{alltv} 'The Good Wife': Sarah Silverman gives Alicia a lot to consider

Heading into the "Good Wife" season finale, Kalinda is sticking around, Alicia and Will are ratcheting up the sexual tension and we still don't know exactly what is with Peter and Cary. Let's see how we got there ...

Case of the Week

Mamie Gummer is back as Nancy Crozier, the opposing counsel in a case involving SideEncounters.com, a ripped-from-the-headlines take off on real-life site Ashley Madison. Side Encounters is run by Stephanie Engler (Sarah Silverman) and she is being sued because a man, Sean, used the site to set up a date with a "Cynthia R." and wound up dead. His widow is suing. Awk. ward.

The man was killed by having his penis severed in a hotel room while he was trussed up and had a ball gag in his mouth. At this point, I was sure it was the widow. Hacking off the penis is personal, intimate and full of rage. It's gotta be the wife, angry about the cheating. Turns out I was half right.

The police can't prove the killer was the person he met from the site, but Alicia takes first chair because she's a sympathetic face representing the founder of a cheaters' website.

During the trial, Nancy trots out the grieving widow and salacious pictures from her husband's Side Encounters profile. Alicia counters with the fact that a woman Sean worked with had a restraining order against him, which he told his wife was a lie and that the woman was pursuing him.

Kalinda finds out Nanzy Crozier was meeting with Cary (by seeing some of her patented doodles on one of his notepads), but Alicia misses the info because she's ducking Kalinda's calls. Oh, Alicia.

Meanwhile, Nancy is sticking Stephanie (currently on the stand) with evidence that she made a credit card charge at the St. Martin (presumably a hotel) on the same day Sean had a date. So guess who is the new murder suspect? Nancy got the info from Cary.

Stephanie cops to meeting Sean, but she turned him down for being too S&M. But now the law firm has to deal on the civil case and turn to the criminal defense. Alicia's initial offer is turned down by Nancy.

Back in court, Nancy calls a number of witnesses who testify to circumstantial evidence against Stephanie, including a valet who says he saw Stephanie's car peel out of the lot the night of the murder. Will keeps arguing that it's odd all these people are testifying at a civil trial and not a criminal one. Cary smirks from the audience.

Kalinda discovers the widow drives a car similar to Stephanie's, which looks even more similar under the fluorescent lights of the parking garage. Will and Alicia begin to poke holes in the case being mounted against Stephanie by pointing the finger at the widow.

But - the avatar of the "woman" Sean met for the date the night he was killed turns out to be from a paper where Alec Engler, Stephanie's husband, used to work. Twist! His jealous rage just makes Stephanie love him all the more. *headsmack*

The Florricks

Alicia approaches David Lee at the firm to arrange for counsel in her separation from Peter. She wants to know how to protect herself financially. Lee advises her to make a list of all the relevant financial data and he gives it the code name of the Cole Divorce. Eventually she wonders about custody and he advises her not to become the "difficult parent" because the kids will have a lot of choice about who they stay with. David advises her to hold off on anything because it will be worth so much more to her if Peter is established as State's Attorney before they divorce.

Kalinda knows something is up and confronts Alicia, who just lays it all out - calls her selfish, barely constrains her tears and tells her to get out. Kalinda holds it together until she gets in the elevator. And then cries and cries. She goes to her friend Sophia (Kelli Giddish) to inquire about a job in corporate investigation. And she gives notice to Will, who doesn't take it very well. They talk and Kalinda drops to Will that Alicia left Peter.

Jackie puts herself back into Grace and Zack's lives, mostly to just pump them for information. At least they have the good sense to shut her down, but Grace confronts Alicia about it and spills the beans about Grandma's meddling. Alicia storms into Jackie's meeting of the Ignorant Tight-Ass Club (what? President Bartlet said it first) and confronts her. Alicia is terrified Jackie is turning her kids against her, while Jackie is meddling but means well.

After a particularly sexy conversation with Stephanie, Alicia starts looking at Will in a way she hasn't really before. She may have done it in her own head, but in such an outwardly visible way.

In the end, Kalinda tries explaining it all to Alicia, but Alicia can't stand that Kalinda knew and didn't say anything or was her friend out of guilt. Kalinda tells Alicia she's leaving the firm and Alicia's "good" is like the coldest thing I've ever heard. And finally, Kalinda doesn't leave because the firm she was going to start with wanted to put her in the State's Attorney's office. Now, Kalinda and Alicia are going to have to work together defending someone accused of killing a judge.

Thoughts & Tidbits

The porn movie trilogy of women standing by their husbands was hilarious. I wonder what it would be called ...
It's sort of killing me Jackie and the kids don't know about Kalinda. I wonder if they ever will?
Did anybody recognize the judge? It took me a minute, but it's John Pankow - Ira from "Mad About You."
Did Alicia's treatment of Kalinda ring a little false for anyone else? Not in her office, that was great. But in the conference room? I'm not sure why, but it felt a little out of character for the Alicia we all know and love. Maybe it's because she's finally snapped and had enough, but I don't know.
Which judge do you think they killed? Do you think it'll be one of the guest stars we've come to enjoy on the bench?

I'm interview Josh Charles Wednesday (May 11) about the season finale, so if you have questions for him - leave 'em in the comments.