The Best Episodes Written By David E. kelley
Every TV Episode Written by David E. kelley Ranked from Best to Worst by Thousands of Voters
David E. Kelley Ratings Summary
The best episode written by David E. Kelley is "Betrayal", rated 10/10 from 1 user votes. It was "directed by Thomas Schlamme". "Betrayal" aired on 9/23/1997 and is rated 0.0 point(s) higher than their second highest rated, "The Blessing".
10.0/10 1 votes#1 - Betrayal
Season 2 Episode 2 - Aired 9/23/1997
The firm defends Joey Heric, a colorful client on trial for the murder of his lover. Jimmy is tried on solicitation charges by a vengeful district attorney.
Director: Thomas Schlamme
Writer: David E. Kelley
10.0/10 1 votes#2 - The Blessing
Season 2 Episode 3 - Aired 9/27/1997
Bobby and Gamble clash in and out of the courtroom when an emotional assisted-suicide case forces them to confront painful memories. Meanwhile, Lindsay goes head-to-head with her ex-boyfriend when she defends an elderly bookie.
Director: N/A
Writer: David E. Kelley
10.0/10 1 votes#3 - Dog Bite
Season 2 Episode 4 - Aired 10/4/1997
Jimmy finally gets his first case, that of a little girl bitten by a dog. A juror approaches Lindsay with inside information on a case. Eugene defends a one-legged mugger.
Director: Steve Miner
Writer: David E. Kelley
10.0/10 1 votes#4 - Hide and Seek
Season 2 Episode 11 - Aired 11/29/1997
Bobby and Lindsay second-chair Bobby's old mentor, Raymond Oz, when Oz fears he's losing his memory. Eugene struggles with his conscience when he defends a man on trial for raping and murdering two boys. Jimmy's fantasies come true when a childhood sex symbol seeks his legal counsel.
Director: Steve Miner
Writer: David E. Kelley
10.0/10 1 votes#5 - In Deep
Season 2 Episode 21 - Aired 3/2/1998
The Luis Moreno case finally comes to trial with Rebecca more determined than ever to testify. Ellenor rushes off to defend Cruikshank again, leaving Lindsay to defend a man being cited for using too much water in his toilet. Eugene faces his own prejudices during an altercation with a dry cleaner.
Director: Oz Scott
Writer: David E. Kelley
10.0/10 1 votes#6 - Closet Justice
Season 3 Episode 19 - Aired 3/28/1999
Judge Hiller assigns Lindsay the repugnant task of defending nun-killer Michael Kingston. Lindsay discovers that the police search that found the body was unconstitutional and, against all her morals, moves that Kingston be released. Helen delivers an impassioned argument, stating that the constitution was designed to protect the innocent, a category that doesn't include Kingston. In the end, Judge Hiller has no choice but to strike the body from evidence and dismiss the charges. Meanwhile, Jimmy and Rebecca defend a man on solicitation charges, claiming that the undercover officer aroused the man, then announced she was a prostitute. Jimmy and Judge Kittleson arrange a private meeting.
Director: Alex Graves
Writer: David E. Kelley
10.0/10 1 votes#7 - Over the Rainbow
Season 1 Episode 2 - Aired 9/22/1994
Jeffrey runs afoul of the trustees when a grieving husband has second thoughts after allowing him to test an artificial heart on the body of the man's newly deceased wife; Alan comes to the rescue when a patient's HMO refuses to cover Aaron's operating on her very complicated and potentially fatal brain tumor; Jeffrey visits his wife Laurie, a straitjacketed patient in a mental hospital who apologizes for drowning their son Joey; Arthur's refusal to remove his wagging finger from Jeffrey's face during an argument leaves him with a bitten digit, and enables Jeffrey to diagnose the curable medical condition that's causing Arthur's resting tremor.
Director: Michael Dinner
Writer: David E. Kelley
9.3/10 3 votes#8 - Part I (Pilot)
Season 1 Episode 1 - Aired 3/4/1997
Bobby defends Rachel Reynolds, a young woman facing drug charges. She is not a drug dealer, but was trying to cover for her brother. Lindsay represents Emerson Ray, who is suing a tobacco company in a wrongful death suit. Lindsay's favourite law professor, Anderson Pearson, represents the defence. Eugene represents "Free Willy", a man who exposes himself in public.
Director: Mick Jackson
Writer: David E. Kelley
9.0/10 2 votes#9 - The Dirty Joke
Season 1 Episode 9 - Aired 11/17/1997
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: N/A
Writer: David E. Kelley
9.0/10 2 votes#10 - Boy To The World
Season 1 Episode 10 - Aired 12/1/1997
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
9.0/10 1 votes#11 - These Are The Days
Season 1 Episode 23 - Aired 5/18/1998
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
9.0/10 1 votes#12 - They Eat Horses Don't They?
Season 2 Episode 2 - Aired 9/21/1998
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
9.0/10 1 votes#13 - It's My Party
Season 2 Episode 4 - Aired 10/19/1998
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
9.0/10 1 votes#14 - Civil War
Season 2 Episode 17 - Aired 4/5/1999
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
9.0/10 2 votes#15 - Only The Lonely
Season 2 Episode 20 - Aired 5/3/1999
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
9.0/10 2 votes#16 - Love's Illusions
Season 2 Episode 22 - Aired 5/17/1999
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
9.0/10 1 votes#17 - Race Ipsa
Season 2 Episode 23 - Aired 4/25/2006
When Denny shoots his therapist in self-defense, the senior partners, fed up with his rogue behavior, begin to enact plans to remove him from the firm. Meanwhile, Alan enlists the help of Chelina in a racially-charged case involving a black man being arrested for being in a white neighborhood, and Brad asks Denise to teach him to be a better kisser.
Director: Lou Antonio
Writer: David E. Kelley
9.0/10 1 votes#18 - Head Games
Season 2 Episode 9 - Aired 11/30/2011
When a high school football game turns deadly Harry and Adam team up to represent angry parents while Tommy must defend a struggling single mother.
Director: Stephen Cragg
Writer: David E. Kelley
8.7/10 3 votes#19 - The Attitude
Season 1 Episode 7 - Aired 11/3/1997
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
8.7/10 9 votes#20 - Citizens United
Season 1 Episode 8 - Aired 10/13/2016
The trial concludes as former partners and old friends have their final showdown in court.
Director: Lawrence Trilling
Writer: David E. Kelley
8.6/10 9 votes#21 - Beauty and the Beast
Season 1 Episode 7 - Aired 10/13/2016
With danger mounting around every corner, Billy has to decide whether to head directly to trial or take his chances with a continuance.
Director: Lawrence Trilling
Writer: David E. Kelley
8.5/10 2 votes#22 - Drawing The Lines
Season 1 Episode 8 - Aired 11/10/1997
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
8.5/10 2 votes#23 - The Green Monster
Season 2 Episode 21 - Aired 5/10/1999
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
8.5/10 2 votes#24 - I Know Him By Heart
Season 2 Episode 23 - Aired 5/24/1999
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
8.5/10 2 votes#25 - Boy Next Door
Season 3 Episode 16 - Aired 3/27/2000
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