Episode
Ally McBeal: The Obstacle Course
Overview
Cassandra surprises John when she suddenly shows up at the office. She wants to continue the relationship they started in LA, but John doesn't want to go on seeing her, because they're 3.000 miles away and he's not completely over Melanie yet. Ally takes the case of a man who's being sued because he didn't reveal to his internet date that he was a dwarf. Larry is representing the woman suing, and the case ends up reflecting on their own relationship as Ally questions Larry if they would be together if she was 3 feet tall. Ling and Jackson take a case of a woman who's suing her old boyfriend for interrupting her wedding ceremony. Jackson reveals his true feelings towards Ling, who is confused and torn between him and Richard. Caught in the middle of this is Renee, who feels used by Jackson.
Details
- Series
- Ally McBeal
- Season
- Season 4
- Episode
- Episode 18
- Air date
- 2001-04-16
- Runtime
- 43 min
Episode context
The Obstacle Course is Episode 18 in Season 4 of Ally McBeal. It aired on 2001-04-16. The runtime is 43 min.
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Episode 17: The Pursuit of Unhappiness
Elaine cheated on Mark and now she's trying by all means to find a way for him to forgive her. She even takes advice from Richard! But in the end she has a serious talk with Mark and she tells him she cheated because he never fully trusted her. They break up. Meanwhile, Jackson is assigned to do the pre-nup for a rich, fat and bald man. Ally puts Larry to defend to soon-to-be wife's interests, which leads into a more personal dissension between Larry and Jackson. And Ling takes the case of a man who's being sued by his own son because a blood clot has left him perpetually happy which is ruining the family business.
Episode 19: In Search of Barry White
John loses his ability to channel Barry White while going up against Larry in a case involving a man who wants to clone his late wife; Nelle hooks Elaine into on-line romance; Ling's feelings for Jackson grow more intense.
More episodes from this season
Episode 16: The Getaway
To escape their ruined love lives, Richard and John go for a vacation to Los Angeles. It turns into a working vacation however when John not only must get Richard out of legal trouble but also helps a woman divorcing her wealthy husband who paid someone to seduce her. Meanwhile Richard helps a struggling actress leave her agent who is in fact using her to run an escort service.
Episode 20: Cloudy Skies Chance of Parade
Larry defends Sting when a man sues him for breaking up his marriage; a Streisand impersonator sues over his nose job; Richard flirts with Cindy Margolis to make Ling jealous.
Episode 15: Falling Up
Jackson and Renee's one night stand turns into something more; Ally visits several therapists to get over her hallucinations of Larry, who eventually appears in the flesh; John represents a man who wants to annul his marriage after his wife decides she doesn't want to have kids, a case that carries over into John's relationship with Melanie.
Episode 21: Queen Bee
Sydney Gale hires Cage & Fish to represent her in court. She's been sued for wrongful termination, and Richard and John take the case. An employee is suing Sydney because he doesn't want to 'serve' her anymore. In her firm, she only hires men who desire her, and thus make the company a lot like a beehive and Sydney their queen. John and Richard are driven crazy with lust, but they win the case. Meanwhile, Reverend Mark Newman is once again having problems concerning Lisa Knowles's performance at church. Now she's musically attacking Rev. Mark's new girlfriend, who's also a member of the choir. After Jackson's strategy fails, it's in Nelle's hand to fix the situation.
Episode 14: Boys Town
Richard and John's relationship grows more tense than ever and so they attend couples therapy; Jackson's presence has a profound impact on Elaine; Jackson represent a woman being sued for firing all her male employees.
Episode 22: Home Again
Ally becomes extremely jealous over Larry's easy friendship with his ex-wife; Richard tries to stop a magazine from publishing photos of his LA friend, Jane.
Episode 13: Reach Out & Touch
Ally has hallucinations with Barry Manilow. Richard assigns Ling to work with Jackson Duper, the firm's newest lawyer. When they meet, Ling discovers that Jackson slept with her in the past under a fake name. They have to handle a double case of a man who wants his marriage annulled because his wife is a nymphomaniac and cheated on him 106 times and is suing the minister for having a torrid affair with her. Between the unisex bathroom, Elaine's vibra and Melanie's Tourette, Jackson is going crazy with his new job and questions his future in the firm. Meanwhile, John proposes to Melanie. But Melanie doesn't want to be institutionalized (even if that institution is marriage)...
Episode 23: The Wedding
Malcolm Wyatt hires Ally to take his case. He's suing a girl for not going to the prom with him after she said yes in fall. The opposing lawyer is Larry Paul, and Ally is nervous about meeting him in court. But he never shows up, and his partner Coretta tells Ally he left for Detroit. Richard hires Jane Wilco as the office's new secretary, but after she gets the cold shoulder from some people, Richard wonders what ever happened to the friendly workplace he once built. Ally talks to Billy's ghost and decides to go to Malcolm's prom as his date and convinces him to sing solo and never stop believing in love.
Episode 12: Hats Off to Larry
Larry's son flies in from Detroit and goes to Cage & Fish looking for Ally. He wants to sue his parents for emotional damage. Ally and Sam bond, and Larry has to take him back to Detroit. He doesn't want to say goodbye to Ally, who suffers with his departure. Larry promises to return. Meanwhile, Nelle is representing her dance instructor/lover Sam Adams in court. He's suing his ex-partner for stealing his dance moves. Cindy McCauliff returns to the office looking for Richard. (S)He wants to marry a man, but after the court denies it Richard offers to perform the ceremony at the office.
Episode 11: Mr. Bo
Melanie takes John to her tiny apartment (actually it's an old service elevator) and introduces him to Mr. Bo, a homeless man Melanie cares deeply for. Mr. Bo starts to stalk John around and he files a complaint against him. After Melanie convinces him to drop the charges, she reveals that Mr. Bo is in fact her father and John will have to wrestle him in order to go on seeing her. Meanwhile, Richard organizes a twist contest at the bar and while Elaine freaks with the possibility of losing to the babe lawyers, Nelle only enters the contest after Ling introduces her to a very hot twist instructor. And Ally takes a case of a woman who fired her secretary because she was slightly overweight and is shocked when she discovers that Cage & Fish only hire hot female lawyers.