I've started watching The Good Wife
As fellow fans know, one of the recurring questions this season has been whether investigator Kalinda Sharma (played by the brilliant Archie Panjabi of Bend It Like Beckham
To anyone who's been watching "The Good Wife," the lack of resolution in last night's finale won't come as much of a surprise. If anything, the loose ends and ambiguity are all part of the pleasure of watching this show, and this episode is no exception.
Let's start with Kalinda, shall we? The mystery of her sexuality has only grown deeper throughout the season, and at this point, quite frankly, I am still baffled. Here's what we know: Kalinda was in a storage unit with Lana, the world's most attractive and sexually aggressive FBI agent. There were all sorts of breathy whispers and loaded statements. Then, all of a sudden, the camera moves outside and we see their feet from outside the storage unit, whose door has been pulled halfway down. It appears their feet like each other a whole lot. In fact, there's no way to look at the position of their feet and come to any conclusion other than they are totally making out. Add to that the fact that a few moments later, Will calls Kalinda and asks her, "Are you alright? You sound like you've been running." So why did the show get so coy at the moment of truth? I doubt they were squeamish about showing a lesbian love scene -- this is, after all, a show where last week we saw a half-naked dead woman covered in blood.
No, this was a strategic decision to keep us all confused but curious -- which, coincidentally, might be the best way to describe Kalinda's sexuality. Though at this point, I am genuinely mystified about what's going on there. Was she just using Tony, or is Lana the chump? Kalinda looks more serious and talks even more quietly when she's with Tony -- in fact, I can barely make out what the heck she is saying when she's with him, which doesn't help matters much. Is she so guarded because she likes him or because she's trying to protect herself from trouble? And while we're on the subject, what did she give to Tony at the end of the episode? Was she trying to get the truth out about Arkin's wife? Please share your theories. At this point, I'm beginning to think Kalinda only has sex when she can get some sort of info -- a manila envelope full of photos here, a toxicology report there -- and not for pleasure. What do you think?
FWIW, here's what I think. Last week, in the season's penultimate episode of the season, Alicia (played by Julianna Margulies) asked Kalinda point blank: "Are you gay?"
Notice that Alicia said "gay" not "lesbian." Granted, gay is sometimes used inclusively to refer to lesbians and bisexuals as well as male homosexuals. In ordinary discourse, however, if one friend were so bold as to inquire into another friend's sexuality, wouldn't she used the preferred term "lesbian" rather than gay? I therefore wonder whether the show writers' had a hidden agenda in using gay rather than lesbian.
The less interesting possibility is that Alicia was using gay as a generic so as to be open to the possibility that Kalinda is bisexual. After all, you woudln't ask a friend "Are you lesbian or bisexual," would you?
A more interesting possibility, however, is that Alicia used "gay" because she suspects Kalinda is a (bisexual?) MTF transsexual. The generic term would be the best shorthand to encompass that possibility.
The possibility that Kalinda is a transsexual would be consistent with her oft-referenced "mysterious past." Formerly being a guy would be a pretty big mystery It also would explain why she remains closeted in an environment that likely would be fairly gay-friendly. It also would make sense of the ambiguity about her sexuality by making her sexuality even more complex. It might even explain her wardrobe choices (did you notice that she always wears jackets with pockets so that she never has to carry a purse, for example?).
Anyway, it's a great show and a great character. I'm looking forward to next season.
