Ally McBeal is a young lawyer working at the Boston law firm Cage and Fish. Ally's lives and loves are eccentric, humorous, dramatic with an incredibly overactive imagination that's working overtime!
Written by Sophie and last updated on jan 28, 2023.
PS: The following content contains spoilers!
PPS: I will admit that parts of this page was written with the help of AI - it makes my work so much easier to not start from a blank page!
Melanie takes John to her tiny apartment (actually it's an old service elevator) and introduces him to Mr. Bo, a homeless man Melanie cares deeply for. Mr. Bo starts to stalk John around and he files a complaint against him. After Melanie convinces him to drop the charges, she reveals that Mr. Bo is in fact her father and John will have to wrestle him in order to go on seeing her. Meanwhile, Richard organizes a twist contest at the bar and while Elaine freaks with the possibility of losing to the babe lawyers, Nelle only enters the contest after Ling introduces her to a very hot twist instructor. And Ally takes a case of a woman who fired her secretary because she was slightly overweight and is shocked when she discovers that Cage & Fish only hire hot female lawyers.
The episode was rated 7.71 from 35 votes.
"The" Nicholas Engbloom comes to Cage & Fish looking for John to help him with a murder case. Melanie West suffers with Tourette's syndrome and accidentally ran over her boyfriend. She claims to have done it on purpose, only not to be humiliated as she has been her whole life. John convinces her to tell the truth and they win the case. While handling the West case, Nicholas finds himself involved in a divorce case. His wife wants to end their long time marriage because he won't retire and she feels like she can't compete with his work. After his wife almost dies, Nicholas abandons the practice, this time forever. Meanwhile, Richard teaches Mark how to use a "sex song" in order to please Elaine in bed, and John asks Melanie on a date.
The episode was rated 7.73 from 45 votes.
Cage's 'oddball' client (from the previous episode) is accused of murdering his old boss and the firm gets involved in their first murder trial. Suspecting he's been set up, Ally plays detective and goes snooping for additional information. Meanwhile, back at the office, Nelle has a few surprises up her sleeve.
The episode was rated 7.74 from 42 votes.
Richard and Ling take Cindy McCauliff's case. She was fired for refusing to take a physical, afraid people would find out she's a man. Richard and Ling, although a bit sickened with that, win the case. Cindy meets Mark at the office and they go out. Richard feels Mark has to know the truth, but Cindy says he'll know in the right time. Meanwhile, Ally organizes a models night at the club to attract men. Brian walks into the bar and is hurt by the sight of Ally dancing surrounded by men. He takes the microphone and thanks Ally for moving on so quickly. John and Nelle handle a case about a woman being sued for sexually harassing a man. They're up against Georgia and Renee, and John wins. He sleeps with the client and is a bit disappointed to find out he was a one-time-only thing.
The episode was rated 7.76 from 38 votes.
"I think I'm gonna love you for a long, long time..." Risa, the bride whose wedding Ally destroyed, decides to sue Ally for intentional infliction of emotional distress. The amount is enough to keep Ally working for Risa for the rest of her life. Ally tries to get Risa's ex-fiancΓ©, Joel, to help her, but he tells her that he really did love Risa and that Ally ruined his life.
The episode was rated 7.76 from 38 votes.
Cage and Fish represent a group of "oddballs" who were fired by a boss who claims their "oddities" were preventing them from fulfilling a new job requirement to bring in new clients, even claiming they offended some clients. Cage begins to take the case personally, considering himself an oddball. Meanwhile, Ally and Elaine enter a dance contest in which the winner gets to perform as one of Tina Turner's back-up singers at the bar and, in the end, both ladies win. Despite their differences, Billy and Ally agree to move their relationship in a different direction.
The episode was rated 7.81 from 36 votes.
Ally is having weird dreams about moments from her childhood, some good, some painful. But each compels her to wrestle with the question of true love. Can it be real or must it inevitably be just an illusion? Ally's latest case is calling the issue into question as she and John Cage are representing a woman charged in Criminal Court with fraud. Barry Philbrick has testified that his wife, Kelly Philbrick married him solely for his money. He claims that at the time of their marriage, she wasn't in love with him, that her wedding vow was a lie and that she admitted it in a letter to a close friend that Barry found. Kelly readily admits to her lack of feelings for Barry: she loved him but she was never in love with him. On the stand Kelly admitted that she had been writing to an imaginary friend: the man of her dreams, who then became the standard by which every real man in her life had to measure up too.
The episode was rated 7.82 from 45 votes.
Judge Whipper Cone asks Ally to take on a pro-bono case of a young prostitute up on her third solicitation charge. Fish, meanwhile, wants to sue his uncle's church for discrimination, due to his uncle's overt bigotry towards vertically challenged people (short people). The church's contention is that they cannot support bigotry of any kind and allowing the uncle a service and proper burial is tantamount to endorsing the appalling views. Fish promises he will not propagate the attitudes in his eulogy. Renee talks Ally into double dating with the salad-dressing-on-the-chin guy if the Biscuit is invited.
The episode was rated 7.83 from 75 votes.
Elaine finds a real, live six-week-old baby in a nativity scene manger and wants to keep him. Cage and Ally represent Elaine in her fight to gain custody, while the rest of the office (full of child-less lawyers) become enchanted with the baby. Even Ling considers having children. Billy attempts to reconcile with Georgia. Meanwhile, Ally and Renee bet $1000 that one can "out-sex" the other by singing suggestive holiday songs on stage at the bar.
The episode was rated 7.84 from 43 votes.
Cage and Fish's firm gets a capital case to defend a man accused of murdering his comatose wife. He insists he fired up the chainsaw and cut off her hand after she was dead. Renee, who is prosecuting, has the testimony of the coroner who thinks the wife was alive and that the amateur surgery gave her a heart attack. Billy and Georgia continue to patch up their marriage after Billy's indiscretion with Ally. Billy and Georgia are working on a case in which they are representing a man suing to get his job back with and insurance company who fired him over a bad hair day.
The episode was rated 7.96 from 45 votes.
John and Nelle defend her father who was fired from his job as a teacher because he claims he's Santa Claus; Ally feels threatened when Larry's ex comes to town;Richard and Ling lip synch at the office Christmas party.
The episode was rated 7.96 from 47 votes.
Ally has a romantic dream about Cage and wakes up thinking that he may be the one for her. When she finally gets up the courage to tell him, he admits that he often thought she might be the one for him also. Meanwhile, Elaine goes on a date with a great guy only to learn that he asked her out because his friend said she was easy.
The episode was rated 8.02 from 43 votes.
After Maddie passes out Ally finds out she is suffering from a nervous reaction to all the changes in her life, so Ally decides that the only way she can help her daughter is to move back to New York. While the news come as a big shock to the firm, Richard anticipates his wedding with Liza so Ally can attend the ceremony. While spending her last hours in the town, Ally gets a visit from Renee, Georgia and afterwards, Billy as a ghost...
The episode was rated 8.13 from 30 votes.
"...And the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true." Georgia sues Cage, Fish and the firm for the destruction of her marriage. She cites many issues as leading to Billy's breakdown and the ultimate dissolution of their marriage.
The episode was rated 8.20 from 46 votes.
Billy represents a woman in an annulment action case, who's deeply religious husband wants out of the marriage. Meanwhile, John gets trapped in an elevator with his legs dangling out the door. Nelle pulls another sleazy stunt.
The episode was rated 8.32 from 44 votes.
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