In Dreams

Season: 2

Episode: 11

Production Code: AM211

First Air Date: January 11, 1999

Director: Alex Graves

Writer: David E. Kelley

# of Times Richard said Bygones: ?

Guest Stars:

Lucy Liu as Ling Woo
Dyan Cannon as Judge Jennifer "Whipper" Cone
Jesse L. Martin as Dr. Greg Butters
Eileen Ryan as Bria
James Green as Father McNamara
Joel Polis as Attorney Woodson
Sam Anderson as Mark Harrison Anderson

Synopsis:

Ally is awoken with a frightening call from the hospital, her favorite teacher from high school , the elderly Bria Tolson is on her deathbed. Seeing Bria again, has more of an impact on Ally, than the diminutive lawyer is prepared for, it seems the woman one true happiness is hallucinating about a husband, Henry Lane, whom doesn't really exist. Where would Ally be if not for all these wake up calls in her cases? Back at work, Nelle continues to scare The Biscuit with her forward manner, when she begins to undress him in the uni-sex, he starts pressing his remote like crazy and the toilet seat goes up and down. Naturally John runs and hides in the stall. Later, Ling asks Richard if the neurotic lawyer is gay, since he doesn't seem to want to take this thing with the blonde goddess any further.

Returning to the hospital, Doctor Greg Butters just so happens to be the one to run to Bria's rescue when her monitor became disconnected. This glorious sight for sore eyes leads Ally to fantasize that her tongue reaches out to tease the long lost doc. Obviously not one to quickly dismiss the notion of imaginary worlds, Ally goes before Judge Whipper Cone, at the patient's request, to ask for a medically induced coma, so that Bria can be with the family she never had. The open-minded judge listens to the older woman's tale of disappointments that eventually led her to pretense of this other life. Still, the hospital refuses to grant her wishes, they claim it's immoral, while Ally makes an interesting point that morphine drips are used quite often, there isn't much difference. Who knows how David E. Kelley does it, but he manages to make a logical argument about the most outlandish things. He makes you think, a rarity for television.

While Ally is the only one who seems to possess an actual job (even that's questionable) this week, the sexual antics continue in the office. Rather than admitting that she scares him (simply because she's not insane), John makes up this thing about preferring the anticipation of it all. Nelle has her own fantasy of where their screwy relationship is headed, straight into the dumpster.

In a heart to heart (perhaps a slight exaggeration), Ling suggests that Nelle likes her cold image, The Biscuit's appeal was all about the fact that together they didn't possess the kind of passion it would take to defrost the lady lawyer. Later, evidently after some deep Barry White meditation, John suggests to Nelle that maybe he would be okay with something beyond the platonic.

Greg, obviously because he's still torching for Ally, allows Bria to go to court for the closings. While Attorney Woodsen suggests this case could be dangerously precedent setting, Ally insists that they only focus their attention on this one individual case. Following Tolson's admission that she doesn't fear never, waking up, The Whip grants a one week trial period.

Ally's favorite Doctor helps Bria into her extended sleep, and the episode draws to it's gentle conclusion with a slight smile spread across the woman's face as she snoozes. And, Ally no doubt wondering if she didn't fight so hard for her teacher, to assure, that if necessary, she can enter this world as well.

AM-211 ©1998 Almost Human