Julianna Margulies On Alicia/Kalinda, Betrayal & What's Ahead On 'The Good Wife'

What's ahead in "The Good Wife" Season 5? Returning faces, great cases and lots of betrayal, according to Julianna Margulies.

In the second episode of "The Good Wife" Season 5, "The Bit Bucket," Stockard Channing reappears as Veronica, Alicia's mother.

"It's a very sweet episode this season. [Stockard Channing's character] really tries to come in and helps Alicia in a very sweet way. I think Alicia is terribly touched by it. It's financial help, which is also, in their relationship, emotional help," Margulies told The Huffington Post. "I hope throughout the season that we get more of her and that we get to explain things a little better, but the one episode that we shot with Stockard Channing, there's a very sweet moment between the two of them."

Margulies said it's not warm and fuzzy because Channing's character can't do that, "but it's as warm and fuzzy as it's going to get." Viewers know whenever Channing's character returns or Dallas Roberts shows up as Owen, it gives new insight into who Alicia Florrick is as a person. Margulies said she loves it when they bring in Roberts' character. "I told them, I was like, 'Can we do one episode where it's just about those two and [we] figure out who these people are, how they grew up, who they were?' I just find them fascinating."

Read on for more of what's ahead on "The Good Wife."

We've seen in the premiere episode, "Everything Is Ending," that there's some friction in the Alicia/Cary alliance. What can we expect?
I think in the beginning it's a lot of idealism and excitement, but I think what Alicia starts to realize is that 10 fourth year associates are not seasoned partners. They're idealistic and quick to speak before thinking, and she starts to realize that she has to man the show because there's not enough experience there. The hope was, coming from Cary, that Alicia and Cary are the new Will and Diane, but they're not. Alicia sees it very fast and realizes that she has to manipulate the situation a little more so that mistakes don't keep happening.

Not the perfect work marriage there?
Definitely not. I think they're definitely trying and Cary's heart is in the right place. It's also very helpful that he worked in the DA's office. He gets to do a lot of things she wouldn't be able to do and brings a lot to the plate, but I think experience-wise, living-wise and age-wise, it's not exactly going as she planned.

In one of the last scenes of the show, Alicia mutters "Don't hate me" to Will. Is she really afraid of losing him forever?
Yeah. I think what she's most afraid of is him hating her and thinking that she's betraying him ... I always think how would this have played out if she said, "I know you and I can't be together, I have to leave here." How would that have worked out rather than her just leaving? So, we'll see.

Another relationship fans are questioning is the Alicia/Kalinda dynamic. In the first episode, Alicia asks 'why isn't Kalinda coming?' Will we see them interact as Alicia plans her exit?
I don't want to give anything away there, so I'm going to say wait and see.

When we talked last time, people really hooked onto the Alicia/Kalinda part. They so want them to be friends again. As you said, there's no real going back to that after what happened.
I mean realistically there just isn't. There just isn't. They've both moved on in different ways. They've always had a good work relationship, but I think … you'll see. The other thing that's happened with this whole law firm is that people have to make choices. There comes a choice between Kalinda and Robyn, Jess Weixler's character, and you'll see. There are monetary decisions made and that's a moral question too. I don't want to give that away.

I know we have Nathan Lane and Carrie Preston coming back --
Yeah, I get to work with him tomorrow morning! I'm so excited.

Are there any upcoming cases you can tease?
What's amazing is that with all this law firm debacle going on, the backdrop of these cases -- as you saw in the first episode with the death row case -- the second episode has a very complicated NSA case that has to do with Chum Hum, which is the John Benjamin Hickey character, Neil Gross. He comes in. I had to read that episode three times ... I was like, "Oh my god, this stuff is complicated." It's incredibly tricky and they stay very current with what's going on in the world. In Episode 3, the case is a really tricky abortion case. All questions I kept asking myself, "What would I do?" and that's the genius of the Kings and their writing. They never ever falter in keeping the cases interesting while having all these characters at war with one another. It's incredible how it's mapped out. The cases have been incredibly interesting this year and all very current.

I liked the balance of the main case and their planning. I think last year the election weighed heavy on the show and now it's focusing back on the heart of Lockhart/Gardner.
Yeah, it really is about the main characters rather than just the guest stars.

"The Good Wife" airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on CBS.

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