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The Best Episodes of Ally McBeal

Every episode of Ally McBeal ranked from best to worst. Let's dive into the Best Episodes of Ally McBeal!

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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!

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  1. #1 Fan Favorite
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    Ally McBeal Season 2 Episode 13 - Angels & Blimps
    8.0/10(4 votes)

    #1 - Angels & Blimps

    S2:E13

    The lawyers are shocked to discover Ling has been keeping a secret. Ally visits Dr. Butters at the hospital one day and sees he's treating a terminally ill little boy. The little boy, Eric Stall, sees Ally in the doorway and finds out that she is a lawyer. He asks if he can retain her services because he wants to sue God. Ally tries to tell him it's not possible, but Ling, who was at the hospital at the same time, overhears and tells the boy not to listen to Ally.

    Director:Mel Damski
    Writer:David E. Kelley

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  2. Ally McBeal Season 2 Episode 20 - Only The Lonely
    8.0/10(4 votes)

    #2 - Only The Lonely

    S2:E20

    In a land where everyone has the opportunity to make a fortune, it seems that now it's Elaine's turn - it appears that her invention, the "Face Bra", might be a hit. Unfortunately, Elaine's family sues her for royalties claiming that Elaine stole the idea from her cousin Martha just before Martha's untimely death. Ally agrees to represent Elaine but when depositions appear to nail Elaine, Georgia is the first to suggest they settle. Elaine is crushed: first her family turns on her, now her colleagues are ready to abandon her. Billy and Ling are defending a computer software firm on sexual harassment charges emanating from the company's "Day at the Beach" casual days at the office. Even though participation is voluntary, Vicky Sharpe, a slightly overweight employee felt she had no choice but to participate or risk being singled out as a non-participant. John Cage remains a man transformed by his thirty-fifth birthday.

    Director:Vincent Misiano
    Writer:David E. Kelley

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  3. Ally McBeal Season 1 Episode 7 - The Attitude
    7.8/10(5 votes)

    #3 - The Attitude

    S1:E7

    Ally represents a Jewish woman who needs her Rabbi to grant her a spiritual release from her marriage to her comatose husband. Ally goes personally to the Rabbi's office to find out why he is being so rigid. Meanwhile, Georgia is the target of a senior partner's wife's insecurities.

    Director:Michael Schultz
    Writer:David E. Kelley

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  4. Ally McBeal Season 1 Episode 9 - The Dirty Joke
    7.8/10(4 votes)

    #4 - The Dirty Joke

    S1:E9

    The attorney, Caroline Poop, who represented Elaine in her short lived suit against Fish and Cage regarding the constant gawking directed at a beautiful delivery woman, returns. This time she is representing the beautiful delivery women, Jennifer, who now serves Fish and Cage with her own lawsuit for same-sex sexual harassment. Meanwhile, Ally makes a bet with Renee that she can tell a dirty joke and get more laughs. The duel is set for the bar downstairs in her office building.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:David E. Kelley

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  5. Ally McBeal Season 2 Episode 22 - Love's Illusions
    7.8/10(4 votes)

    #5 - Love's Illusions

    S2:E22

    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.

    Director:Allan Arkush
    Writer:David E. Kelley

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  6. Ally McBeal Season 1 Episode 10 - Boy To The World
    7.7/10(6 votes)

    #6 - Boy To The World

    S1:E10

    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.

    Director:Thomas Schlamme
    Writer:David E. Kelley

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    The 20 WORST Episodes of Ally McBeal

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  7. Ally McBeal Season 1 Episode 23 - These Are The Days
    7.7/10(3 votes)

    #7 - These Are The Days

    S1:E23

    Cage must represent his second cousin, a harmless but eccentric man with a Cupid Complex. His cousin was brought up on assault charges for swatting couples in the head with a paddle to goose them into realizing they're in love. On the way out of the courthouse, the client swats Ally and Bobby Donnell, who have grown considerably closer over a case they are co-counseling. The matter entails two men who want the court to order/force a hospital to perform a heart-swap surgery. The judge turns the tables on the lawyers and asks Ally to role-play by pretending she's the judge who must render the ruling. Billy and Georgia realize their relationship is in a rut. They resolve to be less predictable, and spontaneously decide to have sex in the conference room. Ally who always seems to be at the wrong place at the wrong time inadvertently walks in on Georgia and Billy.

