Unlike most heterosexual male friendships depicted on screen, Alan and Denny hold hands, openly affirm their love for each other, and sleep in each other`s house, sometimes in the same bed. At one point, Denny even refrains from marrying a brazen cattle driver (Christine Ebersole) because he can`t imagine moving to a Montana ranch without Alan (4.18). While the two male lawyers share this unconventional bond, they are also portrayed — like most “bromantic” couples on screen — as undeniable, perhaps exaggerated, heterosexual. For example, Alan and Denny managed to openly put women to bed and objectify, staring at their penises and boasting about their illustrious seats in the courtroom. Denny, who also represents conventional machismo, carries weapons, some with bullets and others with colored balls; Nevertheless, he shoots both at people and is usually victorious in his goal. Plus, at the end of virtually every 100 episodes of boston Legal, Alan and Denny gather on the balcony of Danny`s office at the law firm of Crane, Poole, and Schmidt to smoke cigars, drink scotch, and chat about their day. This recurring scene is arguably the most intriguing of the series as it is here, amid striking phallic cigars and sometimes discussion of women that most of the couple`s unbridled and multifaceted affection for each other is shown. See the clip below. The two may not have gotten along with their ideal wives, but they are not suspending the research for the duration of the series.
Denny is engaged to be married for half a season and still has his unrequited love for the character of Candice Bergen. Alan takes care of the embers of many love stories, current and failed. And through all the near-successes and eventual failures, the two men gather on the balcony and finally realize that at the end of the day (literally and figuratively), all they have is each other. ABC`s Boston Legal, one of the boldest and most delightful television series of the past five years, ends tonight with a two-hour episode that ends with a final scene on the balcony. Each episode of the two-year comedy-drama, a spin-off of ABC`s “The Practice,” ends with lawyers Crane (played by William Shatner) and Shore (James Spader) relaxing on the balcony of their Boston-based company Crane Poole & Schmidt, recounting their day and life so far. In his autobiography, William Shatner wrote that it was “the most intense balcony scene” of the show`s five seasons. “It was a very fragile moment,” Shatner recalls. “I had to express the emotions of a woman who had caught the man she loved cheating on her – but in a very insexual way. If I went too far, it was a broad comedy; when I was too intense, it became anger rather than pain. Finally, he recalls, “When people tell me about Boston Legal, it`s [the episode] they often quote. More than any other moment, it is the balcony scene that most accurately describes their relationship. 5 This is an understandable reaction, as these are themes that Alan and Denny constantly define: they appreciate the time spent together, express their love easily and openly, recognize jealousy and fidelity as a factor of attachment and remind us of what they have (which most men on screen do not do or are afraid), is irreplaceable.
And that`s why it wasn`t a big surprise to loyal Boston Legal viewers when the two got married in the series finale. But therein lies the problem. For starters, it`s hard to identify Alan and Denny`s friendship in this growing list of relatively teenage sitcoms and superficial animal comedies. Yes, Boston Legal – which the designer once called “One Flew Over the Cuckoo`s Nest set in a law firm” – offers crazy moments (for example, Denny and Alan, who put on flamingo costumes, participate in paintball fights, bond together in bed, join the Coast Guard, etc.). But the authenticity and gravity of Alan and Denny`s relationship – which, revealingly, is the very last image the viewer sees each week in the balcony scenes – often replaces visual gags and whimsical behavior. Producer David E. Kelley`s show (“The Practice,” “Ally McBeal,” “Boston Public”) premiered as an ensemble cast. But Shatner and Spader quickly embraced it simply by the power of personality. His first balcony scene, for example, was just another shot in the first episodes of the series, designed as a counterpoint to the many scenes in the courtroom and office. Denny Crane and Alan Shore are men, confident in their masculinity, connected like Captain Jack Aubrey and Dr.
Stephen Maturin from Patrick O`Brian`s “Master and Commander” books. Where Denny and Alan have their balcony, Jack and Stephen had their violin and cello duets; Both as close and harmonious as a dyad. Like their characters, Shatner and Spader are very different. His “Boston Legal” co-star René Auberjonois says that if Shatner`s approach to a stage doesn`t work, he`ll try something else, unimpressed by the failure. Spader meticulously prepares for each scene, Auberjonois says, and makes decisions similar to those of the laser. Inspired by these comments from viewers, the authors began pairing the two in other situations outside the balcony, bringing the relationship between the men to unexpected but naturally felt levels of closeness: a fishing trip that included a spoon scene in bed, disguised as matching flamingos at a party, and tied together with a rope, when Denny prevented Alan from injuring himself while sleepwalking during a night attack.
