Things you unexpectedly want to hug
Wednesday, 10 February 2016 07:00 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
carose59[Posted elsewhere two years ago December]
So, I've been sick for over a week. Biblical-plague type sickness, "some shall die by pestulence, and some by plague, and then there's one poor shnook who's going to get it from a hole in the roof" sick. (That wasn't a biblical quote, it was from Barefoot in the Park. I say it a lot.)
In an effort to occupy my mind, I've been mainlining The Good Wife. I love legal shows because the machinations fascinate me, I love the ins and outs working around the laws. (And then I get depressed because this crap really happens, it's not just a big puzzle, and no wonder our world is so fucked.)
There are things I like, things I don't, characters I like and don't and sometimes both at once. It keeps dancing on the edge of Boston Legal absurdity, but with the redeeming quality of the characters looking at the absurdity, saying, "How is this my life??" and moving on with it. (At one point Cary is moved into Alicia's office, which she doesn't mind, but it's not a great arrangement for either of them. Alicia is getting a million phone calls about something she doesn't want to talk about, and Cary is telling her he's sorry about this, and she just tells him, "I don't care, I'm losing my mind." And the phone rings, and he says, "That probably won't be for me." And I giggled.
What I keep thinking about today is Michael J. Fox's character. He's a lawyer, and he's driving them crazy because he's a sleezy lawyer who uses his tarditive disknesia to his advantage in all his trials. He always starts off telling the jury that his body makes the weird movements, and he can't control them, and it's OK if they stare at him, they'll get used to it. He always does this.
Including in a judge's chambers, where there is no jury, and the judge is in a wheelchair. Both sides are flustered and upset about something, and he just starts explaining this, even though it's got nothing to do with anything. The judge says, "Why are you telling me this?" and MJF just sort of shrugs and says, "I have no idea."
There's also a judge who insists that pretty much any statement a lawyer makes include the phrase, "In my opinion." It takes them a while to understand this, but now that they have, they delight in watching the opposing lawyers get hit with it. "This is a clear case of discrimination!" an opposing lawyer will say, and absolutely straight-faced, Diane or Will will say, "Is that in your opinion?" "What?" and then watch while the judge asks the same thing.
There's tons of double-dealing, and alliance-shifting. At one point, when some of the partners are meeting out in the cold to avoid Various Factions trying to take over the law firm, and Alicia moves through it all--not untouched, but not particularly trying to influence anything beyond her family and cases. And yet, a lot of things are done because of her.
I wasn't sure if I wanted to watch this show. I like Chris Noth a lot, and I didn't much want to see him being sleazy on a regular basis. But he has redeeming characteristics, particularly his loyalty to Alicia even when they aren't together. (Another moment I loved was when her brother, Owen, told the press that Peter was homophobic. [Owen is gay.] When Peter's image consultant hears this, and questions first Alicia, then Peter, their responses are identical: they laugh, and when asked why, they say, "That's Owen." This doesn't explain anything to the image consultant, but it's exactly right for a couple who's been married 15 years. [Peter isn't homophobic, Owen knows it, he's just trying to hurt Peter for hurting his sister. All of which all three parties understand and have no issue with. There's no, "Owen, you know I'm not homophobic," scene. They don't need one.)
There isn't a lot of silliness--it's not that kind of show. But there's enough of it, and it's quality stuff: smart, believable silliness, the kinds of things people really say when life has taken them someplace they never expected to be.
So, I've been sick for over a week. Biblical-plague type sickness, "some shall die by pestulence, and some by plague, and then there's one poor shnook who's going to get it from a hole in the roof" sick. (That wasn't a biblical quote, it was from Barefoot in the Park. I say it a lot.)
In an effort to occupy my mind, I've been mainlining The Good Wife. I love legal shows because the machinations fascinate me, I love the ins and outs working around the laws. (And then I get depressed because this crap really happens, it's not just a big puzzle, and no wonder our world is so fucked.)
There are things I like, things I don't, characters I like and don't and sometimes both at once. It keeps dancing on the edge of Boston Legal absurdity, but with the redeeming quality of the characters looking at the absurdity, saying, "How is this my life??" and moving on with it. (At one point Cary is moved into Alicia's office, which she doesn't mind, but it's not a great arrangement for either of them. Alicia is getting a million phone calls about something she doesn't want to talk about, and Cary is telling her he's sorry about this, and she just tells him, "I don't care, I'm losing my mind." And the phone rings, and he says, "That probably won't be for me." And I giggled.
What I keep thinking about today is Michael J. Fox's character. He's a lawyer, and he's driving them crazy because he's a sleezy lawyer who uses his tarditive disknesia to his advantage in all his trials. He always starts off telling the jury that his body makes the weird movements, and he can't control them, and it's OK if they stare at him, they'll get used to it. He always does this.
Including in a judge's chambers, where there is no jury, and the judge is in a wheelchair. Both sides are flustered and upset about something, and he just starts explaining this, even though it's got nothing to do with anything. The judge says, "Why are you telling me this?" and MJF just sort of shrugs and says, "I have no idea."
There's also a judge who insists that pretty much any statement a lawyer makes include the phrase, "In my opinion." It takes them a while to understand this, but now that they have, they delight in watching the opposing lawyers get hit with it. "This is a clear case of discrimination!" an opposing lawyer will say, and absolutely straight-faced, Diane or Will will say, "Is that in your opinion?" "What?" and then watch while the judge asks the same thing.
There's tons of double-dealing, and alliance-shifting. At one point, when some of the partners are meeting out in the cold to avoid Various Factions trying to take over the law firm, and Alicia moves through it all--not untouched, but not particularly trying to influence anything beyond her family and cases. And yet, a lot of things are done because of her.
I wasn't sure if I wanted to watch this show. I like Chris Noth a lot, and I didn't much want to see him being sleazy on a regular basis. But he has redeeming characteristics, particularly his loyalty to Alicia even when they aren't together. (Another moment I loved was when her brother, Owen, told the press that Peter was homophobic. [Owen is gay.] When Peter's image consultant hears this, and questions first Alicia, then Peter, their responses are identical: they laugh, and when asked why, they say, "That's Owen." This doesn't explain anything to the image consultant, but it's exactly right for a couple who's been married 15 years. [Peter isn't homophobic, Owen knows it, he's just trying to hurt Peter for hurting his sister. All of which all three parties understand and have no issue with. There's no, "Owen, you know I'm not homophobic," scene. They don't need one.)
There isn't a lot of silliness--it's not that kind of show. But there's enough of it, and it's quality stuff: smart, believable silliness, the kinds of things people really say when life has taken them someplace they never expected to be.