i don't want to know the wordcount of this post, i just don't

[elapses]

OH MY GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD

Oh man as much as there was !!!!!!!!ing over the preview when it aired last week I felt reticent! And weird! And nervous! And I kind of felt that during the episode when I thought about the fact that it was coming (of course it was the very end) but once there were makeouts it was like ALL DOUBTS OUT THE WINDOW, like whatever guys, we have all summer to play the "BUT THIS WILL RUIN EVERYTHING" and "ONE NIGHT IN A HOTEL, REALLY" and "THERE'S NO WAY THIS CAN GO WELL" game, can we just like, take tonight to enjoy that they made out?

THEY MADE OUT!!!

And it was wonderful but also horrible, HOLY GOD THOSE EXTENDED ELEVATOR SHOTS OF THEIR FACES, like don't get me wrong they were great but it was also torturous, that was legitimately like five minutes of buildup to something we all knew was coming.

ALSO THERE WAS PROBABLY SEX, I MEAN, not probably, I mean, yeah.

Okay I feel like I should note the above was my IMMEDIATE POST-REACTION and I have since gone to see Bridesmaids (HILARIOUS!!!) and so am marginally calm enough to maybe possibly discuss normal things. First and most importantly I would like to thank the Good Wife writers for making it so that Alicia and Kalinda were, if not on good terms, on speaking terms, so that I was generally in a good enough mood to enjoy MAKEOUTS, and also I just want to thank them in general, because they are perfect and I love them. The Kings said this, in a NY Magazine interview that thecolorbetween just sent me because she is perfect and she reads things so I don't have to read things):

In theory, we heard about a show where they’re holding on to their reveals, you know — wouldn’t it be great if this happens — and so they thought of the first six to eight episodes as setting up, kind of moving their pawns into place, their knights into place, and then it was supposed to be that all these surprises start popping in the last half of the year. And the bottom line is they were canceled after the first three or four episodes. So just don’t hold on to plot thinking, Won’t this be cool when this happens or this happens? You just have to keep hoping that you get, or counting on the fact that you’ll create more plot and you’ll have more fun with characters. So don’t try and save a kiss between Will and Alicia until the fifth year, because you’ll never make it.

And I just want to say that that is so much why I love this show, I don't know, do you know? THE WAY THEY WRITE IT IS SO SIMPLE, but somehow so fresh, so different. It's not about creating TV suspense, it's about writing. I have to say that as much of a tv junkie as you all know I tend to be, for awhile I have been feeling sort of disillusioned with it, like -- I know all the tricks already, and I am tired of them. But the Good Wife, I don't know. They are so good. And they do it with stories, not trickery. I love that.

Have I ever talked about how deeply invested in Kalinda/Lana (FBI Lady)? Because I am. So much more invested than I should be, considering Lana has been in... what, three episodes? Anyway this week and last week I suffered from these brief but intense rage/sadness spirals (I was going to combine those into one word but that would just be RADNESS SPIRAL and that doesn't work and... yeah) because blonde lady is like... I don't know, she's basically Lana in some ways? Like, in that she is another investigator who needles Kalinda to work for her and also sleeps with her sometimes. And even though plotwise blonde lady actually couldn't be Lana (because the FBI wouldn't be lending investigators to the states' attorney), and also Lana presumably isn't married and therefore couldn't give Kalinda beautiful moments of intense ladypain, I don't know! I MISS HER. SO MUCH I ACTUALLY TWEETED THE GOOD WIFE WRITERS A COUPLE OF DAYS AGO ASKING IF THEY WOULD BRING HER BACK TO ME, that... yeah. Okay.

Anyway delusional shipping asides aside, oh my GODDDDDD KALINDA!! I love the stuff they're giving her, I LOVE HOW MUCH THIS WHOLE ALICIA THING TRIPS HER UP, I love the little bitty things like her looking at Alicia when Diane mentions someone needs to go talk to Peter, I love how much she cares. Oh my god like I said the way they interacted in this episode was so much better/more okay than I was afraid it would be after last week's fallout, but they need to get it together and be best friends again, NO ONE LIKES THE TEQUILA SHOT ROUTINE THE WAY THEY DO, THEY NEED EACH OTHER. For more things than tequila. (Speaking of which whatever Will, tequila shots are the best shots. ...I guess it is always the good girls.)

