BOSTON LEGAL: TRUE LOVE (TV)
Summary
One in this darkly comic series focusing on a firm of brilliant but emotionally-challenged attorneys in Boston. In this episode, Denny and Alan are surprised by a late-night visit from Alan's former lover Phoebe Prentice, who begs for their help in defending her cardiologist husband Dr. Robert Brooks, accused of fatally poisoning his nurse – and one-time mistress – Isabelle Goulet. Denny's "blood-flow monitor" causes constant disruptions as Alan tries and fails to secure bail for Robert, whom Alan soon finds to be "incredibly unlikable." He dismisses Denny's warnings to abandon the case, as he cannot fairly represent his "true love's" husband, and the coroner confirms that Isabelle was covertly injected with succinylcholine, which made it look as though she had suffered a heart attack, suggesting that the killer had medical expertise. Alan informs Phoebe that the jury will hate the smug defendant and that he himself does not believe their story, pointing out that Phoebe would never have forgiven his affair with Isabelle. Phoebe, however, maintains that she intends to protect her family and plans to "walk away with" her husband, regardless of her ongoing feelings for Alan.
Isabelle's mother insists that her daughter was afraid of her temperamental married boyfriend, though Denny quickly shreds her credibility. The sole eyewitness, Isabelle's neighbor, seems unsure if he really spotted Robert on the night in question, and he admits that Isabelle had "a diverse recreational life." Denny too is sure of Robert's guilt, and Alan informs Phoebe that her testimony is their "entire defense." When Phoebe takes the stand, she shocks everyone by admitting that Robert did indeed leave their home on the night of the murder, and when Alan furiously questions her about her change of story, she explains that she fears leaving her children alone if she is imprisoned for perjury. Alan then confronts Robert, who tells him some alarming facts about his wife.
Back on the stand, Alan aggressively questions Phoebe about her recent treatment for a personality disorder and a disturbing incident in which she threatened her own young daughter with a knife. Phoebe denies everything, but Alan declares that she herself killed Isabelle, having learned that she and Robert had resumed their affair. D.A. Betts insists that Robert is guilty, denouncing Alan's "spellbinding maneuver" as a mere trick to create reasonable doubt, but the jury is convinced by Alan's argument and Robert is found not guilty. Later, Alan is stunned to find that the couple conspired to conceal the truth: Robert is the true killer and invented the tales of Phoebe's dangerous behavior to fool Alan, though as she denied everything on the stand, she is not guilty of perjury, nor can Robert be retried, thanks to double jeopardy. Phoebe departs with Robert, reminding Alan of her determination to keeping her family together "whatever the cost." Back at home, Denny tries to comfort a stunned Alan by reminding him that his "true love" is, in fact, Denny himself. Includes commercials and promos.
Details
- NETWORK: ABC
- DATE: October 13, 2008 10:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:57:05
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: 114042
- GENRE: Comedy
- SUBJECT HEADING: Comedy; Drama; Lawyers
- SERIES RUN: ABC - TV series, 2004-2008
- COMMERCIALS:
- TV - Commercials - "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" home video
- TV - Commercials - "Pride and Glory" motion picture
- TV - Commercials - "W" motion picture
- TV - Commercials - Advair asthma medication
- TV - Commercials - Apple iPhone 3G devices
- TV - Commercials - Barack Obama for President
- TV - Commercials - BlackBerry cellular phones
- TV - Commercials - Cadillac automobiles
- TV - Commercials - Cialis medication
- TV - Commercials - Conservation.org website
- TV - Commercials - Crest Whitestrips teeth whitening
- TV - Commercials - DirecTV satellite television
- TV - Commercials - Duracell batteries
- TV - Commercials - Federal Student Aid financial services
- TV - Commercials - Ford automobiles
- TV - Commercials - Girl Scouts of America organization
- TV - Commercials - Kellogg's cereals
- TV - Commercials - Kmart stores
- TV - Commercials - Lexus automobiles
- TV - Commercials - Lincoln automobiles
- TV - Commercials - Outback Steakhouse restaurants
- TV - Commercials - Stouffer's dinners
- TV - Commercials - Target stores
- TV - Commercials - The Home Depot stores
- TV - Commercials - USO organization
- TV - Commercials - Verizon Wireless cellular services
- TV - Promos - "Boston Legal" upcoming episode
- TV - Promos - "Grey's Anatomy"
- TV - Promos - "Life On Mars"
CREDITS
- Lawrence Broch … Executive Producer
- Mike Listo … Executive Producer
- Bill D'Elia … Executive Producer
- David E. Kelley … Executive Producer, Created by, Writer
- Susan Dickes … Co-Executive Producer
- Steve Robin … Supervising Producer, Director
- Janet Knutsen McCann … Producer
- Anne M. Uemura … Co-Producer
- Sanford Golden … Co-Producer
- Karen Wyscarver … Co-Producer
- Den Menchaca … Associate Producer
- Robert Breech … Consulting Producer
- Danny Lux … Music by
- James Spader … Cast, Alan Shore
- John Larroquette … Cast, Carl Sack
- Christian Clemenson … Cast, Jerry Espenson
- Tara Summers … Cast, Katie Lloyd
- Candice Bergen … Cast, Shirley Schmidt
- William Shatner … Cast, Denny Crane
- Brenda Strong … Cast, Judge Judy Beacon
- Peter Onorati … Cast, A.D.A. Stewart Betts
- Caroline Aaron … Cast, Phyllis Goulet
- Michael Eric Strickland … Cast, Dr. Sylvan Turrette
- Kyle Secor … Cast, Dr. Robert Brooks
- Ally Walker … Cast, Phoebe Prentice
- Leyna Nguyen … Cast, Reporter
- Philip Weyland … Cast, Clerk
- Marcus Folmar … Cast, Bailiff #1
- Beau Dremann … Cast, Bailiff #2
- Jennifer Williams … Cast, Foreperson
- Michael Nanfria … Cast, Detective Frank Richards
- Van Epperson … Cast, Dr. Paul Rawlings
- Yvonne Huff … Cast, Mary Bennett
- Weston I. Nathanson … Cast, John Emerson