"Lock and load"

So. Lately I've been watching the first two seasons of Boston Legal, which together are 44 episodes. Everyone knocks Boston Legal, in part because William Shatner is in it, and in part because it really is a ridiculous show. I'm rather fond of it, though, for a number of reasons.

1) This is kind of odd, but it reminds me of Edward Albee's stuff. From what I've read, Albee, who is generally considered an Absurdist dramatist, tends to use crazy, seemingly unorganized events and silly characters and plots to bring to the surface bold statements about the human condition. In a way, that's what David E. Kelley does with Boston Legal: he uses absurd plotlines, characters and cases, to communicate social and political commentary, as well as to entertain.

One of the attorneys defends a plastic surgeon who injected his own ass fat into women's faces instead of their own. A little old man kills his mother, then kills his neighbor, with a frying pan - and then a little old woman kills him the same way. A couple fight over a collection of Victorian erotica during their divorce. A group of Christians and a group of Wiccans protest a Halloween pageant at an elementary school. A teacher files for a restraining order because a student's parents keep harassing her about their child's grades. A girl who's brother was in the National Guard and was killed in Iraq performing a task he was not trained for, when his tour was supposed to have ended already, sues the government. A decorated general who was dishonorably discharged for being open about his homosexuality sues the government over their "don't ask, don't tell" policy. A man is fired as a department store's Santa Claus for being a cross-dresser. A mayor tries to ban red meat in his town, putting steakhouses out of business. Two science teachers are fired for refusing to teach Creationism. A doctor is sued for prescribing a drug that isn't approved by the FDA, even though it works. A man sues a nightclub because they won't let him sing "War," claiming it's unpatriotic. While this is all very funny and amusing, beneath all the absurdity there are often legitimate points. Generally there's a liberal slant ("They say when people are scared, the first thing they'll give up is their civil liberties"), but that's not unexpected, and the fact that politics aren't simply ignored or dismissed is refreshing.

Kelley has tackled racial profiling, homophobia, discrimination against people with social and physical disorders, public education, the war in Iraq, the ethics of Guantanamo Bay, the situation in Sudan, foreign financial aid, medical malpractice, environmental issues, unethical credit interest inflation, car companies with faulty vehicles, First Amendment violations, assisted suicide, "pill" parties (and clinical depression due to high parental expectations) in today's youth, the death penalty, cock fighting, gambling and other addictions, and a wealth of other issues. It's nice to see a show address (and in a relatively balanced manner, at that) what most shows wouldn't touch with a ten foot pole.

2) One character in particular, Jerry Espensen, tends to bring up a theme that kind of resonates with me: the increasing isolation of the individual in today's world. Jerry has Asperger's, and when he didn't make partner at the firm, he snapped and took one of the senior name partners hostage with a cake knife at her throat. He wasn't convicted once diagnosed, but later returned to the firm, claiming that he missed the ties with the people. He points out that people are more and more isolated these days: instead of communicating face to face, or even over the phone, people rely on memos, emailing, and texting. I like that Kelley makes a point of bringing this up every once in a while, since it really is so true. People don't connect; they network. Relationships are less fulfilling, and it seems like everyone is always aloof. :: Shrug ::

3) I just love the characters. They're all incredibly ridiculous. Denny Crane is ancient, senile, sexually offensive, delusional, ultra-conservative, and has a propensity to shoot people. Alan Shore is similarly offensive, and he has no problem with using bribery, extortion, and blackmail to win his cases. In one case, he hints to a client that he should flee before appearing before court, and when he's eventually arrested, he still gets himself off. He also generally has all the women in the office fighting over him. Two of the attorneys, at one point, impersonate FBI agents in order to recover a kidnapped child. Another pretends to be looking for a date at a bar to discover privileged information from opposing counsel. Another flirts and leads opposing counsel on, then blackmails them. In court, they all use their connections and understanding of people to work the jury and judge from the right angle, even if it's in a positively absurd way. The thing is, despite these antics and "theatrics" and seemingly unethical behavior, they all do this with the best intentions, for what they truly believe to be right.

James Spader's Alan Shore is really the star of the show, and even though everyone puzzles over the fact that he's won two Emmys for it (in addition to the 3 other wins and 10 other nominations the show has garnered, plus Golden Globe and SAG Award nominations and wins), he really is very good. He has such a juicy character, though, whom I absolutely love. Alan Shore is despicable. He's vile, crude, offensive, arrogant, self-centered, and inappropriate. Yet, he's aware of his short-comings, even though he tends to hide them behind his words, and he pushes away everyone who discovers both his flaws and his good side - except for Denny. Alan really does possess good qualities: he's deeply compassionate, and as he's wildly liberal, he has huge concern for civil and human rights, the environment, etc. It's more than being liberal, though: he always works for justice in terms of the situation at hand, not in terms of the concrete law. Alan's compassion, sympathy, and empathy for people always steers him straight. He's also incredibly loyal to the very few who are dear to him, and even though he is a lawyer, he only ever twists the truth when necessary, and when he gives his word, he always honors it. He's untrustworthy on some levels, but when he explicitly gives his word, he is always good for it. Alan really is just a good, strong, but fun character, and I bet James Spader has a blast playing him.

4) Also random, but one thing that I really love about this show and about Scrubs is their portrayal of a strong friendship between two men. Both JD and Turk, and Alan and Denny, have very strong bonds - their idea of friendship is almost above and beyond their concepts of marriage, and they are always loyal to it. I feel like today, two guys can't be best friends without being accused of being homosexuals. Girls get away with it all the time. Hanging out, sleeping over, going out. They're not often called lesbians for it. Yet when two guys hang out all the time, go out in public just the two of them, they're called gay. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with being gay - I'm saying it's falsely judging and misrepresenting people as something they're not. And I like that even though there are jokingly homosexual undertones (or is it overtones?) in both these shows, they ultimately celebrate the friendship and love between two men. And I love that Scrubs included a song about it in their musical episode: "Guy Love."

And wow, did not think I could / mean to write that much about freaking Boston Legal. I could probably go on, but I'm going to sleep.