Boston Legal Gets (More) Political

I watch Boston Legal. I rather enjoy it and overlook the left leaning subtext because if I took exception to every lefty political statement in entertainment today I wouldn't very, well, entertained. Besides, what other show has as much humor with fully dressed, attractive women?

The left leaning characters, while flawed, are seen as intellectual and clued in. The conservatives are obtuse, absurdly myopic and in William Shatner's case, hopelessly clueless about how the world is. How surprising- dumb conservatives and smart liberals.

The typical formula goes something like this: Human drama  and one liners framed around legal cases that deal with contemporary issues like religion in schools, farmed salmon, sexual harassment & corporate mammon.  James Spader's character Alan Shore suffers from relationship dysfunction except when advocating for his clients when, in his final argument, he transitions from a dark, brooding sardonic wise ass into Dr. Phil. And, the fine associates at the firm always win in the face of what seem to be absurd odds.

Last night was different. The issues were the war in Iraq and how Halloween is handled in schools. The war thing was right out of the DNC playbook: a waify paralegal sues the army when her National Guard brother is killed diffusing a bomb he had no training to handle in Iraq. Of course, the army is immune, but not from fraud. So we get to hear about how his one year commitment was extended for 30 years, no body armor, and how Bill O'Reilly cares more about "a missing girl in Aruba" than the 2000 servicemen who are dead over there. Shore's passion for the case pisses off the right wing gun nut Denny Crane (Shatner) no end. Alan loses the case, but consider the message sent. Producer David Kelley's fig leaf for the obvious politicking: Shore's admission that the war question is complicated. Thanks Dave! And who can handle complicated issues better, your smart liberal characters or the dumb righties?

The Halloween storyline was just as politically overt. Cliche' Christian zealots object to the alleged satanic component of Halloween and their unlikely allies are Wiccans, who view the Principal's witch costume as an unfair stereotype of their religion. In fairness, the Christians aren't as over the top in their zeal as Denny Crane is, but they don't need to be. The fig leaf here is the Wiccans, added to balance out those stupid Christians. Yeah, really going out on a limb here, Kelley, pissing off all 450 Wiccans in this country. Halloween wins, making the firm 0-2 on the episode, but again, message sent. Silly Christians! If anyone reading this actually knows of Christians who object to Halloween email me. I've never met any.

Comments

[KipEsquire]

I gave up on BL about 2-3 weeks ago when Denny showed up in court dressed as a Minuteman -- with a loaded rifle! The show has lost all connection to reality.

It was a hard choice -- I love the Alan Shore character -- but the plot lines have become too ludicrous.

And you're correct, the politics are also a bit too "Air America" for me.

[Andrew]

I happened to catch the tail end of that episode, but I'm not a regular viewer. As for Christians, my church (Episcopalian) actually had a Halloween performance on Sunday, with members of the congregation reading scripture that was related to departed spirits or possessed demons. As somewhat of a traditionalist, I thought it was a little odd but harmless and possibly effective. The priest said Halloween captures a sense of wonder and enchantment that most adults have long lost. Perhaps. I wish the connection to All Saints' Day would be elevated and the pagan overtones minimized. I frown on begging for candy, but I suppose going door to door in costume once a year is OK.