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DOTTIE'S
CORNER: ARCHIVES
Column Two - December, 2002
Season 7 - Episode 9: "The Good Fight"
Date aired: December 8, 2002
This Practice had so much screentime for beautiful Bobby, it has all but left me speechless. Really…..it’s true…I’m so astounded…it’s all I can to write a single word- that’s how blown away I am. But somehow, the thought of Dylan not being lauded enough for his magnificent acting is managing to coax my fingers into typing. (Well, let’s face it, the thought of Dylan could coax a LOT of body parts into action for this writer, but…well..this IS a PG rated site.) Anyway, for this viewer and many other astute observers; this was the greatest Practice Episode I’ve seen in years. After getting tootootoo few and progressively minimal Bobby scenes the last two years , we FINALLY have an ep that centers on our darling boy. And what a great storyline-dramatic and heartrending and thought provoking and OMG did he look gorgeous as he went through so many emotionshemakesmyheartmelt!!!! I felt like this was the ep where you fall in love with Bobby all over again – the complexity of him; the depth and the brooding, the range of his feelings and intellect and capacity to be human- and even though he wasn’t naked, he still was something to feast one’s eyes upon.
This also was the ep where I discovered the "SLOW" button on my VCR, so, at the risk of damaging the new VCR I had to buy for this season (rumors replaying that the hallway B&L kiss from last season’s Superman ep destroyed my last one are merely…allegations), I have replayed several parts of the ep several dozen times at regular speed, and at slow speed; as slowly as his loving caress….his beautiful smile…his soulful eyes…ah well I could go on like this forever, but I promised Court I wouldn’t make her have to update her software here. And btw if anyone out there knows just how many times one can replay a scene, like yaknow Bobby’s hand on Lindsay’s thigh and his sad but deeply loving eyes shifting to her face without causing major technological difficulties- the info WOULD be valued- after all, two VCR’s a year is really enough doncha think?
There were so many Bobby moments and even a cherished B&L moment, that I could not possible describe them all-but I will mention a few. First of all, Bobby was supposed to be looking haggard in the opening scene. I thought it was funny when Jimmy tells Bobby how bad he looks, only to admit sheepishly how much better Bobby STILL looks than him. How true. The thing is, except for a slightly askew tie (which initially led me to imagine we would be seeing more than his TIE askew.sigh), he looked totally wonderful to ME. I don’t think he was tired enough looking – I mean, we should have seen him maybe with unbuttoned shirt, or perhaps when he was asleep having nightmares, that scene could have been in his bedroom wearing nothing but his undershirt and boxers, and maybe even when he was conflicted he could have been staring at himself in the bathroom mirror and dripping wet just having got out of the shower and with a curl of hair falling over his beauitiful blue eyes which I KNOW I could comfort him if I could just lean over and push that off his sweet forehead. Anyway, I really didn’t think there was much wrong with the scene, mind you, just it could have been improved a little with something like that.
Another great image of Bobby is when he was talking to his obnoxious drug dealing client –oooohhh I hatedhimsomuchthatruthlessselfservingcreep!!!!!man I hate ANYONE that goes after my poor darling Bobby esp. when he’ s having a hard time and poor Bobby was having one of the hardest times of his life this week. Anyway, there was this great part in that scene when Bobby had his hand on his hip and he has such a gorgeous him; I mean he has this long luscious lean figure and even though they were arguing, I just couldn’t help but notice what a great physique he has then, I mean I love a man with a muscled chest and long masculine torso and slim hips and that hand sort of accentuated it and made ya sort of stop concentrating on the scene a little and start thinkin’ about running my own hand down his hips and perhaps a few other luscious areas and maybe that would have been better all around, not only for Bobby’s mood, but also just for the dramatic effect on the scene.
Well, the more things progressed the more serious they became, and this is where Dylan as an actor really impressed me and rose in my estimation even higher than I thought possible and that’s pretty good cause I really think he is one of the best actors America, if not in the world, or the entire solar system or any other known playhouse in the universe. In fact, I think a lot of people don’t even notice how great an actor he is because they foolishly get caught up in the superficial aspects of the man and don’t meditate as much on his great depth and range as an artist because they are thinking about his stunningly handsome face, those magnetic blue eyes, those soft expressive lips that you can almost imagine kissing every time you watch him I mean it’s hard not to see him and his soft lovable lips and think of not kissing them or his chest and think of not undressing him and…well, ya know, I think there ARE a few people who get distracted like that.
