There is a good reason why The Good Wife has lasted for five seasons. It’s one of the best dramas on television. That’s not just my opinion; they’ve won awards to prove it. As an avid watcher, I have noticed how most of the characters have developed over the course of the past five years. One of those characters and also one of my favorites, Cary Agos, has never really gotten his opportunity to shine as much as the others.
That is until now, and only to the extent that the character has managed to land a major role in one of overarching story lines for the sixth season. Obviously, there was a huge void left by the sudden death of Will Gardner at the end of season five, and naturally since Cary had not really gotten a major storyline it made perfect sense to move him up to the forefront. Finally, fans like myself, have a long awaited Cary centered storyline. The only question now is: was it worth the wait? In my estimation, the only real way to the answer to that is to look at the roles that Alicia, Kalinda and Bishop have all played in his current storyline.
Cary and Alicia
Since the first season of The Good Wife, Cary Agos and Alicia Florrick have had an interesting connection, to say the least. Although they were initially competitive over the one opening for junior partner at Lockhart/Gardner, they managed to overcome the tension between them that resulted when Alicia was offered the job and Cary was forced to go elsewhere.
It took a little time, but Cary and Alicia forged a great friendship that eventually led to their starting their own firm together (Florrick/Agos, now Florrick/Agos/Lockhart). They’ve also been a source of consistency in each other’s lives, the result of which has created a, dare I say, unbreakable bond. They even shared a hug for the first time this season- to signify their sibling like bond- which makes it no real surprise that Alicia would do anything (including putting up money from the firm) in order to ensure Cary’s safety and legal representation as a result of his current charges.
Cary and Kalinda
Kalinda, on the other hand, is no sibling type to Cary. It seemed like the first time Cary laid eyes on Kalinda Sharma, he was intrigued, and for good reason. After five seasons, Kalinda remains one of the most mysterious characters on The Good Wife. Though she is pretty well guarded, Cary has managed to somewhat break through Kalinda’s tough exterior (which is probably a mix of occupational hazard and the result of past experiences) and win her over. Well, as much as he possibly could, given her bisexuality.
This season, as part of the year of Cary, we’ve seen the budding relationship between Cary and Kalinda reach a somewhat pivotal point. And though we’ve known for a long time that he was in love with Kalinda, he finally told her. I think she loves him too, but given her complex love life and fear of emotional intimacy, it is likely that the two won’t assume a real monogamous relationship anytime soon. In the meantime, it is interesting to watch play out.
Cary and Bishop
Also mysterious and incredibly intimidating, is Lemond Bishop, notorious drug dealer in the Chicago area and client of Cary’s firm. Cary and Bishop’s intertwining goes all the way back to Cary’s days at Lockhart/Gardner, when he would assist the firm with Bishop’s legitimate businesses. Even when Cary went to work for the State’s Attorney office (under Alicia’s husband Peter Florrick), he was never really free from Bishop. Then Florrick/Agos took him on as a client, which is pretty much the reason behind Cary’s current storyline and legal woes.
Despite knowing that the charges against Cary are in fact false, in the interest of protecting only himself, Bishop continuously and aggressively works to sabotage every effort of the Florrick/Agos/Lockhart team to help Cary’s case, to no end. He even had a fellow prisoner cut Cary to ensure his complicity in not ratting out Bishop to the Feds, although Cary was facing serious charges himself.
But then, in the mid-season finale we saw Bishop seemingly offer a bit of compassion (albeit tied to his own interests), by way of a deal that would afford Cary the opportunity to flee the country to avoid jail time. However, in return for this gesture, Cary would work for Bishop handling his accounts in Europe. Will Cary take the offer or stay and fight the charges against him? We won’t know until The Good Wife returns in January, but from what spoilers I have read online, the next episode will show Cary hiring someone to help him assimilate in jail. Whatever that means…