[The cast of Ally McBeal]
Ally McBeal
[The cast of Ally McBeal]
Fox’s new one-hour drama “Ally McBeal”
is offbeat, engaging, and superbly written. It is the brainchild of Emmy Award winner,
David E. Kelly (“Chicago Hope,” “Picket Fences,” and “The
Practice”). Kelly broke new ground with this program, which mixes humor with a strong
storyline. To peer into McBeal’s heart and thoughts, Kelly uses the effective device
of fantasy sequences. In various scenes, McBeal imagines herself with huge breasts, having
sex in a coffee cup, picturing a boastful secretary with an extremely large head,
receiving arrows through the heart, getting dumped into a dumpster, and - - well, that is
enough to tease the thought. But none of it would work without the right personality in
the center. Calista Flockhart, who plays Ally McBeal, is all that and more.
One false move and Flockhart would be dead on prime-time. She has to
knock men out with her little pout, make a babbling fool out of herself without losing the
viewers respect, and confess to home-wrecking adultery without losing the viewers
compassion. Flockhart is extremely funny, vulnerable, and sexy. She burns up the screen as
Ally McBeal.
The Cast of Ally McBeal consists of six main characters. First there is
of course, Ally McBeal (Calista Flockhart), a young attorney whose life has been turned
upside down. Her ex-boyfriend from childhood, which she still loves, works with her but
has a sexy, gorgeous, and funny wife, Georgia(played by Courtney Thorne-Smith). McBeal
struggles to sort out her social life, while trying court cases. Her spunky personality
and active imagination take this show into phenomenal episodes.
Billy Alan Thomas (Gil Bellows) plays McBeal’s ex-boyfriend. While
in college, he had to transfer to pursue his law career and left her behind. To his
surprise, she did not follow him. After many years had passed, McBeal gets a job at the
law firm as Thomas’s colleague. He still cares for her and still remembers the love
they once shared. There is just one problem - he is married to Georgia.
Georgia Thomas (Courtney Thorne-Smith) plays Billy’s wife and a
very successful lawyer. Ally is extremely jealous of Georgia, because she is beautiful and
married to the only man Ally has ever loved.
Richard Fish (Greg Germann) is Ally and Billy’s boss. Richard is the most
insensitive, money hungry boss there is. Richard calls his slightly warped views of life
“Fishisms”.
The very talented Lisa Nicole Carson plays Renee, Ally’s roommate.
Renee is Ally’s best friend and is always telling her to follow her impulses. Renee
looks out for Ally’s best interest, but most of the time Renee’s actions go
against Ally’s wishes.
Last but not least, there is Elaine Vassal played by Jane Krankowski.
She is Ally’s personal assistant. Elaine is totally honest and always tells the truth
no matter what it may unleash.
The show gives commentaries on Ally’s emotions by using
flashbacks, hit-and-run fantasies, and voice-over monologues. “Ally McBeal”
shows the way life really works. For example, Ally and Georgia want to hate each other,
yet when they have to prepare a very important case together they become friends. Until,
Billy walks by, and his glance reveals that some emotions still exist between Ally and
himself. These are just a few reasons why people love “Ally McBeal”.
Ally McBeal is known for her own philosophy known as McBealisms - -
here are a few.
... “So here I am the victim of my own choices, and I’m just
starting."
... “Love and law are the same, romantic in concept, but the actual practice can give
you a yeast infection, but I actually liked my job.”
... “Men are like gum anyway, after you chew they lose their flavor.”
...“Today is gonna be an uh, a less bad day, I can feel it. Sometimes I wake up and I
just know that everything is going to be..less bad.”
... “The real truth is that I probably don’t want to be too happy or content,
cuz then what? I actually like the quest, the search, that’s the fun, the more lost
you are the more you have to look forward to, what do you know, I’m having a great
time and I don’t even know it.”
...“It doesn’t matter that I’m not in a relationship with anybody.
Sometimes I fell like I’m being unfaithful to love itself.”
...“Where does it say that women can’t act like men sometimes? I saw a piece of
cute meat, and I said to myself, “You only live once: be a man”
...“Sometimes there’s no point in the truth if the only thing it will do is
cause pain.”
...“I think I need to believe that it works - love, couplehood, partnership. The idea
that when people come together, they stay together. I have to take that with me when I go
to bed at night - even if I’m going to bed alone.”
Ally’s Episode Guide - - these are the episodes that have aired:
<> Pilot (09-22-97) After being sexually
harassed, young lawyer Ally McBeal goes to work for a former classmate. Making her
decisions more uncomfortable: one of her new colleagues is her now-married ex-boyfriend.
<> Compromising Positions (09-29-97) Fish’s
partner, John Cage faces fines, jail, and public humiliation. Fish invites Ally along to
dinner with a very wealthy potential client, Ronald Cheanie. Billy wonders if her should
tell Georgia that he slept with the hooker who came to his bachelor party.
<> The Kiss (10-6-97) Ally senses Cheanie is
withholding something when he neglects to kiss her goodnight after their first official
date. Georgia asks Ally to assist her is trying an age discrimination case when the
opposing litigator turns out to be Bilings, the guy Ally tried to sue for sexual
harassment at her old firm.
<> The Affair (10-13-97) An old professor of
Ally’s died and she is asked to speak at the funeral. The only problem is that she
had an affair with the professor when she was his student in college.
<> One Hundred Tears Away (10-20-97) Ally is
arrested for aggravated assault and attempted shoplifting. Renee bails her out and Ally is
brought before the State Bar Review Board.
<> The Promise (10-27-97) After saving his life,
Ally helps and hinders an overweight man with his relationship.
<> The Attitude (11-03-97) When Ally tries to
help a Jewish woman move on to a new marriage, she gets into a heap of trouble with the
Rabi, who latter ask Ally out on a date. Georgia is forced to leave her firm, and joins
the firm where Ally and Billy work.
<> Drawing The Lines (11-10-97) Elaine leads a complaint about how
all the men gouge at the mail girl. Ally teaches Georgia how to drink cappuccino properly.
Billy tells Ally that he misses her.
<>The Dirty Joke (11-17-97) Renee bets Ally that
she is too pure to stand up at the nightclub and tell a dirty joke. The mail girl tries to
sure Richard for sexual harassment.
<> Boy To The World (12-01-97) Ally befriends a
lonely transvestite. Richard deals with the death of his uncle, and goes to court so he
can slam short people at the funeral the way his uncle would have.
<> Silver Bells (12-15-97) Ally’s trouble
starts when she is teamed with John and Georgia to represent a threesome who wants to make
their “marriage” legal. John expresses a romantic interest in Ally.
<> Cro-Magnon (01-05-98) Ally is shocked to
discover that her biological clock is ticking, unleashing libidinal impulses in her, she
keeps seeing a dancing baby. During a sculpting class with live nude male models, she and
Renee become enamored by one particular model with generous endowments. Ally takes on a
case of a 19-year-old who has been charged with assault because he slugged a guy in a bar
who was verbally harassing his date.