Boston Legal - Best 5 minutes of pro-gay TV

[Greathands]

Is anyone watching tonight's episode?

 

Absolutely the best 5 minutes of pro-gay TV I think I've ever seen.

 

For those of you not watching, there was a case of a man who went to one of those ex-gay places. I actually didn't see most of the program, but I did see the main character's (played by James Spader) final summation in the case. Excellent writing.

 

Does anyone know if it's possible to find scripts to TV shows online somewhere? This would be a great to share with friends and family.

[Guest TBinCHI]

RE: Boston Legal

 

The show ended 10 minutes ago and already there's a thread!! I couldn't agree with you more about it being the best pro-gay message on a TV show yet. Not only was it clever and extremely intelligent, the message was delivered with a combination of humor and sarcasm which really drove the pro-gay point home.

 

I just happened to be watching the show with my teen-aged children and can tell you that the impact on them was enormous. Their reaction was positive and it was clear that the points were understood. Compare that to the Snickers commercial, which I also watched with them. That commercial was, quite literally, an invitation for gay bashing. Thus, even though some adults may have seen some layer of humor in the ad, its insidious nature is revealed in the response of impressionable youths.

 

I'll take Boston Legal any day.

[Greathands]

RE: Boston Legal

 

Thank God for DVR. I played it back s-l-o-w-l-y and typed this up because I definately want to share it with some friends.

 

Here's the setup:

From 2/4/07 episode of Boston Legal. The case is about a man who went to one of those ex-gay places to be “cured” of his homosexuality. He is now suing them for the $40,000 he paid them because it didn’t work. As part of the trial, the defense brought witnesses testifying how it worked for them. (Some of this was funny, because they were over the top effeminate.)

 

After the defense lawyer’s summation, “Alan Shores” (played by James Spader) begins his final summation:

 

“Has anyone ever heard of restless leg syndrome? It’s where you move your leg around in your sleep. It’s awful. You may have it. May not keep you awake; may not harm you in any way; may not bother you in the slightest. But it’s awful. The pharmaceutical companies have declared it so, so they’ve invented a drug and you simply must take it.

 

If you haven’t heard of restless leg syndrome, then you probably have attention deficit disorder. Awful … there’s a lot of drugs for that one. You must take them.

 

(to the jury)

You’re depressed …

You’re not sleeping enough …

You think you’re shy, but you’ve actually got a social anxiety disorder.

Weak stream …

Irritable bowel syndrome …

You people have all kinds of ailments that you don’t know about. Luckily we’ve got drugs for every one of them. You must take them.

 

(At this point the judge interrupts and asks what the lawyer is talking about. The following is his reply.)

 

Same sex attraction disorder. And what troubles me is why the folks in big pharmaceutical companies haven’t invented a pill for this disease. Clearly they’re in the business of selling sickness. If there was a profit to be made, they would make it. And with an estimated gay population of over 10 million people just in the US alone, there certainly is a big enough market. Could it be that they can’t cure it?

 

Well, not to worry. If big pharmaceutical can’t do it, maybe big religion can. And they are. They are the ones who have coined the term same sex attraction disorder. It’s a very good name. And a good name is very important. It’s the crucial first step in disqualifying homosexuals as a segment of the population and categorizing them as a disease. It makes homosexuals seem less like people and more like … the flu. And with terrible, awful symptoms. But curable. And therefore, less concerning when it comes to things like an individual’s rights, freedom, privacy, marriage.

 

Big religion is very concerned with marriage. Big religion is the one filling the pockets of Congress and actually got them to propose a Constitutional ban on gay marriage. Think about that. A governmentally imposed, systematic prejudice against a class based on their sexual orientation. Nevermind that one of the most trusted evangelical advisors to the president was himself having a homosexual affair on the side. Nevermind that one of our Congressman was writing naughty emails to his teenage male pages. Isn’t it just a disease? And I just thought that it was curable. That’s what they told me down at the church.

 

Well, you can legislate against it, you can give it a clever name and treat people for it, you can shut your eyes and have sex with your wife and pretend it all feels right. You can join the church and swear to be celibate for the rest of your life; you can drive around on a Saturday night with a baseball bat and try to beat it out of some poor soul you happen to meet. You can even come to this courtroom and testify about your “new leaf” and how well it’s all working. What a miracle. My only response is … give it time, we’ll see.

 

Meanwhile, this company took $40,000 from my client promising to cure him of his gayness. Only in America, only in a country that overtly and notoriously celebrates its prejudice against a class of people by proposing constitutional amendments. God bless us all. Home of the brave.

 

(To the executives of the ex-gay movement:) Shame on you! Couldn’t you have at least offered a money back guarantee and thrown in a blender?

[+ glutes]

RE: Boston Legal

 

This is very well done, and dovetails so well into Reverend Haggard being 'cured' today...

[Louis]

RE: Boston Legal

 

I thought the show was quite good, and interestingly enough I thought they had good arguments for both sides of the issue, so a person can't say the show was favouring one position or giving a slanted view or argument.

They always seem to come up with very relevant material for their shows.

[needhotdudes]

RE: Boston Legal

 

Not only was last night's episode good, in general it is a good and funny show overall.... and has a way of weaving in social issues.

[Guest TBinCHI]

RE: Boston Legal

 

The other priceless monologue was when Alan Shores interrupted his partner's examination of a witness and said something along the lines of:

 

Homosexuality is life-threatening. If you're gay, God will kill you. If God doesn't kill you, the skinheads will. If the skinheads don't kill you, the religious fanatics will. If they don't the Rebublicans will. And, if the Republicans don't kill you, the Southern Democrats will.

 

It's delivery with more sarcasm and humor again really drove home the point.