Boston Legal season 5

Denny is clearly losing it.. he has been for a while, but his forgetfulness is getting worse and worse over season 5. In a previous episode, they learn that a new drug is having very positive results in clinical trials.. Denny wants that drug.. but he can't get it, as it's still not FDA approved. Denny went to court (lost) and appealed to the state court (lost), and last week we learned that his appeal to the USSC had been approved.

Cut to the offices.. Crane, Poole & Schmidt are going under. So, they are about to be bought out by another firm. It turns out that firm is owned by a Chinese company. Shirley loses it and says "I'll be damned if I sell out our litigation / civil rights lawyers to a government owned puppet company from China". They try to protest but can't. Denny, seeing all of the chinese, pull his paintball guns and starts blasting them. The Chinese are pissed and decide Denny must be fired.

Denny's problems get worse. He is arrested for curling up into bed, naked, with a woman he knew from a few years ago. Feeling sorry for him, she drops charges and he is let go. Denny tells Alan he's scared that it's all coming down on him. He also tells Alan that for all the wives in his life, Alan is the one he loves & trusts most to make the decisions with his end of life care. He asks Alan to marry him. Alan rebuffs, saying basically that he's "not gay" and Denny points out that neither is he, but who gives a crap, lots of people marry for reasons other then love/sex, and Denny wants to give Alan his estate & shares, etc. in his death without tax penalties anyway.

Shirly & Sacks try to get married in a church, but she's so stressed over the buyout that it results in a fight. They decide to elope.

The Chinese company sends word that all litigators will be fired. Denny, Alan, Shirley, Jerry, etc. All canned. They go to dinner and commiserate. Alan announces it's all bullshit and they should go back and fire the Chinese. They all stare at him like he's crazy. "They own the company". They still arrange a meeting walk in, Alan blasts the Chinese and announces that tons of lawyers will leave in droves if they do this, and that they would sue for unjust termination.. etc. and they'd sue to bankrupt the firm because "juries will like us more then you". The Chinese relent (sort of) and let all the litigators come back. Alan decides to Marry Denny.. there may be no hope at the firm, but with Denny's funding and support, they can launch a new office that would practice legal aid.. "because their has to be an audience out there for it" "I'm sure people would watch for us" type stuff..

They apply for a marriage license and gay/lesbian groups protest them because they aren't marrying for "love" and that it will cause bad stigma against them.. they go to court, and fight what's wrong with friends announcing they have a bond that trumps all, and that lots of people get married where sex/love isn't the issue.. the government can't investigate why people get married.. and they get a grant for their license.

Alan & Denny go to the Supreme Court and argue their case that a dying person should be able to try experimental drugs "medical self defense".

Alan & Denny, Shirley & Sack fly to Nimmo Bay to get married eloping. Justice Scalia marries them, after saying that the court will rule in Denny's favor on the drug. They celebrate.

Back at the office, they learn that Denny remains fired - the firm's name becomes "Chang, Poole & Schmidt". Shirley announces her unhappiness and that she quits, and asks them to take her name off the door as well.. "do the honorable thing". And leaves.

We see two chinese actors on the balcony talking about how Alan "talks talk talks too much!". They leave, and Alan & Denny find their trash on the balcony. Denny asks Alan what's ahead for them.. 'there's a new home for us somewhere' is the kind of spiel he gets.