DVD Review: Boston Legal Season Four

The Emmy Winning Series is Back for Another Thought Provoking Season

Oct 10, 2008

The lawyers of Crane, Poole & Schmidt are back for Season Four, bringing new characters to the team, and facing ever so increasing opponents in court. 8.5/10

Having evolved through several cast incarnations over the past four seasons, Boston Legal began as a poignant successor to creator David E. Kelley's previous hit The Practice, then slowly got comfortable with its characters, at times having the time of their lives, while usually still making a significant impact on the legal landscape of its setting, today's Boston. As a result, the show has now become more pleasant than its predecessor, as it is able to still have fun with its varied storylines, without being corny or sappy in the process.

For starters, Season Four starts off with over half of last season's cast having gone their merry ways. Gone are such headstrong characters such as Denise Bauer (Julie Bowen), and her beau Brad Chase (Mark Valley, who made a couple of special appearances in this season, in the first few episodes), as they had their baby in a memorable moment of last season's final few episodes. Also gone are Claire Simms (Constance Zimmer) and Jeffrey Coho (Craig Bierko, who left mid-season three). Replacing them are Katie Lloyd (Tara Summers), a young and naive British newcomer who has strong opinions about major social issues; Jerry "Hands" Espenson (Christian Clemenson), the socially awkward recurring lawyer from previous seasons, whose Asperger's Syndrome often becomes the object of humor on the show; finally we also have Clarence Bell (Gary Anthony Williams), a gifted young African American legal assistant, whose crossdressing ways have become a source of headaches and also awkwardness in the workplace.

Of course, the show wouldn't be the same without the weekly antics of friends-for-life Alan Shore (James Spader) and Denny Crane (William Shatner). Each episode features their attempts at helping their clients' cause, while also pondering life and love, and their meaning in it all, ending with a pleasant cigar and glass of scotch on Crane's terrace. It must also be said that the show's ease at breaking down the fourth wall makes for an addictive product, as you never know what they'll come up next, be it an offside comment on the recent writer's strike, or a known move to another time slot on the ABC roster. With its supporting cast in tow, Spader and Shatner never fail to amaze and entertain. Season Four is certainly no exception. In fact, it has improved continuously from previous seasons.

Although mostly all of the episodes of this show come across as excellent caliber writing courtesy of David E. Kelley, a handful of them stand out more than most. Amongst them, are the following:

Two of the early part of the season's episodes, the back-to-back "Hope and Glory" and "The Object of My Affection", are particularly interesting. Mare Winningham (St. Elmo's Fire, Grey's Anatomy) plays a woman who first requests instructions from Alan Shore on how to plead insanity on a possibly premeditated murder (in the first episode), only to go on and commit such a crime (in the followup episode), hoping to bank on said defence strategy. Quite the dilemma for Alan Shore!

Another memorable episode is "Green Christmas" where the firm's legal assistant Clarence Bell faces possible foreclosure on his home, and decides to sue his bank, on the basis of unacceptable mortgage loan interest rates. Alan Shore defends him, and faces a somewhat annoying opponent, in the form of Melvin Palmer (Murphy Brown's Christopher Rich), a smooth talkin' Southern type lawyer, whose in-court antics drive Alan Shore up the wall. What exactly is Melvin Palmer? A hoot, that's what he is! (watch the show, you'll get the joke.) Rich's character returns a few more times during the season, and is contracted to return sporadically in Season Five.

The most memorable episode of the season must be "The Court Supreme", in which Alan Shore and Denny Crane team up to confront the U.S. Supreme Court, to spare the life of a mentally retarded Death Row inmate. This episode is truly James Spader's most powerful moment as Alan Shore, throughout the past four seasons. As for Shatner? Well, he's Shatner, and will be memorable in pretty much every episode.

Actually, not much, no. You would expect that a series of this caliber would contain at least some funny nuggets of humorous bloopers or outtakes...alas, no. The four-disc set contains one special feature, "The New Kids on the Courtroom Floor", which contains some in-depth interviews with each new full-time newcomer actor, including John Larroquette (Night Court), who comes to the show as Carl Sack, a senior partner from the New York office, come to save what little is left of the Boston office's dignity in the face of this team's weekly antics.

8.5 out of 10, for consistent writing, poingnant drama, and wholesome laughs.

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