    Director:Jonathan Pontell
    Writer:David E. Kelley

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  8. Ally McBeal Season 2 Episode 2 - They Eat Horses Don't They?
    7.7/10(3 votes)

    #8 - They Eat Horses Don't They?

    S2:E2

    Ally is feeling increasingly antipathetic towards Nelle Porter. She thinks Nelle brings out the darker side of the firm. Nelle represents a First Amendment case about a popular radio talk show host, ala Howard Stern, who is accused of inciting a hostile work atmosphere through his vulgar discourse. Nelle triumphs by implying that the talk show host has certain sexual dysfunctions, then promptly drops the case as a legal tactic. Ally becomes disgusted. Cage takes on the case of a restaurant owner being sued by a man claiming intentional infliction of emotional distress for serving horse meat to patrons. During the course of the case, Cage finds it increasingly difficult to do his job due to a preponderance of empathy for the horse in question.

    Director:Mel Damski
    Writer:David E. Kelley

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  9. Ally McBeal Season 2 Episode 4 - It's My Party
    7.7/10(3 votes)

    #9 - It's My Party

    S2:E4

    Elaine refers a client, George Madison, to the firm who is suing a prominent feminist magazine for wrongful dismissal. The new editor in chief decided to disqualify him for the job because of his religion's views on women. George is confident in the firm and retains the services of Cage. Ally finds herself unmistakably moved by and attracted to their new client. Elaine lets Ally believe she and George are 'involved' and Ally tries to back off accordingly. Ally tries to keep her fantasies about George under control until she and Renee throw a dinner party and Elaine shows up with George as her date.

    Director:Jace Alexander
    Writer:David E. Kelley

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  10. Ally McBeal Season 2 Episode 17 - Civil War
    7.7/10(3 votes)

    #10 - Civil War

    S2:E17

    Word that Billy and Ally came perilously close to an adulterous affair is spreading through the law firm. What is most uncomfortable are the icy stares and cold shoulders Georgia is throwing Ally's way. But who can blame her? The adversarial relationship between the two women is played out in a most unusual way.

    Director:Billy Dickson
    Writer:David E. Kelley

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  11. Ally McBeal Season 2 Episode 23 - I Know Him By Heart
    7.7/10(3 votes)

    #11 - I Know Him By Heart

    S2:E23

    Ally's heart is broken and not by Billy or Greg. It's just one big stress fracture. She's come to the realization that there isn't anyone out there for her. She has her image of the perfect man, but is beginning to believe that he does not exist. Surprisingly, a pep talk from Fish leads Ally to become more proactive about her love life. Working on the, "you have to kiss a lot of frogs before finding Prince Charming theory", Ally decides to go on a dating frenzy. She also decides to go for a total hair and fashion makeover. Nelle is starting to become annoyed with John Cage because he seems to be the only one in the firm who understands Ally's imaginary love life. Nelle is worried that John and Ally feed off each other and now that she and John are a couple, she would really prefer her man to face life head on.

    Director:Jonathan Pontell
    Writer:David E. Kelley

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  12. Ally McBeal Season 3 Episode 16 - Boy Next Door
    7.7/10(3 votes)

    #12 - Boy Next Door

    S3:E16

    Billy represents a woman in an annulment action case, who's deeply religious husband wants out of the marriage due to the fact that she has surgically modified her body. Meanwhile, as John gets trapped in an elevator, Nelle pulls another sleazy stunt.

