Absolutely everything hit the fan on what was the most intense, game-changing episode of "The Good Wife" yet.
On "Hitting the Fan," Alicia's (Julianna Margulies) departure from the firm is finally revealed, and Will (Josh Charles) is enraged, taking it as both a professional and personal affront from his former lover. Will charges into Alicia's office after hearing the shocking news from Diane (Christine Baranksi). As promised in the previews, Will erupts, sweeping everything on Alicia's desk onto the floor as gaping Lockhart Gardner employees stare through the office's glass walls.
"I took you in. No one wanted you," Will says. "You were poison. This firm got you back on your feet." And then, as Alicia tries to get a word in, he seethes, "You don't even know how awful you are."
Will then confiscates her cell phone and tells her to leave the office. But Alicia knows that as a partner, she can't be fired until he gets the majority vote of the executive board, followed by the vote of full partnership. So Will tells the IT department to keep an eye on any associate trying to access client files, which is how he identifies--and then fires--the other Carey (Ben Rappaport). Diane then fires Cary Agos (Matt Czuchry). "You brought this on yourself," he tells Diane.
After Will secures the votes needed to fire Alicia, a team of security guards forcibly take Alicia to the elevator. "This was never meant personally," she tells Will. Will sharply retorts, "I don't give a damn." As the elevator descends, Alicia breaks down in tears.
Once Florrick Agos exits the building, Will gets Kalinda (Archie Panjabi) to pledge her loyalty to Lockart Gardner, and calls major clients to cast doubt on Alicia and Cary's new firm.
Kalinda acts as a spy and reports to Will everything she can learn about the new firm from Alicia and Cary. David Lee (Zach Grenier) uses Kalinda's info about the new firm's office location to get the Department of Health to close the building down for a thorough fumigation, meaning Florrick Agos has to begin operations in Alicia's living room.
Later, Will and David go to court to seek an injunction against Florrick Agos for tortious interference. The judge grants the injunction. David Lee says to Alicia, "That's right, walk away, Judas!", to which Alicia replies with sharp vituperation.
"We're coming after you - all your clients - every single one we worked to make happy while you swept in at the last minute to take credit. We're taking them. And then you know what you'll have? A very nice suite of offices," Alicia says. She then goes to the judge and seeks a counter-injunction.
After a taking a break from celebrating with her new firm colleagues by having a quickie with Peter (Chris Noth), Alicia walks out to find Diane in her living room, offering a truce. She proposes that both firms drop their injunctions and make separate pitches to Chum Hum. The next day, Peter ends a press conference by talking about the lack of taxation on internet commerce, which leads Chum Hum back to Florrick Agos. Will also has a heated conversation with Peter, who calls the cell phone that Will took from Alicia.
Then in the final scene of the episode, Peter tells Eli (Alan Cumming) to put together a list of other Supreme Court justices in place of Diane, meaning she will most likely return to the firm.
On the next episode, "The Next Day," Alicia and Cary will continue to butt heads with Will and Diane. Alicia and Cary will also have to find a way to represent their client while fighting against Lockhart Gardner. Then when Alicia and Cary represent a client who has left Lockhart Gardner to go with Florrick Agos, Will and Diane delay turning over the case files to the new firm. Marilyn, who is Peter's ethics council, will attempt to give advice to Alicia.
In other "Good Wife" news, TVLine reports that Jordana Spiro ("My Boys") has been cast as Jenna, a tough yet funny detective. She's described as "comfortable in her own skin (in fact, comfortable in a lot of people's skin)," meaning she is not afraid to mix the professional with the personal.
Spiro will make her debut on Sunday, Dec. 1, which is the show's 100th episode.
Watch the promo for The Next Day below, which premieres Sunday at 9/8c.