Season synopsis
Contains spoilers for this season and earlier seasons.
Alicia initially refuses Eli’s request that she run for Cook County State’s Attorney, while Cary’s arrest on charges connected to Lemond Bishop’s drug business puts Florrick Agos Lockhart under strain. Diane joins the firm, and Cary’s case is dismissed after police entrapment is exposed. Kalinda has also falsified evidence, creating a new threat to herself and Diane. Alicia eventually enters the race against prosecutor Frank Prady, balancing campaign appearances with legal work and the demands of a firm whose partners increasingly disagree about its future. Her campaign exposes the limits of her independence from Peter, whose political machinery helps her candidacy even as their marriage remains distant.
Alicia wins the election after a tense Election Day, but the victory is followed by allegations that votes were manipulated. Though she did not knowingly take part in fraud, party officials pressure her to withdraw, and she resigns before taking office. The pressure surrounding Bishop and Cary also closes in on Kalinda: she secretly works to protect her friends, helps expose evidence against Bishop, and leaves Chicago later in the season after saying goodbye to Cary and Diane and sending Alicia a note. In their last encounter, Kalinda and Alicia meet at a bar and speak honestly about their damaged friendship. Alicia cannot simply return to her old partnership; Finn declines to start a practice with her, and Louis Canning arrives offering an alliance.