    Director:Jack Bender
    Writer:David E. Kelley

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  13. Ally McBeal Season 1 Episode 6 - The Promise
    7.6/10(5 votes)

    #13 - The Promise

    S1:E6

    Ally has to defend a friend of Whipper brought up on solicitation charges. She is serving as second chair to Cage, whose idiosyncrasies become increasingly apparent and mystifying to Ally as well as the other attorneys. At the same time, on a different case, a severely rotund attorney passes out from a near heart attack just outside the courtroom and Ally has to give him mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.

    Director:Victoria Hochberg
    Writer:David E. Kelley

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  14. Ally McBeal Season 1 Episode 11 - Silver Bells
    7.6/10(5 votes)

    #14 - Silver Bells

    S1:E11

    Three intelligent, successful and motivated adults approach Judge Whipper Cone about the possibility of getting legal representation in their quest to have the courts approve a legal, binding, three-way marriage. Fish assigns Ally and Cage to the case, knowing Ally's incurable romanticism and Cage's legal acumen is a potent combination with Whipper assigned to the case. Ally is opposed, claiming the three-way relationship is morally repugnant, but Georgia, feeling punkish around the holidays, points out that the clients' triangle isn't very different from the one in which Ally, Georgia, and Billy find themselves. Georgia accuses Billy of being more relaxed and open in their marriage ever since Ally re-entered the picture. Whipper, herself experiencing an annual bout of Holiday Blues, causes Fish to propose marriage, even though both know he really doesn't want to.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:David E. Kelley

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  15. Ally McBeal Season 2 Episode 10 - Making Spirits Bright
    7.6/10(5 votes)

    #15 - Making Spirits Bright

    S2:E10

    Richard throws his annual Christmas bash as Ally and Billy get drawn into a high stakes case involving a wealthy bond trader claiming wrongful termination. Renee and Matt consummate their affair but with painful consequences. Ling tries out Christmas cheer but it doesn't work. John tries to use the mistletoe to his advantage in trying to make a move on Nelle.

    Director:Peter MacNicol
    Writer:David E. Kelley

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  16. Ally McBeal Season 1 Episode 4 - The Affair
    7.5/10(6 votes)

    #16 - The Affair

    S1:E4

    Ally is asked to be a pallbearer at the funeral of her ex-law professor. The widow, Katherine Dawson, invites her to give the eulogy, but Ally's initial reluctance betrays the reason. In a moment of complete vulnerability, she confesses to Billy who supports her by agreeing to attend the funeral with her. This unnerves Georgia, and Cheanie, who are both feeling threatened when they realize Billy is helping Ally out during a difficult time in her life. Georgia confronts Billy, and Cheanie confronts Ally, who refuses to tell him why she's been upset lately. He doesn't understand why she chooses to confide in Billy over him.

    Director:Arlene Sanford
    Writer:David E. Kelley

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  17. Ally McBeal Season 1 Episode 8 - Drawing The Lines
    7.5/10(4 votes)

    #17 - Drawing The Lines

    S1:E8

    Billy and Georgia are faced with a crisis of confidence in their marriage. Elaine threatens to sue the firm for sexual harassment if Fish and Cage don't meet her demands for improved working conditions. Ally, Georgia, and Cage take on a lucrative divorce case. Fish uses some tactics, which causes a debate between the two parties as to which side is the most amoral.

    Director:Mel Damski
    Writer:David E. Kelley

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  18. Ally McBeal Season 2 Episode 21 - The Green Monster
    7.5/10(4 votes)

    #18 - The Green Monster

    S2:E21

    Fish and Cage find themselves representing the soon to be ex-wife of a philanderer who is suing not just for divorce but for property damages as well. The case has loser written all over it and Cage is insisting they settle while Fish is convinced they can win it. Since Ally's indiscretion with Billy, Greg has been ignoring Ally's phone calls and spending more time in the company of other women. Ally feels terrible that a great guy seems to be getting away. Billy does not like the attention that Georgia is enjoying form the other men in the office since she changed her wardrobe appearance.

