Alicia & Finn Aren't Happening, 'Good Wife' Fans

Even if you're still a fan of The Good Wife, you've got to agree that this season the show has been off. This has cropped up in everything from how the State Attorney's race has dominated the screentime on the show to how little we see main characters interact with each other in a meaningful way. It is also starkly apparent in how the show handles Alicia Florrick's love life or lack thereof. The way Finn Polmar has been written and teased out as a potential love interest for Alicia (which at this point is certainly not going to happen since Matthew Goode is probably leaving The Good Wife) is indicative of all the problems the show has been having in its sixth season. At this point it certainly seems that Alicia and Finn are a 'ship that's never going to happen. But why is it bad for The Good Wife that Alicia and Finn never get romantic?

All the issues with this season of The Good Wife can be traced back to how the show has put character development on hold. The Good Wife brought on the amazing Matthew Goode to play Finn, who was set up as a replacement of sorts for the beloved Will Gardner. But at this point, we haven't learned much about Finn. By teasing out his importance, but never proving it, The Good Wife continues its sixth season tradition of pausing character development until it's necessary for the plot. This is why we have rarely seen Cary, Diane, and Alicia interact in meaningful ways. It's one of the reasons why Kalinda continues to terribly written even though this the last season the fan favorite will appear.

While I feel defining a female character by the man she's currently with is usually terrible, I think the way Alicia's love life has gone ever since Will's death points to the showrunners not really knowing what to do. At this point I wouldn't be surprised if she just stays with Peter out of convenience (even though he needs the marriage more than she does) or she ends the show single. Even if she ends the show single (which may be for the best) why tease all the male characters with her only to do nothing with them? We see the not-quite love triangle between Alicia, Finn, and her campaign manager, Johnny Elfman, hinted at with a sneak peak from the March 8 episode, "Mind's Eye".

In an interview with TVLine, The Good Wife showrunner Robert King was asked if the Florricks could ever have true romantic bliss he says,

I don’t think it’s impossible at all. What’s interesting is, something that might have been impossible in the second season or third season now seems within the realm of what Alicia’s choices are or what Peter’s choices are. They’re a power couple who lend each other the power that they need. Alicia is struggling with her own good-girlness. Even if she wanted to go off with someone, could she? There is something in her that struggles against that.

Yes, she could if the show was interested in developing her character beyond what the State's Attorney race says about her shifting morality. Furthermore, the show hasn't given a good reason as to why Alicia is still married to Peter and still hasn't given herself any time for romance. Again, it all comes back to poor character development.

We most likely won't see Finn Polmar in Season 7 of The Good Wife since Matthew Goode is most likely leaving the show behind. That means that bringing on this amazing actor for a storyline that could have at least developed into a meaningful friendship for Alicia (she needs that more than a romantic partner, honestly) ultimately was just dead weight for a show that seems to be spinning its wheels in uninteresting directions.

Season 5 of The Good Wife proved to be a game changer and had some amazing writing including how it handled Will's death. But Season 6 has squandered that good will. For a while I considered The Good Wife one of the best shows on television but now I am struggling to even watch it at all.

Images: Jeff Neumann/CBS; Giphy