Boy Next Door

Season: 3

Episode: 16

Production Code: AM-316

First Air Date: March 27, 2000

Writer: David E. Kelley

Director: Jack Bender

# of Times Richard said Bygones: 2

Guest Stars:

Kimberly Davies as Angela Prune
Jay Karnes as Simon Prune
Steven Culp as attorney Dixon
Kate Asner as Dr. Sheila Peters
Dyan Cannon as Judge Jennifer "Whipper" Cone
Gina Phillips as Sandy
Roy Brocksmith as Judge Raymond Norway
Clyde Kusatsu as Billy’s doctor
Harrison Page as Reverend Mark Newman
Amy Castle as young Ally
Nicholas Pappone as young Billy

Synopsis:

Ally McBeal is to sitcoms what Sophie’s choice is to Deuce Bigelow. Not that this was any Sophie’s Choice, but if we wanted to reach this level of sadness via entertainment we could put on Sarah McLachlan’s greatest weepers.

This was about moving on to new pastures whether they’re greener or not remains to be seen. The Biscuit was halfway stuck in an elevator and though he was clearly hurt, I liked the bold way that Nelle dumped him. This show is long overdue for a character who doesn’t wind up always doing the good, kind thing.

However, the big question is whether you’ll still identify and sympathize with a character so callous or will Nelle end up on the sidelines?

The ripple-effect shockwave began simply with Billy hallucinating about breasts, Alanis-style nakedness, and all other means of adolescent gratuitousness. A sort of last hurrah for his blond self. Then he heard music, saw gyrating computer graphics, and even thought his doctor serenaded him.

Was Billy shortchanged by having to live out his last days like a carbon copy of Ally’s nuttiness? He couldn’t even be unique in death.

One last case saw Billy defending a woman whose husband felt she should have divulged her numerous plastic surgeries before their marriage. This supposedly was a sign of her insecurity, never mind that he wanted to wear a woman like arm candy.

Does that kind of vanity translate as having no values and where is the line drawn? Is it an insult to nature that we put blush on our cheeks and gloss on our lips?

That led to the sole funny moment when Billy pointed to the marital woes of "Who Wants to Marry a Multi-Millionaire? He asked if the FOX special was a mere hallucination. Wishful thinking.

"ER" prepares one for death. I seem to lose the appreciation for that sobbing ache in my throat during an Emmy winning comedy. I don’t want to see Billy collapse and Ally so crippled that she rips off her neckerchief in order to breathe.

Should they finally make the choice between dramatics and funny, or are such distressing opposites what make this click?

The acting here was at its gut-wrenching best, but it still had that same old derivative feeling they can’t escape this season. Once upon a time Ally lied about her lover/professor’s affections to assuage his widow, sound familiar?

Didn’t Georgia at least warrant a final scene with Billy? Even her husband’s demise was all about Ally.

As a beyond repair cynic even I don’t understand where happily ever after disappeared to. Maybe that was Mr. Kelley’s point, that life’s like that.

©1999 Almost Human