Ally McBeal

- Season 2

(1998)

Feeling nervous that the firm is not making enough money, Fish and Cage decide to hire another associate, a "rainmaker" who can bring in lucrative clients. They hire Nelle Porter, an attractive, late 20's litigator from a respectable firm. On her first day, Nelle manages to irritate Ally, Georgia and Elaine, but Fish and Cage seem very pleased with her. Ally defends a woman in her late-30's accused of having sex with a minor. When the boy testifies, Ally finds herself attracted to him. In Memory of PHIL LEEDS April 16, 1916 - August 16, 1998

Nelle introduces the firm to Ling Woo, her main client. They are suing a sex-talk radio host with a ridiculous lawsuit, but it's crazier that she might actually win and bring publicity to the firm. Richard's happy, but Ally just might find a way to undermine their own case. John is defending a restaurant who served horse meat, but his love for Mr. Ed has gotten him depressed, and tongue-tied - when it comes to Nelle.

Reverend Mark Newman comes to Richard for his help when church choir singer Lisa Knowles is singing about their break-up. Ally is brought in to mediate because she can speak the language of loneliness, but it hits too close to home for her and she comes to a revelation about why Billy left her. Ling is back again and this time she's making Georgia and Billy sue a nurse for having natural breasts!

Renee and Ally are throwing a party and inviting everybody from Cage & Fish, even Nelle. Elaine's boyfriend George was fired from his job and Ally is representing him in court. When she finds herself in jail for wearing short skirts, the entire firm comes to her defense and Ally starts recognizing who her true friends are.

Ally finds herself in jail again, this time for kicking a young woman. She gets herself out of it by agreeing to represent the woman as her lawyer. When George shows up at Cage and Fish again, both Ally and George struggle with their attraction to one another. John is distressed when things go from bad to worse for his show frog Stefan.

John and Ally think they must be magnets for crazy cases when they are defending a nun who had sex. Stefan miraculously resurfaces but he's put on life support and John isn't privy to everything that happened to him. Renee runs into her Billy, her old high school flame, and while Ally gives good advice to her, she gives poor advice to Whipper and Richard.

Judge Happy Boyle has died, and the whole firm shares their Happy memories of him. John is fraught over moving his relationship with Nelle forward, and then he eats a meal he will never forget.

When Ling is sued for owning a mud wrestling club, Richard gets Ally, Georgia and Nelle to defend her, and he and John go undercover. Georgia sets Ally up on a date with a former boyfriend that she may still have lingering feelings for, but just before the date, Ally gets herself stuck in a tight situation.

The whole firm is angry at Richard for accepting another ridiculous lawsuit that Ling has come up with, but as usual, Richard has no problem telling it as he sees it. Renee sets Ally up on a blind date from hell, and this time during the date, Ally gets herself stuck in another tight situation. John is continuously fraught over his relationship with Nelle, and things don't go well when he asks for advice or gets advice when he doesn't even ask for it.

It's Christmas time at Cage and Fish, and Elaine is preparing for the office party and John is trying to use the mistletoe to his advantage in trying to make a move on Nelle. Ally is happy to see the whimsical side in Billy again when they defend a man who was fired for seeing a unicorn. Meanwhile, Renee is struggling to follow common sense when she sees her old boyfriend, Matt, again.

Ally's favorite teacher from high school is dying, but she has a wonderful dream life which she would like to remain in. Ally decides to get a court order to force the hospital to put her into a coma. But things get complicated for Ally when she realizes that her teacher's doctor is Greg Butters. John pushes Nelle to the breaking point over his unwillingness to move their relationship into a physical one.

Richard and Ally passionately defend a woman whose husband is seeking an annulment to their 9-year marriage. Ally has a horrible nightmare that she was named Professional Woman of the Year and Time magazine put her as the face of feminism - ugh, how disgusting! Ling tries to get Richard to consider something other than sex for their relationship, while Nelle is still trying to get John to consider sex for theirs. But is it possible John has missed out on his one true love?

When Ally is visiting Greg in the hospital, she meets a boy dying of leukemia who wants to sue God. But Ling shows up, and then the gang at Cage & Fish learn something pretty surprising about her. Richard and John are up to their usual antics in court against Renee when they're defending a man who has been accused of attempted murder.

Richard hires Ling, and Billy, Ally and Georgia want to band together so they don't lose the firm to Ling, but Billy and Ally seem to be forming their own coalition as the lines of their friendship blur. John and Nelle make a name for the firm as they take on another big profile sexual harassment case.

Ally frets over her kiss with Billy, and tries to figure out what it says about her and Billy, and also about her and Greg. But in Tracey's office, there's a showdown between Billy and Ally and their true feelings are forced to come out.

Although Ally has finalized things with Billy, now she's trying to patch things up with Greg, but the jealousy gets to both of them. John and Ling are in court together in a case against a Senator, and John trains Ling on his usual tricks.

In court, John and Ally are arguing against Richard and Georgia. This creates civil unrest in the firm, as well as a girl-on-girl-on-girl-on-girl cat fight.

John and Ally are on a murder case, but to Ally turning 29 is much, much worse. John is turning 35 and decides he wants to live life on the edge; Nelle gives him a birthday present he'll never forget. Richard wants to break-up with Ling since she won't have sex, but he finds a way to tease her.

With the help of Barry White, John has changed. Nelle doesn't see it, but Renee does and agrees to go on a date with him. Billy and Georgia go to couples therapy, but even there they have to invite Ally in. Richard and Nelle are defending a firm that doesn't hire women, John joins them but he has a hard time understanding or accepting the case. Elaine is competing in a dance contest but needs a last minute partner. Turns out that Ling knows how to tango, but being nice is much more difficult for her.

Elaine's face bra invention should make her rich and famous, instead she has to get a lawyer. Ally defends her, but she's the only one who believes her. Billy comes off as a chauvinistic pig as he defends a man in a sexual harassment case. John seeks advice from Richard and Ally to try and get Nelle back, but when she agrees to go out with him, she actually wants to leave the building.

Ally misses Greg, but when her loneliness gives Ling a headache, Ling hires one of her escorts (a really, really attractive one) for Ally. Ally embarks on a game of jealousy with Greg that ends up involving the whole firm, especially John - even though he's currently in court. He and Richard are exasperatedly trying to defend a volatile wife. Billy becomes an over-protective husband when Georgia starts dressing sexy around the office.

Ally and John are defending a woman who has created her perfect man in her head. The case causes big problems for Ally as she starts seeing Al Green and doesn't know if he is real or not. It also causes big problems for John as he finds himself in jail. Ling finally agrees to have sex with Richard, but now he's the one with the problem and seeks pharmaceutical help. Meanwhile, Billy and Georgia's sex life has gone straight to the toilets, literally.

Ally has retreated to her room where she is still seeing Al Green who can sing her life. Her neediness angers Nelle who is upset that John can connect to her inner world. Ally decides she's going to become a dating machine, but it causes a whole lot of awkwardness when Margaret Camaro shows up in the office, especially when Ling as lined up a parade of men for Ally to choose from.