Last week was Lisa Edelstein's final scheduled appearances on The Good Wife; though I would double down on the chance of her returning in the future. This week sees another character introduced who happens to have a romantic link to Eli (Alan Cumming), his ex-wife is in town requiring his service as she is considering a political campaign. Alicia (Julianna Margulies) will be working her first case as a mentor to Caitlin (Anna Camp).
There are two major issues for Alicia with the hiring of Caitlin; firstly she believed that she was getting given a job with certain responsibilities, instead it was one big manipulation to appear like nepotism wasn't a factor in this hiring process. She was berated by her superior in front of a lawyer from another firm (who also happens to be the ex-girlfriend of her current lover) and embarrassed in front of the candidate she had told would get the job. If this wasn't enough she then found out that the reason Caitlin had been successful was because Will (Josh Charles) had voted that way and his vote was because he owed David Lee (Zach Grenier).
The stinging news that Alicia too was a 'Caitlin' shouldn't be that surprising to her; she hadn't worked for 15 years and her former college friend (who was also had romantic feelings toward her) was a partner at this firm. The real surprise I guess is that she identified with the kind of person/employee that Martha (Grace Rex) was and to be told she was more like the other candidate was a blow. Will in trying to make this news better offered the sentiment that "Caitlins often surprise you," this might have been enough if Celeste wasn't outside the office as a reminder that Will might end up disappointing her.
How all of this will shape how Alicia mentors Caitlin will be revealed tonight as they have to work together on a difficult first case together. The pair will be navigating through diplomatic loopholes to defend their client who is a Taiwanese national and has been accused of rape and murder. Celeste suggested that Alicia should make Caitlin's life hell and I just can't see Alicia going for that, especially as David Lee is not only her superior but also her divorce lawyer. Do you think Caitlin will end up surprising Alicia?
The other major aspect of this episode will be delving further into Eli's personal life. We met his daughter Marissa (Sarah Steele) last season and tonight is the turn of his ex-wife Vanessa. Parker Posey is guest starring as Vanessa and has previously starred with Cumming twice on the big screen in The Anniversary Party and Josie and the Pussycats. Vanessa comes to Eli for his professional skills and he gets Kalinda (Archie Panjabi) to investigate his ex-wife to see if she will be able to launch a political career. Alan Cumming spoke to TV Guide about the surprises that are in store:
"In this episode, we find out that there is something very shocking that happened when Eli was married. So you see Eli very, very vulnerable for the first time ever."
What do you think this could be? Eli also has possibly set himself a challenge too high as he told Donna Brazile last week that he would be able to rectify any Florrick marriage issues, at this point in the season this seems unlikely.
Are you looking forward to delving into Eli's past? How will Alicia handle her role as Caitlin's mentor? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
The Good Wife airs tonight at 9 PM on CBS. To view the promo photos and video for "Affairs of State" head here.
