Written by Matt Taylor
With Peter out of the presidential race, The Good Wife seems to be setting the stage for the season’s remaining episodes. Interestingly enough, these episodes may be the final episodes of the series as a whole, making “Tracks” something of a mixed bag. On one hand, this week’s episode offered some welcome character development, and a compelling case of the week that brought back a fan favorite. But, on the other, this season of The Good Wife seems to be taking a leisurely stroll towards the finish line, making it feel all too aimless.
Let’s start with the good: “Tracks” brought back Matthew Lillard’s Rowby, the quirky musician from Season 5’s Glee-inspired episode. This week, Rowby was facing an argument involving his record contract that could cost him three million dollars, and while the stakes never felt particularly high, Lillard injected so much personality into his character that his storyline was hugely entertaining. Even more impressive is how his character gave Lucca her best subplot yet, as the two found themselves starting an unlikely but sweet relationship. Since her introduction at the start of the season, Lucca has been an interesting character, but also one that was constantly forced to play second fiddle to Alicia. Here, Cush Jumbo delivered her best performance yet, and she had remarkable chemistry with Lillard. Hopefully he won’t wait another two seasons before making another return to the series.
The episode also gave Grace her finest subplot in ages, as she attempted to defend her mother after Alicia’s neighbors tried to evict her from the building for running her own business out of her apartment. The subplot was awfully funny, with Makenzie Vega showing impressive comedic chops while still emphasizing how young and naïve her character is. The episode also developed the mother/daughter relationship that Alicia and Grace share, with both actresses doing commendable work. Truthfully, the acting was top notch from just about everyone this week, including some powerful work from Margulies in the closing moments.
Where “Tracks” goes wrong, however, is in its lack of overall direction. The case of the week took up far too much time, with little to no end in sight for the overall story arcs that have been stretching on all season. Alicia and Lucca’s firm is still struggling to make ends meet, which is fine and believable, but, based on the episode’s ending, I fear the writers may fall back on a deus ex machina to end the story. Even more disappointing is the way that Cary and Diane have been reduced to minor antagonists,
https://youtu.be/h7PgT87vZGI