    Director:Michael Schultz
    Writer:David E. Kelley

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  19. Ally McBeal Season 1 Episode 5 - 100 Tears Away
    7.4/10(5 votes)

    #19 - 100 Tears Away

    S1:E5

    Ally is arrested for aggravated assault and attempted shoplifting. Renee bails her out, but word spreads quickly, and Ally is brought before the State Bar Review Board. A litany of her recent travails is read aloud, and Ally must contend with her unconventional past catching up with her.

    Director:Sandy Smolan
    Writer:David E. Kelley

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  20. Ally McBeal Season 1 Episode 1 - Pilot
    7.3/10(6 votes)

    #20 - Pilot

    S1:E1

    Ally McBeal, 28, and a recent graduate of Harvard Law School, is harassed on the job by a senior associate. When she confronts the partners, it backfires and she loses her job. On the street, she literally bumps into an old classmate, Richard Fish, who offers her a position working for his new firm. She accepts, despite her misgivings about his ethical standards. While being introduced to her new fellow associates, she receives the shock of her career.

    Director:James Frawley
    Writer:David E. Kelley

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  21. Ally McBeal Season 2 Episode 3 - Fools Night Out
    7.3/10(3 votes)

    #21 - Fools Night Out

    S2:E3

    Nelle is already making her presence felt in the change of office atmosphere when Fish dumps another groundless case on Georgia. Ling Woo, the unpleasant plant manager, is back to sue a nurse in her sister's plastic surgeon's office for misrepresentation of results from breast implant surgery. Georgia would love to drop the case but can't. She confronts Nelle for dumping it on her anyway, but Nelle justifies the reassignment by saying she and Ling are friends and would end up hating each other as a result of the lawsuit. Cage reflects on Ally's progress with a mediation case between Fish's minister and a jilted choir singer. Nelle moves on to Cage and confronts him about his resistance to the notion of a potential interoffice romance.

    Director:Peter MacNicol
    Writer:David E. Kelley

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  22. Ally McBeal Season 2 Episode 18 - Those Lips That Hand
    7.3/10(3 votes)

    #22 - Those Lips That Hand

    S2:E18

    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. Meanwhile, Billy and Georgia continue to patch up their marriage after Billy's indiscretion with Ally. Both of them are working on a case in which they are representing a man suing to get his job back with an insurance company who fired him over a bad hair day.

    Director:Arlene Sanford
    Writer:David E. Kelley

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  23. Ally McBeal Season 3 Episode 8 - Blue Christmas
    7.3/10(3 votes)

    #23 - Blue Christmas

    S3:E8

    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. In preparation for the Christmas party, Elaine convinces Ally to sing a sexy song but Richard and Billy have their reservations.

    Director:Jonathan Pontell
    Writer:David E. Kelley

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  24. Ally McBeal Season 3 Episode 11 - Over the Rainbow
    7.3/10(3 votes)

    #24 - Over the Rainbow

    S3:E11

    Georgia blames "Cage & Fish" for the new Billy, and is suing the firm for the break-up of their marriage. She cites many issues as leading to Billy's breakdown and the ultimate dissolution of their marriage. However, during the court hearing they discover that the root of the problem lies elsewhere.

    Director:Alan Myerson
    Writer:David E. Kelley

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  25. Ally McBeal Season 1 Episode 2 - Compromising Positions
    7.2/10(6 votes)

    #25 - Compromising Positions

    S1:E2

    Fish's partner, John Cage faces fines, jail, and public humiliation. To her dismay, Ally is assigned to be a litigator. Fish invites Ally along to dinner with a very wealthy potential client, Ronald Cheanie. Unbeknownst to Ally, the dinner is really a double date with Fish and his girlfriend, Whipper. Ally is furious, but Cheanie turns out to be handsome and intelligent.

    Director:Jonathan Pontell
    Writer:David E. Kelley

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Best Episodes Summary

"Angels & Blimps" is the best rated episode of "Ally McBeal". It scored 8/10 based on 4 votes. Directed by Mel Damski and written by David E. Kelley, it aired on 2/8/1999. This episode scored 0.0 points higher than the second highest rated, "Only The Lonely".