HOLLYWOOD—This past week has been one of the best in television that I have seen in years. Sunday’s episode of “The Good Wife” had to have one of the most epic stunners ever. Note: This article contains MAJOR SPOILERS so stop reading if you haven’t seen “The Good Wife,” “The Following” and “Bates Motel.”
Attorney titan Will Gardner is DEAD. Yes, the writers went there and took out a notable primary player. To say that jaws dropped, would likely be an understatement for Sunday’s episode. It was almost like being in a nightmare and not being able to wake up. Did “The Good Wife” really just do that? Yeah, they did and I must say it was absolutely thrilling to watch every single moment of it. Taking out a major player (not a side player) is a big gamble for any TV series. “House of Cards” proved that earlier this year, with the untimely death of Kate Mara’s character.
If a substantial player has to be eliminated to propel the story, I’m all for it. However, if it’s done for the shear value of shock, it defeats the purpose in my opinion, hey; I’m taking to you “Vampire Diaries.” If your plan is to truly take out a character, there should be no intention on bringing that person back to life, unless it somehow furthers the narrative for that season. “The Good Wife” has been at the top of its game this season, with friends becoming rivals and rivals becoming friends, this is what good TV is all about, but this death absolutely takes the cake. How will Alicia (Julianna Margulies) react to this shocking news, let’s just say ripple effects people, big ones.
“The Good Wife” isn’t the only show getting in on the action. A&E’s “Bates Motel” threw me for a loop last week with the introduction of Norma’s (Vera Farmiga) brother to the picture. She told that story about her brother repeatedly molesting her and how the pure mention of his name sent chills down her spine in season one. Well here comes another bombshell, he’s Dylan’s (Max Theirot) father! Yes, Dylan’s uncle is also his father.
To say that the Bates family is messed up is an understatement, but this presents a new dynamic that may be able to explain a further psyche into Norman’s behavior. The interesting twist is the reaction to Dylan and Norman learning of this deep dark family secret, we already know Norman is a bit off, but could this actually cause Dylan to flip the switch also? Only time will tell.
Rounding out some jaw-dropping twist was last week’s episode of Fox’s “The Following” which saw Mike (Shawn Ashmore) coming face-to-face with a very much alive Claire! Yeah, that one literally had me jumping out of my seat, because not in a million years did I expect a very DEAD Claire to come back. I’m interested to see how the writers will explain this doozy of a twist to the audience, but more importantly how this foils Joe Carroll’s (James Purefoy) plan.
I think he is quite certain Claire is dead, so to see his duplicitous wife back in the flesh will rattle his cage to say the least, not to mention the reaction from Ryan Hardy (Kevin Bacon). He’s sort of putting his life back together and is getting acquainted with a journalist that he shouldn’t trust, so imagine the look on his face when Claire comes knocking at his door. The trends we’re seeing in television nowadays are the writers are not afraid to take a risk, not so much to shock the audience, but to propel the narrative of a series. Remember if it’s done right, that’s all that matters. The audience will always tune in to see what surprises are in store for them week after week.
By LaDale Anderson
