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Boston Legal: Season 3 [2006]


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Editorial
Amazon.co.uk Review

In year 3, Boston Legal continues to toggle with ease between comedy and pathos. The season begins on a bittersweet note as Denise (Julie Bowen) gets engaged to the terminally ill Daniel (Michael J. Fox), who disappears to try an experimental treatment. Enter two new litigators, smart-talking associate Claire Sims (Constance Zimmer) and cocky partner Jeffrey Coho (Craig Bierko). Once Daniel exits the picture, Jeffrey and Brad (Mark Valley) compete for Denise's affections. The firm soon welcomes a third new face: legal secretary Clarence (Gary Anthony Williams)--also known as Clarice, Clavant, and Oprah.

As before, cases vary from minor to major. Story arcs include the murder of a judge's wife (with Ashton Holmes as the suspect and Katey Sagal as his mother) and an outrageous peeping tom (David Dean Bottrell) with a jones for Shirley (Candice Bergen). Denny Crane (William Shatner), meanwhile, finds love with diminutive attorney Bethany (Meredith Eaton-Gilden)--and her mother, Bella (Delta Burke). And Alan (James Spader, who scored a second Emmy to add to the one he received for The Practice) helps former co-worker Jerry "Hands" Espenson (Christian Clemenson) out of a few jams. By the end of the season, Jeffrey is gone, while Jerry returns to Crane, Poole & Schmidt.

Throughout the year, the firm tackles a variety of timely issues, ranging from religious freedom to immigration law. Reporter Gracie Jane (Jill Brennan), a Nancy Grace doppelgänger, also comes in for some ribbing. Aside from recurring characters, like Jane Lynch (as a sexual surrogate), the third season counts a few actors behind the camera, such as Eric Stoltz ("Dumping Bella") and Adam Arkin ("Nuts"), from David E. Kelley's Chicago Hope. --Kathleen C. Fennessy, Amazon.com

When it began to go downhill
Review date: 2008-06-25 Rating: 6 out of 10

Looking at the other reviews I can see that people still think Boston Legal to be as good as it ever was. This is not my opinion. For me this season is where the series lost its way. Jerry Espenson, the assbergers (apologies if spelt incorrectly) sufferer became a semi-regular cast member in this series and this is where it began to lose its way. Jerry worked fine as a rare guest star but it appeared that all involved with the show thought his character to be so good that we simply had to have him every single week. Personally, whenever Jerry is on screen I lose all interest and find his antics irritating. Thankfully the brilliant double-act of James Spader and William Shatner is still prevalent. The other cast members (no idea who they are by the way) work well together. It is just a shame that the series began to introduce more and more irritating characters like Jerry such as Clarence the cross-dressing and slightly creepy guy.
Still, whenever Denny (Shatner) and Allen (Spader) are on screen Boston Legal is one of the best shows out there. Sadly, come series four many of the better characters are gone (action man brad, that blonde chick who tends to sleep around, good old bemused renny auborjonis) and are replaced by several characters that make series four a bit of a let down. Jerry gets even more screen time (thank god for Sky Plus where I can fast forward his parts), Clarence thankfully fades away a bit toward the end and a few other not at all interesting characters surface.

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Reviews


Shocking! Outrageous!
Review date: 2008-05-17 Rating: 10 out of 10

The third series of Boston Legal is a bit odd. As usual we have characters appearing and disappearing at the drop of a hat, as usual we have Alan and Denny's male bonding and breaking of the fourth wall, but we also have a preponderance of murder cases that shift the series away from its usual bounciness and political commentary. There's a big murder case at the start that serves as the introduction for new lawyers Jeffrey Coho and Claire Can'trememberhersurname who Shirley has brought in from the New York office. Coho, whilst well-acted and an intriguing character, is just too like Alan Shore, whilst lacking Alan's special quirks, to feel a worthwhile addition to the show. Claire starts out as too aggressive but by the end of the series, due to her interactions with shy transvestite lawyer Clarence, is quite a fun character (but enjoy her while she lasts because come Season 4 she's gone). The murder case itself is intriguing but too salacious and dark - it feels a lot like previous plotlines from BL's predecessor, the Practice - much as Denny's strategy for dealing with the murder case in the last episode does. It's not bad television, per se, but it's not really Boston Legal.

Similarly the middle section of the series features Shirley being kidnapped. Again it feels like something done in the Practice even if the execution, so to speak, is very different.

So with this in mind, why five stars? Well, because the show is excellent otherwise. James Spader and William Shatner continue to act their socks off and charm us with their portrayals of Alan Shore and Denny Crane, the seedy, oddball lawyers who pursue judges, an aggressive little person and her mother, and take on the government. They play the comic stuff brilliantly but manage to play the poignant stuff just as well. Christian Clemenson lights up the screen every time he appears as Jerry Espenson the socially awkward lawyer with Asperger's Syndrome. The situations are kooky and there is continuous but brilliant commentary on modern day America and its short fallings, whilst maintaining a degree of patriotism.

There isn't another show like Boston Legal. Treasure it while it lasts.

Gone off the rails
Review date: 2008-04-08 Rating: 4 out of 10

This is the 3rd series,and the previous 2 were very good.
Whereas the previous 2 had interesting cases,around which the lives of the lawyers were described,the cases were the main element of each episode and the other stuff was background,often amusing or strange but not detracting from the stories.This series has gone the opposite way,making the cases background or incidental at best,and bringing to the forefront the lawyers lives.Their lives seem to revolve around sex.That's it,not much more.The storylines are basically who at the firm is sleeping or trying to sleep with whom.This is annoying and ridiculous.Casting the senior woman partner(who is old enough and haggard enough to be yr granny) as some object of sexual fantasy by all in the firm is just not believeable.And the other women seem to be made of razorblades,who would want to go near them?Poor Jerry,who,as an Asperger sufferer was an intersting character previously,has now been given a series of ticks,whoops,jumps etc that make him a parody.We are treated to every possible sexual involvement by the other lawyers,including a black,cross-dressing secretary,a female partner wannabe who sleeps with every male lawyer as "friends with privileges";Spader seems to have turned into a lecherous parody sniffing after anything in a skirt and so on.
It has become a comedy,with poor writing and one theme for the jokes-sexual behaviour.What a disappointment.

Disappointing
Review date: 2008-03-05 Rating: 6 out of 10

Too many ridiculous plot lines, too many irritating characters. Not surprised it finished. And why do the always win their cases?

Denny Crane
Review date: 2008-02-29 Rating: 10 out of 10

Very enjoyable, great lines, watching two or three episodes back to back makes for a great stay at home evening

Product Details/Specifications


Actor(s):
Rene Auberjonois
James Spader
Candice Bergen
Bernadette Peters
Michael J. Fox

Creators:
James Spader (Primary Contributor)
Bernadette Peters (Primary Contributor)

Director(s):

Recording label: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
EAN: 5039036035156
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 6
Format: PAL,
Release date: 2008-01-14
Audience rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
Region code: 2
Running time: 1014 minutes
Theatrical release date: 2006
Language: English (Subtitled)
Language: Norwegian (Subtitled)
Language: Swedish (Subtitled)
Language: Finnish (Subtitled)
Language: Danish (Subtitled)
Language: English (Original Language)

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