Yes, now I’ve got my dates straight…
Shatner, Spader, and company are back, along with Michael J. Fox, I believe.
I like this show a lot, but I sure hope they’ll go easy with the political preaching this year. I’d like more wacky stuff, more Rene Auberjonois, more Candice Bergen/Tom Selleck interaction, and some nice nude scenes featuring Mark Valley.
Last season was “leftist message of the week” time, and it was done in a very heavy-handed fashion. Enough with the messages already.
If they send Denny Crane to Darfur, I’m through with this show.
My dad loves this show. I had to remind him that tonight was the season opener though.
~ IG
That was pretty good, if a bit heavy. I like what they’re doing with Denise and Danny, and that she’s disappointed that he’s using his money to stay alive.
I guess he should get on the transplant list with everyone else, and that’s probably what he’ll end up doing, and then he’ll die. I’ll need tissues for that episode (no pun intended).
Interesting issue, anyway.
Great line from Alan, about wanting to have some redeeming characteristics, like a character in a TV series.
I imagine that was part of the deal to get Candice Bergen. 
I feared such a turn when she signed on, and alas, I was not disappointed.
Conservatives think Darfur is a left-wing message?
I don’t mind the “messages”, because the opposing view is usually presented in an intelligent, thoughtful way. I’m pretty liberal, but sometimes the conservative viewpoint is pretty convincing.
My Darfur remark was a reference to “ER,” which turned all messagey last season when it sent some docs to Darfur. When shows deviate from their initial premises in order to teach lessons, it seldom works well as entertainment. Even when I agree with the messages, I’m often peeved by this kind of thing. It reminds me of children’s programming into which educational matter has been clumsily inserted, and the kids lose interest. I guess, where shows like “Boston Legal” and “ER” are concerned, I’m one of the kids.
Shatner and the Shirley Schmidto doll were hilarious. “You’re jealous?” 
There isn’t really a therapeutic treatment involving the therapist getting into bed naked with the client…is there? Seriously?
There was some poignancy at the end, on the balcony, with Denny and Alan; the latter is so obviously lying about the depth of his loneliness.
I thought the doll’s name was Shirley Schmidt-ho
Me too.
Are they leading up to a special relationship for Alan, do you think? All that talk about the need for touching made me feel lonely. Hell, I’ll touch ya, Spader. 
Oh, but both of them do, at least I thought that was obvious.
I gather Bergen has some lefist stigmata to her, but do you guys seriously believe that she had a say in what themes the show was gonna go for, when she signed up? She’s not *that * important to the premise fo the show or as an actress.
Kelley is leftist, the show is set in a Boston Law Firm. There’s no big liberal conspiracy, it’s all out there in the open. If you’re looking for “fair and balanced”, tune into FOXnews.
Arriving late to the party, since I just watched my tape of the show.
I really liked this one. A nice mix of humor and drama. And Christian Clemenson just gets better and better.
Jane Lynch (who played the sexual surrogate) is one of my favorite performers. Why she doesn’t have her own series is a mystery to me. She is funny, bright and sexy, and I’d love to see her starring in the right kind of show.
Did anyone notice the episode’s title, “Can’t We All Get a Lung?” I love the jokey titles they put on some TV shows. Sometimes the title never shows onscreen, and you don’t know about it unless you look up the show in a reference source like TV.com or IMDb.
I don’t agree. I think that neither of them are really lonely - men with egos that big and with that kind of power and ability to get laid when they want are often not lonely at all. There’s a difference between wanting intimacy and being lonely.
I think it’s also why men like that are often divorced numerous times. They marry for the intimacy, and then divorce because they don’t *want a constant companion and partner. They’d rather be alone most of the time.
The thing is, I think both men have an emptiness inside them. They WANT to be lonely, because that would make them normal, and being able to commit to a relationship in a long-standing way would allow them to fulfill their need for intimacy.
I’ll respectfully disagree. Run it back (on your TiVO) one more time. Watch Denny’s face. He thinks about saying “Yes”…and then decides not to. Despite the huge honesty between Denny and Alan, he can’t say THAT. And Alan agrees and lies as well. YMMV.
I didn’t see it that way at all. I thought Denny was thinking that Alan was a wuss even for asking, started to say something snide, then thought better of it.
FWIW, Denny does not strike me as being lonely at all. I think he’s too much into himself, too much into the fun and pleasures that his money and position provide, and too lacking in introspection to be able to feel such an emotion as loneliness.
I could be wrong–it’s happened before.
Hey, no problem. I was wrong once, myself.
Just kidding, of course. I’m not saying you were wrong, only that different people can see things in different ways.