The Practice 5/16/04 - Series Finale

[Patrick Sun]

So Bobby's firm's doors are finally closed for good.

Eugene almost has a heart attack when his first case has Alan representing the defendant, Eugene recuses himself from the case very hastily.

The case was just a springboard for David E. Kelley to get more of his views on the Iraqi situation out in the open.

Jamie goes to work with Jimmy (stays an associate because Jimmy's partner is still a bit on the violent side, and she passes on the partnership offer.)

Eleanor is just going to take some time off and be a mom.

Alan pushes Tara away, and seems to be gravitating towards Sally. Sally made the mistake of giving Hannah some pot to help her with the pain cause by getting punched by Eleanor in the last episode. Sally got put on case filing duty for a week.

The last scene had Bobby sitting in the old firm's conference room, with tears almost welling up in his eyes.

The spin-off show's name will be "Fleet Street" and it'll carry over William Shatner, James Spader, Rhona Mitra, and Lake Bell. Don't know if Rebecca Demornay will be on the show next fall.

Not all that keen on the new name. I think they should have just called it "Denny Crane".

 

[Joseph S]

"Ladies and Gentlemen, Denny Crane."

Unfortunately, Demornay is tied up with the invalid pervert.

Great series, it wasn't the same without the orignials but it was time for a change in retrospect. I'm looking forward to more of the different law show we saw this year.

 

[James T]

"Denny Crane cannot have sicko friends! You're an evildoer!"

I think I liked the end of last year's season finale better than the series finale.

 

[Chris]

Ugh. I used to enjoy this show.. but man, did it lay the political tripe on hard tonight.. and it just seemed out of place with everything else that was going on.

The setup for Fleet Street, though, could be interesting.. I might give it a try.

 

[Rob T]

Fleet Street... What a bad name.

I'll still be watching though.

 

[Chris]

This is terrible, but when I heard "Fleet Street" all I could think of was enemas.

 

[Craig S]

Very disappointing finale. It should have been about the old cast, yet it played like more setup for the new show.

Was anybody else surprised that DeMorney's character didn't appear to be suing Eleanor?? (Hell, she probably could have had her arrested for assault.)

I'm glad they got Bobby back (and his lone farewall was appropriate for the character), but where were Lindsey, Rebecca, Lucy? Did they even ask these actors back for a cameo?

The inappropriate, out-of-place (and character for that DA) Iraq diatribe was David E. Kelley at his sermonizing, chest-thumping worst. It was a stunningly bad scene.

All in all, this finale made me appreciate the "Friends" & "Frasier" finales even more. Even though I enjoy the Alan Shore & Denny Crane characters, it left such a bad taste in my mouth that I'm not sure "Fleet Street" will be in my tryout list come fall.

Oh yeah, about that title - isn't "Fleet Street" best known as the moniker used for Britain's national press establishment??

 

[Patrick Sun]

I feel somewhat bad for the actors who have to deliver DEK's political rants.

 

[Jeff Gordon]

Not in Massachusetts, where the show is set.

 

[Craig S]

Really?? You can punch somebody unprovoked, putting them in traction, and that's not assault??? What the hell do you have to do to someone for it to be assault??

BTW, I know Eleanor was provoked verbally, but I didn't think that was accepted as an excuse for physical attack.

 

[Jeff Gordon]

Oh, NO, it's definitely Assault and Battery. The problem is, it was not in the presence of a Police Officer. In Mass, the police officer can only arrest if the assault occurs in their presence or is a Domestic Assault. The person who is assaulted has to go and file their own complaint at the court of jurisdiction and go to a "Show Cause" hearing. Or the police can summons the suspect into court, but NO statutory power of arrest. Weird, huh? Most people I explain this too think the Police are just being lazy, but it's the way the law is...

 

[Craig S]

Interesting. Remind me not to get punched in Mass.

I would still think that Hannah Rose, being the litigious bitch she is, would have filed that complaint. Barring criminal prosecution, would civil remedies be an option??

 

[KyleC]

I saw Mannheim on Good Day Live last week and she said she's trying to get her character a new show. It will be get this..... a comedy!

 

[Tim Abbott]

Not if they were wearing a Yankees jersey. Some towns would actually give you the keys to city hall if that were the case.

 

[Craig S]

Yeah, it was reported a couple of months back that Kelley is developing a sitcom around the Eleanor Frutt character. The premise is she moves to a small town with her daughter and opens up her own practice.

 

[Ken Chan]

I thought that Kelley gave his blessing, but was not directly involved.

It wasn't unprovoked

 

[Craig S]

 

[Ken Chan]

Seems to me that there is a level of verbal abuse that deserves a simple punch/slap in the face. I won't say that level was reached here (and obviously the punch was exaggerated for effect) but in principle, smarmy people should beware.

 

[Dan Hitchman]

I liked the use of current affairs to drive the story lines... not all the time, but when it fits, use it! Very few shows these days have the balls to take a somewhat moral stance on very disturbing issues facing this country and its soul.

Liberal media, my ---! It's mainly controlled by ultra-conservative mega-corporations. I'm very surprised Disney has let this show survive for as long as it has, given their latest, not so subtle attempt to censor Michael Moore's latest documentary in order to curry favor from Florida's gov.

Stepping off my soap box now.

Fleet Street is a really bad name, but at least it looks to be a more semi-satirical shift in the ever increasing pile of lawyer shows. Probably somewhere between The Practice and Ally McBeal.

Denny Crain.

 

[Yee-Ming]

Heh, nearly one year late to the party

what's a guy to do, we get shows about a year behind the US, which all things considered isn't too bad, it used to be worse.


I thought it was his old office (latterly Eugene's)? Either way, as someone else put it, it showed that contrary to his own statements, unlike all the others, he had not moved on. The fact that the absolute final shot was on his face, fade-to-black, was totally appropriate, given that this show was, basically, about "the practice" that Bobby had built, and was now dissolving completely.