This week got off to an amazing start with quite possibly the best night of television I’ve watched in a long time. Not only did Sunday feature an excellent Once Upon a Time episode that gave us a backstory and a kiss many fans have been waiting a long time to see; it featured what was quite possibly The Good Wife‘s finest hour. Monday’s Dancing with Stars and Castle were both fun episodes until their unexpectedly sad conclusions. Wednesday’s Nashville saw everyone pairing off and hooking up, and Thursday’s Scandal was one shocking twist after another (and was once again a fantastic episode for Mellie Grant). Finally, the latest episode of Saturday Night Live proved that Kerry Washington is so much more than just Olivia Pope; she’s incredibly funny and charming on her own.
As entertaining as the rest of the week was, nothing could compare to Sunday night. It began with a bang, as we learned the tragic story of how Killian Jones became a pirate alongside the inspiring story of how his feelings for Emma are reawakening the sense of honor he’s always held close to his heart. But even excellent acting by Colin O’Donoghue and one heck of a kiss couldn’t surpass what I saw an hour later on The Good Wife. It’s rare that an entire episode is good enough to be the best thing I saw on TV in a given week, but that’s exactly what “Hitting the Fan” was.
This episode was an hour of nothing but incredible moments after incredible moments. Kalinda’s loyalties, Diane’s impending judgeship, the animosity between Peter and Will, the complicated relationship between Will and Alicia—this episode took storylines that have been building since the beginning of the show’s run and brought them to a head in the most explosive, dramatic way possible. Everything in this episode was brilliant—from the acting and directing to the script and the score. I found myself holding my breath at more than a few points; that’s how tense it was.
The best example of that delicious tension came in the episode’s very first scene. Will’s confrontation with Alicia took all of the dynamics of their relationship and used their history to create a moment that was as powerful as anything I’ve seen on television this season—a moment I’m not sure can be topped in terms of its drama on both a plot level and a character-driven level.
What was the best thing you saw on TV this week?
Nerdy Girl Notes 
Yes, yes, and yes. There was no better hour of television last week and to distinguish among the cast would be like picking a favorite child. However I do have to say while much deserved acclaim has gone to Julianna Margulies, Josh Charles was a force to be reckoned with for the entirety of the episode. Yes he made me hold my breath through the first 15 minutes of the episode. But the range of emotion on his face as he transformed from hurt to revenge seeking was a thing of beauty. You know a show is shooting on all cylinders when phone conversations are a highlight of the episode. Not having an actual scene partner to work off of and yet feeling as though you’ve invaded personal space as a viewer is no easy task. Both conversations Will had will Alicia and Peter did that, and the latter was probably my favorite exchange of the episode. The scene between Cary and Diane, equally powerful and also a wonderful set up to what I hope is going to be a whole lot more Christine Baranski this season.
If we’re going to single out a performance from this episode, I agree with you; Josh Charles was outstanding. His phone call with Peter was everything I’ve been waiting since the earliest days of the show to see. I can’t count the number of times I held my breath during that hour, but that phone call was the moment I had the most visceral reaction to. It was so deliciously tense. I’m still thinking about it—and the whole episode, actually—all these days later.
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