It’s supposed to be a new one tonight, with Denny pushing Alan out of the way so he can hog the spotlight on a high-profile case.
I will be out of town for a few days, so the rest of you can have at it.
Denny Crane!
Wow, for a split second I actually though Denny might lose a case.
I caught the verdict in Denny’s case but I didn’t see his summation. Was it actually a good one? Everyone seemed surprised at the not guilty verdict.
I’m not a legal expert, but it did seem pretty good (I PVRed it). He didn’t try to be funny or anything. It was a nice change from Alan Shore.
Edit: It was only a surprise because people didnt think it was a winnable case. It had nothing to do with how good the summation was.
Yeah, it was. Shatner is really a very good actor.
I didn’t like the cheap attempt at misdirection by having the judge announce (somewhat uncharacteristically I thought) that the gallery was to recall that the jury was deciding three separate charges and to maintain decorum until all were read…and then the foreman reads the verdict:
"As to count one, murder in the first degree…we find the defendant…not guilty.
"As to count two, murder in the second degree…we find the defendant…not guilty.
“But as to count three, manslaughter in the first degree…we find the defendant…not guilty.”
:smack:
Silly and woefully transparent…and very much out of character for such a well-written show.
Denny is just getting further and further out there and I’m wondering if, given that Shatner is seventy-six years old, he may be wanting out and so they’re wacking him out more and more so as to facilitate his eventual exit. I hope not.
That “But as to count three…” annoyed me too. “But” implies that the verdict for the third count will be different from that of the first two. Why would the foreman say except, as Starving Artist points out, to misdirect the viewing audience. Was it my imagination, or did the foreman also pause a little longer before saying “not guilty” just to heighten the suspense?
Other than that, a good show. I had a good laugh at Denny walking through the police barricade with an authoritative “Denny Crane, U.S. Coast Guard”.
I thought it was a great showcase for Shatner. I love how he plays Denny Crane to be a tough, crazy SOB on the exterior but very vulnerable and insecure on the inside. It was great that no one thought Denny could do it but Denny…and he was vindicated.
My favorite part: When Whitney opens the notebook Denny had on his desk to look at his opening statement and all it says is “Denny Crane” written about 100 times. FUNNY!
I’m really starting to feel sorry for John Laroquette…what a waste of an excellent actor! His only scene tonight was him walking up to Denny’s office and looking over Denny’s shoulder doing the “take your glasses off” acting move and shaking his head, then asking Alan “How’s he doing?” I’m sure he must think “Oh well, it’s a paycheck…” 
You might say the same thing about Candice Bergen this season. This year is becoming the “Denny and Alan Show” more and more. I was pleased when Larroquette joined the cast–Carl was apparently supposed to be the “voice of reason” who was going to rein in some of Denny’s insanity, but he is becoming more irrelevant as the season progresses.
Unfortunately, they didn’t have any scenes together, but I got a little kick out of Bergen’s former Murphy Brown castmate Grant Shaud making a guest appearance this week. With last year’s Quark/Odo reunion, can a Nimoy guest shot be far behind?
All in all, this season has been kinda meh so far. I hope it gets renewed and regains its edge next season, since this season is pretty much over anyway due to the strike.
The “but” on the third verdict was a blatant and lame misdirection. It was jarring and disappointing. I also don’t think there’s any way in hell this woman would have been acquitted, given the facts. But Denny did pull his own fat out of the fire with that summation, which was pretty good but not brilliant.
I’m finding Denny’s character a little hard to take. He’s veering a bit too far into the “insane” side of eccentric for me to be comfortable.
I also want to see more of John Laroquette, but then I wanted more of Rene Auberjonois before he disappeared. I’m a big fan of Candice Bergen, but she’s aging at a gruesome pace and I’m finding it impossible to see her as the sex symbol she is portrayed as. Mabye that’s why there isn’t so much of her this season.
Is it just me, or does James Spader seem to have dropped a lot of that excess weight? He’s still kind of blimpy, but not in such a scary way.