‘Boston Legal’ Ending Explained — What Happens in the Series Finale?

The Big Picture

• Boston Legal took a bold approach in critiquing the American political and justice systems, taking chances that other legal shows didn’t.
• The finale of Boston Legal features a memorable scene in which Denny appeals his Alzheimer’s drug case to the U.S. Supreme Court, with James Spader delivering a brilliant persuasive monologue.
• Love is the central theme of the final episode, with Shirley and Carl deciding to elope and Denny and Alan getting married, showcasing a deep platonic love between the two friends.

It’s hard to find fault with David E. Kelly‘s legal dramedy Boston Legal. The hit ABC series was a spinoff of another knockout legal series, The Practice. Where other legal shows, L.A. Law being one, tended to glamorize the American legal system, The Practice depicted the dichotomy between personal morals and legal ethics with more honesty than most. Boston Legal took a similar approach to depict legal work as its parent series, though arguably with much more levity. Boston Legal took a lot of chances, particularly in its critique of the American political and justice systems. This is especially evident in the last two episodes of the series, leading to one of the most satisfying finales of any on television.

Boston Legal centers around the fictional Boston-based litigation firm Crane, Poole & Schmidt, and the lawyers handling various civil and criminal cases. Dennis “Denny” Crane (William Shatner), one of the named partners, is a tremendously successful litigator with over fifty years of experience. He is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, and as a result of his confusion and forgetfulness, he tends to find himself in various kinds of trouble throughout the series. Denny’s best friend is Alan Shore (James Spader), a smooth-talking lawyer at the firm with a passion for fighting for the underdog. Though Denny and Alan are polar opposites regarding their political ideologies, these opposites definitely attract… platonically.

A Chinese Company Buys Crane, Poole & Schmidt in the ‘Boston Legal’ Finale

The law firm of Crane, Poole & Schmidt is in dire financial straits. The soon-to-be bankrupt law office finds itself in a precarious position and needs help to make payroll. The managing partners arrange to sell it to a Chinese-run law firm, which enrages both Denny Crane and Shirley Schmidt (Candice Bergen), another named partner in the practice. Denny’s disease is progressing, and after arguing for the legal right to use a promising but non-FDA-approved Alzheimer’s drug in the Massachusetts Supreme Court, and losing, the litigators decide to appeal the decision to the U.S. Supreme Court. Who knew it was that easy!?! While the team is preparing for the upcoming federal legal fight in the hopes of helping Denny, the fate of the firm is undetermined.

Denny pulls out his gun, luckily loaded with paintballs, and begins shooting the group of lawyers who are in town from China to close the deal on their purchase. This would definitely not fly today, and honestly, it seems like a dream sequence from which Denny will wake, and the audience will laugh at the absurdity of it all. But this is the actual opening sequence of the next to last episode, “Made in China.” Aside from Denny’s bigoted target practice and tirade about Chinese companies taking over America, a sentiment very clearly articulated throughout the last episodes of Boston Legal, the other lawyers have significant concerns about their law firm, which argues many civil rights cases, being in Chinese hands given the Chinese government’s track record in this area. Over the final two episodes, the litigation team is fired, rehired, and renamed Chang, Poole & Schmidt. Sorry, Denny.

Denny Crane Goes to Washington in the ‘Boston Legal’ Finale

The last episode of Boston Legal contains one of the most satisfying scenes in the series’ history. Denny appeals his Alzheimer’s drug case to the U.S. Supreme Court with Alan Shore representing him. Boston Legal didn’t invent other justices as stand-ins for the real-life individuals who sit on the highest court in the land. No. Each justice is portrayed by look-alike actors, adding to the realness of the moment. Alan addresses them each by name, slipping in little digs here and there, particularly at Justice Clarence Thomas.

After a stirring argument against using non-approved medication, the main reason being that circumventing the FDA approval process could harm people and lead to Big Pharma becoming even more profit-seeking, Alan Shore delivers his argument to the court. His monologue is brilliant. James Spader’s comedic timing and sarcastic delivery make this one of the best persuasive monologues in the history of television legal dramas. For anyone who has ever dreamed of putting the Supreme Court justices in their place, this truly is one of the most satisfying moments ever scripted. In the end, Denny is granted special permission from the court to use the unapproved drug that will hopefully slow the progression of his disease.

Love Wins the Day on ‘Boston Legal’

At its heart, the final episode of Boston Legal is all about love. Shirley Schmidt is planning her wedding to one of the other lawyers at the firm, Carl Sack (John Larroquette), and their pending nuptials are almost derailed when the two clash over religious affiliations. Though neither is very religious, Shirley, who is Catholic, wants to be married in a church, and Carl, who is Jewish, wants to include aspects of his heritage in the ceremony. When the couple meets with the Rabbi and Priest (and no, this is not the start of a joke) who will officiate the wedding, a mud-slinging contest of biblical proportions (pun intended) takes place between the two religious men, resulting in Shirley and Carl reflecting on their relationship. Ultimately, they realize they love each other more than anything and decide to elope.

One of Boston Legal’s other essential storylines during this turmoil is the proposed marriage of Denny and Alan. Yes. You read that right. Womanizer Denny Crane wants to marry the equally womanizing Alan Shore. Denny and Alan are best friends and openly profess their love for each other in the final episodes. Denny wants Alan to be able to make medical decisions for him and leave his fortune to him without the government taking half of his estate in taxes. At first, Alan argues other ways around marriage that will equate to him being able to make these decisions for Denny, but none of them allow for the transfer of wealth without a hefty financial loss. Denny also points out that with marriage comes the privilege of abstaining from testifying against a spouse, and since Denny seems to have frequent run-ins with the law, he feels this will benefit both of them in the future. With so many reasons why they should marry, and with same-sex marriage being legal in Massachusetts, they decide to do it. They are met with an injunction from an LGBTQ rights group, but they win that battle, too. Denny and Alan marry in a joint ceremony with Shirley and Carl, officiated by Justice Scalia (Jack Shearer), and in the end, love conquers all.

It’s easy to love the ending of Boston Legal for a variety of reasons. While it’s true that Denny and Alan are not romantically involved, the two friends love each other immensely. It’s incredibly endearing to see two men share this kind of intimacy because it isn’t often seen on television. T.V. shows depict women sharing their feelings all the time, but most platonic male relationships on T.V. seem to lack depth. Boston Legal made it clear that these two men loved each other and shared a closeness unparalleled in each of their lives that didn’t revolve around romantic intentions. The series ends as did so many episodes, with Denny and Alan having drinks on the balcony… and sharing a slow dance in the moonlight.

Boston Legal is available to stream on Hulu in the U.S.

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