BOSTON LEGAL: THE CANCER MAN CAN (TV)
Summary
One in this darkly comic series focusing on a firm of brilliant but emotionally-challenged attorneys in Boston. In this episode, the lawyers attend a dinner for an indeterminate charity honoring Denny's contributions, and though he first absconds to the coat room with an attractive woman, Beverly, Denny makes it onstage in time to give a speech. To his own surprise, he remains interested in her even after the encounter. Elsewhere, Paul asks Denise to sit second chair in a case in which he is to defend Daniel Post, a wealthy CEO with stage four lung cancer who bought his way into a drug trial and is now being sued by another patient, Robert Hopper, who received the placebo. Paul admits that he feels too close to the case after losing his own wife to cancer, and Denise makes her disapproval of Daniel's actions clear when they meet. In court, a lab technician testifies about how the drug test was corrupted, but Denise argues that Daniel's actions did not alter the results in any harmful or significant way. Jerry tells Alan that he is up for partner for a third and final time and is curious about his standing with the voting board, and Alan promises to investigate. Shirley refuses to help him, but Denny, who is busy "sexting" with Beverly, flatly says that "weirdo" Jerry has no chance, despite his considerable intelligence and skill as a lawyer. He allows Alan to read Jerry's confidential file, and Alan confronts Shirley, saying that Jerry is being unfairly regarded because of his poor social skills and general awkwardness.
Hopper testifies about his fear of dying and his involvement in the drug test, accusing Daniel of "murdering" him by rigging the trial. Daniel asks Denise out to dinner, and Paul urges her to convince him to settle, having seen how much the jury dislikes him. Alan regretfully tells Jerry that he has made clients uncomfortable with his demeanor and is unlikely to be named partner, but says that he will keep trying. Shirley points out that Denny's in-office shenanigans with Beverly are highly unprofessional, and he is pleased to see that she is jealous. At dinner, Denise advises Daniel to settle, saying that he seems privileged and pompous to the jury, but he reveals that he actually does a good deal of benevolent charity works and uses his "connections" for others as well as for himself. He agrees to settle if she agrees to officially date him, saying that he wants to enjoy the short time he has left, as the trial drug did not work well for him. Denny is appalled to realize that he may be genuinely falling for Beverly, and Alan advises him to enjoy it. Alan then barges into the partners' meeting and strongly argues for Jerry to be made partner above likable "Ken doll" Brad, saying that they are more concerned with making money than with promoting the best lawyer, and he gets into a heated fight with Shirley in which he accuses her of a "betrayal of character" and of deliberating misleading Jerry for years.
Hopper refuses to accept Daniel's monetary offer, saying he wants to "take his time" away instead, but Paul advises him not to waste the end of his life on anger. Denny firmly tells Beverly that he is "not a one-woman man," but she assures him that she is not interested in monogamy. Shirley tells Brad that he has been made partner and breaks the bad news to Jerry, though she appears to second-guess herself. Hopper tells Daniel that he does not want vengeance, but wants to send a message to others like him who take advantage of others through their wealth. Jerry fumes over being told that his hard work is "not enough," and when he encounters Shirley at Brad's congratulatory party, he blows up at her and threatens her with a knife, demanding to be named partner and naming a series of cases that will support his claim, proving again that he is a very capable attorney. Alan arrives and tries to calm Jerry down, promising to represent him when he is inevitably arrested, and Jerry finally gives in and releases Shirley. Denise and Daniel continue dating and she tells him about her divorce, admitting that she may have commitment issues, and their relationship deepens. Elsewhere, Denny is surprised that Alan really does intend to defend "whack job" Jerry, and casually reveals that he is engaged to Beverly, having realized that she is "the one." Alan congratulates him, and Denny assures him that it will not affect their close friendship. Includes commercials and promos.
Details
- NETWORK: ABC
- DATE: January 10, 2006 10:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:57:42
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: B:88402
- GENRE: Comedy
- SUBJECT HEADING: Comedy; Drama; Lawyers
- SERIES RUN: ABC - TV series, 2004-2008
- COMMERCIALS:
- TV - Commercials - AT&T services
- TV - Commercials - Baked! Lays potato chips
- TV - Commercials - Chili's restaurants
- TV - Commercials - Cingular cellular services
- TV - Commercials - Citi Simplicity credit card
- TV - Commercials - Creme Savers candies
- TV - Commercials - Easy-Off Bam household cleaner
- TV - Commercials - Enterprise car rental services
- TV - Commercials - Farmers Insurance
- TV - Commercials - General Mills Yogurt Burst Cheerios cereal
- TV - Commercials - Lean Cuisine meals
- TV - Commercials - Monistat Day or Night medication
- TV - Commercials - National Library of Medicine resources
- TV - Commercials - National Television Academy website contest
- TV - Commercials - Olive Garden restaurants
- TV - Commercials - One-A-Day Cholesterol Plus vitamins
- TV - Commercials - QuitAssist smoking cessation program
- TV - Commercials - Red Lobster restaurants
- TV - Commercials - Royal Caribbean cruises
- TV - Commercials - Smart Balance butter spread
- TV - Commercials - Sprint cellular phones
- TV - Commercials - TD Waterhouse brokerage firm
- TV - Commercials - UPS services
- TV - Commercials - United States Marines
- TV - Commercials - Verizon Wireless Migo cellular phones
- TV - Commercials - eBay
- TV - Promos - "20/20"
- TV - Promos - "Boston Legal" upcoming episode
- TV - Promos - "Crumbs"
- TV - Promos - "Dancing With the Stars"
- TV - Promos - "In Justice"
- TV - Promos - "Invasion"
- TV - Promos - "Jimmy Kimmel Live"
- TV - Promos - "Lost"
- TV - Promos - "Red Eye" home video
CREDITS
- Bill D'Elia … Executive Producer
- David E. Kelley … Executive Producer, Created by
- Mike Listo … Co-Executive Producer
- Janet Leahy … Co-Executive Producer, Writer
- Steve Robin … Supervising Producer
- Janet Knutsen McCann … Producer
- Andrew Kreisberg … Producer
- Anne M. Uemura … Associate Producer
- Lawrence Broch … Consulting Producer
- Phoef Sutton … Consulting Producer
- Robert Breech … Consulting Producer
- Lou Antonio … Director
- Michael Reisz … Writer
- Danny Lux … Music by
- James Spader … Cast, Alan Shore
- Julie Bowen … Cast, Denise Bauer
- Mark Valley … Cast, Brad Chase
- Rene Auberjonois … Cast, Paul Lewiston
- Justin Mentell … Cast, Garrett Wells
- Ryan Michelle Bathe … Cast, Sara Holt
- Candice Bergen … Cast, Shirley Schmidt
- William Shatner … Cast, Denny Crane
- Michael J. Fox … Cast, Daniel Post
- Marisa Coughlan … Cast, Melissa Hughes
- Christian Clemenson … Cast, Jerry Espenson
- Erica Gimpel … Cast, Attorney Samantha Fried
- Larry Cedar … Cast, Robert Hopper
- Art Chudabala … Cast, Peter Clark
- Eric Payne … Cast, Mark Halpern
- Joanna Cassidy … Cast, Beverly Bridge
- Mary Boucher … Cast, Judge Olsheim
- S.E. Perry … Cast, MC in Ballroom