Faced with a dilemma -- to possibly destroy a family or help her clients, a group of grieving widows -- Alicia cross-examines a married woman, compelling her to disclose the details of an affair with a co-worker. Turns out extra-marital pillow talk isn't privileged information. Alicia was able to win a big settlement for her clients, but in the end she may have torn apart a woman's family, much like her own has been smashed to pieces. The best parts of "The Good Wife" are these moments when being the woman scorned and the woman scoring points with the boss aren't so easily wed.

The show's creators, husband-and-wife team Michelle and Robert King, said they started writing during Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's campaign for the presidency in 2008 and imagined Peter Florrick's character as "Bill Clinton in prison." "If there are seven stages of grief," explained Robert King in an interview, "then there are probably seven stages of political comeback, one of them being forgiveness from your wife." In the most recent episode, however, Alicia is forced to forgive herself -- a step up from Lady Macbeth's fate, for sure, and perhaps a step in the right direction for Peter.