Good Wife series review: Priyamani’s courtroom drama has intriguing themes but gets slow on narrative pace

Good Wife plot:

After Tarunika’s (Priyamani) husband Gunaseelan (Sampath Raj), an additional advocate general, gets arrested over corruption and sex scandal case, it is up to her to not only wake up to face the mess of the reality she is facing but also confront the public image of her family. It is at this point; Tarunika decides to go back to her lawyer profession and join as a junior associate where her former lover Hari Deepak (Aari Arjunan) is working. Torn between handling her children, and proving her competitiveness at the firm, the series delves into a narrative with a mixture of courtroom proceedings and family drama.

Good Wife review:

On a broader level, Good Wife is about a woman who has left her profession to be a stay-at-home mother, as she manages to do the duties expected of her. But on a scene-by-scene level, the series talks about the complications and intricacies of the judiciary system in India, as it explores the various touchpoints of the legalities, ethical and moral responsibilities with some portion of modern thinking. But even as the show does its wifely duties, does it really live up to its name?

Taking off from the moment when Gunaseelan and Tarunika are enjoying at their 16th wedding anniversary, the former’s sex scandal video breaks the internet. And after much hassle and controversy, he is jailed as we see Tarunika move out with her two children to continue with their lives. It is after three months, we get to see the remaining series unfold, as Tarunika is back to donning black robes and join Hari Deepak’s law firm as junior associate on probation. To start off with the positives, Good Wife deep dives into the working style of the advocate fraternity. How cases are not usually done with one hearing as seen in most movies, but a series of court sessions and follow-ups along with personal investigations. Amrutha Srinivasan plays Sneha Merlin, an investigator of the firm (something not seen much in courtroom dramas), and we see how a page from the life of an advocate. The series also has interesting threads that are short-lived; when Tarunika speaks about adolescence to her son who compliments her to being ‘way cooler’, and when a lawyer asks time-off during the hearing to breast-feed her newborn, to name a few.

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The series also talks about multiple cases; from that of insurance crime to forced egg donation. But the series lacks a certain rhythm to keep audience edge of the seat, as it merely feels like an arc that keeps shifting its centre point. But back to its holistic picture, Good Wife is all about the case in focus; Gunaseelan’s corruption and bribery, which seems to take back seat now and then. As much as we are made to given importance to Tarunika’s pain of being cheated on by her husband, it seems like the character had given it an easy pass to him who seem to have little to none to make amends for his betrayal. There are certain heavy and fresh issues the series deals with, which makes it wise for the long-form format. One of the sub-plots include that of forced egg donation on young girls, and the exploitation. Hoping for the series to continue if the second season comes, Good Wife begins to get interesting only to leave it mid-way.

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Priyamani as Tarunika shoulder the series, as she takes us through the mind of a working woman and someone back to the job after a sabbatical. She comes with a believability, and with a good supporting cast, the performances are taken care of. However, it is the series limited act structure with multiple threads, that makes it a little too much on consuming with no ties at the end.

Good Wife verdict:

Good Wife may not be with shocking twists and turns and that’s okay. It takes its time to do a slow start, and might have some interesting pockets of story arcs. It is a slow take-off, and (if) seasons to follow up can increase the pace, to make things move faster and interesting, then Good Wife can possibly be a good addition to the Tamil OTT space.