David E. Kelley isn't exactly a student of the realist school of television. His series are like unreliable used cars. They start off reliably enough, but they never get the service they need and problems just pile one atop another until finally it's a deathtrap hurtling over the cliff at 100 miles per hour.
Witness The Practice.
Once upon a time, this was a compelling drama about a scrappy Boston law firm. Then Bobby and Lindsay got married and the wheels fell off the cart. The Practice became a circus of the absurd, with a never-ending menagerie of contrived cases and over-the-top plot twists cuminating in Linday's conviction for murder.
This season, Kelley's cleaned house. The show's headlining characters-- Bobby, Lindsay, Helen-- are gone, along with supporters Rebecca and Lucy. Maybe now they'll actually develop Eugene's character after all these years of being a stoic cipher. But the reason to return to the show isn't the surviving cast members-- it's the new one.
James Spader's Alan Shore is an ethically-challenged attorney who appears to be on the side of the angels, but doesn't see the need to walk the high road to reach them. Spader's performance in the season opener was sheer brilliance. This guy is smarmy, oily, and reprehensible-- and we like him anyway. He energized every scene he was in. The car may still be a rocketing deathtrap, but at least there's someone worth watching in the driver's seat.
Posted by Peter at October 5, 2003 12:46 PMhi.
please send us all your practice
tanks alot