impatient-905-37969
Wow. What a difference a decade makes. I watched this show when I was in my early twenties, and at the time it seemed unusual and quirky, with an unlikely heroine and a bunch of unorthodox characters. I did hate Vonda Sheperd's voice, though. That woman clearly never took voice lessons, otherwise she would know that this method of voice delivery is ghoulish.Anyway, now that I am a decade older, I can't watch this series, not even for the sake of nostalgic feelings. The plots are just ridiculous, the character of Ally McBeal is so over the top, so ludicrous, so stupid, the tip-toeing around her is implausible and annoying, her gestures and incessant bleating silence fillers are impossible to tolerate.I think I hate the series now. Ms. Flockhart is either a bad actress, or her take on Ally is intolerable. While trying to portray Ally as one of the last romantics, she created an out-of-control teenager who is permanently in PMS mode. Yuck.There is only one (!) character that is worth watching this show for, it is Portia De Rossi's Nelle Porter. This character is suave, poised, intelligent, elegant, not to mention, absolutely beautiful. Unfortunately, there is not enough of Nelle in the show, and far too much Ally...
Bolesroor
Here's your standard episode of Ally McBeal: Ally- a young, attractive lawyer- bites her lip, rolls her eyes, hallucinates a cartoon and avoids making any emotional or personal decisions while her law firm defends a woman's right to dress like a whore and not expect any unwanted sexual attention whatsoever.Yikes.This show is disposable Hollywood-liberal schlock, a dreary timepiece, a false step in feminism. This was back in the day when women could get a man to do anything they wanted just by kissing another woman. Yawn... Ally is the fictionalized ideal of the woman-child who has it all but is still miserable because she doesn't know what to do with it. Or maybe she's just too stupid to make any concrete and assertive choices, paralyzed by the wonderful life she's made for herself. Poor Ally
The show was the brainchild of writer/creator/lesbian David E. Kelley, who seemed to genuinely believe the offbeat and often backwards fairy- tales he wrote each week. Ostensibly designed to liberate and empower women, the show was anti-male in every sense of the word: men were brutish creatures whose hostile sexual desires were thrown back in their face and openly mocked or they were impotent teddy bears. Middle ground and complexity are not Mr. Kelley's specialty. If only men could be as sophisticated as the strong women he writes, who take no responsibility for their sexuality, unless/until it suited their desires. You've come a long way, baby. Hypocrisy and arrogance abound.Maybe that's what made it all the more ironic that the Ally herself- Calista Flockhart- was suffering from severe anorexia during the show's run: like Ally, Flockhart was an attractive young rising star who worked hard to achieve stardom, only to learn that she couldn't handle it. Just a little girl after all... how decidedly female, how decidedly obnoxious... The show shut down production several times to accommodate Flockhart's hospital stints and attempts at recovery. Like Ally, Calista wanted to have her cake and not eat it too.Women- to a certain degree- will never fully understand their own sexuality, a simple fact of Nature that can't even be overcome in a fictional TV universe with unisex bathrooms and the open discussion of orgasm or lack thereof. For anyone to base their views of life, sex or feminism on this show would be criminal... it's trite, condescending and often plain ridiculous. David E. Kelley used the show's "legal" cases for all the wrong reasons: not to examine morality and society or to tell an interesting story- the legal issues were in fact Mr. Kelley preaching and moralizing to the audience about his own personal views of the way the world SHOULD BE- and why everyone should agree. He created the weekly scenario and played judge and jury all by himself, with the underlying message to every ruling being that Men are Bad and that women- no matter how ridiculous, childish, slutty or insane- should be blindly praised and rewarded. The show hasn't been seen since its cancellation and it probably never will be- it was a sexist and insulting view of the world by a self-loathing male who wanted to atone for the carnal desires of his entire sex.So what should a successful, attractive woman do when a man looks lustfully at her ripe breasts on full display in her low-cut top? Taunt him? Sue him? Stop eating until said mammary glands disappear? According to this show she should do anything except take some responsibility and cover up... that would be anti-Ally. GRADE: D-
Tatiana Valeonti
I first stumbled upon Ally McBeal many years ago, on TV. I was a little girl then and I found Billy and his chemistry with Ally fascinating. But I rarely watch TV series when they're aired, so I forgot about it. I remembered it this year and started watching it from the beginning, wondering what happened with them. While it's a bit, well, childish in a way, I found the show enjoyable. Apart from the Ally's-personal-life orientation, there are some delicious caustic comments on the legal system that made me laugh a lot. However, *big spoiler coming* Billy's death is a deal-breaker for me. The main reason I watched the series was for them and I see no reason to continue watching it without Billy. The whole point was that they had known and loved each other forever. After all, the first episode is about when Ally accidentally meets Billy again and ends up working with him. I'm all for the unexpected twists, but this wasn't an action or mystery series! It's not a realistic "this is how life is" series either, even though they obviously tried to go that direction... I wish they had embraced the kind of show they were. In my opinion, it's plain cowardice, that they not only couldn't bring them together but also just killed him off!
zheper62-1
I used to be so hooked on ally McBeal when it was on. I remember using cassette tapes to record the episode. Only the conversation alone was really amazing. Ally McBeal is David Kelly's masterpiece. I was hooked even more with John Cage and Nelle Porter. The biscuit and the subzero is such an interesting pairing for me. I must admit I stayed watching Ally McBeal simply because of this two. Season 2 was really good. Ally Mc Beal herself is like a medication in a way as it is good in small doses. Thank God for the internet I was able to download some of the episodes. It was then I realized how annoying Ally's character can be at times. But the writing was superb! I used to be annoyed at Elaine but I like her more now than Ally. Watching Ally all over again gave me a chance to see some of the characters in a different light. Cage and Fish are really hilarious, I love John and Nelle even more, I used to find Ling funny but I have second thoughts now, Elaine is more likable than Ally. After realizing that John and Nelle didn't end up together I am not that keen anymore.