To be fair, The Good Fight isn’t just Diane Lockhart’s (Christine Baranski) show, but as the longest-serving character among the cast (156 episodes of The Good Wife and now the 10-episode first season of The Good Fight), she’s a major reason people love the show. So what makes the veteran lawyer so fascinating?
She’s smart
One upside to making the law your life is you know it inside out. Diane’s legal prowess is legendary, while she has an unrivalled ability to think outside the box and come up with an effective trial strategy, even against seemingly insurmountable odds. Why else has she been considered for appointment to the bench – twice?
She’s calm under pressure
As a rule, you don’t see Diane lose her cool in the courtroom. Argue passionately? Sure, but she still does so in a poised and dignified manner. Similarly, in boardroom negotiations, she’s an expert at staying level-headed, even when faced with the most outrageous of opponents.
She’s stylish
What’s the point in earning all that money if you’re not going to enjoy it? And since Diane seems to live at the office, she may as well spend her hard-earned cash on a chic work wardrobe – and matching statement accessories.
Source: SBS
She’s articulate
As a liberal feminist, Diane’s worldview often comes into conflict with the opinions of – how do I put this? – bigoted idiots. Fans of The Good Wife will recall a memorable episode that had her on a hunting trip (it wasn’t her idea!) also attended by Republican buffoon Reese Dipple (Oliver Platt). She was able to winningly argue for a woman’s right to choose, while also giving him enough ground to let him have his say. She's a class act.
She’s bilingual
Hell, it wouldn’t surprise me if she was multilingual. Diane’s previously unrevealed fluency in French served the firm well, again back on The Good Wife, when she was able to leap in to assist Will at a hearing being conducted by a Francophile panel.
She’s fierce
And not in a Tyra Banks smizing kind of way. In a you embarrass my husband and me in open court and I will track you down and slap the crap out of you kind of way.
Source: SBS
She’s savvy
Law firm politics can be brutal, but Diane has always been incredibly shrewd when it comes to power struggles within her firm. In season two of The Good Wife, she managed to unite bickering fellow partners Will Gardner (Josh Charles), David Lee (Zach Grenier) and Julius Cain (Michael Boatman) to take on Derrick Bond (Michael Ealy), the man trying to oust her.
She’s a fighter
As we’ll see in The Good Fight, when faced with her life savings being wiped out by a Ponzi scheme, Diane doesn’t just roll over. She picks herself up, dusts herself off and gets her life back on track, even if it means swallowing her pride and taking a demotion.
The Good Fight airs every Wednesday at 9:30pm on SBS. Episodes are also available on SBS On Demand after each episode airs.
