A strange lack of subtext
Sep. 9th, 2018 12:14 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
enemyofperfectThe Good Wife is my household's latest choice in dinnertime entertainment, and although it isn't my preferred shade of morally gray, it's been growing on me. There's something intriguing about a female protagonist who so blatantly wields politeness as both shield and weapon -- she's kind of the antithesis of stories in which women can only gain power by means of traditionally masculine qualities and pursuits.
But there's something that kind of baffled me about a recent episode.
Spoilery discussion of 1x19 "Boom":
So, the premise of the show is that Alicia's district attorney husband, Peter, has been accused and convicted of various unsavory dealings, including dropping cases in exchange for sexual favors, and she hasn't made up her mind if he's guilty of all of it, but he has confessed to cheating on her extensively, which puts a certain strain on their relationship.
In this episode, a real estate developer Peter allegedly conspired with runs into Alicia and earnestly asks her to tell Peter he's sorry, saying that Peter will know what that means. From this, she and Peter conclude that he's planning to testify against Peter.
It's also been a subplot that Peter is at least pretending to find religion, which Alicia is pretty wary about, but which means that even though Peter is under house arrest and under close scrutiny, it's easy enough for him to arrange a private meeting with real estate guy in an empty hallway at church. They argue, Peter accuses him of wearing a wire, which it turns out he is, and they part ways unhappily.
Here's what gets me:
After this clandestine meeting, Alicia witnesses real estate guy fleeing the hallway with his shirt torn open. Moments later, her husband emerges, adjusting his jacket. There's a dramatic pause, and for the rest of the episode, she's furious at him, even going so far as to imply that she's planning to sleep with a coworker.
And yet, as far as I can tell, the show doesn't mean to suggest that she thinks he's been cheating again?
To be fair, the audience knows that real estate guy's shirt was torn because Peter got dramatic about checking for the wire. But Alicia doesn't. And true, Peter's previously documented affairs were with women, and it's not like television is fond of admitting that men can be bi, but... it's right there! He sneaks away to a secret rendezvous that involves a state of undress! But the show really seems to expect us not only to understand that Alicia's upset about something other than sex, but to never even think of other possibilities.
It's so surreal. Was 2010 really that long ago?
But there's something that kind of baffled me about a recent episode.
Spoilery discussion of 1x19 "Boom":
So, the premise of the show is that Alicia's district attorney husband, Peter, has been accused and convicted of various unsavory dealings, including dropping cases in exchange for sexual favors, and she hasn't made up her mind if he's guilty of all of it, but he has confessed to cheating on her extensively, which puts a certain strain on their relationship.
In this episode, a real estate developer Peter allegedly conspired with runs into Alicia and earnestly asks her to tell Peter he's sorry, saying that Peter will know what that means. From this, she and Peter conclude that he's planning to testify against Peter.
It's also been a subplot that Peter is at least pretending to find religion, which Alicia is pretty wary about, but which means that even though Peter is under house arrest and under close scrutiny, it's easy enough for him to arrange a private meeting with real estate guy in an empty hallway at church. They argue, Peter accuses him of wearing a wire, which it turns out he is, and they part ways unhappily.
Here's what gets me:
After this clandestine meeting, Alicia witnesses real estate guy fleeing the hallway with his shirt torn open. Moments later, her husband emerges, adjusting his jacket. There's a dramatic pause, and for the rest of the episode, she's furious at him, even going so far as to imply that she's planning to sleep with a coworker.
And yet, as far as I can tell, the show doesn't mean to suggest that she thinks he's been cheating again?
To be fair, the audience knows that real estate guy's shirt was torn because Peter got dramatic about checking for the wire. But Alicia doesn't. And true, Peter's previously documented affairs were with women, and it's not like television is fond of admitting that men can be bi, but... it's right there! He sneaks away to a secret rendezvous that involves a state of undress! But the show really seems to expect us not only to understand that Alicia's upset about something other than sex, but to never even think of other possibilities.
It's so surreal. Was 2010 really that long ago?