So from here on in, it was nothing but trouble for my poor dear tortured darling Bobby – (and now I really AM gonna get serious ) scene after scene plied upon us, as we watched him losing his professional veneer and descending into his own personal torment, and disengaging from his network of support, even as though those around him were getting more concerned. We see him withdrawing from the case,sitting in the hall like a battlescarred statue, just waiting for it all to be over, for his unacknowledged pain to abate, to be free from his client, and from his increasing sense of guilt. There is that agonizing scene of him having a nightmare about his former abusive client and a new victim; and Bobby waking up and OMG it was all I could do to restrain myself from hurtling right through the television screen to comfort and caress him then, as he rose terror stricken, his athletic torso and arms trying to fight away the nightmare, his deep breaths(alright ONLY a besotted Bobbyaddict would admit to having thought at that point of OTHER times when Bobby was engaged in activities that required heavy breathing, so certainly I will refrain from mentioning such an idea) trying to recall him back to the real world of sanity – but where is there refuge for Bobby at this point? He wakes from a nightmare only to walk into the nightmare of his life- defending people that deserve to rot; for some ideal or challenge that is no longer real to him – all that is pressing is the growing realization that he is connected to this pain; that he feels that he is as bad as the people he defends- and that he sees himself as the cause of other’s suffering.
And through this all, not a soul really reaches out to him- HOWDARETHEY neglect our darling precious boy and I really WOULD have hurled myself right through the television to comfort and caress him, to answer his pain with a sweet kiss and perhaps have him enter a comforting mutual bath but..ah..well, it seems I have been cautioned about destroying any more electronics for the season. Meanwhile, we see Helen turning on him (and I think SHE has a heck of a lot of nerve reporting him to the judge- thecallousetwofacedhypocriticaldoubledealinglyingWITCHlemmeather!!!!the next time she threatens my Bobby, I’m taking away her year’s supply of Botox!); we see Lindsay,well she DOES look worried about him but WHERE IS SHE?? Doesn’t she even notice her own husband these days? And Eugene seems more worried about Helen than Bobby when he confronts her office, that darn cackling judge who put Bobby on these miserable cases in the FIRST place telling him to fork his case over to Eugene –poor Bobby is unraveling everywhere and no one seems to help him ATALL!!!! Well, by this time one devoted, worried, truenumberoneDylanfan/curlyhaired lady was ready to hop a redeye to Dylanland and without having to destroy another wall unit, go right to the source himself and give him some well deserved comfort!!!!And I WOULDA too, except I was riveted to the screen and wanted to see how the ep ended first isall.
Finally we come to the coda of the drama- and may I put aside all humorous shenanigans to say that this was the most riveting part of the story for me- Bobby reclaiming the courtroom one more time and giving what turns out to be a farewell (for now) speech as a criminal defense lawyer. When he descends the stand after convincing Judge Wackhead (or whatever) that he can do the closing; it is as if he is descending into a smothering underwater hell; his face is resigned, pained and yet almost relieved to return to his familiar function of "Bobby Donnell for the defense" …We see Bobby smile for the first time in months; but it is a pained smile, rueful, recalling his own pleasure in being a young lawyer, and a black humored, self chastising grin at how he has a case that even his bungling couldn’t lose (NOT true in my opinion; I think Bobby gives a GREAT closing here – one that only a lawyer of his talent could pull out of his hat like this at such a crucial time in his own personal life- I really had such admiration for his talent as a lawyer here-and for Dylan’s talent as an actor which just SHINED!!!!!My heart broke for him and had me crying at the end when he was benched. And I felt like crying all through the last scene, except for my relief of seeing Lindsay – at last- what a relief!! Enter the courtroom…and the beautiful, albeit short , B&L moment at the end.
What can I say about that end? It was bittersweet, beautiful so touching, mesmerizing at how in love they still were even as you wept for what Bobby was going through. He is sitting huddled into himself in the beginning, poor beautiful Bobby, still stunning in his blue shirt, his tie and jacket now cast away, hugging himself, frozen and trembling – and then opens his body when is wife enters. He immediately reaches out to her, his beautiful hand covering her lap; her loving hand covering his. She smiles at him; as much in receiving his touch as to assuage his pain. The first thing he asks, his face mournful and broken but totally trusting is her opinion of him – did he ‘lose it?’. Lindsay , who has been through some…strange changes of her own to say the least these last months; becomes once again the Lindsay we all love and identify with and admire. She answers him kindly but truthfully – at last, someone acknowledging what he has been going through. She tries to assure him the rest will be good.