Also enjoyed Kalinda shutting Cary out more than I probably should have!! His stupid petty new alliance with Peter is like, THE LAST FUCKING STRAW FOR ME, I CAN'T WITH YOU ANYMORE CARY AGOS, GROW UP YOU ARE STUPID. (When I clicked into the "post an entry" page the draft that loaded was basically nothing more than this and this, I have matured past the point of needing to make that post but... apparently not that much past it).

ALSO I WAS SO GLAD OWEN WAS IN THIS EPISODE, I love him

Julianna Marguiles' face is perfect

And also I don't know how I feel about this whole Eli/liaison thing!

Anyway I would just like to end this with some stuff thecolorbetween said, hope she doesn't feel weird about that:

okay
a) they were like sydney and vaughn when they went to france OR WHEREVER
b) omg, that look she gave him after they won the case
c) JOSH CHARLES LOOKED REALLY NICE IN THAT ELEVATOR, p.s. that girl was like 12, why is she still pushing buttons
d) THEY ARE EACH OTHER'S PROSTITUTES, BASICALLY

BECAUSE EVEN THOUGH OTHER STUFF HAPPENED, I mean... there were makeouts.

Comments

[pathstotread.livejournal.com]

SYDNEY AND VAUGHN IN FRANCE, OMG. That was the feeling I was having but didn't realize I was having! The difference of course being that Will and Alicia don't have people trying to kill them, although wouldn't that be an interesting AU?

I really agree with you about The Good Wife doing storytelling so differently than other shows have done it. That's why I'm doing my best to sit back and just say THEY MADE OUT AND IT WAS PERFECT rather than fret about the future. I can hope that the writers have good things in store for us.

[elapses.livejournal.com]

although wouldn't that be an interesting AU?
ALICIA WOULD BE THE QUIETEST MOST PRACTICAL SPY, always getting stuff done but always quietly uncomfortable about the fact that there are even people who do these things. And Will would be a little more rogue, a little more Bond (I guess, I've seen like one Bond movie), but she can be his touchstone!! Man, too bad this fandom is not crazy enough for stuff like that, spy AU would be so much fun.

Because it is! Like, don't get me wrong, I have enjoyed many a deliberately-kept-apart ust kind of ship but they almost always hit this point where it just doesn't make sense that they are not together anymore. I love that the people who write the Good Wife always make the decision that makes sense. The way things unfold in every plotline always feels like the way they should unfold. Not a misstep. I TRUST THEM.

[missymeggins.livejournal.com]

I will come back to comment on this tomorrow, cos OMG so much to say but it's late and my fingers are pretty much too frozen to type BUT:

Anyway this week and last week I suffered from these brief but intense rage/sadness spirals Oh god, I'm so glad it's not just me. I was getting quite ragey at blonde girl and then I was trying not to because it really is ridiculous how invested I am in Kalinda/Lana but I don't, I just AM okay. They do something to me and I WANT HER BACK damnit.

[elapses.livejournal.com]

YES IDK LAST WEEK I WAS JEALOUS (there's not another word for it, I WAS JEALOUS) that she went to work for someone other than Lana, even though it actually wouldn't've worked if it were Lana because she wouldn't've even had a reason to go back to Lockhart-Gardner. AND THEN IT WAS WORSE JEALOUSY THIS WEEK. Ugh, I hope there aren't actress availability issues or anything, because I need her.

[torigates.livejournal.com]

LET'S JUST ENJOY THE FACT THAT THEY MADE OUT. I AGREEEEEEE.

[elapses.livejournal.com]

THAT WAS SOME REALLY GREAT MAKING OUT, IT DESERVES TO BE ENJOYED!

[jenaben.livejournal.com]

SYDNEY AND VAUGHN IN FRANCE, ACK, YES, THAT IS WHAT THIS FEELING IS.

