A Televisual Feast

It’s Ned versus another ad guy this episode, which brings up some more of the show’s implicit problems. Ned’s dilemma is solved through sleazy but moderately believable means, which puts the episode back in that “reality” realm it functions so poorly in.
A lot of the episode–until Ned goes to Hawaii for a commercial break–is great. […]

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Even though Bobby’s shallow and insecure during his final monologue, it’s the perfect close to the episode.
This episode’s mostly just the engine starting–Helen and Bobby against each other in a high profile murder case, along with Eugene’s quirky case (the curse of the two case “Practice” strikes again)–but it’s decent enough. Kelley avoids most of […]

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Who knew Thomas Calabro was so funny. He guests as Stacey’s New Year’s Eve date and he’s fantastic, excellent timing, good delivery. His portions of the episode are some of the best, as are those featuring the drunken doorman or Rico and Amanda’s attempts at having an evening to themselves. The problem comes at the […]

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This episode hinges on Joan Van Ark’s performance. I think that sentence sums it up.
It’s a standard, unimaginative “Rockford” episode, gliding as much as it can on Garner’s charm. There’s not even a car chase. All the best moments with Rocky are–seemingly–off-screen, but there’s a good bit with Dennis. It seems like most of the […]

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Ned’s client wants to sleep with him and Stacey convinces him otherwise–partially because it would demean him (as a professional), in addition to Stacey being pissed the client hit on him in front of her (not knowing Stacey was the fake wife).
Even though it doesn’t sound like much, it’s actually the first episode to really […]

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David E. Kelley stops pretending and fully embraces “The Practice” as a soap opera this episode, a sensational soap opera.
As Lindsay and Ellenor defend a porn star accused of killing her husband on set, Lindsay battles her feelings for Bobby–while Bobby and Lara Flynn Boyle get even more serious.
Boyle is awful in this episode, just […]

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Even though the episode ends on a reasonably funny note, it’s still a mess. It opens fine, with the quartet at the restaurant, then Ned inexplicably goes up to the bar with Amanda–only so she can introduce him to the guest star.
It’s a strange scene, obvious about the contrivance, something I assumed no sitcom writer […]

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It’s the Jimmy Show as Jimmy goes to court against all odds and, dum dum dum, Bobby. Yes, Bobby sets up Lindsay to take over the case, while Ellenor, Rebecca and Eugene all become potted plants.
It’s not a bad episode–it’s the best of the last few–but it’s cheap. The whole thing relies on the trial […]

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Finally, a schmaltzy (or nearing schmaltzy) finish works for an episode. Stacey goes nuts because Ned bribes a salesman (the bed she wanted was already sold). The episode’s terribly directed, even though Rob Schiller’s one of the regulars–guess he didn’t know what to do when Debra Messing was acting well.
The episode starts a little slow […]

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What an atrocious ending.
The episode isn’t, in and of itself, all bad. It’s mediocre, dealing with Jimmy’s cancer case–after three episodes (or ten in the airing order, figuring for those first season burners)–it’s finally going to trial and Jimmy isn’t cutting it. It’s another episode where Jimmy comes off as a jerk, which is getting […]

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