7.4/10147 votes#1 - We the People
Season 8 Episode 1 - Aired 9/28/2003
Eleanor defends a man accused of killing his wife and unborn son. He contests that it was suicide. Eugene and Jimmy defend a woman who shot a crack dealer on her street. Alan Shore comes to Eleanor looking for a job after he was fired for embezzlement. He is given a case where a woman files charges against a homeless man who ""Halle Berry'd"" her (came out of nowhere and kissed her). He uses insurance fraud to coerce her into dropping the charges.
Director: Dennis Smith
Writer: David E. Kelley
- 7.5/10127 votes
#2 - The Chosen (1)
Season 8 Episode 2 - Aired 10/5/2003
Alan Shore agrees to help friend Sheila Carlisle, a successful attorney who claims God speaks to her, and who has subsequently been fired from her law firm for being mentally incompetent. Meanwhile there are startling new developments in the case of Brad Stanfield, whom Ellenor and Jamie are defending for allegedly poisoning his pregnant wife.
Director: Leslie Libman
Writer: David E. Kelley
- 7.8/10114 votes
#3 - Cause of Action (2)
Season 8 Episode 3 - Aired 10/12/2003
Eccentric attorney Sheila Carlisle, whom Alan Shore hired on a temporary basis without consulting anyone else, takes on a lawsuit on behalf of the firm; and Ellenor finds herself in a moral dilemma when faced with the truth about her client.
Director: N/A
Writer: David E. Kelley
- 7.4/10112 votes
#4 - Blessed Are They (3)
Season 8 Episode 4 - Aired 10/19/2003
Alan Shore is troubled by Sheila Carlisle's increasingly erratic behavior and fears for her mental - and legal - competence. Meanwhile, Shore is ordered by the court to represent a man who refuses to divulge his identity for fear that the unsavory nature of his crime will be made public
Director: Simon Curtis
Writer: David E. Kelley
- 7.4/1097 votes
#5 - The Heat of Passion (1)
Season 8 Episode 5 - Aired 10/26/2003
A complex murder case implicating a white supremacist embroils Eugene; malpractice fears haunt Jamie; the defense of accused killer Roland Huff embattles Shore, whose tactics astonish Tara and precipitate a run-in with a judge.
Director: Nick Gomez
Writer: David E. Kelley
- 7.5/1098 votes
#6 - The Lonely People (2)
Season 8 Episode 6 - Aired 11/2/2003
Eugene and Jimmy's defense of the leader of a white supremacist group takes an unexpected turn when surprising new developments come to light. Meanwhile, Shore continues in his quest to free Roland Huff from prison, and Jamie and Eugene must come to terms with their differences.
Director: N/A
Writer: David E. Kelley
- 7.4/10102 votes
#7 - Rape Shield
Season 8 Episode 7 - Aired 11/9/2003
A rape case rattles Jimmy, ill-prepared to defend a client who maintains his innocence despite overwhelming evidence against him. Also, ethics violations catch up to Shore, who has a showdown with Eugene.
Director: Jeannot Szwarc
Writer: David E. Kelley
- 8.1/1098 votes
#8 - Concealing Evidence
Season 8 Episode 8 - Aired 11/23/2003
Alan Shore uses questionable, if not illegal, tactics in representing his clients — Ted Grayson, a mentally unstable man accused of murder, and Karen Evanson, a woman who claims her husband's suicide was induced by a prescription drug.
Director: Bill D'Elia
Writer: David E. Kelley
- 7.6/10128 votes
#9 - Victims' Rights
Season 8 Episode 9 - Aired 11/30/2003
Alan Shore defends a twelve-year-old girl who is trying to escape an arranged marriage in her home country. Meanwhile, Eugene tries to help a man who is seeking justice for the brutal murder of his wife.
Director: Jeannot Szwarc
Writer: David E. Kelley, Peter Blake
- 7.6/1099 votes
#10 - Equal Justice
Season 8 Episode 10 - Aired 12/7/2003
Alan Shore uses unorthodox tactics when he's appointed by the court to defend a young man accused of murder. Meanwhile, Tara must try her first case when she's thrown into covering Shore's previously scheduled client.
Director: Andy Wolk
Writer: David E. Kelley
- 8.5/10141 votes
#11 - Police State
Season 8 Episode 11 - Aired 1/11/2004
When the police torture a man they believe shot one of their own, Eugene, barely able to contain his emotion, takes the lead in seeking justice.
Director: Andy Wolk
Writer: David E. Kelley
- 7.5/10100 votes
#12 - Avenging Angels
Season 8 Episode 12 - Aired 1/18/2004
Jimmy Berluti and Jamie Stringer defend an elderly man, Walter Josephson, who is accused of killing a member of the local Irish mob, and Alan Shore agrees to help a friend — by any means necessary — who discovers his wife is cheating on him.