And we come to near the final end, where Bobby tries to reach out, but his mind is stricken, his thoughts still captive to the horrific abusive client he got off recently – for all this time he has been trying to escape his sense of guilt; he has tried to wrap his mind around the coda that it ‘isn’t his fault..he’s just a lawyer’ – but his broken voice (and MAN Dylan can say more with the stretch of an eyebrow or the tone of his gorgeous voice than other actors can do with a 1000 pages of dialog) and his expressive mournful eyes, his weary face – they all belie that cheap line of comfort. He’s frozen, broken, torn into shreds by the conflict of doing a job like an artist, of once loving to be a lawyer; and now of seeing himself as enabling criminals and of hating himself for being a cog in a system that lets these monsters go.
"You’re just tired, honey," his loving wife whispers, and his face turns briefly towards her to listen. "You’re just tired." His eyes flicker to her again, his face full of emotion.
And we leave them there, Bobby still frozen in pain, his face full of fear and grief, but for the brief grateful glances he gives his wife; Lindsay, her face trying to comfort him, but her eyes awash in worry and compassion; her hand caressing his neck, his shoulders his hair…and as the camera pulls back, we see the couple, wedded, for better and now for worse; her hand on his shirt collar, then at his hair in gentle caress, his loyal reaching hand staying him like an anchor to her thigh…………..and the beauty of their love, still alive in this dim room and pained ruin, tethering his sanity to her; nurturing her beloved; and through it all - sustaining them. ~ Dottie
Column One - November, 2002
Season 7 - Episode 7: "Small Sacrifices"
Date aired: November 17, 2002
This is the first ep since last season's Sting Operation that has given Dylan adequate screen time. They really showcased Bobby and the ep gets very high rating for that. Since this was a VERY serious and thought provoking ep, this review will be more serious than usual. So first of all, it was very noticeable how good Bobby looks in a suit. (This is as serious as I can get for now ;-) ) We really got to see him walk around the courtroom and one could only notice that the years have not shown any wear or tear on his elegant designer suited sense of fashion or his?gasp..long, tall lean masculine body..I mean, even in a suit, you can see how vital and energetic he is, like a muscled panther about to spring ?he can look like a high-jumper even standing still. Bobby?s sense of style has always been a magnetic drawing point, and is totally showcased here- his suit hugs his gorgeous body and wraps and drapes around him like a tailor made, close fitting Dottie?oops, pardon the typo, I meant a close fitting glove. The sophisticated sense of style he has was evident throughout the ep. Blues, satin silvers, muted but mesmerizing ? not many men are as sexy in clothes as he is. (Not to mention OUT of clothes; but I will delay that discussion for now as I may get distracted if I start rambling about his gorgeous bod and his wonderful engaging arms, his muscular chest and oh I believe I?ve mentioned he has terrific legs right?, you can tell he runs and is as supple and strong as a tiger?and oh..eh..then?uh, well I promised Court I ?d actually FINISH this piece, so we?ll get back to our solemn discussion of the ep)
What was also great about this ep was that you saw all kinds of shots of his body and handsome face- three quarter shots, a great scene in the elevator where his presses the button and you can see his strong, capable finely turned out hand, with just that one vein cresting along the back of his hand, ya know a man who is active and athletic has hands like that and I?ve loved Bobby?s hands since he patted Lindsay?s hand during a trial) ? oh and then they show him striding and pacing around the courtroom like an elegant tiger ?MAN this guy has such a great way of walking; there?s an easy masculine power to his stride, and didja ever notice he has a slightly bowlegged walk like a cowboy which for some reason I find REALLYREALLY SEXY ? I mean how could any jury of sentient adult, breathing women keep their eyes off him?!!! ? it was a joy just to see him walking cross the floor and seeing so much of him. Good thing it was a big courtroom.
I have been saying for years that Dylan should win an Emmy; and I?m hoping beyond hope that THIS season he does; cause his acting in this ep was so great- he was so torn by conflicting emotions; having to do his duty as a lawyer by tearing apart a vulnerable youngster ? but you could see all his thoughts and emotions playing subtlely across his beautiful handsome face - and you just felt so bad for him. And where was anybody to help him(?!) in that final last scene when he won the case, but lost his sense of self and was so drained and miserable that he couldn?t even move out of the chair, poor dear darling boy ? no Lindsay there(!) ? his priest condemning him (!!!) , not a colleague stayed to assuage him(!!!!!), even the judge glanced at him with curious disinterest(grrrrr!!!!) ? IS THERE NO ONE ELSE to help our poor tormented boy by gathering him in my arms and cuddling his warm body and covering his gorgeous face with little kisses and whispering sweet nothings in his sweet ear??Well, if there IS no one else available at this dire moment; fortunately , I DO feel up to the task.
