CONFLICT! BESTSEASON EVER! The stars of ‘The Good Wife’ dish on the show’s exciting new direction — and Sunday night’s shocking finale In the Season 5 finale, Alicia (Julianna Margulies) and Cary (Matt Czuchry) talk about a merger. MURDER! INTRIGUE! After the shocking courtroom shooting in the March 23 episode, Will (Josh Charles) lies dead. New firm Florrick/Agos celebrates its formation in Alicia’s apartment. By ROBERT RORKE attorneys connived and finagled, bluffed and maneuvered, thanks TRAGEDY! HE creative forces mostly to a technical glitch that at “The Good Wife” resulted in many indiscretions. ended the show’s During a double lawsuit against best season ever Lockhart/Gardner and Florrick/ with a game- Agos, a teleconference camera changing finale that was left on in a meeting room at raises the already PULSE L/G and attorneys at F/A learned Tdramatic stakes to an unheard-of level for the way too much about their own future. CBS drama. Now ending its fifth season, it proved Cary Agos (Matt Czuchry), Alicia Florrick (Juli- that even an entrenched show has the ability to anna Margulies) and their colleagues listened in reinvent itself and become part of the conversa- horror as L/G attorneys David Lee (Zach Grenier) tion again in ways that network television drama and Louis Canning (Michael J. Fox) plotted to shut seldom does these days. Alicia and Diane (Christine Baranski) unite in grief over Will’s death. The shocks came fast and furious as the See WIFE on Page 26 pulsebuzz NEW LEASE ON WIFE POWER PLAY! BETRAYAL! Alicia is escorted out of the Lockhart/Gardner offices by security guards. with Cary and take their clients with started her own firm after her hus- them. band went to prison, is someone who “It’s just been an incredibly rough has earned the audience’s respect. ride for Diane,” Baranski says. “Los- She’s learned to fight back with the ing the judgeship. Then being the one best of them. She’s learned how to In one of the season’s last — and best — scenes, Diane meets with the Florrick/Agos to discover Alicia’s duplicity. Then survive. team and pitches herself as a new employee for their firm. after the struggle at Lockhart/Gard- “In the beginning, she was a mom ner to stay on [her] feet regardless of who came from suburbia and had From WIFE on Page 25 (Christine Baranski) to his office. she decided to walk away and stop Alicia and Cary leaving.” simple views of right and wrong, Early on in the season, Florrick fighting those guttersnipes. The narrative arc of Season 5 and those views became more down their firm in 48 hours. had tapped Diane for a Supreme Baranski was stunned when hinged on an early episode called complicated,” says King. “Now she “You can’t be the one listening in Court judgeship, until he learned she read the script: “Every time “Hitting the Fan” — the most exciting sometimes has to do something that and have it hit you in the face like that Alicia had been fired by Will Diane walks past Will’s office, she on the series in years — when Alicia seems wrong to do something right.” that,” says Robert King, who execu- Gardner (Josh Charles) — Alicia’s sees Canning in his seat, and it’s and Cary’s betrayal was exposed, Will Her steely resolve enabled her to tive produces the show along with ex-lover and Diane’s partner — for harrowing. So she thinks, ‘OK, fired Alicia, and Diane fired Cary. put her affair with Will behind her, his wife, Michelle. “It hurts.” planning to leave the firm to start guys, you keep it. It’s not the place “When we got the script for ‘Hit- move from under his wing and even- Then news of a possible merger her own with Cary. Imagining that I built.’ It’s quite dramatic and so ting the Fan,’ everybody came to the tually acknowledge that her marriage between the two firms exposed the the governor would offer again to appropriate.” set, ready to take it to the next level, to Gov. Florrick was useful to her frailties in the partnership between name her to the Supreme Court, Standing on the sidewalk outside because we knew this could be a spe- professionally, even if there was no Alicia and Cary. Diane meets with Florrick and his the building with Kalinda, who has cial season,” Czuchry says. “And it’s love there and certainly no sex. Cary cringed with mortifica- campaign manager, Eli Gold (Alan become her confidante, she makes touched a nerve with a lot of people.” “We’re fascinated by this whole tion as we watched his girlfriend, Cumming), and is chagrined when a shocking decision: She calls Baranski says the reward of doing a power couple dynamic,” says King. bisexual puppeteer Kalinda he only asks her to run for state’s Alicia for a late-night meeting and quality series like “The Good Wife” is “It’s a new question for this century. Sharma (Archie Panjabi), phone attorney. proposes that the attorneys allow that “you get to tell the story of your How is marriage being rebuilt if him to plan a rendezvous — in bed, “It’s the final insult,” Baranski her to join their firm. character over years, and when some- there’s no love left?” of course — to feel him out about a tells The Post. “She’s sitting there like Jesus at thing happens that’s painful, people King says Season 6 will pick up merger between the two firms. In the weeks following Will’s the Last Supper in the red dress are shaken and they share your pain. a minute after the finale left off, “At that moment there’s a lot courtroom murder — Season 5’s with all the disciples around her We’re riding on this strength. The when Eli, dreaming of power-couple going on for Cary,” Czuchry tells most devastating event — Diane and Judas [Alicia] to the left,” says women on the show had a huge reck- headlines, unexpectedly asks Alicia if The Post of his character. “He’s try- faced a hostile work environment Baranski. oning in their [lives]. Kalinda’s acting she’d like to run for the office Diane ing to save the firm.” as Lee and Canning, who took The irony of Diane looking for out sexually. Diane and Alicia were declined — state’s attorney. Other power plays bubble up Will’s place and immediately a berth at Florrick/Agos could not just hit by a bolt of lightning. They’ve Will she take his suggestion outside the office: Alicia’s husband, schemed to become a managing be richer, as Season 5 kicked off been changed forever.” seriously? “Not at first,” says King. Illinois Gov. Peter Florrick (Chris partner, sought to push her out. with her discovery that Alicia was The Alicia in Season 1, who franti- “That’s probably the furthest thing Noth), summons Diane Lockhart Then Diane amazed herself when looking to leave Lockhart/Gardner cally embarked on a job search and from her mind.” ‘GOOD WIFE’ SEASON HIGHLIGHTS MARCH 30, 2014 Alicia listens to Will’s last phone message. APRIL 13, 2014 Diane and Alicia MAY 18, 2014 When Eli asks begin to heal their rift after Alicia if she’d run for state’s Will’s funeral. attorney she says, “What?” MARCH 23, 2014 Will wipes everything MARCH 23, 2014 In the most surprising OFF-B’WAY REVIEW off Alicia’s desk after confronting her scene of the season, Will gets shot in the “Too Much Sun” is too heavy with subplots, over the coup she staged with Cary crossfire when his client Jeffrey Grant but we can’t get enough of a dazzling Linda MARCH 30, 2014 Alicia goes home Lavin. Go to nypost.com for the full review. Agos. He fires her. steals a court officer’s gun. to the husband she doesn’t love..