Bisexual international woman of mystery, and the best-damned investigator to grace the small screen, or anything for that matter, Kalinda Sharma (Archie Panjabi) ended The Good Wife season with a bang. Well, we didn’t really see the bang, we just saw the afterplay, which if it’s any indication of the actual event, means that whomever hooks up with Kalinda is one lucky lady – or man – or lady…
Since I only pen Good Wife gay storyline re-caps -- or Gay-Cap, as I call them – once in a blue moon, I’ll try to play catch up on Kalinda’s vibrant romantic entanglements, one of which has cost Kalinda her best friend Alicia Florrick (Julianna Margulies).
SPOILERS – If you are not up to date…
Hints of Kalinda’s leaning toward the ladies began to surface on the critically lauded show as far back as fall of 2009 but she didn’t really get any action until the end of the first season, hooking up with a male cop for information and later with a female FBI agent for, well, information and sex…
Early in the second season it’s revealed that Kalinda engaged in a three-month long –let’s not call it a relationship – dalliance with a public defender, Donna, played by the always-welcome Lili Taylor. It became clear however that Kalinda wasn’t looking anything too emotionally heavy with Donna, and despite a nice kiss in a bar, Kalinda gave Donna the kiss-off.
Since then the investigator with the equally insatiable appetite for info and sex played a naughty game of footsie over wine with her female FBI agent friend and beat the shit out of her rival investigator Blake (Scott Porter) after they both stripped down to their skivvies and engaged in what appeared to be rough foreplay. But rather than consummate their mutual mistrust and dislike Kalinda opted to pound him to a pulp.
Throughout The Good Wife’s run Kalinda’s closest – albeit somewhat guarded – relationship has been with her friend Alicia. Their impeccable teamwork has helped them win big cases for Lockhart, Gardner, they’ve slammed tequila shooters after work together on several occasions and they’ve pored over the details of a case while drinking beer on Alicia’s bed. So the biggest betrayal of all came of course when Alicia discovered, a few episodes ago, that Kalinda – prior to knowing Alicia —slept with her then boss, Alicia’s philandering estranged husband Peter (Chris Noth).
A heartbroken Alicia kicked Peter out of her house and Kalinda out of her life, save for that pesky detail that they still have to work together. And that pretty much brings us to this week’s episode… and mini gay-cap.
“Closing Arguments”
Since Alicia discovered that her best friend Kalinda and her husband Peter shared a forbidden night of work-place fraternization years ago – it didn’t matter that it was prior to Alicia and Kalinda actually meeting — she’s told Kalinda in so many words to pretty much stay the fuck away. Alicia’s heart is broken and it seems — this time -- more so by Kalinda than Peter.
As fate would have it the ex-pals are forced to work together on a case when a mysterious bloody glove, integral to their case involving a murdered judge, lands on Alicia’s desk. Well, Alicia is a lady in heels and Kalinda’s a fearless lady in high-heeled leather boots, so when Alicia needs help dealing with the possible evidence she reluctantly calls the ‘cleaner’ Kalinda in to run damage control.
More on next page...
\\\
(continued)
Being the highly connected – as it were – investigator that she is, Kalinda enlists the help of a friend, Sophia Russo (Chase’s Kelli Giddish), whom we met in last week’s episode. She’s a corporate investigator who’s heading back to work for the state’s attorney’s office. Sophia’s got a friend who does DNA testing, so Kalinda asks her to come down to Lockhart, Gardner to help before she makes her next call to the police.
“Who was that?” Alicia asks after Kalinda hangs up the phone with Sophia.
“A friend,” Kalinda says in her laconic, ambiguous way, causing Alicia to deliver a giant eye roll as Alicia’s learning that Kalinda’s got “friends” in high and low places.
Sophia shows up at Alicia’s office offering advice on how to handle the glove and it’s clear that she and Kalinda have a rapport – although not as clear as it will be later in the episode.
