"The Good Wife" Season 5, Episode 15, titled "Dramatics, Your Honor," aired Mar. 23 on CBS. A week ago, viewers saw Will Gardner (Josh Charles) and Alicia Florrick (Julianna Margulies) made peace about their choices. But in this week's new episode, a shocking and tragic twist involving the two unfolds.

Spoiler alert: This feature contains a major spoiler on The Good Wife, Season 5, Episode 15. "Dramatics, Your Honor" saw the death of a lead character in the series. There was no warning. Will Gardner is dead.

In this episode, Will Gardner talks about touch DNA in a trial. He has a mildy heated discussion with Diane Lockhart (Christine Baranski) about their client. He discourages Kalinda (Archie Panjabi) from resigning and tells her that "life is overrated." The Good Wife Season 5, Episode 15 seems like any other episode. Watch the CBS promo clip here.

As Will thanks Alicia for informing him about his client's recent actions, fans become hopeful. They smile, they exchange one-liner jokes. Things seem normal. There may be a chance for this two, some viewers thought. However, this turns out to be their last conversation, ever. Toward the end of The Good Wife Season 5, Episode 15, Alicia takes a phone call from Kalinda. The titular "Good Wife" has no idea Will is dead.

Some viewers had mental flashbacks of Billy Thomas' (Gil Bellows) death in "Ally McBeal." Both deaths were sudden, both happened in a courtroom. But The Good Wife wins in the elegant dramatics department. The compelling reactions of Kalinda and Diane, plus all the surrounding circumstances added a poignant touch to create an epic tragedy.

Will Gardner dies. But the actor, Josh Dallas, moves on to another chapter in his career. "Dramatics, Your Honor" is quite an appropriate albeit brutal title. The dramatics in Will's death is neither glorified nor implausible. In real life, death just happens. But the dramatics is in the reaction of viewers, some of whom are extremely flabbergasted.

Why did Will Gardner die? Fans who are still reeling from the shock of Will's death may find comfort in the words of The Good Wife creators Robert and Michelle King. The duo issued a statement addressed to "Loyal Good Wife Fans." The message, posted on Facebook, seems to have been written in anticipation of fan outrage.

"Will is gone, (but) our beloved Josh Charles is very much alive," begins the statement. The husband-and-wife tandem disclosed that Josh has decided to "move on to other creative endeavours" over a year ago. The Kings then tackled the subject of death, and why it was the fitting exit for Will Gardner. Tragedy is right in the core of Alicia's and Will's story.

Josh Charles's Will Gardner is not leaving The Good Wife. The character will breathe into Diane, Kalinda, Cary (Matt Czuchry), and of course, Alicia. In real life, Josh is even set to direct an episode of The Good Wife Season 5.

"Will's death in many ways becomes a hub for the whole series, violently spinning everybody in a new direction," says the showrunners' statement. (So, who's Lockhart's new partner?)

WATCH: The Good Wife Season 5, Episode 15, 'Dramatics, Your Honor' (CBS on YouTube)

The Good Wife Season 5 airs Sundays on CBS.

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