Anyway, I was rudely shaken out of my hybernation to give you a review of the two-part episode of The Practice featuring our favorite mechanic and Terrian chick going head-to-head in the courtroom. Since this is actually the first time we've had a regular and guest star from E2 sharing the same scenes, you can bet the claws were a-flyin' at the Koba's Nest!
To begin with, Clancy plays District Attorney Fox (an appropriate name, don't you think?) for Los Angeles. He's trying a seemingly open-and-shut case of a man who murdered his online mistress. That is, until the accused gives a Terrian trill to his old friend Lindsay, who flies in from Boston to take his case. She's convinced that he's innocent, even though the case against him is strong. Faster than lightning, our Terrian brings in her staff... er... co-workers to help her defend the case.
As the second episode opens, we once again see Clancy wielding a tool - the hammer that was the murder weapon. What is it with this man and tools? Clancy looks like he is actually a District Attorney, as opposed to an actor playing a D.A. He does an incredible job with a basically bland part. Also of note was the guy who played the lead Detective, a very Mark Fuhrman-like Peter Finn, who SF fans know as Dr. Kritschgau from this year's X-Files season opener. Much is made in this episode of Lindsay's ability to "read" clients and tell whether they are innocent or not. Where on G889 did she get this psychic ability - from the Terrians?? This sounds like a serious pull-it-out-of-your-butt plot device. However, this psychic ability serves her well in the end, as she figures out who the REAL murderer is in time to save her client.
I don't normally watch The Practice, mostly because another show that I like is run opposite of it in the DC area. However, I don't see what all of the fuss is about. I like the fact that David Kelley isn't afraid to put fat people on-camera and have them be good characters. However, I found the writing and (for the most part) acting to be on a lower level than a comparable drama - Law and Order. Kelli Williams may be a good actress, but she just comes across as being shrill in this episode. Dylan McDermott looks like he went to the same acting classes as David Duchovny. The best actors, other than Clancy, were the two "large-sized" actors - Camryn Manheim and the guy that played Jimmy. Clancy and Peter Finn looked very much like they were showing the "kids" how it's done. It was a good part, but the whole episode just left me cold. The one bright spot was the young intern that constantly wanted to go to the beach. I'd have liked to have seen them all go to the beach, just to get a break from the dullness.
In all, the episode was okay, but Clancy made it shine. I give it four ball-peen hammers out of five.