"Home" is the third episode of the first season of The Good Wife. It was written by Dee Johnson and directed by Scott Ellis.
Summary[]
Alicia must return to her old neighborhood and social circle prior to her husband's scandal when she represents the son of a former friend who's been accused of felony murder
Cast[]
Starring[]
Special Guest Star[] |
Guest Starring[]
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Plot[]
Alicia is busy managing a morning with the family when Peter calls from jail. She has little time, however, and hangs up on him after a few quick words. Meanwhile, their daughter Grace voices her unhappiness with their new home and her new school.
At work, Alicia is late for a meeting where Will Gardner and Diane Lockhart tell the first-year associates to find a way to bill more hours; only Cary is doing a really good job at that. An assistant interrupts, telling Alicia her son is outside asking for her. It is, however, not Zach but Kenny Chatham, the son of a befriended couple who says he needs a lawyer. He tells her that he got his hand on some marihuana at a party and ran away when a security guard showed up. Alicia gets permission from Will to drive Kenny home.
In the car, Kenny cannot understand why Alicia still cares about his parents, seeing how they treated her after her husband's sex scandal. She doesn't answer to that, remembering how close she used to be with his mother, Lauren, and agrees to talk to her first. However, a few minutes later, Kenny is arrested for felony murder.
Kalinda explains that the security guard Kenny mentioned earlier was found dead, and that police believes Kenny and another boy, Brian Keller murdered him during an attempted burglary. Alicia takes the case and talks to Kenny, who swears that they were invited to the house of his friend, Spencer Rankin. She also asks someone else to be first chair due to her involvement in the case. At court, Kenny's parents angrily demand to know why the lawyer they hired was turned away; the lawyer in question, Terry Streiger, tells her she is in way over her head. Alicia, however, points out that Kenny asked for her, and that she cares more about him than Streiger ever will.
As Judge Earl Hovick opens the pretrial hearings, Alicia is surprised that Diane assigned Cary as her first chair. The prosecution asks for Kenny to be denied bail, as Brian Keller has decided to testify against him. Judge Hovick denies bail and sends the boy back to his cell. Back home, Alicia wants to tell her children what happened, but they already know everything about it from their friends.
Will, Alicia, and Cary determine that in order to make a case for Kenny, they have to establish there was no burglary at the night of the murder. They talk to Spencer, telling him what will happen to Kenny because he lied about the burglary. Kalinda also finds out that Brian Keller has a reputation as a violent teen.
Next day, Lauren visits Alicia at her home. They talk about the case, and Alicia asks about Lauren's marriage, only to learn that it is just as unhappy as it was back before the time of Peter's sex scandal. Lauren starts to cry, and Alicia holds her. At court, Cary tries to get District Attorney Danielle Raines to have dinner with him.
Alcia and Kalinda talk to the neighbors, and learn that someone left the house about shortly after the security guard was killed. Cary and Danielle have dinner, and he tells her he can prove that Kenny had permission to enter the house. Danielle agrees to asks for a maximum sentence of two years if Kenny pleads guilty of second-degree murder. At the Rankin house, however, Spencer's father angrily tells Alicia that his son will never testify.
At the pretrial hearing presided by Judge Hester James, Officer Jeffrey Diaz, the policeman who arrested Brian Keller, is interviewed. Cary, who is in an actual trial for the first time, has little success getting anything helpful out of him.
Brian testifies next, saying that the security guard surprised Kenny and there was a struggle in which the guard was shoved down the stairs and killed. Alicia notices something about the model of the house and the garden, and takes her kids to Highland Park to give them time to see their friends; she also talks to Kenny's father, who tells her Lauren was unable to go to court. He also says that he doesn't really know his son any more.
Before they return home, the Florricks drive by the Rankin home. Alicia gets into the garden and looks at the house when the automatic sprinklers start and wet her clothes.
Back in court, Kenny questions Brian, who insists having sat in the garden at 11:20 PM, witnessing the struggle between Kenny and the guard. However, Alicia points out that the Rankin's automatic sprinkler system is set to go off every night at 11:15 for fifteen minutes, and if Brian had been where he said he was, he would have been soaking wet. He was not standing behind a bush -- he was standing over the victim.
After everyone else has left, Judge James severely chastises Raines, and tells her that she has twenty minutes to work out something with the defense. Cary gets her to agree to trespassing and possession of marijuana, with one thousand hours of community service, drug counseling and no jail time. Cary takes Richard Chatham to get Kenny's things while Lauren says they should have lunch and that she will call Alicia. Alicia, however, points out that Lauren will not call and they will not have lunch then leaves.
Cary meets with Diane regarding the Chatham case. She tells him to keep up the good work.
Back at home, Alicia settles down on the bed, noticing a scratch that originated from a night of sex with Peter, at a time when they were still very happy. She also remembers he got a phone call.
She then sits with Grace, who looks out of the living room window into nighttime Chicago.
Background Information[]
Broadcast[]
- This episode first aired in on October 06, 2009.
- On its first airing this episode attracted 13.69 million viewers.
References[]
- Kalinda says to Alicia that the first plea bargain demands a gin martini, a reference to the pilot episode, in which she made her believe that the first jury trial demands a shot of tequila.