I have so many things to say about this episode (OWEN! Kaliiiiinda. Etc.) but my thoughts are still "PRETTY, PERFECT MAKEOUTS, AHHH" on repeat. However! I do have to say that I completely agree (and appreciate) how carefully and simply this show is written.

[elapses.livejournal.com]

WHEN CLAIRE IS RIGHT SHE IS RIGHT

I know, I like... it's hard to be a person and process person things that happened (even though they were a good 85%+ of this episode) when... that ending happened. MAYBE WE'LL BE READY IN A COUPLE DAYS, but augh it wasn't just the makeouts, it was the entire feeling that surrounded those scenes? I love that you used a Josh/Donna icon, because spyglass_ compared the whole bit with them fumbling with the keycards to them. I loved the way they did that, the way they ultimately made it such a decision because everything kept getting in the way but nothing deterred them.

[summerstorm.livejournal.com]

OH MY GOD I KNOW I WOULD FREAK OUT THAT THE SHOW'S GONNA GO WRONG WITH THIS BUT THEY DIDN'T COMMIT TO A NEW RELATIONSHIP, THEY JUST GAVE THEMSELVES A NIGHT! AND THE LAST SCENE!!!!!!!!!!! WOW. WOW. I AM STILL REELING. I didn't know it would work for me SO MUCH but it DID! It was funny and SO INTENSE and honestly I adored the crazy build-up, I thought it was hilarious and wonderful. I wasn't sure I was feeling the tension between Will and Alicia anymore because it took a backseat and that made so much sense but these past two episodes really made me feel that latent hope and that way they're drawn to each other deep down so that even when they get used to suppressing it, they're still 100% aware that they want each other. It was kind of refreshing, actually, in that sense.

I love everything you said about the way TGW is written, too.

Kalinda/Lana is MY FAVORITE KALINDA SHIP. Favorite favorite. I have no idea if it's going anywhere considering she was in ONE EPISODE this season but she (and Cary, maybe) is probably the love interest who could bring the most out of Kalinda in terms of opening her up a little? I liked what they did with the blonde investigator here but even if Kalinda sleeps with her again, there's a huge barrier there, both on a practical level - it didn't look like that woman had any intentions of having a relationship with Kalinda - and on an emotional level - Kalinda will be even more emotionally closed off to her now - and while that gives interesting insights into Kalinda (and to be completely honest that split second when Kalinda finds out she's sleeping with a married woman broke my heart more effectively than all of her scenes last week), I want her to get over it. I want her to reach a point where she opens herself to disappointment by expecting things from people. Losing Alicia is a huge hit but - yeah.

(and re: Cary let us agree to disagree because I LOVE HIM DEARLY HE IS GREAT. SO. But I am mature enough not to use my Cary icon ;)))

[elapses.livejournal.com]

It was funny and SO INTENSE and honestly I adored the crazy build-up, I thought it was hilarious and wonderful.
YES, IT WAS OVER-THE-TOP BUT IT WORKED SO WELLLLL. But yes, I am honestly so interested to see where they go with this, because they were so intent on getting their one night that they didn't let anything deter them, but it's also like: it can't just be one night, not when you work together, not when you have a history, not when you have this constant bubbling something between the two of you, even if you want it to just be one night. I actually really love the way they do Will/Alicia, the way it is barely there most of the year but then they never really let it go, and then they play a card like this. I imagine the resolution to all this will play out similarly next season!

The blonde investigator is really interesting because she's similar enough to the Lana character that it seems obvious that they originally discussed bringing back Lana for this -- but then chose not to. Totally agree with this: but she (and Cary, maybe) is probably the love interest who could bring the most out of Kalinda in terms of opening her up a little, although neither of them are even close to being all the way there are this point, her emotional reaction to both of them pales in comparison to what the (unromantic, as far as I am concerned) thing with Alicia has in the last couple of episodes. But yeah, yeah, the moment when the blonde mentioned her husband was so brief but so perfectly intense: it was like they condensed that crying elevator scene into a couple of seconds. Archie Panjabi is perfect.

I liked Cary last season but the bitterness really does not do it for me. It was good and interesting at the beginning of this season, even, but now I am just done, ALL I WANT FROM HIM IS BFFING WITH ALICIA, and uh yeah, apparently not going to happen. But I know I am in the minority on that! And the rest of you deserve to have your fun too.

