Warning: This article contains spoilers from the series finale of The Good Wife. Read at your own risk.
Alicia Florrick has never really had it easy. She was married to a power-hungry philanderer, in love with a coworker who could never be hers, befriended by a woman who would later be revealed to have slept with her husband, and constantly faced with challenges to prove herself while being burdened by her husband Peter's reputation.
Would a series finale happy ending right all those wrongs? Eh, not really.
Season 7 proved to be a rocky one for Julianna Margulies' character, from start to finish. Sure, she made a new drinking buddy, got laid (lots and lots), and proved she could still kick ass in the courtroom. But she also lost friendships, suffered personal and professional setbacks, and (egads!) welcomed Howard Lyman into her family. Her ending seemed uncertain, and after all of this drama, fans can only hope and pray she's downing margaritas with Lucca at some tropical resort. If anyone needs a vacation, it's (Not-So) Saint Alicia — and no, a Canadian airport doesn't count.
Read on to see just how bad Alicia had it.
Started from the bottom, now I'm here
Fresh off a dismissal as State's Attorney and still licking her wounds, Florrick was forced to claw her way back up the legal ladder by serving in bond court. The seasoned attorney found herself playing rookie in Judge Schakowsky's fast-paced courtroom, landing several clients with sky-high bonds. She also evoked the ire of her fellow lawyers, save one: Lucca Quinn (Cush Jumbo), who would go on to be her law partner and (yay!) new friend. Girlfriend needed someone to drink with now that Kalinda's gone. Every cloud...
Photo: CBS/Photofest.
Cock-blocked
The budding platonic love-fest between Alicia and Eli (Alan Cumming) took a major blow when he confessed to having deleted a voicemail from Will in which he declared his love for Mrs. Florrick. To put it mildly, Alicia lost her shit, smashing plates and icing out Eli. Not even Peter elicited this kind of rage, but it's good to know she had it in her. Knowing she'd missed that opportunity with her late lover tore Alicia apart, but she did at least get to reunite with his ghost in the finale.
Photo: CBS/Photofest.
Man trouble
After last season's fumbled flirtation with Matthew Goode's Finn Polmar, Alicia finally struck oil with foxy investigator Jason Crouse (a flirty, pre-Negan Jeffrey Dean Morgan). They had plenty of physical chemistry (just ask the NSA), but lacked that Will/Alicia spark. Would our heroine really end up with a man who kissed other women in bars, bought land on Mars, and kept reminding her about his fear of commitment? In the end, the answer was...maybe? Though Jason was a no-show by the finale's end, the series' creators have said she was definitely going after him.
Photo: CBS/Photofest.
The problem with Peter
As expected, most of Alicia's issues stem from Peter (Chris Noth). This year was a doozy. There was his disastrous presidential campaign. He got indicted again. Rumors of a new affair surfaced (not that Alicia, who fake-cried in response to Michael J. Fox's Louis Canning, seemed to mind that one). The two finally agreed to divorce, and amicably so, but it's clear that his presumed guilt left a very bad taste in Alicia's mouth by the finale's end. Buh-bye, big guy.
Photo: CBS/Photofest.
Mama drama
Alicia seemed to spend most her time drinking with new pals Lucca and Jason. Back at home, things were a little messier. She and Zach (Graham Phillips) kept their distance, and she and Peter were far from pleased when he announced his engagement to a pretentious co-ed. Even worse: She can now call Howard Lyman her stepfather-in-law thanks to his unlikely romance with Jackie Florrick.
Photo: CBS/Photofest.
Office intrigue
Alicia had a lot to show for herself in the career realm. She and Lucca ran a respectable firm, and then joined Diane and Cary. She was even made a named partner in Diane's new female-centric firm, but at what cost? Cary (Matt Czuchry) made it clear that he felt edged out by her power plays. She and Diane (Christine Baranski) were posted to be the Amy and Tina of the Chicago legal world. That is, until Alicia encouraged Lucca to accuse Diane's husband Kurt McVeigh (Gary Cole) of having an affair on the stand. That move got her a full-on slap from Diane, and, presumably, her walking papers.
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