14 DAY TRIAL // The most recent episode of “The Good Wife” season 5 delivered the biggest plot twist so far, as fans witnessed in shock one of the leading characters being killed off. Robert and Michelle King, the creators of the hit series, address the unexpected exit in an open letter to fans.
They’ve already spoken to Deadline about it but, in the letter, they seem to be going even more out of their way to make fans understand that, while this was no easy feat to pull off, it was vital to the story. The Kings also thank the fans for their loyalty and for caring so much about the show as to be up in arms over the events in the latest episode
*Those who have not seen the episode in question from season 5 are encouraged not to read any further, because major spoilers are included.*
Will Gardner, played by Josh Charles, has died after being shot by a client in the courtroom. Killing Will off was necessary because Charles wanted to be out of the series as early as the end of season 4, having agreed to continue on board for a little longer to allow writers to give his character a satisfying send-off.
The Kings initially considered having him move out of the city but, in the end, they decided it would be much more creatively satisfying to have him die an unexpected death, because of the impact this would have on Alicia (Julianna Margulies).
“The Good Wife, at its heart, is the ‘Education of Alicia Florrick.’ To us, there always was a tragedy at the center of Will and Alicia’s relationship: the tragedy of bad timing. And when faced with the gut punch of Josh’s decision, made over a year ago, to move on to other creative endeavors, we had a major choice to make,” the Kings write.
“The brutal honesty and reality of death speaks to the truth and tragedy of bad timing for these two characters. Will’s death propels Alicia into her newest incarnation,” they continue.
Since Charles had made up his mind to leave and he made sure everyone knew there was no turning back, the Kings realized that they could use Will’s death to serve another purpose: that of keeping the show exciting, of preventing it from becoming too tedious.
“Finally, we chose the tragic route for Will’s send-off for personal reasons. We’ve all experienced the sudden death of a loved one in our lives. It’s terrifying how a perfectly normal and sunny day can suddenly explode with tragedy. Television, in our opinion, doesn’t deal with this enough: the irredeemability of death,” the Kings continue.
“Your last time with the loved one will always remain your last time. The Good Wife is a show about human behavior and emotion, and death, as sad and unfair as it can be, is a part of the human experience that we want to share,” they write.
They want fans to know that they’ve put a lot of thought into killing off Will, who had been a fixture from day 1, and the way it would be presented. They also want to make it clear that “The Good Wife” will soon show its comedic side again, as it’s always been a mixture of comedy and drama – and one death won’t change that.