'The Good Fight' Season 4, Episode 5 Review: The fight is reignited as the gang scores a win for once
Spoilers for 'The Good Fight' Season 4, Episode 5 - 'Gang Goes to War'
Previous seasons of 'The Good Fight' have trended bleak, growing ever darker. With Donald Trump in the White House, it's felt like there's no way for a firm with the principles of Reddick, Boseman & Lockhart to truly win. The show has highlighted how those in power can use an imperfect system to their own corrupt ends, and before this season, it was beginning to feel like there was no fighting the good fight after all. This season, however, things took a turn towards the hopeful, as the gang finds out how - in their own way - fighting back is still possible.
The A-plot centers around Liz Reddick-Lawrence (Audra McDonald) and Caleb Garlin (Hugh Dancy) as they head to military court, a chance for the show to bring in another 'The Good Wife' alum with Judge Leora Kuhn (Linda Emond). In the meanwhile, Lucca Quinn (Cush Jumbo) wins an ominous amount of money while on a working vacation with Bianca Sky (Chasten Harmon), Diane Lockhart (Christine Baranski) finds a new way of coping, and Julius Cain (Michael Boatman) finds that no threat against his career is worth the moral compromise. What seems like an ordinary, if challenging case in military court is overthrown late in the episode by a presidential pardon from Donald Trump. This season has really toned down its usage of President Trump - where previous seasons blurred the lines between satire and outright parody, episodes like this one focus more on the effects his decisions have on America. A presidential pardon is not all it's cracked up to be, as a clever turn of events brings up Burdick vs. The United States - a reminder that accepting a pardon removes a citizen's Fifth Amendment rights, helping Liz and Caleb win their case.
With everything else that's been going on, it's become somewhat rare to see a court case played out to a full and satisfying conclusion on 'The Good Fight,' and it's incredibly satisfying to see Liz and Caleb receive an uncompromised win. Equally enjoyable is seeing the way the pair flirts around the relationship that's sprung up between them, particularly in Audra McDonald's performance - a vulnerability, and a shyness of early courting is charming to behold. Diane, in the meanwhile, has an intriguing conversation with a woman who has walked straight out of her dreams from this season's first episode - the lawyer of Harvey Weinstein in an alternate universe, Gina (Leslie Fray). We've seen Diane trying to deal with her stress and confusion over the overwhelming political situation in America by turning to drugs, by throwing knives, and by joining a secret society dedicated to undermining Trump, but a meditative technique meant to calm the mind seems to have done the trick.
She's back in the fight, seeking the aid of Julius, who fought back himself against the tyranny of political ambition and Memo 618. The scenes with Julius were a joy - almost a sight of relief - with the absolute joy Julius felt in being able to dispense justice to the rich and entitled. What's especially interesting is that it wasn't anyone's condemnation that finally turned Julius straight - it was the approval of those working for a corrupt system. There may be consequences coming for Julius, but as Liz says at the end of the episode, it's just nice to get a win, for once.
The next episode of 'The Good Fight' airs on May 21, on CBS All Access.
