Ep 9. The Dirty Joke

Set in Boston, the American legal comedy-drama television series Ally McBeal follows Ally McBeal, a young attorney at an eccentric law firm that specializes in litigation. The show aired for five seasons from 1997 to 2002, and over the years, audiences have grown fond of the characters and their intriguing lives. The show deals with various legal issues and cases that Ally and her coworkers handle, and in season 1, episode 9, the team tackles a sensitive subject - dirty jokes.

The episode titled "The Dirty Joke" aired on November 10, 1997, and was written by series creator David E. Kelley and directed by Arlene Sanford. The story takes place in the fictional law firm of Cage & Fish, where Ally and her colleagues handle bizarre and controversial cases. In this episode, a judge essentially comes under fire for actually enjoying the humor of a potentially offensive joke.

The storyline focuses on a case in which a high-school English teacher Sue a.k.a "the Nun" (played by Kathleen Wilhoite) gets on the bad side of the school principal when she receives an anonymous complaint regarding the lewd jokes she tells in class. The lawyer for the school district claims that the teacher expresses an inappropriate sense of humor with sexual innuendos and graphic descriptions, often discussing masturbation, contraception, and other sensitive topics that are unsuitable in a school setting. Pierced by the incident, the nun seeks support and retaliation in the form of legal action against the school district for forcing her to employ self-censorship in her teaching. Ally, played by Calista Flockhart, steps up to represent the forlorn teacher in the case.

The case takes a surprising turn when U.S. District Judge Happy Boyle (played by Diana Bellamy) sends a memo to the firm indicating that she finds the jokes to be hilarious. Although all parties within the firm are accustomed to the judge's exorbitance, they are surprised to learn that she could be inconsistent with her judgments due to her enjoyment of a dirty joke.

As the case gets more intense, the firm becomes divided on the issue, with Georgia (played by Courtney Thorne-Smith) leading the pro-censorship brigade while Ally debates for the defense, insisting that the school violated the teacher's First Amendment rights. John Cage (played by Peter MacNicol), a senior lawyer at the firm and an eccentric litigator, reveals his worries about the judge to Georgia, saying that Happy Boyle has a proclivity to make whimsical rulings when she's in a good mood.

The central theme of the episode revolves around the subjectivity and implications of humor. While it is acceptable to have a different sense of humor from others, the episode examines how a judge's whimsical and inconsistent behavior that swirls around her sense of humor can seriously interfere with the active, fair-minded judgment they're supposed to bring to the bench. In the end, the episode leaves the question unanswered and chooses to end on a thought-provoking note.

"The Dirty Joke" is one of the most memorable episodes of Ally McBeal, and it highlights the eccentricity of the show's characters while also exploring serious legal issues. As always, the performances by the cast are impeccable, and the writing is smart and thought-provoking, leaving viewers pondering the implications of what they have just watched. It just goes to show that Ally McBeal isn't just your run-of-the-mill legal procedural. It is entertaining, thought-provoking, and always manages to leave a lasting impression.