The Good Fight Review: The Gang Tries to Serve a Subpoena (Season 4 Episode 2)
Diane is back from alternate reality and “vacation” on The Good Fight Season 4 Episode 2, “The Gang Tries to Serve a Subpoena.” At least, we think she is.
There is a new sign up in the office as Reddick, Boseman, & Lockhart is now a division of “RBL, STR Laurie,” and there are dogs running around the hallways, so we’re not exactly sure where she is.
There’s no denying that this new land grounded somewhere slightly fantastical between Lucca and David Lee suddenly “working together” to prep a client for her divorce deposition during a quick trip to St. Lucia and Diane being crowned the head of the pro bono department by Mr. Firth.
He’s the boss now, and though Andrian and Liz warn he’s something of a Wizard of Oz, he leans further into Glinda The Good Witch’s spirit for now.
Sure, it’s too good to be true. But there’s no ignoring the poetry in our heroine literally fighting the good fight for a living all the time now. He’s not wrong that Diane comes alive when she’s given a cause.
It’s a decent season premiere, but that’s precisely its problem — this is not the first episode of the season.
I have never watched an episode of Pretty Little Liars and never intend to. So this “Memo 618” business is quite frustrating.
The mystery is the point and might be the center of the whole season, that’s clear enough. But there’s something schoolgirlish about it all through most of the episode that’s slightly offputting.
Diane is like the popular girl back at school after a summer away, ready to take her throne back (aka win her case) from the new kid in town who moved while she was abroad (Julius in his freshly pressed judges robes).
The joke’s on both of them because the man with the whitest white WASPiest name on TV (Tucker Nugent) is going to take down both of them with Memo 618, whatever that is.
But Julius’ fateful Uber ride into the desert may as well have been a limo taking him into the woods or to a dark alley or wherever the Pretty Little Riverdale kids go to get cryptically threatened.
Whispers of “Who is A? But who is she?” fit as the soundtrack to Julius’ scenes especially.
This isn’t an insult…it’s intriguing. It’s also strange and jarring. So, The Good Fight is doing something right because those words describe the Season 4 premiere perfectly, too.
As entertaining as it would be to watch a “mean girl” take down Julius Cain — Marta Tecades doesn’t deserve any of this.
Andrea Navedo and Mexican food are both delightful in their own right. So, it’s gut-wrenching to see her character’s livelihood literally bulldozed at the end of the episode.
For what? So a white guy can assert power over the federal court system? Eminent domain is a bitch, sometimes.
It’s usually fun to watch Julius squirm. That definitely doesn’t apply when he’s on the correct side of the fight and both he and Diane are losing to a man named Tucker Nugent.
There’s an extra layer of frustration to it all because Julius is so new to the bench that there is no way anyone who has ever had a new job can fault his actions.
Charlotte Hazlewood is a peer. Another black judge (it always matters) telling him to fear the number 618. Worst case scenario she’s manipulating him to do what she wants. But what is his choice? Name a second ally he has in court right now.
So far the stories discussed in this episode make viewers uncomfortable because we’re all — our heroes included — new kids in school trying to figure out our seat at the lunch table. Lucca and David Lee’s story is just a waste of time.
We go all the way to St. Lucia and back just to learn that David isn’t being an asshole at his client’s expense, except he is.
Lucca is his partner on the case. It’s gross that he doesn’t lay out all of the steps of his plan with her for Bianca’s benefit. Then again, what else could be expected from David Lee?
It’s hard to watch precious episode time being wasted when Julius could totally be popping open an incognito window and searching “Memo 618” on a dark web search engine run by Chum Hum or something.
Is that something only Aria or Spencer or Archie or Veronica know how to do?
Someone write Judge Cain into a teen mystery on The CW, pronto!
What did you think of this episode of The Good Fight? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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The Good Fight airs Thursdays on CBS All Access.
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Esme Mazzeo
Esme Mazzeo is a lifestyle and entertainment journalist from Long Island. When she's not writing for work, she's writing for fun, or searching for something to satisfy her sweet tooth. She thinks rainy days are the best kind of days. Certified night owl.