"The Good Wife" Episode 4

Episode four of"The Good Wife"is definitely an improvement on the last one, as it balances its pacing and goes through the things we need to know before moving on. This time we have two cases which give us much needed exposition and a hefty dose of characterization. There is a lot more to Tae-joon, Joong-won and Sang-il than we see and they all sadly have a self-serving interest in Hye-kyeong's matters.

"Ask, and it shall be given you" is as random for drama as it is for religion. Sometimes your wish will come true, sometimes it will not. I am happy to say that my wish for episode four to slow down and explain things has come true. Episode three tackled too much for its duration and the interactions felt very rushed and lacking context. This time we get properly presented exposition and some great character development through cases directly connected to our leading characters.

The redevelopment case introduces us to Jo Gook-hyeon (Go Joon), the man Tae-joon (Yoo Ji-tae) is said to have had illegal dealings with, but it also introduces the victim of Hye-kyeong's (Jeon Do-yeon) car accident from the past, Mr. Kang (Han Gap-soo). The fact that the two men work together cannot be a coincidence. Shim Eun-sook's (Bae Hae-sun) case on the other hand gives us some quality time with Sang-il (Kim Tae-woo) and helps us understand where he stands in terms of morality.

By creating situations more closely related to the main story and developing the characters related to them, there is no need for switching back and forth like episode three did. We have known Sang-il is harsh and manipulative, but now we are sure that he is not squeaky clean himself and that he is also a pretty lousy person. On the other hand, Joong-won and Hye-kyeong's perceived scandal reveals the distrust in Tae-joon and shatters his illusion of a picture-perfect future. I wonder if jealousy is the only reason, however.

Lee� Yeon-joo's (Park Ah-in) presence sparks some less than pleasing revelations about Joong-won's work ethics and so does his conversation with Joon-ho (Lee Won-geun). I thought his crush was pure, but I wonder if he had anything to do with Tae-joon's current situation. Joong-won's fixation was clear, but now we know he is actually manipulative and opportunistic. One thing is for sure, Hye-kyeong is caught between a rock and a hard place with these two.

Her response when she testifies in court gives me hope, however. She is honest and does not tolerate abuse when she can avoid it. Mr. Kang's reappearance will surely cause problems and it might explain some of Tae-joon's actions, but it is Hye-kyeong's decisions which interest me. I hope to see her divorced, single and paying for any crimes she has committed by the end. Hey, a girl can hope.

"The Good Wife"is directed byLee Jeong-hyo, written byHan Sang-woonand featuresJeon Do-yeon,Yoo Ji-tae,Yoon Kye-sangandKim Seo-hyeong.

Written by:Orionfrom 'Orion's Ramblings'