BOSTON LEGAL: THE BLACK WIDOW {SECOND SEASON PREMIERE} (TV)
Summary
The second season premiere in this darkly comic series focusing on a firm of brilliant but emotionally-challenged attorneys in Boston. In this episode, Kelly Nolan, the infamous "Black Widow" accused of poisoning her wealthy and much-older husband, arrives at the firm. Denny, naturally, immediately flirts with her, and she declares her innocence, telling Alan that her husband was aware of her "discreet" affair. Denise enlists Sara and Garrett to help with her defense of Walter Edmunds, who is being sued for wrongful termination, but she is flustered by the arrival of her husband Tim, who presents her with divorce papers. Tara, preparing to represent a mute woman accusing a doctor, Adam Carter, of molestation, is surprised to find that the opposing counsel is her ex-boyfriend, Malcolm Holmes, and he assures her that his client will not settle. Garrett notices Denise's distraction as she questions the plaintiff, Joshua Abrams, and when Alan finds that Kelly's housekeeper Frances firmly believes her to be guilty, he attempts to get her testimony disqualified as hearsay, but Judge Cooper denies his motion.
Edmunds explains that his financial brokerage firm was in a state of "moral decay," prompting him to hold in-office prayer sessions that made several non-Christian employees uncomfortable, and Garrett pipes up to defend his client when Denise fails to intervene. Denise reacts angrily, but then admits that she was "asleep at the wheel" because of her personal issues, and Garrett goes a step too far in attempting to comfort her. Catherine and Bernard excitedly listen in as Kelly declares that her husband took his own life, and Alan notes that the "twisted" Bernard is far too pleased by the case. Malcolm makes his ongoing interest in Tara clear, though she dodges his advances, and Judge Cooper coldly refuses Alan's request for a continuance, guessing that Kelly fired her first lawyer because he knew of her guilt and was afraid to risk perjury. Sara is baffled when Garrett declares that Denise is interested in him, and Malcolm's client Mary offers an unorthodox form of testimony – playing the cello – as she describes her terrifying attack by Carter. Shirley, however, points out that she did not see her assailant during their five seconds of contact.
Kelly's teenage stalker, Willis, then posts explicit photographs of her online, and Alan worries that it will taint the jury against her. Carter swears that he was out for an innocent walk and never touched Mary, and Shirley wonders how best to "rattle" Malcolm as Alan belatedly learns that Tara is working alongside her ex. Brad barges into Willis' house, noting that he is not in fact FBI, and confronts him over the pictures of Kelly, and Garrett takes over the Edmunds case again as he dramatically argues that, despite claims to the contrary, America is indeed a "Christian nation," meaning that Edmunds was not out of line with his workplace actions. Sara and Denise are annoyed to find that his stunt has worked and caused the plaintiff to reconsider, and Garrett adds that he is committed to "satisfying" Denise. Alan finds himself in contempt when, denied a change of venue, he accuses Cooper of bullying and demands his recusal. He suggests that Kelly should seek other representation, but she observes that he "knows" the truth about her and stays with him. The jury finds in Dr. Carter's favor, though Tara seems disconcerted with the verdict, and she somewhat reluctantly agrees to have dinner with Malcolm again. Denny and Alan discuss Kelly, with Denny advising him to "savor" the salacious, high-profile case, though Alan is surprised to realize that she is, in fact, truly innocent. Includes commercials and promos.
Details
- NETWORK: ABC
- DATE: September 27, 2005 10:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:58:32
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: B:88206
- GENRE: Comedy
- SUBJECT HEADING: Comedy; Drama; Lawyers
- SERIES RUN: ABC - TV series, 2004-2008
- COMMERCIALS:
- TV - Commercials - "A History of Violence" motion picture
- TV - Commercials - "The Greatest Game Ever Played" motion picture
- TV - Commercials - Ameriquest financial services
- TV - Commercials - Capital One credit cards
- TV - Commercials - Chase credit cards
- TV - Commercials - Cingular Go cellular phones
- TV - Commercials - DHL shipping services
- TV - Commercials - Lowe's stores
- TV - Commercials - Lunesta sleep aid
- TV - Commercials - McDonald's restaurants
- TV - Commercials - National Library of Medicine website
- TV - Commercials - National Television Academy website contest
- TV - Commercials - Olay In Shower body lotion
- TV - Commercials - Olay Quench body lotion
- TV - Commercials - Olive Garden restaurants
- TV - Commercials - Orthoevra birth control
- TV - Commercials - Philip Morris Youth Smoking Prevention services
- TV - Commercials - Progresso soups
- TV - Commercials - Subway restaurants
- TV - Commercials - T-Mobile wireless networks
- TV - Commercials - TIAA-CREF financial services
- TV - Commercials - United States Marine Corps
- TV - Commercials - Volvo automobiles
- TV - Promos - "Alias"
- TV - Promos - "Boston Legal" upcoming episode
- TV - Promos - "George Lopez"
- TV - Promos - "Hope & Faith"
- TV - Promos - "Invasion"
- TV - Promos - "Lost"
- TV - Promos - "Night Stalker"
- TV - Promos - "Primetime"
CREDITS
- Scott Kaufer … Executive Producer
- Bill D'Elia … Executive Producer
- David E. Kelley … Executive Producer, Created by, Writer
- Mike Listo … Co-Executive Producer
- Peter Ocko … Co-Executive Producer
- Steve Robin … Supervising Producer
- Jonathan Shapiro … Supervising Producer
- Janet Knutsen McCann … Producer
- Anne M. Uemura … Associate Producer
- Robert Breech … Consulting Producer
- Sheila Lawrence … Consulting Producer
- Oz Scott … Director
- Danny Lux … Music by
- James Spader … Cast, Alan Shore
- Julie Bowen … Cast, Denise Bauer
- Mark Valley … Cast, Brad Chase
- Rene Auberjonois … Cast, Paul Lewiston
- Justin Mentell … Cast, Garrett Wells
- Ryan Michelle Bathe … Cast, Sara Holt
- Candice Bergen … Cast, Shirley Schmidt
- William Shatner … Cast, Denny Crane
- Monica Potter … Cast, Lori Colson
- Rhona Mitra … Cast, Tara Wilson
- Betty White … Cast, Catherine Piper
- Rupert Everett … Cast, Malcolm Holmes
- Heather Locklear … Cast, Kelly Nolan
- Shawn Christian … Cast, Tim Bauer
- Leslie Jordan … Cast, Bernard Ferrion
- Gregory Itzin … Cast, A.D.A. Todd Milken
- Randy Oglesby … Cast, Walter Edmunds
- Richard Portnow … Cast, Judge Peter Harding
- James Eckhouse … Cast, Dr. Adam Carter
- Ellen Crawford … Cast, Frances Stadler
- Jennifer Kuhn … Cast, Mary Bradley
- Marty Belafsky … Cast, Joshua Abrams
- Fred Meyers … Cast, Willis Berger
- Anthony Heald … Cast, Judge Harvey Cooper
- Julie Pop … Cast, Laurie Berger
- Ron Ostrow … Cast, Attorney Cone
- Deirdre M. Smith … Cast, Jury Foreperson