Boston Legal (TV Series) The Court Supreme (2008) User Reviews

Among the best episodes I have ever seen

[tahmeedkc · 10/10 · 5 June 2014]

This episode and the final 2 seasons of BOSTON LEGAL have received a lot of flak for being too left wing. But you just have to give credit to it's writing, and especially James Spader's performance. In this episode, he jumps at a chance to argue before the Supreme Court; what happens next, in his arguments, is charismatic and characteristic. James Spader and William Shatner played extremely well of each other in this episode, with John Larroquette doing a consistently excellent job as the watchful Carl Sack. The subplot involving Jerry and Dana was also thought-provoking, and essential television.

Most of this episode lies on James Spader's electric performance as Alan Shore, a role winning him 3 Emmys in 4 years. He is articulate, emotional, and righteous and logical enough to the point that by the end of his 5-minute, sometimes 10-minute monologues, you were completely cheering for him. When I watch television, this is the thought provoking kind I want, whether or not I disagree with its pathos and agenda. An excellent and essential episode of TV, and quite simply among the best of the series.

It is fair to call this episode fantastical.

[wms-92741 · 7/10 · 28 September 2020]

One does not simply go before the Supreme Court of the United States and berate the behavior of the justices seated therein. Another reviewer (Bronco46) pointed this out and is in this, at least, entirely correct. The men and women on the highest court do not tolerate any arguments save those which have preapproved to be argued, so when Alan Shore spoke of the possible innocence of the client, he would have been summarily dismissed. To say nothing of pointing out conflicts of interest; the court has never tolerated even a mention of these.

But this is not real life. This is television. And I found it entertaining. It is a bit strange to me that Spader won an Emmy for this episode, because I think his performances on other episodes in this season have been more moving, more incisive. When conservatives suspect Hollywood awarded this Emmy because the character espoused views with which they agree, they might be right. But whether James Spader won his Emmy for this episode or another, he certainly deserved every award he got for portraying Alan Shore. This is a deep, conflicted, flawed and extremely real character, and Spader's work carried the entire show.

Biased!

[Bronco46 · 2/10 · 11 December 2011]

This is episode is a not just a mess, but it's unbelievably disrespectful, and bears not the slightest semblance to what would go on during arguments in front of the Supreme Court. If you doubt that you can go to iTunes and search Justice Antonin Scalia and you'll find a 0.95 c-span interview with the Justice where he goes into great detail about how a hearing works and what he will and won't put up with from attorney's. And based on that I think it's safe to say that Spader's character would have found his butt in the hallway very quickly. Mr. Kelly seems to think he's making Mr. Shore Goes to Washington here. This was so blatantly biased that I had to turn the sound off during Shores disrespectfully argument. He has nine Justices of the Supreme Court letting Mr. Shore run the hearing. But watching Spader's character complain about political bias on the court and then only go after Justices's he felt were conservative was the same kind of political bias he claims to be against. Apparently the bad Supreme Court Justice is one appointed by a conservative. I really don't mind politically needling in story but this show has by the fourth season completely lost it. The only supposed conservative character who voices conservative viewpoints, is demented. I guess that's just a coincidence - RIGHT! It's really sad to watch another show ruined because the ideology of the writer/producer has to be allowed to take center stage. On this show Mr. Kelly gives Spader's character 5 and even 7 minute monologue's to voice Mr. Kelly's (and much of Hollywood's) politics. Perry Mason ran for nine season and could have gone longer because they stuck to real crime stories; and avoided the soapbox. If your a liberal your probably love this episode. But to me; I think Mr. Kelly should be embarrassed. I would have given it one star but the secondary story line was interesting; but couldn't offset the other mess.

Get a Life

[Hitchcoc · 6/10 · 1 August 2022]

I love when people write about liberal or conservative bias and then go on to treat us to their own bias. I would recommend that knowing this show is leaning left, don't watch it. The reviewer needs to look at how the show is written and produced, how the acting is, and what is the strength or weakness of the story. That said, I have to agree that this was a totally unbelievable portrayal of what a presentation to the Supreme Court would be like. All the usual rants aside, when you start dealing in personal attacks, then it's too much. If his client were real, I would say that Shore did everything he could to destroy even a semblance of chance. But, of course, somehow he will end up on top.

Absurd

[frank-hood · 2/10 · 19 June 2022]

I like this show in general. Yes, it's a world where the total worldview is from the left, perhaps partly excused by its being set in very blue Massachusetts. Also the show stretches the law into a total fantasy where somehow local courts can ignore precedent and the law to do whatever the sainted lawyer insists they do. Every jury is persuaded to do jury nullification.

This episode however goes completely bonkers into some new dimension where Supreme Court justices have the same names but are from another planet. It moves past their local emphasis, where one might buy the caricatures of judges who are just as preposterous as the lawyers at a firm that is so absurdly beyond reality that they constantly break the fourth wall to comment on it. It utterly fails at any suspension of disbelief as it descends into the asylum along with one of Alan Shore's favorite movies, Network.

Even the subplot with Jerry is pathetically unreal. Having the 2 female characters, without even a second thought, tell Jerry that the first woman he's ever successfully been in a relationship with is an "escort" instead of giving the woman a chance to come clean or even confronting her about it, is vile and out of character.