The Practice - General Discussion

[txhorns79]

On 2/19/2021 at 2:41 PM, CrazyInAlabama said:

I love the Lindsey vs. Ellenor fight. 

Seriously, Lindsey jumping across the desk to attack Ellenor is a high point of the series.  It's something you'd expect more from Ally McBeal, but somehow works for the show.  Though you know in reality that Ellenor would rip Lindsey in half without much effort.   

[Tara]

Never watched this series in its day. First thing that prompted me to post — Ellenor, the Camryn Manheim character, boy, is she ever unlikeable! The trial where they were recommended for disbarment, talk about not taking any blame at all for your own stupid actions. Sheesh.

Edited March 9, 2022 by Tara

[SparedTurkey]

On 3/9/2022 at 9:27 PM, Tara said:

Never watched this series in its day. First thing that prompted me to post — Ellenor, the Camryn Manheim character, boy, is she ever unlikeable! The trial where they were recommended for disbarment, talk about not taking any blame at all for your own stupid actions. Sheesh.

Started watching this on Disney+ and I don't know why I keep watching it. They are all awful, all unethical, all morons. Except Helen although she has her moments. Bobby and Lindsay are terrible people and I would pay money if Bobby Donnell would talk above a whisper just so we know he "really really means it". And Berluti comes across as the guy who would believe that ivermectin cures Covid-19.

The only people who stay relatively the same and less objectionable seems to be Helen and Eugene. And Lucy.

I'm very surprised this show was so well lauded back in the day.

[Blergh]

26 minutes ago, SparedTurkey said:

Started watching this on Disney+ and I don't know why I keep watching it. They are all awful, all unethical, all morons. Except Helen although she has her moments. Bobby and Lindsay are terrible people and I would pay money if Bobby Donnell would talk above a whisper just so we know he "really really means it". And Berluti comes across as the guy who would believe that ivermectin cures Covid-19.

The only people who stay relatively the same and less objectionable seems to be Helen and Eugene. And Lucy.

I'm very surprised this show was so well lauded back in the day.

I especially got annoyed that they kept defending Ellennor's claimed 'friends' -especially after the 2nd time one of them wound up being guilty as sin and BURNING everyone. Why didn't the others tell  ever Ellennor 'NO!  We are NOT going to defend ANY of your supposed 'friends' EVER again! You may know how to practice law but you absolutely SUCK at picking friends!'?

Even that said, though, I hated it when they made the whole original cast James Spader's literal wallpaper (I mean they even had a promo appearing as such) and refused to ever watch Boston Legal as a result!

[Egg McMuffin]

Everyone was always so serious. I liked the unofficial and official crossovers with Ally McBeal. In an elevator:

Helen, to Ally: Nice dress. Maybe you should eat a cookie.

Ally: Maybe we can share one

Or the official one where the members of Bobby’s firm visited Cage and Fish. Elaine: “Bobby, last night I dreamt that we had unprotected sex. I’d tell you more, but we really don’t know each other very well.” LOL.

I also liked the last season with James Spader as Alan Shore (much better than I liked Boston Legal, though I did watch that out of loyalty.

[SparedTurkey]

22 hours ago, Blergh said:

Even that said, though, I hated it when they made the whole original cast James Spader's literal wallpaper (I mean they even had a promo appearing as such) and refused to ever watch Boston Legal as a result!

I can get that. It's just I am finding the tone from after the first season gets so hypocritically sanctamonious with Bobby and Berluti the worst with Lindsay a close second. Every client from season 3 onwards is innocent, as is Bobby when he breaches privilege, has a friend for a client, has someone killed and without ever considering he is wrong. Plus what self respecting adult calls himself Bobby in court? There is always the framing of "defence lawyers are doing great unappreciated work" but this representation is wholly offputting.

The tone is wildly different but I think Boston Legal can get away with the Court theatrics and the last minute rabbits because it has more of the irreverent tone that The Practice lacks because it takes itself too seriously. Lindsay having an immediate birth with no warning in a Courtroom while Bobby is useless would work on BL or Ally McBeal but not The Practice. It's like trying to have cake and eat it too but it can't.

[GHScorpiosRule]

Yes! A thread for this show! I need to go back and read all comments though.

It's now available on Prime.

Though just glancing at the last few comments on this page, people are...hate watching?

