I Saw That!

One woman's opinions about popular entertainment.

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Amateur boxing coach, Christian (but not so heavenly-minded that I'm no earthly good) singer, writer, self-defense advocate, childfree. feminist www.smartwomenboxingtraining.org

Friday, December 23, 2005

"Ally McBeal" (1997-2002)

In the first episode, Ally (Calista Flockhart), an attorney, is hired by a firm run by incompetant and insensitive Richard Fish (Greg Germann), and eccentric John Cage (Peter MacNichol). She is surprised to find that her old flame Billy (Gil Bellows) also works there, and disappointed to find he is married to Georgia (Courtney Thorne-Smith), who is also an employee. Ally and roommate Renee (Lisa Nicle Carson), a deputy District Attorney, moan about being being single.
In between romantic adventures, some crazier than others, Ally and her colleagues found themselves trying cases that all seemed to involve different aspects of human relationships. The attorneys dealt with clients' issues such as divorce, separation, broken promises within relationships, sexual harrassment, age discrimination, etc.

Some other characters in and around the firm included wild legal secretary Elaine (Jane Krakowski); sarcastic and wealthy Ling (Lucy Liu), who came in as a client, then ended up working a the firm; bitchy Neil (Portia de Rossi) who looked down on people whom she perceived were beneath her; Whipper (Dyan Cannon), a judge who dated Fish briefly; Seymour Walsh (Albert Hall), a stern judge who had no love for Fish & Cage attorneys; Larry Paul (Robert Downey, Jr.) who was in a relationship with Ally for a time; and singer Vonda Shepard (playing herself) who performed in the bar downstairs from the law firm.

The show invited controversy. Feminists had problems with a professional woman like Ally seeming to base all of her happiness on finding a man and getting married. Attorneys disdained the show, saying that there was no way that real lawyers would get involved in some of the odd situations that took place in the stories. TV watchdogs deplored the sexual situations that the characters found themselves in.

Near the end of this dramedy's run, plotlines became more implausible, and some characters were jettisoned. Billy developed a brain tumor which caused him to hire models to accompany him to the office. Fish became engaged to odd Liza Bump (Christina Ricci), who figured she would be better off getting into another relationship if her and Fish divorced later than as a woman who had never been married (like most of the other female attorneys). Ally discovered she had a daughter named Maddie (Hayden Panettiere), who was the product of an egg donation Ally had made to an infertility program years before. Ally's roommate Renee just disappeared after the 2001 season with no explaination.

Christina Ricci had appeared in The Addams Family films. Peter McNicol was also a film actor, having appeared alongside Meryl Streep in Sophie's Choice. Gil Bellows played an ill-fated inmate in The Shawshank Redemption. Calista Flockhart played the fiance of Robin Williams's son in the film The Birdcage. Lisa Nicole Carson was in the movie Love Jones along with Larenz Tate. Taye Diggs (How Stella Got Her Groove Back) was a regular on "Ally McBea"l during 2001.

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