The Good Wife’: Will Gardner’s ‘Last Call’ Was Heartbreaking

For fans of 'The Good Wife,' the March 30 episode -- titled 'The Last Call' -- featured the last scenes we'd probably ever see of Josh Charles' beloved character Will Gardner, and it left us a bit wanting. We're not really sure that it provided the closure that was promised to us! Do you agree? "The Last Call" was perhaps an even more heartbreaking episode of The Good Wife than the one preceding it where Josh Charles' character, Will Gardner, was shot dead. It was tragic for a number of reasons, chiefly among them being the fact that we didn't see Will in true flashbacks, but rather, in Alicia Florrick's (Julianna Margulies') imagination as she wondered how her last conversation with Will may have gone. It didn't feel like the best send-off we could have received for the character -- do you agree?

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March 31, 2014 4:10PM EDT
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‘The Good Wife’: Will Gardner’s Final Moments Were Heartbreaking

For those who didn’t catch the March 30 episode or who need a refresher, Alicia spent much of the episode tortured by a benign voicemail that Will had left for her, telling her that he needed to talk to her but he got cut off, telling her that he’d call her back. So, for the rest of the episode Alicia imagined various possibilities for how the conversation may have gone.

Was he about to yell at her for stealing clients? Was he going to tell her he wanted to stop fighting? Was he going to tell her that he loved her? The episode was cut throughout with Will Gardner finishing his voicemail to Alicia in a number of different, heart-wrenching ways. The most sad was probably watching Will Gardner say, “it was all a mistake, can you believe it? They thought it was me because the guy was shot in the face.” Oh, and let’s not forget “I want you and only you, forever.” Dying.

Jess Weixler: ‘It’s Crazy To Kill Off A Main Character Who Has Been There For Years’

In the interviews after Will’s shocking death, Josh Charles told a number of outlets not to worry; that fans would see Will again in the next episode. While it was a great send-off that accomplished what it aimed to do — to ease the transition for fans utterly shocked by Will’s death — it was kind of sad that we didn’t get to see Will in true flashbacks. Seeing him only as a tormenting figment of Alicia’s imagination was almost too much to handle!

“It’s crazy to kill off a main character who has been there for years. It’s not like Game of Thrones, where you expect someone to die,” Jess Weixler, who plays investigator Robyn Burdine, told the New York Daily News. We couldn’t agree more! So really, who can blame me for still mourning the loss of Will Gardner and being just a tiiiny bit unsatisfied for how Josh Charles’ final moments on the show were played out? And, not to belabor the point, but did Will really need to be killed off for Josh’s exit to make an impact? After all, they’re building an office in LA — could they not have just sent him packing for sunnier skies?

What do you think, HollywoodLifers? Did “The Last Call” give you everything you needed, or do you wish that we got to see true flashbacks between Will and the people he left behind? Vote and comment below!

— Amanda Michelle Steiner

More ‘The Good Wife’:

  1. Josh Charles Dines With Cast: No Bad Blood After Shocking ‘Good Wife’ Exit
  2. ‘The Good Wife’: Shocking Death & Why The Actor Chose To Leave
  3. ‘Good Wife’: Josh Charles Explains Will Gardner’s Death — Watch