Boston LegalThanksgiving
Original Air Date: 24 Nov 2008
Kathryn – TwoCents Reviewer
Kathryn@twocentscorp.com
There is an old saying about death: not with a bang, but with a whimper. There is no whimpering about the death of Boston Legal. This show is practically clawing its way out of the grave and hanging onto your trouser leg like Spike from Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Continue reading...
[photo: ABC.com]
Posts
There is an old saying about death: not with a bang, but with a whimper. There is no whimpering about the death of Boston Legal. This show is practically clawing its way out of the grave and hanging onto your trouser leg like Spike from Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
ReplyDeleteThis lot don’t want to die. The writers are excelling themselves and the cast are obviously sad the show is going to end – and it shows.
I expect an explosion any time soon, but for now they are holding off on the bang for a while. Now it’s time to celebrate and give thanks for five years of Crane, Poole and Schmidt.
Because it’s Thanksgiving.
Shirley’s planned intimate dinner Thanksgiving dinner with Carl becomes a big dysfunctional family affair.
The cast (of characters):
Shirley and long suffering Carl.
Edwin Poole (the resident nutter who showed up to board meeting with no trousers and a named a partner of Crane Poole and Schmidt). He comes with an oddly inserted young black mugger adoptee kid called Turnip.
The lovely Katie and the lovely Jerry.
The dysfunctionalites: Denny and Alan.
And, for hoots we have Melvin ‘hoot’ Palmer – the boy from Texas.
There are no legal issues in this episode, but Alan still manages to insert a few salient points. This episode is character, character and more character. It took me a few days to stop weeping because David packed so much into this episode.
We start off with Edwin Poole’s nine year old adopted foster son sticking Shirley in the bum with a knife while she’s doing her Thanksgiving shopping. Always a good start to Thanksgiving I say.
In retaliation Shirley, in the spirit of thanks, invites Edwin and Turnip to dinner, but informs him Crane, Poole and Schmidt are bankrupt, over, done and canceled. C.,P. & S. invested in the stock market and because of the ‘global financial crisis’ they have lost it all.
Then Shirley, in the spirit, invites Katie – which means Jerry. Unfortunately Denny and Alan are in earshot and want to come too (and Denny has invited Melvin ‘the hoot’ by default).
The guests arrive, Carl frisks Turnip for weapons and Shirley nearly has a nervous breakdown. Her house has been invaded by a bunch of mad people – and Denny. Carl is at his reassuring best, but they can’t work out who the crazed Texan is. He’s a hoot! That’s what he is.
The guests manage to get to the table without any fistfights, but when Alan tries to say grace it turns into a religious fight. Then Denny sparks a race fight and Alan gets the David E. Kelley Memorial lecture about racism in America.
Then ‘that group’, as Shirley calls them, try to make conversation and this sends Shirley nearly to the edge of a nervous breakdown. Carl is his reassuring best: even when Denny catches Shirley and Carl kissing; and Edwin insults Jerry – calling him a ‘mascot’.
Jerry and Katie have a bust up. Jerry’s acting like an idiot (the wooden cigarette makes lots of appearances). Jerry loves Katie, but he also loves her as a friend and is willing to accept she doesn’t love him - they work it out in the end – and who knows?
Denny’s mad cow is working overtime. He thinks it’s twenty five years ago and he and Shirley are a couple. Alan and Shirley are there for him, but he knows the truth – he’s slipping and there’s nothing anyone can do.
Carl is still trying to be reassuring and corals the posse off the piano and into the dining room again. Of course they all start arguing about black orphaned kiddies and homelessness. Shirley lets slip she just wanted a big happy family dinner because her dad just died and goes off to teeter on the precipice of a nervous breakdown.
Then:
Edwin lets loose: the firm is broke. So Denny shoots him with a paintball gun to shut him up. Nice going Denny! The smug bastard had it coming.
But all is forgiven when Carl produces the ring. Even Turnip and Edwin are happy that someone is going to be happy today.
Alan is a bit pissed Carl has dibs on Shirley, but happy for the unfortunately named Mr Sack – Shirley Sack?
Suddenly everyone converges on Carl and he is forced to admit he wants to marry Shirley: actually Melvin holds Carl back, while Denny does the proposal and Alan officiates to make sure it all goes smoothly and everyone gets the names right, and the girl gets to kiss the bride. Suddenly, in the wink of an eye, the day is saved for Shirley – Shirley Sack!
What fun.
By ice cream time everyone is much happier. Alan doesn’t even mind being called a hoot by Melvin – via Jerry. Alan reveals he had a miserable childhood and wished for what he has now - a big dysfunctional family – even if it is all make believe.
The balcony scene.
Alan has already bought the gun to shoot Denny if he goes ga ga. Alan thinks Denny will defy the odds and for some reason be doing Priceline commercials.
Denny wonders if you get to be naked in the afterlife? Alan thinks this is a pretty odd question, but that ‘the best of times’ is right now. They raise their glasses… fade to black.
Two cents:
Give thanks for a fantastic show.