The Good Fight
The hugely popular spin- off of US legal drama, The Good Fight, returns for a second season. Here’s what to expect
Season two of the hit US series kicks off this week. Jess O’Sullivan reports
Let’s recap on season one
Set in Chicago, the first series picked up one year after the events in the final episode of The Good Wife and follows the life of lawyer Diane Lockhart, played by Christine Baranski, and her goddaughter and protégée, burgeoning legal talent Maia Rindell, played by Rose Leslie. Diane is forced out of her firm after a huge financial scandal destroys Maia’s reputation and wipes out Diane’s life savings. This leads them to join Lucca Quinn at one of Chicago’s preeminent African-American-owned law firms which has made waves by taking on Illinois police brutality cases.
What is ‘The Fight’?
The show tackles a lot of political and social issues, drawn from actual events, and explores topical issues such as the alt-right, the #MeToo movement, online harassment and the use of targeted fake news to influence the outcome of a trial. But there’s a subtext to the title, as this season sees the seemingly indomitable Diane becoming increasingly disillusioned with the world around her and she battles in a Trump-era political environment. This leads Diane to make some dubious choices in an effort to get through the day, something which becomes increasingly difficult, especially as she finds herself the target of a terrorist group with a vendetta against lawyers.
Why the show is important
Christine Baranski is a joy to watch in her role as Diane Lockhart. She plays a powerful, successful, multi-faceted woman in her 60s and there are not many television roles like that for women in that age category. Christine shows how complicated the character is while trying to manage her romantic relationship, her career, and her mental health, while always trying to stay true to herself.
What’s in season two?
In season two, a death sees Diane become a named partner at the firm, now called Reddick, Boseman & Lockhart. The team has to come together in an effort to stop a chain of events that might throw the firm into jeopardy.
Who’s new?
Joining the main cast for season two is Audra McDonald as Liz Lawrence, reprising her role from The Good Wife, season 4. She is the daughter of named partner Carl Reddick, and the ex-wife of named partner Adrian Boseman. Two other members of the recurring cast of season one have been promoted to the main cast – the firm’s investigator Jay DiPersia, played by Nyambi Nyambi, as well as Michael Boatman who plays Julius Cain, a managing partner at the firm, and Diane’s former partner at Lockhart/Gardner in The Good Wife.
Why Donald Trump won’t like it
Trump and his administration feature heavily in this series. Clearly showing the writers’ opinions of POTUS, the firm bids to represent the Democratic Party’s efforts to impeach Trump. The firm also opts to represent a Russian student who is one of the prostitutes from the pornographic tape mentioned in the Steele dossier. This is a real private intelligence report which contains allegations of conspiracy between Donald Trump’s presidential campaign and the Russian government during the 2016 election. Trump himself dismissed this dossier as fake news, but that doesn’t prevent the writer’s of The Good Fight using it as plot fodder for the series. Of course this means that the lawyers in the show are a target by the Republicans and the federal government who pursue Diane to make an example of the firm.
Stand out moment
In case you forgot about Melania Trump receiving an Einstein visa for nude modelling (the visas are for immigrants to the US with “extraordinary ability”), the writers create a storyline to remind us. Firm investigator Jay is arrested for “driving while black” and his eligibility to stay in the US is called into question. Thankfully his hidden artistic skills might just get him out of trouble.