A car bomb went off outside Diane's therapist's builing at the end of the last episode. She is quite surprised to be unharmed. The hearing for Eli Gold's fraud trial just has him invoking the fifth, and the prosecutor starts accusing him of adding his daughter to the team to keep her from testifying. Then he brings in Frank Landau as a witness. There is a gala for Democrats to attend. Diane has a crush on her therapist.
Liz visits Ri'Chard and finds he has a lot of kids. They end up skipping the gala. Eli follows Frank to the men's room, where a man shouts "Die Eli Gold you fucking jew!" and shoots Frank in the head.
Tropes:
- Actually Pretty Funny: The judge laughs quietly when Marissa quips that her father still refers to tweets as "twitters."
- Alas, Poor Villain: Frank Landau has been a recurring thorn in many characters' sides over the years, but even those who had something to gain from his death are absolutely horrified by his demise.
- Assassination Attempt: A gunman sneaks into the men's restroom at a Democratic fundraiser to assassinate Eli Gold. He ends up shooting Frank Landau instead, either because he doesn't recognize which one is Eli or because his aim is off.
- Back for the Dead: Frank Landau returns only to be shot in the head.
- Bittersweet Ending: Eli and Marissa part on far better terms than before, with him saying that she is his greatest achievement. But his final appearance in the series ends with him getting into a car accompanied by two bodyguards whose contracts are about to run out, antisemetic protesters screaming nearby, and the knowledge that people want him dead. Marissa quietly recites the Traveler's Prayer which is eventually drowned out by the protestors.
- The Bus Came Back: Kurt returns from his job in D.C.
- Call-Back: Frank Landau is a surprise witness in the trial against Eli Gold. Landau was a recurring character in The Good Wife.
- Calling the Old Man Out: Marissa becomes fed up with being used as a tool in her father's legal troubles and confronts Eli about their relationship. She accuses him of viewing their family as a series of reciprocal favors and Eli doesn't deny it.
- Do Not Go Gentle: In a callback to their interactions in The Good Wife, Diane invites Eli into her office for a drink. They discuss whether or not things have always been so bad, and if the fight is worth continuing. Diane is the one to encourage Eli to go back to work, as she doesn't trust the politicians to keep democracy intact.
- Gut Punch: To anyone who has watched The Good Wife, Frank Landau's Boom, Headshot!]] is both shocking and particularly gruesome. Previous deaths were mostly off-screen.
- Heroic BSoD: After witnessing Frank's death, a blood-spattered and traumatized Eli sits on the floor with a Thousand-Yard Stare until Marissa comforts him.
- I Have to Go Iron My Dog: Subverted. When she sees Eli talking to Landau, she excuses herself, saying she has to go stop her Dad from killing someone. Doubles as subverted foreshadowing.
- Leaning on the Fourth Wall: When Marissa and Eli bid farewell to one another, she says it feels like the last time she'll ever see him. Alan Cumming was only contracted for two episodes, so viewers know she's speaking the truth.
- Mistaken Identity: The shooter mistook Landau for Gold. If not, Eli would have been shot point-blank.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Eli's unflappable determination finally breaks when Frank Landau is murdered right in front of him. He has a crisis of faith in his own work, questioning how much of what he has done contributed to the current political unrest. He is severely shaken for the rest of the episode.
- Precision F-Strike: When the prosecutor insists that Marissa is only on Mr. Gold's legal team to prevent her from testifying, she asks how the fuck he knows that.
- Shout-Out: Diane references Tristan and Iseult.
- Title Drop: Diane tells Eli she needs him to keep fighting the good fight.
- Uncomfortable Elevator Moment: Liz has to stand in the elevator with a couple of officers in SWAT gear for a couple of floor. She feels awkward.
- Wham Episode: Frank Landau is assassinated when he's mistaken for Eli Gold, Diane's relationship with Kurt is shown to be severely strained, and Liz discovers Ri'Chard has a grudge against her father.
