Entertainment

Will Kalinda & Cary Finally Be on the Same Page?

by Angelica Jade Bastién

If there is any show that excels at reinventions it's The Good Wife . In this season we've seen relationships crumble, grow increasingly estranged, and even become stronger. No relationship has been as confounding (and as hot) as the one between Kalinda Sharma and Cary Agos. Unfortunately, Cary can't catch a break this season. Kalinda didn't give him the kind of relationship he wanted and he's now in a precarious situation which may redefine his life dramatically. The mid season finale, "The Trial", ends with Cary accepting a plea deal for his conspiracy charge. Of course, that's not the end of the story. Kalinda has been putting herself in the line of fire with suave, but increasingly dangerous drug kingpin Lemond Bishop. But what is Kalinda's endgame? Most importantly, will Kalinda and Cary have a happy ending?

For a while it has seemed that The Good Wife doesn't know what to do with Kalinda, one of its greatest and most mishandled assets. At her best, Kalinda carefully toes the line between mysterious and knowable. Intelligent, cunning, and sexually bold are all fitting descriptors when she is being written properly. At her worst, well you remember season 4. The many missteps with her character has made it easy to deal with the news that Archie Panjabi is leaving The Good Wife . Recently, Kalinda's plot is rooted in her on/off again romance with Cary and her willingness to go against the show's most dangerous character, Lemond Bishop, in hopes of saving Cary from losing his career to a prison sentence.

Some fans have theorized that Kalinda will be killed off. But since that echoes what happened to the beloved Will Gardner minus the emotional punch that probably won't be the route the writers take. Instead it is more likely, Kalinda will end the show much how she entered it --- in a cloud of mystery. I agree with commenters in this Vulture recap of, "The Trial": Kalinda will end up in witness protection.

This can come about in multiple ways with Kalinda testifying against Bishop or joining the task force of her FBI paramour's case in some capacity to find incriminating evidence against Bishop that can exonerate Cary. I think all fans agree that we miss the Kalinda that always seemed to be two steps ahead of everyone else. Now is the perfect time to bring her back. This conclusion for her story provides a sense of finality without killing her off. But can Kalinda and Cary fans expect closure?

Not the kind we want. A part of me thinks Cary needs to just make peace with the fact that Kalinda doesn't want to be in an exclusive relationship with him. They can have great sex. They can watch each other's backs. But Kalinda's very character has been defined by her mutability when it comes to relationships. People are important in what they can provide her --- pleasure, companionship, information. We have seen Kalinda grow beyond that like when she was friends with Alicia (another sorely missed plot dynamic from the show) and Will. But Kalinda is not easy to pin down and when the show has tried it falters pretty greatly.

In real life, many of us have fallen for people hopelessly out of reach. We keep coming back because of those sparks of vulnerability, joy, and let's be real, great sex. Kalinda and Cary definitely share this dynamic. When The Good Wife returns Jan 4, he best we can hope for is for these two mismatched people coming to an understanding. Kalinda saying "I love you" to Cary would be wildly out of character, even if it something some fans want to hear.

Images: Jeff Neumann/CBS; Giphy (2); filthypiratehooker/Tumblr