As much as "The Good Wife" fans want Alicia (Julianna Margulies) and Will (Josh Charles) to be together, there's always been a sense of foreboding about their relationship. One of the things that nags at the back of our minds is the hint at Will's possibly shady past. Now that recent "House" defector Lisa Edelstein is booked for a story arc in Season 3, word is spreading that she may be the one to release those skeletons in the closet and throw a wrench into the Will/Alicia relationship.
Love Interest?
The earliest speculation about Edelstein's character on "The Good Wife" was that she would play a former flame of Will's. This would set up yet another love triangle, in addition to the Will/Alicia/Peter mess that currently exists. If this is the case, it's not a great move for the show. Alicia's relationship with Peter (Chris Noth) and the danger of his jealousy offers enough romantic drama. Will's entanglement with Tammy (Elizabeth Reaser) just ended, so adding another woman to the mix doesn't seem all that realistic, either.
The Truth About Will
TVLine recently nabbed more info about Edelstein's role and discovered she'd be playing Will's former law firm partner. This definitely opens up the possibility of introducing a character who knows about Will's past, and his involvement with the less-than-savory investigator Blake (Scott Porter). Margulies also hinted that Peter might be going after Will, and the sudden appearance of Will's ex-partner could be his doing.
This sounds like a much more interesting scenario, and in this case, the fact that Will might have had a relationship with Edelstein's character simply adds another juicy layer of tension to the plot. You've now got Peter and Kalinda (Archie Panjabi), Kalinda and Blake, Blake and Will, and Will and his former partner, all connected by dark secrets. This is what "The Good Wife" does best, throwing our characters into impossibly sticky situations and seeing if they can get out of them.
Will and Alicia
Alicia has already had her fair share of shady dealings involving her husband. Will it be too much for her to learn that Will is not so squeaky clean after all? It's possible Alicia won't want any more drama, but on the other hand, she's rarely shied away from Peter's dark side. It may be that the sense of foreboding we felt about the relationship is what drew Alicia in to begin with. She may have a thing for bad boys after all.
"The Good Wife" co-creator Robert King recently expressed his desire to have Edelstein appear on the show in future episodes, after the planned three-episode arc. This could mean that the new Will story line won't be resolved so easily, and there will be lingering issues with his past deeds -- or misdeeds. There's always the possibility that Will got tangled up in something that wasn't entirely his doing, and he wasn't yet savvy enough to rescue himself without Blake's help. We'll have to wait until the fall episodes to find out the real story.