin was Thomas agreeing to hand over Dr. Webb to testify in the case.
The hockey league and the snowmobile company (remember the snowmobile that started this whole thing?) worked out a deal, and they paid the full $5 million to Grant for his loss. But true to form, Louis Canning was pleased with the outcome of the case. Why? The case against Lockhart Gardner was just a drop in the bucket. His real intention was to smoke out Frank Michael Thomas and see what he had in store for his upcoming class action suit. And the missing piece of Canning's puzzle was Dr. Webb.
Also returning was Elizabeth Reaser as Tammy Linnata. Tammy was in reporter mode, covering the hockey trial. And she was also out to speak her piece to Alicia. "Are you in bed with him?" I thought, wow, straight to the point! But she was just talking about Frank Thomas. And I assumed Alicia was safe from any accusations. False alarm! Tammy went in for the kill. "It wasn’t over between Will and I when I left for London. Then you slept with him, and it was over." Yikes.
In similarly complicated, but not quite as dramatic relationship news, we got to see Diane in her own love triangle. I really enjoy seeing Diane out of her usual office mode, so it was a nice surprise to have Bryan Brown return as Jack Copeland, the "manly" Australian process-server. Diane testified for Jack in small claims court, so he offered to take her out to dinner. She obliged, but he promptly stood her up due to a "complication." So what's a woman to do? Go visit an old flame, that's what. She traveled the 40 miles to see Kurt McVeigh, whom she had not seen in a year, and was surprised when Miranda, supposedly Kurt's protégé, answered the door. But Miranda's presence didn't stop Diane from confessing her feelings to Kurt and sealing it with a kiss. Not too long after, Kurt scheduled a fishing trip with Diane, and Jack offered to reschedule their date. She agreed to both. Get it, Diane!
We also got to see the aftermath of Alicia's request for a raise. Her old house still seems to be an option, although she admitted that going back to that home wouldn't make sense because it would feel like she was going backwards. Some of the equity partners (see: David Lee) wanted to dump her. But others (see: Eli Gold) wanted to keep her on for reasons more than just her connection to Peter. In the end, Diane offered her a raise but it wasn't as much as she needed. Still, it appeared as though Alicia would take the good faith gesture.
But then that sly Louis Canning got to her. In past episodes, he's been clear about his intentions to offer Alicia a job with his firm. And Alicia has always made it clear that she would not, and could not be poached. She clung to that argument as she told him that poached lawyers are the ones the firm doesn't trust. But her dire financial situation caused her to reconsider, and she at least looked at what Canning's firm was offering. She then realized she could use it to her advantage. She showed Canning's proposal to Diane in hopes of getting a counter offer to stay. That move didn't go over too well with Diane, but in the end, it worked. Alicia turned down Canning's offer, and got the raise she wanted.
Meanwhile, the Alicia/Kalinda relationship finally gained some ground. At the beginning of the episode, Kalinda offered Alicia a beer, but she turned it down. "I'm sorry. I can't help it. I want to move on, but I...look we're working together. That's good enough isn't it?" NO! I screamed at the TV. I get where she's coming from, but I'm ready for these two to make up already. Unfortunately, sleeping with your friend's husband is a pretty hard crime to just forget. Perhaps it was the raise, but something compelled Alicia to tell Kalinda she wanted to try to make it work. Of course, that's only if Kalinda can be honest and forthcoming with her. Kalinda agreed, but she’s definitely hiding something, right? She's always hiding something, and I'm afraid of what that means for her and Alicia's relationship.
All credit goes to EW!