Director: Joseph Berger-Davis
Writer: David E. Kelley, Peter Blake
- 8.0/10116 votes
#13 - Going Home (1)
Season 8 Episode 13 - Aired 2/15/2004
When his best friend from childhood is accused of murdering his mistress, Alan Shore returns home to defend him.
Director: Michael Zinberg
Writer: David E. Kelley
- 7.9/10109 votes
#14 - Pre-Trial Blues (2)
Season 8 Episode 14 - Aired 2/22/2004
An ongoing, sensational murder case besets Shore with pre-trial anxieties centering on jury selection; a hostile judge; a priest's confession; and suspicions of malpractice that involve a manipulative witness for the prosecution.
Director: N/A
Writer: David E. Kelley
- 8.2/10129 votes
#15 - Mr. Shore Goes to Town (3)
Season 8 Episode 15 - Aired 3/7/2004
Fireworks erupt at Dr. Stewart's trial when shocking testimony is elicited from the defendant's strong-willed mother, a conflicted priest and a crackpot.
Director: Dennis Smith
Writer: David E. Kelley
- 7.5/10106 votes
#16 - In Good Conscience (1)
Season 8 Episode 16 - Aired 3/14/2004
There are major shake-ups at the firm, as tensions rise between Eugene and Alan Shore. Meanwhile, the firm takes the case of a young man who is suing the doctor he feels is responsible for the death of his wife during childbirth.
Director: Kelli Williams
Writer: David E. Kelley
- 7.5/10113 votes
#17 - War of the Roses (2)
Season 8 Episode 17 - Aired 3/21/2004
Tensions between Shore and Eugene rise to the boiling point when Shore retains the services of a high-profile law firm to go head-to-head with Young, Frutt & Berluti in the face of his abrupt firing from the firm.
Director: N/A
Writer: David E. Kelley
- 8.2/10118 votes
#18 - The Case Against Alan Shore (3)
Season 8 Episode 18 - Aired 3/28/2004
Eugene and his firm stand against Alan Shore and his ""new"" firm. The entire episode revolves around Eugene, Ellenor, and Jimmy testifing that Alan doesn't deserve the amount of money Alan proposed. Can Ellenor really testify against her friend? How will Alan go against his old firm?
Director: Bill D'Elia
Writer: David E. Kelley
- 6.9/10108 votes
#19 - The Firm
Season 8 Episode 19 - Aired 4/18/2004
Friction at the firm gets to Jimmy, who's torn between loyalties and principles. Meanwhile, tension besets Shore as he crosses swords with his brilliant but erratic new boss, whose behavior raises questions of competence.
Director: N/A
Writer: David E. Kelley
- 7.2/10243 votes
#20 - Comings and Goings
Season 8 Episode 20 - Aired 4/25/2004
Eugene is presented with an offer he finds hard to refuse, and Ellenor is shocked when she hears the news, knowing full well that any departure by Eugene would mean the beginning of the end of the practice. Meanwhile, Jimmy is confronted by crooked lawyer Lenny Pascatore), who claims that the neighborhood only has room for one practicing attorney. Across town at Crane, Poole & Schmidt, Denny Crane ruffles some feathers by making Tara his personal paralegal, and Hannah Rose enlists Shore's help in handling an assault case involving two hockey players.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 7.2/10249 votes
#21 - New Hoods on the Block
Season 8 Episode 21 - Aired 5/2/2004
Eugene considers an exciting new offer for his future... could this mean the end of the practice? Meanwhile, Jimmy is shaken by an ominous run-in with neighborhood lawyer Lenny Pescatore, as their turf war heats up, and Ellenor clashes with sexy and ruthless attorney Hannah Rose of Crane Poole & Schmidt.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 7.4/10118 votes
#22 - Cheers (a.k.a Adjourned: Series Finale)
Season 8 Episode 22 - Aired 5/16/2004
How it all ends for the cast: The Firm Closes, Eugene becomes a Judge, Jimmy and Jaime become Neighbourhood Lawyers with their own firm, Ellanor takes a hiatus from practicing law to raise her daughter, Alan Shore hooks up with Sally and continues working for Denny Crane. The final shot is of old music playing as the camera moves through the firm's offices which are packed up and all the lights are still on. Bobby Donell is sitting at his old desk crying. Despite all he had said he was the only person not to move on
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
The Best Episodes of The Practice Season 8
Every episode of The Practice Season 8 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of The Practice Season 8!
A provocative legal drama focused on young associates at a bare-bones Boston firm and their scrappy boss, Bobby Donnell. The show's forte is its storylines...
Genre:Drama
Network:ABC
Season 8 Ratings Summary
"We the People" is the best rated episode of "The Practice" season 8. It scored 7.4/10 based on 147 votes. Directed by Dennis Smith and written by David E. Kelley, it aired on 9/28/2003. This episode is rated 0.1 points higher than the second-best, "The Chosen (1)".