The Playing Field is the eighteenth episode of Season One and the eighteenth episode of Ally McBeal.
Synopsis[]
Ally faces off against a child prodigy-attorney. A woman claims she is the victim of harassment because, unlike her female co-workers, she refuses to use sex as a means of advancing her career.
Plot[]
Ally has another session with her therapist, Dr. Tracy Clark. Labeling Ally 'a weakling'. Dr. Clark encourages her to meet her fantasies head-on by kicking the dancing baby in the bottom and walking through the water whenever she is drowning.
Later on, Greg gives Ally a ride to work. During the journey, however, Greg runs a stop sign and collides with another car driven by a Joel Hornstock. Ally suggests that both drivers exchange insurance information and not admit liability. In the conference room, Fish, Billy and Georgia meet with Eva Curry, who claims she was the victim of sexual harassment because, unlike her co-workers, she decided not to climb the corporate ladder by having sex with her boss, James Tyler. As a result, Curry maintains, her career prospects has suffered. In court, Curry admits she has never met Tyler and has never been harassed by him in any way. But the women who did have sex with Tyler all received promotions. Judge Spitt rules in favor of an evidentiary hearing.
Renée tells Ally that she locates her self-esteem in her own large breasts. She encourages Ally to find her esteem on her own body. Ally settles for her lips, which she feels are the most attractive part of her body outside of her eyes. Renee encourages her to 'think lips'. When Ally walks into the outer office the next morning, she thinks she sees the dancing baby. Acting upon Dr. Clark's words, she kicks the 'baby' into a desk. However, the 'baby' turns out to be a real child. Ally is mortified when she realizes she attacked Hornstock's attorney, Oren Koolie, who is a nine-year-old child prodigy. Once Koolie stops crying he asks for $125,000 in damages. Later, Ally then experiences a fantasy in which her lips grow into a huge pucker. Greg grows uncomfortable and excuses himself.
Ally returns to Clark's office for additional therapy. Clark tells Ally that Greg is afraid of her because he knows she is the right woman for him. Ally however disagrees with the assessment but she does admit that he makes her nervous. Clark suggests that Ally visualize her very own 'Pips', referring to Gladys Knight and the Pips, the next time she plays her theme song.
When Ally again meets with Oren, she does not offers no settlement with the exception of paying Hornstock's deductible. Oren cannot hide his disappointment and bursts into tears again. Later, Karen Koolie, his mother, explains that her son hates to lose a case. She also reveals that since neither children nor adults will play with Oren, the only way she can get people to sit in a room with him is by deposition. Ally locates Oren under the table and sits him in her lap. She reminds the boy that he is still just a child and is perhaps too young to be exposed to adult attorneys. Oren snuggles close to Ally then begins negotiating for a settlement. In court, Fish addresses the judge, arguing that disgruntled lesbians were the driving force behind sexual harassment laws, and that women should qualify under the Federal Disabilities Act, as they cannot cope with office romances.
When Ally again speaks with Greg, she begins feeling nervous and takes Dr. Clark's advice and imagines herself as three back-up Pips. Feeling bolstered and playful, Ally makes reference to having Greg over her knee. When Greg is taken aback, the Pips disappear. Ally then grows nervous and even more frustrated. Later, at the bar, Dr. Clark encourages Ally to use her sex appeal as power. In the conference room, Oren disappears under the table when Ally refuses to agree to his settlement terms. Ally tells Oren that in the real world, lawyers do not hand out settlement money that easily. She further refuses to give him preferential treatment because of his age and height. Once again, Oren breaks into tears. Judge Spitt rules that he failed to find a way to dismiss Curry's preposterous claim, as he is not certain she was not victimized. He authorizes the case to proceed to trial.
In the Unisex, Oren wonders aloud about who made up the rule that it is a man's world. Ally offers to settle for $35,000, and Oren agrees to bring it to his client. Later, Ally tells Georgia that Oren was right about the 'man's world' rule. Georgia, fretting over how her old boss feels about her victory over sexual harassment, also has nothing good to say about the opposite sex. When Fish enters the unisex, the pair chastise him for his antics in court. But the tongue-lashing only manages to arouse Fish. Ally later informs Greg that she settled with Oren. During their conversation, the 'Ally Pips' make another appearance. This time, Ally perseveres and doesn't let Greg get away. She opens a dialogue about how they feel about one another. Ally moves closer, and the pair are face-to-face. Greg insists he has never kissed a girl he hasn't danced with first. Ally takes his hand and the pair dance.
Script[]
Full transcript can be found here.
Songs[]
- This Guy's in Love With You | Vonda Shepard (cover, written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David, performed by Herb Alpert.
- Ally talking to Greg.
- Dream Lover | Vonda Shepard (cover, written by Bobby Darin)
- At the bar. Tracey joins the lawyers.
- Tracy | Performed by Vonda Shepard, (cover, originally sung by The Cuff Links.)
- Dr. Clark's theme song.
- Where Peaceful Waters Flow | Vonda Shepard (cover, by Chris De Burgh)
- At the End.
List of songs in the episode can be found here.
Cast[]
Starring
- Calista Flockhart as Ally McBeal
- Courtney Thorne-Smith as Georgia Thomas
- Greg Germann as Richard Fish
- Lisa Nicole Carson as Renée Raddick
- Jane Krakowski as Elaine Vassal
- with Peter MacNicol as John Cage
- and Gil Bellows as Billy Thomas
Special Appearance By
Guest starring
- Jesse L. Martin as Dr. Greg Butters
- Josh Evans as Oren Koolie (or Josh Ryan Evans)
- Christine Dunford as Eva Curry
- Wren T. Brown as Mr. Stone
- Vonda Shepard as Herself
- Michael Winters as Judge Herbert Spitt
- Shea Farrell as Mr. Tyler
- Miriam Flynn as Karen Koolie
- Jerry Sroka as Joel Tyler
- Renée Elise Goldsberry as Backup Singer #1 (previously credited as Ikette #1)
- Vatrena King as Backup Singer #2 (previously credited as Ikette #2)
- Sy Smith as Backup Singer #3 (previously credited as Ikette #3)
Uncredited
- Bradlee Park as Reporter
Producers[]
- David E. Kelley - Executive Producer
- Jeffrey Kramer - Co-Executive Producer
- Mike Listo - Producer
- Robert Breech - Co-Producer
- Steve Robin - Co-Producer
- Pamela J. Wisne - Co-Producer
- Jonathan Pontell - Supervising Producer