Ally McBeal
I often watch the television show Ally McBeal and I find it's one of the few television shows which both entertains me and makes me think about issues. It features a young lawyer in a zany law firm and her private and professional life.
I enjoy the actors and I particularly enjoy Vonda Shepherd, the bar singer. I like the exaggerated way issues are presented. I like the way Ally sees a graphic representation of her thoughts and feelings. And, even though I view the show as comedy, the issues raised by the cases handled by the fictional law firm are serious issues, issues of conduct in the workplace, of discrimination, of loyalty, of contracts and their interpretation, of misconduct and remedies, of honoring expectations, of behavior on the streets, at home, in courtrooms and out.
I've talked to others who criticize the show, I've read complaints and I think I understand why some people are offended by the show. It does present the title character as a woman who may think she needs a man to complete her life, as a career woman who might subordinate her career to a man, to marriage. But it doesn't advocate those thoughts and goals. I think it actually shows the fallacy of that way of thinking. Remember that Ally McBeal is a successful, competent lawyer. She doesn't need a man to complete her life, she needs something to complement her life. She needs a friend, male or female, who will enable her to escape her professional life.
Professional life is difficult: Especially now, it's lonely, difficult and more and more disrespected. We live in a cynical age where the old authority figures no longer carry the same weight. Lawyers, doctors, engineers are all viewed with suspicion by clients and the public alike. This is one reason why so many people leave these professions altogether. So it's no wonder that a bright young woman like Ally McBeal needs to escape once in awhile.
In addition, we all need love. Ally is no exception. It's not a weakness to seek love, it does not require abandonment of a career to find love. It requires the ability to love and accept love. So let's not lightly criticize Ally McBeal: She's an exaggeration of ourselves. She highlights the difficulty of doing all we want to do in a limited amount of time, the difficulty of making time for ourselves. She makes us think and she makes us laugh- a pretty good combination.
1-31-00
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