"The Good Wife" Has a Good Episode on Dec. 14th in "Nine Hours"

On the Wednesday, December 14th episode of "The Good Wife," entitled "Nine Hours" excellent writing by Meredith Averill and equally fine direction by Julie Hebert portrayed the Chicago team of lawyers working against the clock to save the life of condemned man Carter Wright, their convicted client, who is on Death Row and has just 9 hours before his execution. [*Illinois doesn't have the Death Penalty ever since Governor Ryan abolished it, but there was some mention of Indiana, as the drugs to properly carry out the execution have passed their expiration date and calls are being made to borrow those drugs from Indiana.]

The person who took the call to borrow drugs (Not quite like borrowing a cup of sugar now, is it?) had to cancel a weekend camping trip with his daughter to personally deliver the lethal drug for the execution. He tells his daughter they'll do the trip next week. Now he has to leave -- . to hand deliver a drug to execute a condemned man. Seems incredibly cold-hearted. Really heart-warming. (Otherwise, the prisoner would have had a two-day reprieve, while new drugs were obtained in state.) One could express the opinion that planning to execute someone but not checking on all the paraphernalia you'll need well in advance seems a bit like starting a major baking project without checking to see if you have all the necessary ingredients on hand -- only with much more dire consequences.

When Alicia Florrick (Juliana Margulies) is contacted by an attorney for the Prosecutor's office, who asks if they are going to file an addendum to the brief (not an amendment, an addendum), the firm realizes that a hidden message is being given to them -- that there is an opportunity to save their client's life. But what is the hidden message within the phone call that the opposition is trying to send ?

It is necessary to involve Cary, the young attorney who worked at the firm previously but, after being let go, has gone over to the Prosecutor's office. Cary Agos (Matt Czuchry) once worked with the Innocence Project, Attorney Barry Scheck's pro bono effort to use new techniques such as DNA testing to exonerate those wrongfully convicted with help from law students. (This year's film "Conviction" with Sam Rockwell and Hilary Swank illustrates the "Innocence" program in action.) There was an amusing bit where the real Barry Scheck phones to ask for Cary's help and Cary thinks it is a friend playing a joke on him.

Many shots on this episode of the show were outside, rather than in the office, including many shot in a prison (the abandoned Joliet that was used in "Prison Break" perhaps?) and were excellently photographed by Fred Murphy. There is also an affecting scene involving the condemned man's daughter and her attempts to get to the prison in time to see her father before he is taken to the death chamber.

The "new evidence" in the case turns out to involve the use of accelerant in the hallway, as the African-American condemned man was convicted of murdering his wife and setting their house on fire to conceal the crime. Archie Panjabi as Kalinda Sharma in an impassioned airport scene must convince the leading expert to change his testimony. Panjabi adds immensely to this show, although all of the cast are good in their parts.

There is emphasis on Grace Florrick's (Makenzie Vega's) emotional involvement, as she is shown on her knees praying for the condemned man. There is a scene where Alicia asks her boss, Will Gardner (Josh Charles) if they can, some time, "have a moment," as she now knows that Will called her and attempted to start a relationship, but Ari Gold (Alan Cumming) erased the call from her cell phone messages. The final line of the show has Alicia's young son Zach (Graham Phillips) asking if he can get his ear pierced. ("Brad Pitt has an earring in one ear.")

An interesting and well-written episode that sets up more drama on the Will/Alicia front. My only critical comment: if the execution was supposed to be taking place in Illinois, we do not have the Death Penalty and if the authorities are the slightest bit competent, surely they would check to make sure that the drugs being used were still potent and had not exceeded their shelf life.