Reaction Post - Too much has happened.

The Good Wife: 5x08 The Next Month.

We seem to have entered a transitional period in terms of waiting for the next big bang, so TGW has slowed down to like twice the speed of normal television episodes rather than its usual ten times. Will, clearly approaching a mental breakdown (signified by "Isabell", let's hope that David Lee's attempts to ruin that relationship are fruitful), proudly announces that "LG", as Lockhart/Gardner will be known from now on, is going to open offices in New York soon. In the following flurry, they make the mistake of sending Howard Lyman to welcome an un-promising walk-in client, who turns out to be Natalie Flores (yay!). He manages to creep her out sufficiently that she decides to get Alicia's phone number from the receptionist and meet her at A/F new offices, a run-down T-shirt factory. There aren't even any glass walls! Awesomely, Alicia is the one who totally falls in love with the space and recognizes its hipster potential. Natalie asks A/F for help (pro-bono help) for a friend, an illegal immigrant who is in danger of being deported and was asked by the SA to testify against a terrifying Mexican drug lord on trial in Chicago. Alicia accepts the case - because Natalie's new day job is with a rich guy whose business would maybe help to make A/F more legitimate than squaremetres of dusty if beautiful exposed brick-wall office space without a phone connection or internet. Once "LG" recognizes their mistake, they ask Howard to apologize and try to get Natalie to come back, which she doesn't end up doing because... Robyn Burdine! is quicker than everyone else once she sets her mind to something. 

Because the other story of the episode, since David Lee enjoying himself while opening some of Will's old Alicia wounds doesn't really count as a story, is Carey (the "other Cary") pointing out to the other partners that the firm needs to fire whoever they hired last, which happens to be their only investigator. Robyn, natural Kalinda-trained sleuth that she is, overhears, and is sad/panicked/angry, which is always hard to tell in the case of Robyn, either way it's serious enough for her to go Kalinda (you can't be here!) and ask for advice/help/for her to talk "LG" into taking her back. The ensuing conversation is pretty awesome, because Kalinda usually doesn't use that voice with anyone but the one person she hasn't been talking to in ages (kind not nice, etc.) The conversation is also interesting because it reveals that what is happening between "LG" and F/A is more war-like than anything else, all bridges are burned, and THEY CAN'T GO BACK. 

Kalinda: You need to make yourself heard. You need to make yourself indispensable. That's why people keep you on.
Robyn: But I'm not you.
Kalinda: You don't need to be me. They were laying me at the SA office five years ago. So I took control. Nothing changes you like the loss of a job. Now go, you can't be here. 

Robyn does make herself indispensable, and basically solves the whole case herself, with a variety of questionable tactics, possibly illegal manoeuvres and lies (is this taking Kalindering to the next level? And will it have consequences eventually?), thereby saving her job with F/A. 

• Eli is hilariously FLUSTERED by Natalie's return. And sort of unprofessional. I wonder what will come of him clashing with Marilyn, who has gone from throwing up into Alicia's kitchenware to constantly munching pumpkin-flavoured pop tarts. I wonder where that story is going, and if it is significant that Marilyn is mostly constantly watching Peter violate, ethically, without being able to do anything about it. 
• Alicia's face when she's computer-planning the office is delightful. She seems so genuinely excited about this whole thing, it's awesome.