The Good Wife

I actually wondered about that. Just the way it was shot, and honestly, splicing isn't that hard to do as long as you have a clean line down the middle which they did.

I'm honestly shocked the enmity went on as long as it did. You'd think after a year or two things would simmer down. And I'm sad that the show is losing Archie Panjabi, because I love having her on my screen. But they did start flailing a lot with Kalinda, so maybe it's time. Still, it's too bad

That article led to me spending way too much time reading about a feud between two actresses on a show I don't watch (although I've watched and enjoyed both actresses in other things). I'd heard about the feud before, just from being a person who reads a lot about TV on the internet, but now I'm dying to know what's behind all of this. At the same time, logically, I realize that none of this is my business, so I kind of respect the fact that whatever it is that kept these two from working together (oh, that we all had the option to just refuse to work with coworkers we don't like), nobody's blabbing their personal business publicly. It's refreshing in this day and age.

It totally makes me wonder what sort of confidentially agreement the cast and crew signed because in the admittedly brief googling I did when I first learned about it, which was fairly recently because I gave up on the show around the time they stopped appearing together and generally don't read about it but it's been popping up on some podcasts that I listen to in the past few weeks. there doesn't seem to be any information about it! The thing that is super weird is that they didn't write Archie out sooner. Not a diss about Archie or assuming that it's her fault, simply because it's Juiliana's show.

Yep that's the part that is SUPER odd, that they didn't fire Archie, OR let her out of her contract which she has confirmed her desire to leave the show at that point. It's SUCH an odd choice by everyone to just ride out her contract for two damn years, despite the fact they didn't ever find a way to write for her when she couldn't interact with Alicia, and that the actress herself wanted to leave.

I personally think JM wanted to stop working with Archie post S2's ONS revelation, but she tolerated it, only if the Kings would respected her insistence that the two were never going to be friends much less explore the subtext of Kalinda being in love with Alicia. I just watched an amazing LA times Emmy round table with her where she flips her shit about the Kalicia fan pandering, and how outrageous it is 'her writers' would dare come to her with such utter bullshit, and even when Jon Hamm tries to allow for fans being invested in stories and daring to talk about it on the internet she interrupts and keeps a hatin'. The thing is I mostly agreed with her about the *friendship*, I only thought Kalicia not interacting at all even professionally was absurd, but I guess when you are JM, and you can avoid a coworker you don't like at your whim, it made perfect sense Alicia could and should do the same.

She also made some hilariously unself aware comments about understanding why Josh Charles left the show given how difficult it is, to be part of an ensemble on a show that's really only about ONE character. Kind of says it all.

It makes sense to me that the show wouldn't want to drop the "fan favorite" character, even if it is Julianna's show.  It does sound like they didn't know what to do with her, but I can see them wanting to hold on to a popular character/actress for as long as they're able and hope that things get better at some point.  I just can't wrap my head around two professional adults not being able to get their shit together enough shoot one last three-minute scene together.  Hollywood is so weird.  I hope someone writes a tell-all!

Also, it's breaking my Doug and Carol fangirl heart to read all this disappointing stuff about Julianna Margulies. I'm glad the internet wasn't much of a thing in ER's early days.

I do wonder if Archie Panjabi winning an Emmy first is what did it.  This is a show that would seem to be guaranteed to bring home awards to the lead character (older woman reinventing herself and learning to take control of her life and career), and I could see how Julianna could have felt threatened, especially when Alicia and Kalinda's interactions from the first two seasons were so central to the show.  Who knows.  It isn't like she hasn't been on an ensemble show before with Emmy/Oscar worthy talent.  Maybe she felt after all this time that is was "her" turn, and didn't like another actress getting the accolades.

Finally caught up with the end of the season. I was blissfully unaware of the (apparently) long-standing rift between Margulies and Panjabi, but after reading the observations here it was quite obvious they were never filming scenes together. How weird and juvenile. But that's Hollywood, I suppose.

I think what I find most frustrating about the show right now is that they've spent so much time building up an Alicia/Cary partnership (on more than one occasion), only to find ways to shoot it down repeatedly. I think I'd have rather they run with that for awhile instead of getting us invested in their struggle(s) to make that happen and then dreaming up ways to torpedo it. It was like one of their clients observed in one of the last episodes, how the firm's name seems to change every time they visit the office.

That said, Louis Canning is one of my favorite characters on the show, and if they actually had the balls to have Alicia partner up with him for more than a moment or two, I think it'd be great fun.

What's ONS?
I love JM but all these stories make me a bit sad I'd rather not know so much about rifts etc. anyway at least we got Archie kissing Scully :) in The Fall

ONS = one night stand.

So, that's done. I watched it until the end because I knew this was the last season, but emotionally I checked out as soon as Alicia rejoined Lockhart, Agos, Lee. And I never could get behind Jason as a love interest. He was too shifty, which I think we were supposed to be intrigued by, but after all this time, I think Alicia should have been with someone who was just all cards on the table.

I didn't hate the finale as many, many people did. I like that we are left to drawn our own conclusions as this wasn't the end of Alicia's life, just the end of us knowing her story. I liked that she wasn't with Jason or Peter. (And another problem that I had with her and Jason is that they never had comparable chemistry to Alicia and Will OR Alicia and Peter. Or Alicia and Kalinda. Or for that matter, Alicia and Cary.) I liked that she was on the outs with Diane. And I liked that she sort of became Peter.

I wish other characters could have gotten better wrap up. Diane was left adrift. As was Eli. Cary got the closest thing to closure, but I'm not sure it was satisfying. Lucca's only function the last few episodes was to 'ship Alicia and Jason. I wish they could have done better by them.

Mostly, I'm just glad it's over.

I really didn't like how Diane's story ended. Having Alicia do the same thing to her that was done to herself back at the beginning. I guess this means that Alicia will go off and seek elected office and that. So basically she's becoming Peter?