I LOVED this show. Well, until it fell off the rails.

Won't lie. Loved Bobby, because, well Dylan. ROWR!

[txhorns79]

I've been watching on Hulu, and I did have to laugh when a witness explains that she knows when the defendant arrived home because Boston Public was about to start. 

[GHScorpiosRule]

9 hours ago, txhorns79 said:

I've been watching on Hulu, and I did have to laugh when a witness explains that she knows when the defendant arrived home because Boston Public was about to start. 

I'm watching on Prime! Yeah, they had mini-crossovers with not only Boston Public but also Ally McBeal!

I'm up to season 6 now and it's clear how much the quality has gone down.

And this may be unpopular, but here goes.

I couldn't stand that whiny, vindictive, pissant, Richard Bay. It was clear by the end of season five, they did a hard turn with that character to make him someone with...integrity. After he basically told Mason Capwell Lane Davies' character to LIE in the Scott case?

While I hated how he was killed off, that whole eulogy by Helen, I was like, WHO are you talking about?

[bluegirl147]

4 hours ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

I couldn't stand that whiny, vindictive, pissant, Richard Bay

Hated his character. I honestly didn't care how he was killed off.  I don't know if the audience was supposed to root for him, hate him, love to hate him or what but he was awful.  He was so awful that any time I saw that actor in later roles I would automatically dislike that character.

4 hours ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

I'm up to season 6 now and it's clear how much the quality has gone down.

I agree.  The early seasons had some great stories.  Which for me was always the appeal of the show.  The cases.  The personal lives of the characters were OK when they added to the story.  But all the romantic drama did nothing for me.

[GHScorpiosRule]

OH.MY.GOD.

I think I had stopped watching this around season six.

I thought Gabrielle Anwar's attempt at an Irish brogue in Burn Notice's pilot was awful, her attempt at what? British, here? was absolutely HORRID.

And what the fuck, Bobby? You have feeeeeeeelings for this twat? The way he held and stroked her hair and hands, and let this person charged with a crime, hold and cuddle his child? Even if she wasn't guilty? Bobby's feelings for Kim Raver's murderer in the second season premiere was more believable.

And who did Dylan piss off? His hair was just awful, is awful this season, with the way it's flattened. Like I was convinced by his "I love you" to Lindsay at the end. Married less than two years, and they're acting as if they've been married much longer--gone is the passion, the love making, and all they do is peck each other on the cheeks. DA FUCK?

And it's aggravating how they drop story lines. After the bombing by Hinks, we have two episodes where DCAU's Amanda Waller CCH Pounder, who plays Helene, Rebecca's mother, saying that Rebecca would absolutely refuse a blood transfusion. And when she wakes up, do we, the viewers, get to hear if she adheres to the tenet of being Jehovah's Witness? No. I really wanted to hear and see what Rebecca thought and believed. But hey! one of the recurring judges (and one of my faves) from Mothership Law & Order, was the judge here and in a few other cases on this show! I love Susan Blommaert.

Or other cases that are a one and done and we never hear back, except for the ones with shock value.

I think the quality went down because David E. Kelly stopped writing. He wrote most of the episodes, or co-wrote them in the first four to five seasons. Hence the great writing and episodes.

[GHScorpiosRule]

Just finished watching through season 7. Swear to GOD, just what were the writers smoking? I didn’t recognize Bobby and to a larger extent, Lindsay by the end! And throwing in the character of Sarah just to throw Bobby under the bus to make Lindsay look justified for walking away from the marriage emotionally from mid-season six just pissed me off. So after her conviction is overturned, she leaves the firm, starts her hair own, not wanting to do murder cases, only to end up doing that and then getting ANOTHER crazy ass murdering stalker? And she MOURNED HIM??!! They should’ve just kept Bobby and Lindsay as former lovers who were now colleagues.

And keep in mind only three years married and they imploded. I don’t understand why they did that to them. I won’t lie-I HATED Lindsay by the end. Show should have been cancelled in season five. The last two seasons, we got saddled with that the racist, bigoted, misogynistic Walsh, and nothing but cases, instead of the moments with the characters and their friendships. I think I stopped watching sometime during season six during the original airing.

Just seeing how EVERYTHING happened to LindsayLindsayLindsay, gave me vibes of LANA!LANA!LANA! from Smallville!

Edited February 26, 2023 by GHScorpiosRule