Well, obviously the writers saw it coming, but for the common Joe soap, last night's episode of The Good Wife over in the US left many jaws hitting many floors. Yes, we know it hasn't been aired here yet, so run away now if you don't want to know.
Okay, think we can continue. It pains us even to write it, but here goes, deep breath everybody - in last night's episode, Will Gardner was shot in the courtroom by his client, and.... died. I know, hard to believe, right?
Apparently, Josh Charles, the actor who played him, has wanted to leave the series for some time. Deadline.com has reported the show's creators, Michelle and Robert King, as saying that he actually wanted to leave at the end of the fourth series when his contract was up, but was persuaded to stay for a fifth by star and producer Julianna Margulies.
So looks like his departure was always going to happen, one way or another, but dead? It's just so final! The show writers figured this would be the reaction though, so decided to write this lovely letter to fans....
Dear Loyal Good Wife Fans,
We, like you, mourn the loss of Will Gardner. And while Will is gone, our beloved Josh Charles is very much alive and remains an integral part of our family.
The Good Wife, at its heart, is the Education of Alicia Florrick. To us, there always was a tragedy at the center of Will and Alicia's relationship: the tragedy of bad timing. And when faced with the gut punch of Josh's decision, made over a year ago, to move on to other creative endeavors, we had a major choice to make.
We could 'send him off to Seattle', he could be disbarred, or get married, or go off to Borneo to do good works. But there was something in the passion that Will and Alicia shared that made distance a meager hurdle. The brutal honesty and reality of death speaks to the truth and tragedy of bad timing for these two characters. Will's death propels Alicia into her newest incarnation.
Death also created a new dramatic 'hub' for the show. We're always looking for these turning points - some event midway through the season that will spin everybody's lives in new directions. These turning points keep the show from slipping into a numbing sameness, and keep the characters fresh: because you see how they react to a completely new status quo. Will's death in many ways becomes a hub for the whole series, violently spinning everybody in new directions.
Finally, we chose the tragic route for Will's send-off for personal reasons. We've all experienced the sudden death of a loved one in our lives. It's terrifying how a perfectly normal and sunny day can suddenly explode with tragedy. Television, in our opinion, doesn't deal with this enough: the irredeemability of death. Your last time with the loved one will always remain your last time. The Good Wife is a show about human behavior and emotion, and death, as sad and unfair as it can be, is a part of the human experience that we want to share.
Thank you for listening…and watching and caring and inspiring us to rise to the level of your passion and intelligence. There are seven wonderful episodes to follow this season and Josh will be directing one of them. We think you will enjoy them. It's not all tears - there is comedy too. Michael J Fox is back for four episodes. Dylan Baker. Dallas Roberts. Stockard Channing, as well as amazing new guest actors. And of course, Julianna does some of the best work of her life. Archie [Panjabi], Christine [Baranski], Alan [Cumming], Chris [Noth] and Matt [Czuchry] as well. Life does go on.
We've always taken as a guiding principle of this show that drama isn't in the event; it's in the aftermath of the event. We think you'll find that true of this episode
Thank you for your devotion to the show - we are continually grateful.
With all our thanks,
Robert & Michelle King