"Do you wonder if I'm any good, Miles?"

October 24, 2024 5:00 PM

In a first-season episode of Boston Legal (Wikipedia, TVTropes), attorney Alan Shore (played with laser precision by James Spader) makes an absolute meal out of intimidating a prospective witness against his client. Here's is that scene, in all it's circa-2014 YouTube glory, with the added value of actor Will Radford in the comments describing how he portrayed the unfortunate target, and his experience filming this episode.
posted by The Pluto Gangsta (11 comments total)

Man, this show was great, and James Spader was brilliant. (Everyone was, really.) It could have gone on for 20 years and I would have kept watching. I loved reading what the actor had to say and learning how much the episode changed over time. It's interesting to think that this plot was originally for Mark Valley's character; I can't help but think it would have had a very different path.

Seeing Spader in this scene really makes me want to see him do a two-hander with Michael Emerson.

Thanks for posting this and reminding me of a show I miss a lot!
posted by rednikki at 5:33 PM on October 24 [3 favorites]

Yeah, I have fond memories of burning through disc after Netflix-rental disc of this series probably fifteen years ago? I seem to recall the last season throwing a lot at the wall that didn't quite stick, but it was fun while it lasted!
posted by kittens for breakfast at 6:34 PM on October 24 [2 favorites]

I loved this show and was rewatching it recently on DisneyPlus.

I loved James Spader in this show so much. I love this character. Such an asshole. I was so hot for him when I watched this show the first time through.

This is definitely not his finest moment. I mean it is one of his finest moments as an actor and as a moment on a tv show, but as his character being a human being, it's obviously not great. I mean not for nothing that his girlfriend is disgusted with him, disgusted with herself for her involvement, and she dumps him and leaves the firm.

Usually he's an asshole in defense of the underdog. Kicking the underdog in defense of a CEO is a thing he does more than once, for sure when he feels like it's his job. But usually he does asshholish unethical stuff in defense of the underdog and then it's completely ok to think that's hot, right?

Anyway, I thought the comment from @willradford4030 was really interesting. Thanks for pointing it out.
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 7:04 PM on October 24 [2 favorites]

In conclusion, I do not wonder if he is any good. Apologies for the TMI on my grad school self.
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 7:22 PM on October 24 [1 favorite]

"denny crane"
posted by clavdivs at 7:35 PM on October 24 [12 favorites]

^ That. I remember when the show started, it was a spin off of another legal series that hadn’t interested me so I wasn’t intending to watch this but then I read a review which said William Shatner’s character was the kind of person who’d walk through a crowd murmuring his name and the thought of that just cracked me up. So I watched and I’ll be darned, he was.
posted by TWinbrook8 at 11:22 PM on October 24 [1 favorite]

I hated all the "Boston" shows, and I must have had a reason, but I certainly could not give you that reason watching this. You can't hate this perfect casting or this writing or this genius editing. Like the tiny cut where James Spader in the course of reprising the dismal life of an autograph hound describes Miles standing in the rain waiting for a minor celebrity to look at him and right then William Shatner deigns to crank up his neck muscles just enough to turn his head so that he can cast his destroyingly contemptuous gaze upon poor, pitiable Miles.
posted by Don Pepino at 6:13 AM on October 25 [2 favorites]

Hello, I am a lawyer. Shows like this are why every prospective client asks me, "Will you be a bulldog on my behalf?" People everywhere have come to believe that the only way to be an effective litigator is to act like James Spader in Boston Legal, or the guys in Suits, or whomever. In reality, this sort of behavior is almost certainly illegal, and definitely unethical.

I know, boo hoo, it's entertainment, and a show about what lawyers really do would be boring as hell. But it's really frustrating that some portion of the public believe that I am shitty at my job because I am nice and treat people with respect, even those that are suing my clients.
posted by Ben Trismegistus at 12:28 PM on October 25 [9 favorites]

I am sorry. That is terrible. Also: thanks for posting this! I’ve never seen any part of the show, and that was a yummy slice, made even more delicious by the commentary from the actor.
posted by Bella Donna at 2:48 PM on October 25

Hello, I am a lawyer. Shows like this are why every prospective client ...

I have had occasion to use the services of lawyers and I did not expect anyone to act like Alan Shore, nor would I have thought that ok in reality (I'm not arguing with you that you encounter that, just setting up this story...). This was a very big expensive firm from the financial district paid for by my union, not by me because I am not the CEO of a fortune 500 company. I had a very much Alan Shore level lawyer, a couple of other lawyers who would come in and out of meetings and the hearings at various times, and an articling law student.

However, before a big hearing, I was little surprised, based more on other legal procudurals and movies that they didn't have any advice or anything on what I should wear to the big hearing. I was very pregnant at the time. In fact, we had to take a break during my testimony because I had braxton hicks. But anyway at the last meeting before the hearing I was like "Well didn't you buy me an outfit?" (It was a running joke all the things I expected based on watching law and order). And they were like "You thought we would buy you an outfit?" and I said "Not only did I expect you to buy me an outfit, I was expecting a montage video of you all shopping at the maternity-wear store and [the male law student] wearing a pregnancy belly to try on the outfits." Anyway, I picked out my own outfit the next morning.

The lawyer was definitely not Alan Shore but she had a way of tearing Mine Enemy to shreds with his own words while still seeming very very nice. Nothing cruel or unethical or shady. We won. I assume thanks to her super-nice shredding (and also, the fact that we were in the right), not my outfit choice.
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 2:50 PM on October 25 [5 favorites]

God I loved this show. I watched it during one of my ultra heavy insomnia periods. I would toorent the episodes, then burn them to disc (only bad people do this. You wouldn't download a mercedes benz would you? Well I fucking would!) and watch them all night with a friend who is a fellow member here. Good times. I am sworn to secrecy and can't tell you it was Dirty Old Town. Ok, I'm completely lying, It was Grumpy Bear. Nope, still lying but I'll stop there, I've got enough people here mad at me.
posted by evilDoug at 4:06 PM on October 25 [1 favorite]