'Ham Sandwich' (S2E17): Kalinda's Secret, Will's Past and Black vs. White

Pants on fire! (Photo: CBS)

I've been a little under the weather, so I apologize for not posting this sooner. Anyway, "Ham Sandwich" definitely did NOT disappoint, though I have to admit not for the reasons that I expected.

Kalinda's Secret: She slept with Peter and he helped her change her identity? To be honest, I was expecting something entirely different. I thought maybe she killed someone or was married to a mobster. So at first, I was a little disappointed. But then I realized what an interesting new conflict this creates. Just when Alicia is getting ready to let Peter back into her life, it seems like his cheating and lying might destroy not only their relationship but could also derail his political career which is already on shaky grounds. Of course, it is also heartbreaking to see Kalinda and Alicia growing more chummy only to realize what a big fat liar Kalinda's been all along. I am actually tempted to go back and watch every episode of the show again, just to say if maybe it might explain some of Kalinda's behavior.


Will's Sordid Past: Back when Diane and Will were trying to outmaneuver each other for control of the firm's client list, it was revealed that Will and Blake shared some sort of deep dark secret. We still don't know much about it but it must be really bad because Will was mighty pissed. What will most likely happen is that an angry and betrayed Alicia will seek out Will for comfort and intimacy, only to learn that he too has been lying to her all this time. Which means that, yet again, viewers will not see the two live happily ever after.


Racism in Politics: It's good to know that there is at least one show left on the air that isn't afraid to 'go there.' Yes, even in a big city like Chicago racism is still an issue. Though Eli may not be a racist himself, his ambitions did not prevent him from trying to keep the black folks away from Peter's campaign. It was sad to see the expression on Zach's girlfriend when she suspected that indeed it was her race that might be causing trouble in the Florrick household. In the end, it was satisfying to see Alicia stand up not only to Eli but also to the racist political establishment he represents.

I'm curious to see how quickly things will unravel from this point. There are only 6 episodes left this season and we still don't know if the show will be back next year. Since the show might end, I wonder if Robert and Michelle King will try to wrap up all the storylines or if they'll go for a cliff-hanger that might never be resolved.