Alan (James Spader) realizes that he hasn't really talked with his colleague and friend Jerry (Christian Clemson, above) in quite some time. Jerry tries to shrug it off.
Jerry: Well, you've been really busy, Alan. So have I, with work. Work has . . .
Jerry, who has Asperger's Syndome, abruptly shifts into a cavalier, swaggering tone he often uses to deal with awkward social situations.
Jerry: Hey, that's the beauty of being good friends, isn't it? Relationships with long shelf lives, You can just stick 'em on the shelf, I tell ya.
Alan looks at him thoughtfully. Jerry self-consciously clears his throat.
Jerry: What?
Alan: I never considered myself someone who puts work before friendships.
Alan sighs.
Alan: Seems I do.
Jerry (quietly): We all do, Alan. Friendships are a little like backyard gardens. We plan to tend them . . . We just always seem to put it off till next week.
--from "Patriot Acts," the fourth season finale of Boston Legal
(Image: ABC) miscctgy