FROM BOSTON TO MAYBERRY

I had taken 'Boston Legal' off my "must divver" list of TV shows a few weeks ago, but decided to record it this week because Chuck McCann was going to be returning as Judge Fudd. In doing so, I happened upon a Zonk that's easily neutralized.

In the small town of Middletown, two of the attorneys from Crane, Poole, and Schmidt were being led into the town's jail cells so that they could visit with their client. Jerry Espenson remarked that the place reminded him of 'Mayberry RFD', and his associate, a young British lawyer new to the firm named Katie Lloyd, responded, "Where's that?"

As a TV reference joke, we know Jerry was referring to the sequel to 'The Andy Griffith Show'. But that doesn't work when it comes to establishing Toobworld as a fantasy universe in which all TV shows should co-exist as being "real".

So no, we have to look at the scene differently. Jerry was reminded of Mayberry, RFD, because it's an actual location in North Carolina which he visited for some reason, perhaps professionally as a lawyer. He might even have grown up in the area, perhaps in Mt. Pilot! And since Katie Lloyd was from the United Kingdom, she would not have known where Mayberry was.

Within the framework of Toobworld, it's likely that no matter who was with Jerry down in those jail cells, they probably wouldn't know where Mayberry was either.

If the writers intended this to be a pure TV reference in-joke, they should have gone with 'The Andy Grififith Show' since that's where the old jail cells came into play more, thanks to Otis Campbell the town drunk. But then they would not have been able to follow it through with the punchline from Katie. This way, we get a joke for our benefit, and proof that 'Boston Legal' and the world of Mayberry co-exist in the same universe.

Motion for a Zonk denied. Dismissed.

BCnU!
Toby OB