I’m rethinking some earlier remarks on Boston Legal (Boston Legal, tricky loyalties [Media Notes 6]). While I don’t think that, in general, the show is much concerned about members of the firm using their position to further their private interests, there is Denny Crane, the first of the named partners – the firm is called Crane, Poole, and Schmidt. He clearly identifies with the firm. One occasionally hears him referring to putting this or that essentially private expense (e.g. entertainment) on the company expense account, though the amounts involved seem rather minor. And he also uses his status to get his way when perhaps he shouldn’t.
And then there’s the matter of his sex drive. He does use his status to approach women rather aggressively, both clients and members of the firm. At one point one of the junior partners filed a sexual harassment complaint against him.
But is this corruption? It’s certainly not the same as embezzling from the firm or putting your cousin on the payroll though they’re not qualified for the job, or giving a contract to an old chum. Nor does it harm the firm in the way those kinds transgressions do. But it does confuse one’s private interest with the interest of the firm.
It would be interesting to compare Denny Crane with Deadwood’s Al Swearingen or George Hearst or with Tony Soprano.
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