I do things out of order.
I watched The Good Wife after I watched The Good Fight, and while that didn’t ruin my enjoyment of it at all, it was a bit confusing in some places. So once I finished my binge of TGW, it was time to re-watch TGF!
A New Beginning
Much like TGW, the show starts with new beginnings. A lawyer retires and a lawyer is born. And much like TGW, it’s a show heavily based in reality. One of the things that made TGW so fun to me was how it embraced Chicago. Similarly, TGF embraces America and our current malaise. It begins with the abject horror we all saw in the US on January 20th, which inspires Diane Lockhart to make a change.
Of course, the disastrous explosion of her god-daughter’s life ripples outward in a never-ended assault of the terrible reality. America? Is not in a good place right now, folks. And The Good Fight does not shy away from that concept.
Embracing The New Media
Since TGF is on CBS All Access, the web platform, they’ve been afforded a liberty the word is unaccustomed to with network dramas. They have the ability to swear, to delve into concepts that are dark and deep, and to slap their own network in the face. While the swearing doesn’t really thrill me, and at times it detracts from the story, the adult storylines delighted me.
When I say ‘adult’ I don’t mean sex or rape (though that certainly is touched on), or anything steamy. I mean they went head-on against the fears of network television and tackled the concept of a show that had an episode pulled because it might upset Donald Trump. They used ChumHum (their Reddit/Google mashup) to handle the issues of free speech and censorship on the Internet. They up and up addressed the kind of disgusting harassment women are subjected to online.
It’s Not Perfect
There are, of course, some issues. There’s a recurring trend for Diane and Marissa and Maia to be ‘heroes.’ Not so much Maia, who’s clearly their rookie, but Diane and Marissa have a somewhat inordinate amount of time being stars, except compared to Lucca. This is a problem because the show is about an African American law firm. The white savior trope is not exactly embraced, it’s not a constant, but it’s there enough that we noticed it with a serious wince.
In addition, I mentioned the swearing. It really does detract from the show because it feels like it’s forced in. As if they’re celebrating this freedom but they’re not quite sure what to do with it. Having gone back to watch TGW, I was far more entertained when they had to cleverly obfuscate language prohibited by the FCC (like with honking horns or sneezes).
Could Have Been Gayer
For a show that featured a lesbian, it didn’t feel like we got enough about that. As much as I’d love to say “no one cares” these days, it’s not true. Just as Julius, the lone Trump voter of Reddick/Boseman, is subtly and not-so-subtly ostracized by many of the staffers for his choice, so should Maia have been for being gay. And for being white. And for being related to the reason a lot of people lost their savings. Instead, they all seemed pretty cool with her.
And to their credit, Reddick/Boseman does embrace the underdog and support minorities, but still. The only time anyone had anything negative to say against Maia’s sexuality was her ex-boyfriend. Which is one of those situations you kind of expect.
I Have Huge Hopes
I do have some huge hopes for season two of course. It will air in 2018, no date released yet, and I have faith that it will tackle some of the current drama in the world. I’m looking forward to it. And it’s one of the few shows that addresses homosexuality with absolute normalcy. It’s refreshing.
With that in mind, we have added The Good Fight to the list of shows we love. We hope you love it too.
