Episode Report Card Gwen: C- | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Do a Little Dance, Kill a Little Baby
By Gwen | Season 4 | Episode 23 | Aired on 05.20.2001
Ally sits at the piano in her apartment, scarily staring into space. "Whatchoo doin'?" simpers Renee, who has walked in wearing her two big cotton-candy-looking ponytails. (Did you think I was going to say "two big [something about her breasts]"? Get your mind out of the gutter that is Renee's cleavage.) Renee sits by Ally on the bench and asks whether Larry's called, sounding even sadder about the shit than Ally does. He hasn't called. Ally asks Renee to play "Goodnight, My Someone." Renee does, and it sounds nice until Ally joins in. The women hug, and Ally tries to do a dramatic lip quiver. "You'll beat this," Renee whispers. Ally says that first she has to beat Larry in court. It would be pretty compelling, this plot point about having to argue against an ex in court, but since Larry's been the surprise opposing counsel so many damned times already this season, I can't bring myself to care less.
Ally entertains silly questions from Rev. Harris while they wait with Malcolm in the courthouse hall. The elevator bell dings, and Ally turns in slow motion to see the love of her life of the season. Out come Andrea and her parents, and then out comes Corretta. "I can't believe you're doing this, Malcolm! This is so embarrassing!" says Andrea, who is tall, blonde, and yet not interesting-looking. The lawyers send their clients into the courtroom. Corretta very sensitively lets Ally know that Larry moved back to Detroit, not to live with Famke, but to be near his son. Whatever, Larry -- way to constantly use your son as a dumping device. Ally tries to exert grace under pressure and go on with the case. Wait -- I'm unclear on what's happened. Is it that Rev. Harris hired Ally and then Larry found out about it and suddenly left town? Or was it that Andrea and her family walked into Larry's old office and assumed that Corretta's name was Larry Paul because that was the name on the door? Is Corretta now a Larry Paul Law Firm franchise? Is Larry still paying for the office space? Is there anything to eat in my refrigerator? These questions weigh on my mind.
Ally and Corretta present arguments in front of Judge Seymore Walsh. Ally's case is weak and she knows it. Rev. Harris jumps up and asks permission to speak, then fucks up by referring to Malcolm as a "borderline necrophiliac." A close-up of Andrea shows us that the actress playing her is at least twenty-four years old. Malcolm is forced to sit on the stand and tell everyone that he cried for a couple of days after Andrea dissed him. He says that everyone in school laughs at him as it is, and now it'll be even worse when they see that Andrea's not going to prom with him like he told everybody she would. Judge Walsh is sympathetic, but he can't give Malcolm a court order to force Andrea to go with him to the prom.