BOSTON LEGAL: THE MIGHTY ROGUES (TV)
Summary
One in this darkly comic series focusing on a firm of brilliant but emotionally-challenged attorneys in Boston. In this episode, Shirley is upset to learn that her father Walt's dementia symptoms have worsened, and Jerry admits to Katie that a would-be girlfriend, Dana, is suing him for drugging her "a little" with oxytocin, a hormone that creates a sense of trust and bonding. Carl is hired by the government of Nantucket, who wishes to build an atomic bomb to protect the famously wealthy island from potential threats, and he tasks Clarence, Lorraine and Whitney with researching the seemingly insane idea. Denny accompanies Shirley to visit a clearly suffering Walt, who does not recognize her, and when the doctors refuse her request for a morphine drip to ease his pain, she decides to acquire a court order – but opts to ask Alan, rather than Denny, to argue the case.
Though highly skeptical, Judge Hurwitz agrees to hear Carl's argument in favor of the bomb, and Katie is startled to meet the dramatically beautiful Dana as she tries to reason with her lawyer, Pepper Minkin. Clarence steps down from the Nantucket case, finding their request "reprehensible," and Denny, naturally, eagerly steps in. Shirley argues that her father made a living will and should not be forced to suffer the indignity of a slow death by Alzheimer's, though A.A.G. Hollis suggests that she is thinking of her own pain more than his in her apparently unethical request to "euthanize" him. Jerry is crushed when Dana explains why she felt deceived by his use of the hormone spray, and Lorraine questions hired physicist Jason Engels, who confirms that he can indeed build an atomic bomb on request. Carl confronts his client Bill Brewster about his true intentions, however, and Bill admits that he is using the "absurd" request to bring back the national conversation about nuclear weapons as the 2008 presidential election approaches.
Carl and Shirley commiserate about their challenging cases and ponder a reunion as Katie warns Jerry that Dana does, in fact, have a solid case, and she urges him to talk candidly with her about his reasons for dosing himself – and her – with the hormone. Hollis argues that the law cannot actively promote "a culture of suicide," and Alan grows furious as he rants that it is cruel to force Walt to endure a painful, confusing and lonely life of no "intrinsic value." He then admits that his own best friend also has Alzheimer's, emotionally declaring that, if and when the time comes, he is willing to do the "unbearably painful thing" and alleviate Denny's suffering. Judge Peyton agrees that right-to-die laws could potentially be abused in other cases but grants Shirley's motion, while elsewhere Jerry humbly tells Dana that he did a stupid thing out of a desperation to boost his confidence in order to woo her. Carl argues that the federal government is "broken" and clearly cannot protect the country from the many threats around the world, but Judge Hurwitz unsurprisingly denies the motion. Dana apologizes for suing Jerry and the two decide to resume their relationship, and Alan supports Shirley as she sits by her father's side during the final moments of his life. Later, Denny reveals to Alan that he heard and appreciated his kind words about his willingness to help him through his "Mad Cow," but Alan requests not to discuss the painful topic for the time being. Includes commercials and promos.
Details
- NETWORK: ABC
- DATE: April 15, 2008 10:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:56:04
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: 113384
- GENRE: Comedy
- SUBJECT HEADING: Comedy; Drama; Lawyers
- SERIES RUN: ABC - TV series, 2004-2008
- COMMERCIALS:
- TV - Commercials - "88 Minutes" motion picture
- TV - Commercials - "Baby Mama" motion picture
- TV - Commercials - AT&T wireless networks
- TV - Commercials - AT&T wireless networks
- TV - Commercials - Apple Mac computers
- TV - Commercials - Citi credit cards
- TV - Commercials - DTVAnswers.com website
- TV - Commercials - Denny's restaurants
- TV - Commercials - DirecTV satellite television
- TV - Commercials - Dodge automobiles
- TV - Commercials - Federal Student Aid financial services
- TV - Commercials - Ford automobiles
- TV - Commercials - Honda automobiles
- TV - Commercials - Iams Healthy Naturals cat food
- TV - Commercials - LensCrafters stores
- TV - Commercials - Metamucil fiber drinks
- TV - Commercials - Nextel Direct Connect wireless services
- TV - Commercials - Nissan automobiles
- TV - Commercials - Olay facial cleansers
- TV - Commercials - Samsung televisions
- TV - Commercials - Staples stores
- TV - Commercials - TGI Friday's restaurants
- TV - Commercials - Target stores
- TV - Commercials - The Home Depot stores
- TV - Commercials - Toyota automobiles
- TV - Commercials - Transitions eyeglasses lenses
- TV - Commercials - USO organization
- TV - PSA - March For Babies charity walk
- TV - PSA - Partnership for a Drug-Free America
- TV - Promos - "Brothers and Sisters"
- TV - Promos - "Desperate Housewives"
- TV - Promos - "Eli Stone"
- TV - Promos - "Lost"
- TV - Promos - "Women's Murder Club"
- TV - Promos - ABC News Presidential Debates coverage
CREDITS
- Bill D'Elia … Executive Producer
- David E. Kelley … Executive Producer, Created by, Writer
- Mike Listo … Co-Executive Producer
- Lawrence Broch … Co-Executive Producer, Writer
- Steve Robin … Supervising Producer
- Janet Knutsen McCann … Producer
- Craig Turk … Producer
- Anne M. Uemura … Associate Producer
- Phoef Sutton … Consulting Producer
- Robert Breech … Consulting Producer
- Susan Dickes … Consulting Producer
- Arlene Sanford … Director
- Jill Goldsmith … Writer
- Danny Lux … Music by
- James Spader … Cast, Alan Shore
- John Larroquette … Cast, Carl Sack
- Christian Clemenson … Cast, Jerry Espenson
- Gary Anthony Williams … Cast, Clarence Bell
- Tara Summers … Cast, Katie Lloyd
- Saffron Burrows … Cast, Lorraine Weller
- Taraji P. Henson … Cast, Whitney Rome
- Candice Bergen … Cast, Shirley Schmidt
- William Shatner … Cast, Denny Crane
- Rachelle Lefevre … Cast, Dana Strickland
- Tom Amandes … Cast, A.A.G. Jeremy Hollis
- William Russ … Cast, A.D.A. Christopher Palmer
- Roma Maffia … Cast, Judge Victoria Peyton
- Derek Webster … Cast, Dr. Giles Bromfield
- Daniel Hugh Kelly … Cast, William Brewster
- Lawrence Pressman … Cast, Judge Floyd Hurwitz
- Bruce French … Cast, Dr. Ned Thiel
- Jay Malone … Cast, Jason Engels
- Paul Schackman … Cast, Attorney Pepper Minkin
- Ted Garcia … Cast, Reporter #1
- Phillip Palmer … Cast, Reporter #2
- Leyna Nguyen … Cast, Reporter #3
- Art Frankel … Cast, Walter Schmidt
- J.J. Boone … Cast, Jacqueline Ross
- Deborah Cresswell … Cast, Nurse #1
- Mary Chris Wall … Cast, Elizabeth Tilley