User Reviews

My favorite storyline is Alan Shore's case defending a professor for wrongful termination. The opposing council is Jerry Espenson, aka "Hands." Alan is delighted to see his friend doing so well. They embrace and quickly catch up much to the irritation of the judge. Jerry has a new coping device, a wooden cigarette, which has given him a new found confidence. As the trial progresses, Jerry interrupts Alan with glib remarks, playing to the jury who are eating it up. Alan realizes that going against his friend won't be as easy as he might have thought. After court the two discuss the case in the hallway. Jerry, still chomping on the wooden cigarette, confidently tells Alan what's wrong with his case despite Alan's usual bag of tricks. Jerry is giddy thinking he's speaking to Alan as a colleague rather than as someone coming to him for help. In a chilling exchange, Alan cuts Jerry down reminding him that he knows who he really is. Jerry, stunned, immediately returns to his quirky awkward ticks and scurries away. It's a powerful scene. Later, the two lawyers meet to negotiate a settlement. Alan tells Jerry that being lawyer is a dirty business and that he's not cut out for it. I wonder what this means for Alan and Jerry's friendship going forward. Alan himself is often quite quirky but he is also a brilliant trial lawyer. It was a bit of a shock to see Alan act so cutthroat with Jerry but it added a complex layer to his character.