: Cary expresses his grief through aggression, taking out his anger on opposing counsel during a deposition when they refuse to grant Alicia time to mourn. The Ending
: Diane is forced to break the news to the partners while dealing with her own deep grief. In a moment of sharp intolerance for "artificial grief," she fires a new intern who is sobbing uncontrollably despite having only known Will for a week. She also fiercely protects Will's legacy by firing a heartless client who tries to use the tragedy as leverage.
In the powerful and emotionally charged 16th episode of 's fifth season, titled " The Last Call ," the story follows Alicia Florrick and the legal community as they grapple with the sudden death of Will Gardner. Picking up immediately after the previous episode's shock courthouse shooting, the narrative focuses on the raw, disjointed process of grief and the desperate search for closure. Alicia's Search for Answers [S5E16] The Last Call
The central arc involves Alicia's obsession with a final voicemail Will left her just before he was shot. The message is frustratingly inconclusive—he starts to speak, but is interrupted by the judge and says, "I'll call you back". Alicia spends the episode interviewing witnesses, including , the prosecutor who was shot alongside Will, and the presiding judge to determine what Will's tone was and what he intended to say. She cycles through various imagined scenarios, ranging from a profession of love to an angry confrontation over poached clients. Reactions at Lockhart/Gardner
The episode concludes with a distancing between Alicia and her husband, Peter. While Peter tries to offer comfort, Alicia remains emotionally removed, eventually standing in her hallway being hugged by him while staring into space. In her mind, she settles on a version of the last call where Will tells her he loves her, providing herself with the closure the real world could not offer. : Cary expresses his grief through aggression, taking
: Driven by a need to understand the tragedy, Kalinda investigates why Will's client, Jeffrey Grant , went on the shooting spree. She eventually confronts the shooter in jail, holding up his belt and offering him a way to end his life, before cruelly taking it away and telling him he must live with what he’s done.
Watch this breakdown of the episode's major plot points and the impact of Will's death: She also fiercely protects Will's legacy by firing
Meanwhile, the atmosphere at the firm is one of controlled chaos and suppressed rage: