"The Good Wife" Episode 5 recap

"The Good Wife" smacks us with a big twist in episode five, which changes a great deal about what we have known so far. It personally worries me in regards to the future, but perhaps it will be a good thing. The legal case this time involves Hye-kyeong's past social circle and with Tae-joon home, it just brings more sad memories to the surface. Meanwhile, Joong-won steps up his game and faces Tae-joon.
This is one huge elephant in the room, so let us address it. Tae-joon (Yoo Ji-tae) is a coward who had his wife carry his crime. I had previously assumed that his entitlement and controlling behavior stems from a sense of being owed something for his heroism, but he manages to be even worse. In retrospect, I should have expected this, but Hye-kyeong (Jeon Do-yeon) as a culprit was an appealing concept. Which is why this twist worries me, so bear with me here.

Let us forget about the twist for a moment. The court case of this episode gives us a glimpse into how Hye-kyeong lived and how she was abandoned after her husband's scandal. It shows us a woman who is honest and kind, but also blind to the hypocrisy of others. This would explain why she cannot see Tae-joon for who he is. Seeing her struggle between happiness and awkwardness with him home again is wonderfully done. My worry is that this focus might change.
Until now Hye-kyeong has been someone who might give a second chance to her once beloved savior and lover. It was an interesting struggle and the choice was reasonably hard. This twist turns her into a victim who has repeatedly accepted betrayal. It changes her from a person in control to someone who is being willfully manipulated. This is not a bad change. Seeing her rise from her self-victimization would be an empowering story. I just wonder if this is the reason behind it.

This episode has Joong-won (Yoon Kye-sang) face Tae-joon and start an unofficial war for Hye-kyeong. One man is someone who forces his biased treatment on Hye-kyeong to satisfy his crush, which ended on the day of the accident. The other is a traitor who has no concept of the impact his actions have on his family. My fear is that Hye-kyeong might have been turned into a victim for the sake of a twisted love triangle.
Everything depends on the creators' intentions. The car accident twist can be a great addition to the story of a woman who reclaims the life she sacrificed for love not reciprocated. I sincerely hope that my worry will prove silly by the end. I hope that the love Dramaland has for male power games and scandalous romances will not overtake the main appeal of "The Good Wife".
"The Good Wife" is directed by Lee Jeong-hyo, written by Han Sang-woon and features Jeon Do-yeon, Yoo Ji-tae, Yoon Kye-sang and Kim Seo-hyeong.
Written by: Orion from 'Orion's Ramblings'

Copy & paste guideline for this article
Always put a link back to the source and HanCinema permalink