Jason and Marissa are back for Season 5, Episode 3 of The Good Wife — "A Precious Commodity" — and mom and dad are fighting. The Will vs. Diane cold war that's been simmering since the interview drops into open conflict, while Alicia and Cary's secret departure plan picks up real urgency by the episode's end. On top of all of that, there's a case of the week that is... a lot. Ethically, legally, emotionally — a lot. Janelle Moloney is here and Marissa screamed when she saw her. Jason had no idea who Donna Moss was. He has been reprimanded.

Case / Main Plot of the Week: The Surrogacy Case

• Played by: Janel Moloney as Kathy (The West Wing's Donna Moss — Marissa literally screamed; Jason had never watched The West Wing and took his lumps for it)
• The situation: Kathy and her husband have hired a surrogate, Tara — a cheerful college student excited to eat freely and do something meaningful — to carry their child. When prenatal testing reveals Patau syndrome, a chromosomal condition that leaves newborns with very limited survival after birth, the family wants to terminate the pregnancy. Tara does not.
• The complication: Tara can feel the baby kicking. She has a 15% survival stat she's holding onto. She's not budging — and Alicia realizes mid-case that she was technically hired to represent Tara's interests, which puts her directly in conflict with the family paying her bills
• The twist: It gets thorny quickly when you ask who exactly Alicia is working for here — and whether "representing the surrogate" is real advocacy or just good legal CYA

Timestamps

• 00:05 – Intro & "mom and dad are fighting again"
• 01:45 – Housekeeping: rate, review, subscribe, buymeacoffee
• 02:45 – Previously on: ethics committee, new firm, the interview
• 04:05 – Case of the week intro: the surrogacy situation
• 04:30 – Janel Moloney spotted; Marissa screams, Jason apologizes for West Wing ignorance
• 07:10 – Patau syndrome, Tara's position, the 15% stat
• 10:15 – The conflict of interest: who is Alicia actually representing?
• 13:05 – Carter Schmidt introduced; crossover origin story discussion
• 18:00 – The Will vs. Diane civil war begins in earnest
• 24:30 – David Lee and Howard Lyman's roles in the chaos
• 29:00 – The negotiation: 20% increase, Diane walks
• 34:15 – Alicia stuck in the room; Will's read on Diane
• 38:45 – Alicia to Cary: "This week. We leave this week."
• 42:00 – Theorizing the fallout: could the exodus reunite Will and Diane?
• 47:20 – Kalinda as managing partner: briefly floated, not dismissed
• 50:05 – Outro & where to find the hosts

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This week on The Good Pod, Jason and Marissa tackle Elsbeth Season 3, Episode 13 — "Murder Six Across" — a crossword-convention murder mystery that gives the show an excuse to get absolutely obsessive about puzzles, competition anxiety, and the eternal debate between keeping things classic and keeping them relevant. The episode also delivers a long-awaited guest star upgrade (we hear you, Marissa), some meaningful momentum in the Alec campaign arc, and a Wordle bonus segment that spirals into beautiful chaos.

Case / Main Plot of the Week: The National Crossword Tournament Murder

• Played by: Steve Buscemi (Fargo, Reservoir Dogs, Boardwalk Empire, Randall in Monsters, Inc.)
• The situation: A contentious rivalry at the 27th Annual National Crossword Tournament turns deadly when the editor at the center of it ends up dead — and a killer has to keep competing while the body stays hidden
• The complication: The killer is meticulous, methodical, and has a very specific kind of obsessive logic — which means the clues are subtle, and the plan is surprisingly solid... at first
• The twist: Elsbeth's instincts are piqued not by what someone does, but by what they say — and a small, very specific behavioral tic becomes the key to unraveling everything
• The resolution: Exact change. That's all we'll say. Exact. Change.

• 00:00 – Intro & crossword nerd origin story
• 02:30 – Episode setup: the crossword convention world
• 04:00 – Guest star arrival: Steve Buscemi as Simon
• 06:30 – Crossword culture debate: modernizing vs. keeping it classic
• 11:30 – The tournament begins; Simon's motivations take shape
• 16:30 – The murder (tote bag. it's a tote bag.)
• 20:30 – Three days later: the investigation begins
• 21:30 – Detective Edwards returns!
• 25:30 – Interviewing the solvers; Simon's bad lies
• 31:00 – The trunk, the taxi, and exact change
• 38:00 – Wagner and Elsbeth talk youth culture & cringe
• 43:00 – Elsbeth goes upstate; the eureka moment
• 47:00 – Mo Rocca spotted; the arrest
• 51:30 – Alec arc: the dinner, the lie, the shift
• 01:02:00 – Outro & host plugs
• 01:09:00 – BONUS: Live Wordle segment (Friday, March 13th)

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Jason and Marissa are back for Season 5, Episode 2 of The Good Wife — "The Bit Bucket" — and things at Lockhart Gardner are getting deliciously messy. The fourth-year associates are running a full covert operation with burner phones and secret office tours, while simultaneously winning a landmark NSA surveillance case for Chum Hum. Oh, and the NSA is absolutely listening to all of it.

Plot Points:

• Case / Main Plot of the Week: Chum Hum vs. The NSA
• The Fourth Years Are Absolutely Going to Get Caught
• The Supreme Court / Peter Being Peter
• NSA Bros & The Surveillance Web

Notable Guest Stars and Return Characters

• Zach Woods (NSA Analyst) — The Office (Gabe Lewis), Silicon Valley
• Jeffrey Tambor (Judge Abner Leventhal / Federal Judge) — returning, as noted
• Becca — she's back, she's in college, she doesn't have time for high school seniors, and she's BFFs with Grace
• Veronica Loy (Stockard Channing) — beloved chaos agent, $140,000 check writer, and apparently a very fun dinner companion

Timestamps

• 00:00 – Cold open / Jason's gallbladder recovery update / intro chaos
• 03:30 – Episode setup: previously on, season 5 context
• 06:00 – New firm stuff: burner phones, office tour, $24/sqft dream space
• 09:00 – Chum Hum meeting setup; Neil Gross wants to fight the NSA
• 13:00 – Veronica arrives at Lockhart Gardner; David Lee's investment advice / flirting
• 16:00 – Prior restraint argument in federal court (Judge Tambor); the skiff explained
• 22:00 – Selective enforcement argument; Patrick Edelstein on the stand
• 27:00 – Alicia and Veronica dinner; the widower who wasn't a widower
• 29:00 – North Korea hardware deal / real damages argument
• 33:00 – The $14,000 skiff reveal; final ruling
• 37:00 – Supreme Court subplot: Chief Justice stonewalling; Peter goes to bat
• 41:00 – Eli and Diane; the Mandy Post trap interview; the ultimatum
• 44:00 – Clerk Swap, Northwestern flea market, Becca returns
• 48:00 – The kids: Nisa calling Zach, Grace and Veronica's shopping trip, Zach's weird face
• 55:00 – NSA Bros introduced; Zach Woods spotted; the surveillance web expands
• 1:02:00 – Three-hop warrant, Nisa's dad, Peter now in play
• 1:07:00 – Outro, where to find the hosts

Support the Pod

• ⭐ Rate & Review wherever you listen
• ☕ Buy us a coffee: buymeacoffee.com/goodpod
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