It is the last season for that show, and after watching Alan Shores' beautiful indictment of the tobacco industry in his closing argument last episode, I came to realize that BL is a program that (if enough people watched it) could make a difference in society and to me, that is more important than just entertainment.

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Boston Legal's Homepage
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Cast photo - Denny Crane (William Shatner), Alan Shores (James Spader) and Shirley Schmidt (Candace Bergen) are the three main lawyers and are in front.
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Single Episode Analysis


“Dances with Wolves” (10/6/08)

Boston Legal has cut down the main characters this year, although it still has multiple protagonists. There are the major lawyers, Denny Crane (William Shatner), Alan Shores (James Spader) and Shirley Schmidt (Candace Bergen). Last year, John Larroquette joined the team as Carl Sack, Shirley’s boyfriend who transferred in from one of the firm’s other offices. Jerry Espenson (Christian Clemenson) had been on and off the show, returning last season once again as a full-time member of the firm (he’d previously been fired). Jerry, a brilliant legal mind, has Aspergers Syndrome. The final character this season is Tara Summers (Katie Lloyd). While this is a large cast, there are usually more than one case going on per episode, so it is needed.

Exposition. Like most television series which have been on for years, Boston Legal begins in medias res with the viewers knowing the backgrounds of the main characters. Each episode begins with scenes from previous episodes, not necessarily for the same season, giving the needed background. This episode started with scenes from seasons past introducing the sex surrogate and showing Jerry being rejected for partner (two seasons ago).

It then cuts to the current episode with Jerry and Denny sitting in a bar and sets up Denny as being the far right wing Republican with statements about Hillary’s supporters “most of whom were lesbians and you can quote me on that…it comes from Bill….he’s been with a lot of women…left most of them with a bad taste in their mouth.”

Later, there is a reference to Denny’s “mad cow disease,” which in reality is the beginnings of Alzheimer’s. This comes when Carl states that Denny does know what is going on and doesn’t have “mad cow” and Shirley states that she’s seen his PT scans and there is plaque present.

After Denny and Jerry walk out of the bar, they are approached by a mugger who pulls a gun on them and asks for their wallets. This is the motivation for Denny to pull his own gun and begin to shoot, thus landing him in trouble with the law, and leading to his court case. Jerry’s motivation is to become a partner in the firm, so he will do whatever Denny asks. Alan’s motivation is to use the law to make a mockery of, yet better society, although he’s trying to come to grips with the fact that he, himself is a sexist pig.

In “Dances with Wolves” (10/6/08) there are two narrative enigmas, both court cases. One case deals with Denny Crane who was arrested, again, for carrying concealed weapons after he shoots a would-be mugger. The other has Alan Shores defending a (his) sex surrogate’s right to continue sharing custody of her ten year old daughter.

The cause-effect chain is different than on most shows because you have two separate storylines within one episode. The viewer is taken back and forth between the two cases (stories) within the same segment. Both storylines are building at the same pace, with the cases building (Denny held up, shoots mugger, gets arrested), commercial, having their preliminary hearing, commercial, courtroom, commercial, closing arguments, commercial, and finally Denny and Alan sitting in the chairs with cigar and scotch.

The climax to Boston Legal is the incredible closing arguments. Alan Shores never disappoints, but on this particular episode, it is Jerry who shines. In trying to get Denny off for having concealed weapons (eight of them) without a permit, he refers to Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia as “Big Tony” and the conservative members of the Court as the “Big Five.” He tells the jury to “just ignore the first thirteen words” of the second amendment and reminds them that we started this nation with “the shot heard ‘round the world, not a piece of legislation.” He also states, “enough of this nation of laws crapola. We’re a nation of politics…” He then goes on to pull out pieces of the Patriot Act to prove his point.

The resolution/denouement for Boston Legal is the decision handed down by the jury or bench. Usually, it is in favor of the law firm. Denny Crane has yet to lose a case, and in this episode, he wanted to lose, so he could take his case to a higher court, so as he says, he can try to get the laws changed. Alas, it was not to be, Denny won again.

Each episode ends the same way, with Alan and Denny sitting in their chairs on the firm’s balcony smoking a cigar and drinking a scotch having a discussion rehashing the cases, bringing closure to the show, often with political overtones.





Photo courtesy of ABC Boston Legal Home Page





Embracing Boston Legal

How: I’ve viewed Boston Legal in various modalities. I have the complete DVD sets, which I like because there are NO commercial breaks and they have the various “extras.” I have viewed it on-line off of the Official ABC website when doing the first assignment, so I could get some quotes. That was a bit annoying because of the waiting for the ads to finish, but I was able to skip to the “chapter” I needed. I’ve watched it “live” but not very often, due to my great distaste for commercials, and there is my usual, preferred method of viewing, the DVR, so I can skip through the ads.

Where:

OK, so this isn’t my home, but if my husband, the super-Trekkie, had his say, it would be. I watch Boston Legal at home either in my bedroom or in my family room, depending on what time we play back the DVR.

Photo courtesy of http://www.slashfilm.com/2007/11/16/cool-stuff-star-trek-home-theater/

When: We have DISH satellite and use their DVR and usually start the program twenty minutes into it, so it is basically a combination of “live” and “TiVo” so I can skip the ads and still end the program at the same time. The reason for this is that I’ve found, unfortunately, that sometimes the networks change their timing when programs (such as “Dancing with the Stars” or whatever it’s called) run over and if I rely only on the DVR, I miss the last five or ten minutes of the show. If we aren’t home (if I’m in class) we watch it whenever we have the time.

Who: Now that both kids are in Tucson for school, it’s just me, my husband and the dogs watching the show. Both of my children love Boston Legal, in fact my son has the complete set on DVD in his apartment. We all discuss the show, and I make sure that my kids “get” the political comments made. My son, the senior, gets them quicker than my daughter, the freshman, but I guess that’s to be expected. My closest friend, who lives in Los Angeles, is the person who got me hooked on BL years ago, and we speak every Sunday. Usually some reference is made to the previous week’s program, especially if a political zinger has been made.

Viewing Habits: Due to my schedule, this changes from week to week. The only constant is that the show is recorded and viewed. If my husband is out of town, I watch it alone while eating dinner the next day, or may watch it while on the treadmill. I will watch it again, with him, when he returns.

Extracurricular activities: As mentioned above, sometimes I eat, sometimes I’m on the treadmill. Sometimes I grade papers (but I rarely do that, I need my computer for that, don’t have a laptop, and the tv in my home office is too small), and sometimes I’m on a phone call.

Understanding Boston Legal: My understanding of the program isn’t really affected by any of the above, it is just paying attention to what the writers have written. Numerous times, my husband and I look at each other and say, “Did he really say that? I can’t believe the censors let that one get by.” Then we use the DVR to pause and replay the line. To me, this program is important on so many levels. Yes, it is entertaining, but the issues it tackles go so much deeper. If people would actually listen to the lines being spoken there would be so many good discussions going on.