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Score: 7.3 Good 32 votes

I Will Survive

Episode Number: 63    Season Num: 3    First Aired: Monday April 10, 2000    Prod Code: 3M17
Originally aired: Monday April 10, 2000 on FOX
Writer: David E. Kelley
Director: Barnet Kellman
Show Stars: Calista Flockhart (Ally McBeal), Courtney Thorne-Smith (Georgia Thomas), Greg Germann (Richard Fish), Lisa Nicole Carson (Renée Raddick), Jane Krakowski (Elaine Vassal), Vonda Shepard (Herself), Portia de Rossi (Nelle Porter), Lucy Liu (Ling Woo), Peter MacNicol (John Cage), Gil Bellows (Billy Thomas)
Recurring Role: James LeGros (Mark Albert)
Guest Stars: Gloria Gaynor (Herself) , Loretta Devine (Nora Mills) , Amanda Donohoe (Marianne Holt) , Valerie Mahaffey (Sally Muggins) , Gibby Brand (Judge William McGough) , Cheyanne Wilbur (Foreman) , Rena Heinrich (Stacey) , Shea Farrell (Attending Hospital Physician)
Production Code: 3M17

Ally is awakened by her alarm, which she “hears” first send a dedication to her, about her dead ex-boyfriend, playing “You Belong to Me”. She hits the alarm again, and “I Will Survive” plays. Ally then “sees” Gloria Gaynor signing the song in the room with her, and then in the shower. Ally races down the street to work, trying to escape Gloria singing that ironic song, but can’t seem to get away from her or hearing it.

At the firm, Richard introduces Ling, Ally, and Nelle to their newest lawyer, Mark Albert. The three give him a chilly reception, and Ally balks about Richard seemingly trying replace Billy, and so soon after his death. He insists that the firm needs him, and also assigns him to take Billy’s spot on a case Ally and Ling are trying currently. The firm is defending Nora, who is being tried for murder, after beating her husband to death with his prosthetic leg, when she found him in their bed with another woman. Mark tries to take over the firm’s questionings, irritating Ally more. She continues to hear the pounding disco music, similar to what Billy heard last week, before his demise. While envisioning a full-scale disco and dance number in the middle of court, Ally passes out, again similiar to what Billy went through right before his death. She fainted, seemingly overcome with the stress of Billy’s death, and the pressure of not feeling as if she has the right to mourn him, as if there’s a “hole inside of her”. She continues to bicker with Mark, and then talks with Richard. He admits he also (besides money reasons) hired Mark to try to fill the emptiness Billy left behind. He and Ally hug, and Richard cries a bit. Billy-the-Ghost also makes an appearance to Ally, and urges her to remember him “once every now and then,” but not to dwell on it or hate him for dying. She tells him she needs to tell him goodbye, and he agrees.

Nelle continues to sneakily meet with clients, but Elaine catches her doing so, though Nelle plays it off. John is not present, having retreated to New Hampshire, after Billy’s death, along with his breakup with Nelle and his elevator-incident injuries. Mark does the closing argument in Nora’s case, after being put off by Ally’s unstableness and Ling’s staged theatrics with Nora. His closing, about Nora’s love for her husband, and her feeling that it was immortal, and that his affair and leaving her left her with a void hit home for Ally, who even hears Billy’s voice over Mark’s as he talks. Ally even asks Mark if he knew about her and Billy, because his speech seemed so tailored for her situation, as well as Nora’s. That afternoon, a verdict is given, and Nora is found “Not guilty” of all charges. Later that night, the members of the firm are at the bar, and Gloria is again singing “I Will Survive”. Ally doesn’t want Elaine to tell her if Gloria’s really there or not. Mark asks Ally to dance, but she declines. Mark instead dances with Elaine, who has been slyly eyeing him since his arrival at the firm. Ally and Richard again comfort each other briefly and Ally states that she will survive. Walking outside into the rain, she yells “Not funny!” as Billy–the-Ghost has just promised her he would never let it rain on her. Walking in the rain, she reflects on some of her happiest memories of Billy, but this time, without sadness. She looks to the sky and softly says, “See ya.”

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Episode Vital Stats

 
Episode: I Will Survive
Season Number: 3
Episode Reviews: 0
Episode
Score:
7.3 Good 32 votes
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