BOSTON LEGAL - An American Bromance

Boston Legal may be a law drama - or dramedy if I may use a made-up word - but the emotional core of the show lies within the friendship of partners Alan Shore and Denny Crane.  The signature scene of the series is the nightly cigar and Scotch the two eccentric lawyers share on the balcony at the end of another weird day at the firm.  These two unlikely soul mates enjoy winding down in each other's company, digesting the day's events and waxing philosophical and stuff.

It's not only important to the show and to the viewers, the balcony bonding scene is important to Denny and Alan as well.  So important, in fact, that on this week's episode Denny chooses Alan over the new love of his life, a sassy cattle queen who will marry him... if he moves to Montana with her.

He can't do it.  Denny is madly, impulsively in love with this woman - emphasis on the word "madly" - but she asks too much.  She basically wants him to break up with Alan.

William Shatner really inhabits the role of Denny Crane and it's rare on Boston Legal that you ever catch a glimpse of his previous most famous TV role.  No, not TJ Hooker - his other most famous role as Captain Kirk on Star Trek.  But this week he gives a positively Kirkian inflection to the line, "I... can't go... to Montana!"  You've gotta love The Shatner.

And you gotta love Denny and Alan's platonic love affair.  It's rare on TV that you find two male characters who are really so into each other that you can describe their relationship as a bromance, if I may use another fake word.  Derek Shepherd and Mark Sloan on Grey's Anatomy have sort of a bromance thing going I guess, but it's not quite as open and affectionate as Denny and Alan's thing. 

I mean, these guys actually say "I love you" and talk about their relationship.  They comfort each other, they bicker, they even hold hands when appropriate.  They have the emotional connection and honesty that women have with one another.  They're more than BMFs - they're platonic life partners who just happen to be straight men.

I salute the Denny and Alan bromance.   Sure, it's a fictional construct, but I think it's a nice example of how guys can be intimate with one another while still retaining their inherent guyness.  Right on, bros.

--Dave Campbell

Comments

[lulu]

WAY to go Boston Legal. You take on subjects like current issues like no other. Keep it up! WE LOVE IT!

[Janine]

Boston Legalo is one of the
BEST shows on TV. James Spader is terrific. I hope
it never ends. What are it's
ratings. I never see them?

Boston Legal is one of the
BEST shows on TV. James Spader is terrific. I hope
it never ends. What are it's ratings? I never see them.

[Ray]

Your blog included no comment on David Kelly shamelessly shilling for the Hilary Clinton campaign??

[T. Hickman]

What is happening to Boston Legal??? how do you expect viewers to continue watching this program?

Not a good schedule!

It is very disappointing that one can NOT count on a regular schedule here in Tucson area ..

[Oliver Selby]

However, I can rely on your blog to channel pure awesome directly into my brain.

"Bromance" is the new "Shizzle".

Keep up the excellent work, that man.

[Sally]

Not sure if this is the forum that producers of BL read, but I hope so. Here it is: Since the show has a diverse demographic, I never expected and was sad to hear the final thrust of the segment aired on May 14 espousing ageism. Political candidates are notorious "ism" players, but I was stunned that this show would endorse a candidate by devaluing an entire demographic. Not a way to win viewers or votes. I'll miss watching BL, my favorite show, but it seems I am too old, according to BL, to get it.

[knotagain1]

Boston legal is a good show with the exception of your anti-Republican agenda. The comments about Bush are rude. If that continues, I won't!

[Connie]

Great show, but if you want to keep your ratings, keep politics out of it, or represent both sides. Too bad such a good show is smeared with so much biased dialog. We get the message, and we aren't buying it.

[totalpro]

Thanks for some of the finest writing on tv. Thanks for the courage to devote last nights episode to the outright trampling of our " unalienable" human rights, we talk about so hardly won.
Thanks for asking the real question of how do we let our
"leaders" get a way with this
and are we the country we think we are.
In the name of defending our country, our leaders are no better than the Sadam Husseins of the world just by the body count alone.The killing of innocents alone is 30 times the number of lives lost in 911.
I hope this episode wins every award possible for all your collective talents and courage to say what needs to be said so profoundly. Kudos