The Good Wife (TV Series) Nine Hours (2010) User Reviews

Extremely powerful episode

[deemo31 · 10/10 · 25 October 2015]

As someone who has prosecuted and defended death penalty cases, I can tell you that this episode hits home in some very real ways. One of the few episodes of any "law" related TV show that addresses very technical issues with authority and intelligence and accuracy.

There are a lot of the behind the scene dealings and maneuvers that happen in death penalty cases. Not the least of which is the rash of last minute appeals that routinely come at the 11th hour. Defense teams frantically trying to find some reason to get the Court to reverse a decision or grant a stay. To someone who has never been directly involved in this, these delays and last minute attempts appear to be frivolous. However, when a death row inmate's life is on the line, they are far from that.

This episode brilliantly touches on this, and also gives us some insight on how the attorney's handling these cases, on both sides, feel about the pending execution. I've been there, in real time, and found it easy to relate to what was presented in this episode. Even if it brought back some memories I wish I never had to face again. If you watch one episode of The Good Wife, make sure this is the one.

The Good Wife-Word for the Day Here is Addendum ***

[edwagreen · 8/10 · 15 December 2010]

A man is scheduled to die for the murder of his ex-wife. The team tries to gain a stay regarding the execution. When Alicia is notified by a court clerk that an addendum is needed, the team takes this to mean that there is hope for the accused.

This episode goes through all the tribulations that a condemned person is subjected to as the execution time nears. It certainly isn't pro-death penalty at all.

I know that any lawyer for the defense would be grasping for straws to gain a stay, the reason why the execution is put off was hard to fathom, but I guess the law is the law.

The ending is somewhat contrived. An average show, we have come to expect a lot better.

Good ep except the case it's based on the person was white and executed

[MiketheWhistle · 8/10 · 13 November 2020]

Because this is obviously an attempt to influence the public and is based on an actual case, it should get all the facts correct. The fact is the person about whom this is based was white not black which matters because there are far more black men on death row and that have been executed compared to their percentage in the population. Because of that the writers are obviously trying to influence the race issue and it's not needed based on the case.

In the case it's based on, there was a group that stated it was based on flawed science and the man should have gotten a new trial, but unfortunately it was not found out until many years after he had been executed and it was not the only evidence against him. Even with that, execution is the ultimate penalty against a person and it should only be done with the greatest of care which I think the show does a good job of showing.

[7.5] The revelation

[cjonesas · 7/10 · 16 May 2022]

Episode 8: An overall good episode with many procedural / psychological matters of interest in it, centered on issues out of court mostly, surrounding, emotional and "nail-biting" plots & sub-plots with some good acting in my opinion and a decrescendo ending with a revelation for Alicia!

Liberal bias against the death penalty episode.

[courtjes · 1/10 · 9 September 2016]

This episode strains credibility and has all the earmarks of a liberal statement against the death penalty.

The team works against the clock to save the life of a man convicted by a jury and the sentence upheld on appeal. Every effort made is to play on the emotions and the writers use prayer, race, unsympathetic prison wardens and every trite turn of the of the plot to turn the viewer against the death penalty.

If future episodes are pushing a political agenda, I will be turning off The Good Wife. My recommendation: either skip this episode outright or watch it understanding the writers are not so subtly make a political statement.