Okay, so there were a few other things that happened in this ep. First of all, I had sort of mixed feelings about the brief B&L moment?I was glad to see them together of course, but disappointed that Lindsay really couldn?t seem to reach him as he expressed his anger and anxiety about being on this case and having his priest confront him in court ? and I was just sooooooooooooooo hoping that they would be communicating better. At least in earlier seasons, when they spatted a little, you got to see them make up ? and oh Bobby can be so tender and loving then, he just makes me MELT! Secondly, even tho I thought it was terrific to show this peek into their lives of dressing for work, I couldn?t help feel that the moment would have been greatly improved if they had started off that ritual with a naked Bobby. Or even better, showing him UNDRESSING after work!! Wouldn?t that have been much better?,I mean, from a totally dramatic and intellectual viewpoint of the plot, course. I have even tried to rewind the scene in hoping that what has gone on, would come off, but somehow my VCR isn?t sophisticated enough to accomplish that. So that was one of the major disappointments of the ep.
I also felt a little sad that the ONLY time we got to see Bobby smile this ep, was a rueful (almost bitter and self-loathing) smile he gave during his powerful closing ? about the purpose of being a criminal lawyer. I think that this court scene was one of the most powerful DEK has done in quite some time, and why the show was so popular from its inception. Bobby is as talented a lawyer as???.well, Dylan is an actor ?he is brilliant and driven and charismatic and it is in his makeup and instinct to win, to make a great case no matter how challenging ? and the fact that he was making it so incisively - while underneath the surface he was being besieged by his own tormenting conflicts and guilt over this very job - made him so amazing to watch! I think this is a wonderful, almost Shakespearean-like theme to present and develop; and I believe this conflict has been building in Bobby for years; how does a criminal defense lawyer like Bobby make peace with that essential part of himself that is really decent and moral and God-fearing at the core; it also makes sense for it to surface now, with his wife having gone through hell because of a murderous client, and the great tenderness he obviously feels for his own child. I hope this theme is continued in the future, and Bobby is able to work through this conflict and bring out more of that sweet, caring and concerned man that lies within. (HAH!- and no one thought I could make a serious point huh??well I can, ya know, I didn?t take all those English courses for nuthin? ya know, and just cause watching my beautiful Bobby means I?m functioning with half my IQ tied behind my back ? well it doesn?t mean I?m TOTALLY intellectually comatose?I reserve those unconscious moments for a gasp..precious?.B&L KISS or a BARECHESTED BOBBY, preferably one who is engaging Lindsay in some delightful?horizontal activity; which I dare say we are in dire need of at this time, I mean what does DEK think we?re watching this program FOR btw and these type of scenes are lllllonnnnnnnnnnngggggg overdue and quite frankly someone should tell DEK he?s in danger of losing a LOT of viewers if he doesn?t hurry up and write some hot, lovey and/or cuddly scenes. I mean, I haven?t caught a glimpse of Bobby?s chest since he wore a wire in the sting case last year, and ooooooooooo remember when they even showed a glimpse of his cute little bellybutton then?.and uh?wha?? ..hmmm?what did you say, Court?? I?m using up all the computer space?? This was only supposed to be a brief column? Ya say I?m crowding out the FX reviews? Sorry dear, I seem to have digressed a bit there for some reason.
Well I guess I better sum up now
and besides I really have to hurry off and watch the latest WB rerun tape
of the Practice of the end of the Vogelman case when Bobby comforts Lindsay
in his loving , tender embrace and whispers "It?s okay..okay" in her ear;
oh my, that was one of the most magnificent B&L moments EVER and I wish
we could see more of that OMG!!!he just folded his arms around her in his
loving embrace and you could almost feel his warm breath in my ear....and?huh??eh
?um?.YES, Court , I am?Really...I?m finishing up ?.Honest?..I?m almost done
now ..What's that you say? if I wind up now, you'll post a sexy smiling
pic of Dylan right over my column and my very own name?!..Well, sorry folks
gotto to run now! thanks for reading! chat soon - Dottie
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