Boston Legal

This episode is my personal favourite, not because of the storyline, but because of the way the actors act. Alan is normally so sarky and quickwitted, and this time he is as sarky as usual but uses it for all fo the right reasons even against odds that everyone knows he can't beat. I spent the whole of that episode hoping that he would win, but as my Mum pointed out to me at the time, you never win everything everytime; there are some mountains nobody can climb.



I nearly cried during this episode, in fact I think I might have purely because of how hard he tried, and how utterly thickheaded and maniacal the judges were. I didn't even realise until five minutes ago that James Spader won an award for this episode.



I give him a standing ovation, well-deserved. This show really should receive more awards, because it is so brilliant. Not to mention it has James Spader and William Shatner in it! Enjoy.

It's great to see the Emmy go to someone who truly deserves it as James' performance here was just magnificent.



This episode shows the many sides of Alan but more than anything, shows what an exceptional lawyer he is. Though he is excellent when he argues from his head, he is exceptional when he argues from his heart. Alan's passion is his greatest strength, it lends him eloquence and conviction, makes people listen even if they don't agree with him. He controls his considerable anger and channels it, resulting in a superb argument that cannot fail to draw you in.



No less impressive is Chelina. While she doesn't have Alan's considerable control, she is no less passionate. Kerry truly proves her acting talent here and is an excellent companion to James' performance.



The kiss was beautifully handled. Completely natural given the circumstances and Chelina's vulnerability, Alan handled the situation with the delicacy it deserved, not taking advantage.



One must admire Zeke, though he has no memory of the murder, he considers himself a bad person and is more than willing to pay for his supposed crime. He finds the strength and courage to stand up for that conviction. Which is why I don't agree with Alan here - given he is about to die, Alan shouldn't have made Zeke do something for the cause, making him afraid at the last moment when Zeke had already prepared himself for his death. Zeke's last moments should have been his own. Zeke had already found peace, Alan should have left it alone.



Denny's constant sexual comments have finally come to a head. Denny is harmless, even a little pathetic, but his comments are none the less offensive because of it. It is offensive and insulting not only to the female staff, but to female clients as well. Lori was right to bring it to Paul and Shirley's attention, it is a serious issue which could cause damage to the firm in future and is something that should be handled now while it can be done quietly.



This was an amazing episode, the series at it's best. Can't wait for the next episode!

This episode was a good end to the first season of Boston Legal.



This episode encapsulates what I like most about the show, it can be funny (Alan in Texas wearing that hat; and Denny's manipulation of Judge Brown) but it can also be serious with its subject matter (in this episode with the case of the death-row inmate in Texas).



The ending was slightly unexpected (although you could probably see it heading to that ending); as it is rare that Alan is unsuccessful in trying cases.



All in all, it was a good episode, which focused on serious and important issue (with the case in Texas) - and had some good comedic elements to it.

They saved the best to last- such a shame they cut the Season short, but it was an amazing finale all the same.



The death case was so tense and harrowing, James Spader deserves every award going for his performance. His passion really draws you into his argument- I was completely mesmorised. I thought the kiss between him and Chelina was beautiful done too, but where does this leave him and Tara? They always seem so good together. Denny's case was funny, and I do wonder how the Season would have panned out if Shirley and Paul decided to "take him out". Lori finally an official complaint was to be expected. It was an amusing case, however, and a good performance from guest start Shelly Long.



Nevertheless, the death case penalty really stole the show. That end scene was so haunting- it really made me glasp a hand to my mouth.



Overall, a brilliant way to end a brilliant first Season. First Season review- 9.62. Certainly one of my favourite shows.

I loved the show before I saw this episode, I loved it more after.



The show finds itself in deeper dramatic territory than it has been before during this episode's major case, but that's okay since it knocks it out of the park. Taking it to an absurd level, the way only Boston Legal seems to be able to acheive, we get to witness a death penalty case from a completely different angel. Most shows are done with them once they've been convicted, it's so rare to get a peak at the last hours, much less what is often the insane and mostly use rush to extend them. Here we are treated to a case that is an easy turnaround...but the road to that overturning is so fraught and hard, it's easy to see why it doesn't happen more often than it does.



I want to pay special attention to the actor who played Zeke. I wasn't smart enough to mark the name before writing this review. It's in the credits on this site. He does and excellent job. As a matter of fact, I was pretty impressed with the entire supporting cast.



It was shocking to see the first season cut short, making this the season finale, but it ended with lots of promise.

I know there are a lot of bigger shows on ABC but none of them are as real and raw as this show as this episode displays. This is the fourth episode of Boston Legal that really got me thinking. First there was the episode about Sudan which was shocking and very accurate, then there was the FDA approved medicine episode, third the mad cow episode and now that I think about it the episode about censorship in schools was interesting as well. But my point is that this show while being light-hearted can deal with issues like the ridiculous justice system in Texas without being over-critical or depressing.

At the same time I loved the rest of the episode with Shelly Long and that great judge. The comedy of the show is origional while still being realistic, sure it's not to likely that someone Shelly Longs age would be a Nymph but at the same time the writers don't let Denny get away with just anything, obviously he's going to get into a vat of trouble from Lori (wo I am beginning to loath).

Over all this show sums up the season very well, it can be laugh out loud funny but still address important issues without breaking a sweat.

"Death Be Not Proud" is a wonderful episode that looks at the final moments of a man being put to death who may or may not be guilty. Shore's speech was filled with great passion and conviction. And whether you believe in the death penalty or not, you can see the struggle to defend a man on death row and the raw human emotion found in the inmate. From the four witnesses turning their heads, the warden's anguish in having to perform his duty, the guards having to force a man onto the table, and the stern emotionless glares of nine judges who decides who may live and who must die.

The performances turned in by Kerry Washington and James Spader were amazing. The plot was definetly the most powerful of any of the episodes so far and it is too bad that the rest of the episodes were delayed until season two because then we have to wait to see the reactions of the firm to the verdict. The second case was not powerful but provided comedic relief but did not take away from the tension that was provided by the execution case. The funniest moment was probably when Shore said that going to Texas and not riding a mechanical bull would be like going to L.A. and not sleeping with Paris Hilton. This episode was definetly the best so far in the series and hopefully Kelly can continue the momentum into the second season.