Channel Surfing: \'The Good Wife\' and the Art of the Truce

October 1, 2012, 12:30 am

By MIKE HALE

This season, the critics Mike Hale and Neil Genzlinger are checking out favorite shows and seeing how they hold up. Previous entries in this series include posts on “New Girl,” “NCIS” and “Scandal.”

“The Good Wife” is the only show on the broadcast networks at the moment that matches the cable channels when it comes to interlacing multiple story lines in each episode, and most weeks it beats them. Its Season 4 opener on Sunday night, “I Fought the Law,” was a good lesson in this kind of tapestry weaving, or flow charting or whatever you want to call it.

Entering the season with three main story lines in play - Kalinda versus her mysterious estranged husband, the Florricks (in an une asy truce) versus Mike Kresteva in the state's attorney's race, and Lockhart Gardner versus financial oblivion - the show adroitly reintroduced and advanced all of them.

Kalinda was finally tracked down by Nick, as we now know him (played by the British actor Marc Warren). Their dispute apparently is all about the money Kalinda stuffed in that gym bag last season, which she considers community property, so maybe Alicia can straighten it all out when she handles the inevitable divorce case. In the meantime, Kalinda and Nick had some maybe-makeup sex and disagreed at gunpoint over whether she was ready to move on.

That story tied into the Lockhart Gardner story: the shady Nick hired the firm to represent his tow-truck company as a way of cornering Kalinda, and the firm took him only because of the urgency of its $65 million debt. Kalinda also helped Alicia with the case of the week, in which Zach was arrested in a drug stop by an overzealous and, as it turned out, dishonest cop. That tied into the election story: the case against Zach turned into payback against Peter (something about police pensions) and when Alicia and Zach cooperated to win the case and embarrass the opposition, they didn't realize that it would create yet more enemies for Peter.

In addition to Nick, another important new character was introduced: Clarke (played by Nathan Lane), the court-appointed trustee now overseeing the business affairs of Lockhart Gardner. He realized Diane and Will's worst fears by announcing that a 30 percent staff cut would be required - something to look forward to next week - but also showed his integrity by forcing the mutinous David Lee to stay, realizing it was the only way the firm could survive.

Another character, an aggressive reporter preparing what threatens to be a takedown of Peter, will not be seen again for a while because of the neck injury the actress Kristin Chenoweth suffered while filming this episode. What was supposed to be a recurring role will be reduced, presumably along with its story line, though Ms. Chenoweth was able to return to film at least one more scene about seven weeks after the accident. A seed was planted indicating that the reporter knew about or suspected Alicia and Will's affair - which Alicia admitted before a grand jury - but if that is to be pursued in the near future, it will have to be without Ms. Chenoweth.

As the episode ended, so did's Will's six-month suspension from practicing law and Diane hurried to toast the moment with him. Alicia approached holding a bottle of Champagne, but when she saw Diane and Will - the show's one solid partnership - sharing the moment, she put down the bottle, smiled and walked away.

Please let us know in the comments what you thought of “I Fought the Law,” the arrival of Kalinda's husband, the introduction of Nathan Lane, the future of Lockhart Gardner and any other “Good Wife” thoughts you might ha ve.