The biggest thing that sets The Good Wife apart from other network shows is that there is always something going on beneath the plots. There's tons of that happening with Celeste (played by Lisa Edelstein) facing off against Will. The case is hardly interesting--featuring a rather straight story about a medical device--but we learn a lot about the characters from the episode.
First, the introduction of Celeste gives us an idea who Will used to be, a big gambler and her boyfriend/lover. Alicia is shown to be capable of acting jealous in order to sway the mediator, further reinforcing the idea that she is a different person this season. And finally, through Alicia's talks with her brother, she reveals that she isn't in love with Will. This combination of things we learn about the characters is pretty significant.
Eli again gets his own plot (and sadly Kalinda doesn't get a scene with him), this time revolving around a listeria outbreak from cheese. It's an obvious pulled from the headlines story and references other PR disasters like Tony Hayward, but the plot serves a deeper purpose beyond showing kids throwing up. Eli is beginning to pick up more and more clients, and inevitably will butt heads with others. This week, he gets into it with Diane after they have a difference of opinion and Will is fine leaking information about Eli to the press.
The most obvious problem with The Good Wife right now is Grace. I don't get what the writers are trying to do with her. Last season it was the religious thing--tinged, oddly, with racial implications. This season it's her street dancing tutor. None of it makes much sense. If the writers were going to preserve continuity and continue with the religion this season, then fine, but they're replacing it with something even more weird.
Score: 8.7/10
