By Jennifer Larson
The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, and in tonight’s episode of BOSTON LEGAL, we get a perfect example of that saying. It appears as if Shirley’s (Candice Bergen) granddaughter has a spirit and mouth as big as her grandmother’s. Unfortunately, the granddaughter ends up getting herself kicked out of school because of her determination to stand up and demand to be heard.
Apparently, the school administration doesn’t appreciate her social statement. That’s ok, she’s got one hell of a grandmother to stick up for her, even if she doesn’t necessarily approve of the way her granddaughter is handling the situation. Than again, after dealing with Denny Crane (William Shatner) after all these years, you’d think Shirley would be used to difficult situations. And speaking of Denny and Alan (James Spader), because whenever you talk about one, you have to include the other, they have a social issue they are dealing with as well.
You know when the two of these men get together on something there is going to be a lot of entertainment, but tonight they take on a client who’s been through a devastating ordeal. But those are just the kinds of situations Denny and Alan excel at; well at least Alan excels at them. Denny is usually just along for the ride, but I think his presence helps to anchor Alan, so it really is a team effort.
Oh, did I mention that the client is the owner of Denny’s favorite pizza restaurant, or that they are suing the National Guard for not coming to help out with the flooding of said pizza restaurant? As usual, Alan has found a way to tie his hatred for the war in Iraq with the case at hand. The situation is this; The National Guard, being severely short of hand in the states since many of their people have been shipped off to war, wasn’t there to help the citizens in this country, therefore, they are to blame for the destruction of the restaurant. You know, Alan does have a point; I mean The National Guard was created to help out in devastating and dangerous situations here at home, not abroad.
That being said, I’m surprised Denny agreed to take the case on, being so pro war and all. Than again, this does involve pizza, and you know how men love their pizza! But that pales in comparison with what’s going on in the office. It turns out Lorraine (Saffron Burrows) is really British, and she’s been using a fake American accent to stay hidden from a Pakistani who put a hit out on her. It’s really par for the course at Crane, Poole and Schmidt. But it all seems to be getting to Carl (John Larroquette), who feels woefully incompetent when it comes to keeping these wacky lawyers in check. In fact, he’s considering the possibility of leaving, which would put a serious damper on his and Shirley’s relationship. Worse is the fact that Shirley is busy trying to keep her granddaughter from being expelled for shredding her school’s standardized test.
The situation is this; Shirley’s granddaughter found out when she studied abroad for a year, how pitifully inadequate the American education system is. It’s pretty sad when English kids know more about our history than we do, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. I have to tip my hat to David E. Kelly here; I mean the way he blends important social issues with side-splittingly hysterical entertainment is just sheer brilliance. That being said, he does show the other side as well, it’s just that it’s pretty obvious which side he leans more toward. But back to the case against The National Guard, which by the way was dismissed. Alan, however, wasn’t through with the issue, and he decided to enlist in The National Guard himself. Unfortunately, he is too old for them, which means Denny is ancient. Something tells me this issue will be hanging around for a while.
Meanwhile back at the ranch, Shirley convinced Carl to stay and won her granddaughter’s case, sort of. The judge decided to give her a suspension, but revoked the expulsion. So life is good at the office, at least for now.