Diane Lockhart (Christine Baranski) gives the go-ahead to spare no expense on DNA testing as Kalinda and Sophia sidle up close to each other debating where they’ll get the DNA since they can’t test the glove itself. As luck would have it, the glove landed on Lockhart, Gardner stationary that just happens to now have dried blood on it. The hot pair of devious investigators work together like it’s a game of Pick Up Sticks to uphold the integrity of the bloody glove while removing the memo from under it.
Later, Kalinda arrives at Sophia’s office and slams a bagged envelope on her desk.
“Well you just can’t stay away, can you?” Sophia says. But Kalinda is all business and asks if she can test it for prints.
“Sure, why not. What else have I got to do? You want me to do some random urine testing while I’m at it?” Sophia asks.
Kalinda, nonplussed by the sarcasm, merely replies, “no.”
“Hey, you still get a drink after work?” Sophia asks, offering the first real hint that she’s set her sights on investigating Kalinda.
“Do I?” Kalinda says, pausing. “Yeah.”
“Where?” Sophia asks, before the camera cuts back to Alicia.
More on next page...
\\\
(continued)
That evening Kalinda receives an incoming call from State’s Attorney wonder boy Cary, who happens to be Alicia’s nemesis of sorts and someone with whom Kalinda has a very interesting, if not fully fleshed out, relationship. The camera pulls back from Kalinda’s phone to reveal her, in what appears to be hot silk jammies, lounging at the top of the bed while Sophia’s a tad more splayed out with what would prove to be a post-coital buzz.
“Work?” Sophia asks regarding the call. “Tsk, tsk, tsk. You used to be more fun,” she scolds, implying this isn’t her fist time at the Kalinda rodeo. But here’s what had me rewinding the DVR and checking the station to make sure I hadn’t magically flipped over to Showtime and The Real L Word. Sophia wipes her fingers in a “V” shape around her mouth, implying Kalinda goes both ways – and by that I mean top and bottom.
“Maybe it was me (who was more fun),” Sophia says. But Kalinda slides over to her, encouraging Sophia to flip onto her back and assures her, “No, no, no. It was me.”
“Miss me?” Sophia asks, eliciting a rare smile from the ever-enigmatic Ms. Sharma. “Now you gotta kiss me,” Sophia teases.
Sophia lets out a little moan before leaning over to answer her phone, which is ringing and absolutely killing the moment. But Kalinda’s not really paying attention to Sophia’s conversation, kissing Sophia’s back while she chats in a desultory fashion to whomever is on the line.
More on next page...
\\\
(continued)
However, Sophia’s muffled “love you,” into the phone before telling Kalinda, “I have an hour,” catches Kalinda’s attention.
“Who was it?” she asks, as Sophia turns over places her arms around Kalinda’s neck.
“That was my husband. I have to go pick him up at the airport. He was calling to remind me,” Sophia says casually. Having found herself on the outs with Alicia over playing home wrecker in Alicia’s already shaky marriage, Kalinda pricks up her ears at that revelation.
“I didn’t know you were married,” she says stiffening, and not in a good way. They banter a bit about whether or not Kalinda knew Sophia was married, but it would appear that Kalinda either really didn’t know or she fell victim to a case of selective hearing regarding said husband because her fellow investigator is a hot catch.
“What? He’s not gonna come find you and shoot you,” Sophia says laughing. But Kalinda is turning over a new leaf it would appear, and she’s not playing.
“I have to go to work,” she says.
“Did you become born again or something?” Sophia asks, indicating that she’s annoyed that she’s won’t get another piece of Kalinda before the night is out – and who can blame her?
The scene dissolves to Kalinda, alone at a bar, doing tequila shooters like the badass she is. While it looks as though Kalinda learned a tough lesson losing Alicia, cheers to CBS for airing a really freaking sexy post-sex scene between two women on prime time!
Here’s hoping for more of that next season.
Follow SheWired on Twitter!
Follow SheWired on Facebook!
