The Devil Wears High Heels: Comments on The Good Wife

Last night I sat down to watch another episode of CSB’s The Good Wife thanks to the talents of Lisa Edelstein. I’ve also been watching to see if The Good Wife is a show I’d be interested in watching full time. Call it an experiment as it were. Let me talk about Lisa Edelstein’s guest appearance first.

This week offered viewers a second helping of the spicy Celeste Serrano and her tantalizing troublemaker ways. Celeste is the kind of character that could people could loathe totally if put into the hands of a lesser actor. Thanks to Edelstein’s ability to balance comedy and drama with an infectious personality, she exemplifies one’s inner bad girl/boy personality. In a very odd way, Celeste Serrano is like the female version of Hugh Laurie’s House in some ways with an in your face sarcasm and compelling presence. More amusing was the suggestion that Celeste will pretty much sleep with anything that breathes and has no trouble exploring her sexuality in various ways thanks to one of the show’s conversational highlights with Celeste, Will and Alicia’s husband Peter.

For me Edelstein offered a fun diversion from what I feel is a very monochromatic acting ensemble with the exception of Alan Cummings’ Eli. Then again, I don’t watch the show enough to know if there is a better dynamic and that I’ve just been missing it in these last two episodes. For me, the character of Diane is a nice departure from the arrogantly, pompous, humorous characters I’m used to seeing Christine Baranski, but I wanted to see more. Will to me has this arrogant, hard attitude with no warmth that for me just doesn’t compliment Alicia’s goody-two shoes persona.  As much as I enjoyed Julianna Marguiles in ER, I almost feel like she’s missing something regarding this character. But what do I know? She won an Emmy this year for playing Alicia. For me there just are too many apples and not enough oranges and bananas in the fruit basket.

I guess that’s why I enjoy Lisa Edelstein’s presence. Yet, Lisa wasn’t the only one adding a little fun zest.

In this episode,  Harvey Firestein as the judge overseeing the preliminary hearing added a quirky, playfulness to the proceedings. His easily swayed persona was reminiscent of watching someone on ADHD picking up on the alpha dog flavor of the day. It was fun to watch that legal product pimping between the legal teams to win over the judge.

The case was great in that it reminded my of the misdirection one might get on an episode of TNT’s The Closer. I kept thinking the cop did it at first. Although thanks to watching other crime shows, for me, the resolution was predictable. The idea was good one, but unfortunately as many pointed out, there were some errors that made viewers scratch their heads. For example, as many pointed out, most convenience stores have video cameras. Therefore, there might have been the possibility the gunman could have been identified through that. Additionally, as was also pointed out by many, gun powder residue would have been found on the defendant if her had been the shooter. These are basic things that are common knowledge to those who watch crime shows both real and fiction. The First 48 anyone?

I know. I’m picky here. But I needed to be sold on putting this show on my to do list. Unfortunately, I haven’t been sold yet. Mainly because I feel the show needs more dynamic characters like Celeste and the judge in addition to Eli, whom I found out was not in the first season. With that being said, as much as I like Celeste and Lisa Edelstein, I honestly would like to see Lisa in her own show where she is the star rather than a supporting player. I’m interested to see her in the driver’s seat. The Good Wife is Julianna Margulies’ vehicle right now. However, if The Good Wife creators want to do a spin-off with Lisa’s character of Celeste at the helm, I’m all for it.


Lisa has the kind of talent balance that I feel is appealing to any show or network looking to launch a show. After all, Edelstein will be available for pilot season, so shows should plan now. Like her former co-star Hugh Laurie she can play both ends of the spectrum in terms of comedy and drama. That kind of acting skill can open the door for anything. Additionally, Lisa’s personality, work ethic and dedication are also a plus for any showrunner or network executive. It will be unfortunate to lose this kind of talent on the television screen when Edelstein’s arc on The Good Wife is completed. I feel the industry needs to find a way to keep her on our screens until her own project or show is launched. To keep this caliber of an actress bottled up in the television black hole, would be an injustice especially in a genre where A-list actresses with diversity and experience are hard to come by. After seeing Edelstein play Dr. Lisa Cuddy for seven seasons on House, seeing her in a role such as this is a refreshing departure and only adds to the possibilities in her midst. Now, we need others to recognize those possibilities and earn her more appreciative fans than just the ones within the industry. Until then, it will be a long walk in the desert waiting for Lisa Edelstein’s pool of talent to quench my thirst.

There’s one more episode of Edelstein’s arc to go, so get your fix while you can as CBS’s The Good Wife airs on Sundays 9PM EST

You can catch episodes the day after they air at: http://www.cbs.com/shows/the_good_wife/


P.S.:  Please don't mind my review. I openly admit to my ignorance regarding The Good Wife. I'm only basing my opinion on the two episodes of the show I've ever watched. I welcome cheat sheets on the show and I promise I won't tell anyone. I encourage the knowledge of regular viewers to fill me in. You guys know way more than I do. 


Thanks for reading! 
Drdiagnostic