[jsharia.livejournal.com]

ALIAS REFERENCE OMG THAT HASN'T HAPPENED IN MY LIFE FOR FAR TOO LONG.

Every time I try to talk about the finale, I end up with some variation of :SDLKFJ:WLENFLKEJSLDKFIDO. It's crazy. Anyways, UNCONTROLLABLE BLADDER SYNDROME! THE ELEVATOR THING WAS AN AWESOME PLOT IDEA. EVERYTHING ABOUT THE KEY WAS HILARIOUS AND PERFECT. 7800 FOR AN EXCEPTIONAL MOMENT. AHH ♥

I really did LOVE how Alicia and Kalinda were this episode, it gives me HOPE! MAKE UP ALREADY KIDS! I NEED YOU TO!

[elapses.livejournal.com]

I aim to please! Except I guess not really, that wasn't even my comparison.

Ugh yes uncontrollable bladder syndrome, that was the thing, the buildup was so funny and sexy at the same time and I LOVE WHEN PEOPLE CAN PULL OFF BOTH AT ONCE. ugh ALL THE FEELINGS, STILL DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH MYSELF.

Yeah me too! Last week it really seemed like Alicia was going to be stony for awhile, so to see them all civil already was... surprising, actually. Last week I was too stressed out about the state of Alicia + Kalinda bffs to even really look forward to the makeouts, because they were so separate but... now there is hope, I guess. I loved that they both had a tequila moment by themselves, too, like, THEY NEED EACH OTHER, they miss each other, they gotta make it happen.

[jsharia.livejournal.com]

SERIOUSLY! I was laughing so hard during the Alicia/Will stuff and then I was like O.O when they started the elevator sequence, and laughing again with the key stuff and grinning when Alicia opened the door! I LOVE THAT THEY CAN PULL OFF FUNNY AND SEXY AND IT IS AWESOME AND THEY ARE PERFECT! NO ONE CAN RAIN ON MY HAPPY PARADE!

Truth: Alicia, Eli, and Kalinda need to become three way BFFs and then it will be AWESOME and they'll be an unstoppable force of WIN WIN WIN!

[http://users.livejournal.com/spyglass_/]

YOU KNOW WHAT'S AWESOME? THEY MADE OUT AND IT WAS GLORIOUS. I HAVE NOW REWATCHED THE EPISODE TWICE, AND IT GETS BETTER EVERY TIME. Especially because when it aired, I spent the entire episode WORRYING. I AM DONE WORRYING.

I had not read that NY Magazine interview, but I LOVE THAT. I really do. I think the fact that they're not afraid to go there and tell the story they want to tell is part of what really sets this show apart.


Also, I was comment creeping, and WOW, SPY AU WOULD BE SO COOL. I might put that on my list of potential Yuletide requests. BECAUSE IT WOULD BE BRILLIANT.

[elapses.livejournal.com]

WORRYING IS FOR LOSERS, I AM GLAD YOU HAVE COME AROUND TO THE "LET'S JUST FUCKING ENJOY THIS" CAMP!

I totally, totally agree. They want to tell us a story about people, they don't want to... I don't know. There are a lot of shows where they could make it make sense for them not to consummate a ust thing for a number of years, but the truth is life usually isn't like that, and it's weird and kind of awkward that tv ALWAYS. IS.

DO ITTTT I want to read it

[thecolorbetween.livejournal.com]

And I just want to say that that is so much why I love this show, I don't know, do you know? THE WAY THEY WRITE IT IS SO SIMPLE, but somehow so fresh, so different. It's not about creating TV suspense, it's about writing. I have to say that as much of a tv junkie as you all know I tend to be, for awhile I have been feeling sort of disillusioned with it, like -- I know all the tricks already, and I am tired of them. But the Good Wife, I don't know. They are so good. And they do it with stories, not trickery. I love that.
This is so true! There are complicated storylines, which I must admit sometimes confuse me, but you're right that, ultimately, the writing is simple. But it's not lazy, it's just simple and focused.

I like "radness spiral." :-\