Maddie keeps testing Ally for her patience and love, something that doesn't go through Ally's mind until Victor points it out. Ally, on the other hand, is being way too protective on Maddie, confronting her school principal, teacher and classmates. She decides to hire a nanny, but can't find one that is fits her standards (liking Moulin Rouge, for example), so she ends up hiring Victor, who has developed a very good bond with Maddie. As if she didn't have enough going on in her life, Ally is offered partnership on the firm now that John is gone. After a lot of consideration, Richard decided to ask her and change the firm's name from Cage & Fish to Fish & McBeal, which upsets Nelle, who thinks she should be the next partner, not Ally. After going through the firm's books, Ally discovers that they're losing money and have to fire someone to avoid problems. Since neither Richard nor John had the guts to fire anyone, Ally decides to do so. Meanwhile, Coretta and Raymond face each other in
s05e01 - Friends and Lovers
s05e02 - Judge Ling
s05e03 - Neutral Corners
s05e04 - Fear of Flirting
s05e05 - I Want Love
s05e06 - Lost and Found
s05e07 - Nine One One
s05e08 - Playing with Matches
s05e09 - Blowin' in the Wind
s05e10 - One Hundred Tears
s05e11 - A Kick in the Head
s05e12 - The New Day
s05e13 - Woman
s05e14 - Homecoming
s05e15 - Heart and Soul
s05e16 - Love Is All Around (1)
s05e17 - Love Is All Around (2)
s05e18 - Tom Dooley
s05e19 - Another One Bites The Dust
s05e20 - What I'll Never Do for Love Again
s05e21 - All of Me
s05e22 - Bygones
Ally McBeal is a single, independent woman, who works at a law firm. The series follow Ally throughout her everyday life, and her struggles with dating, friends, and her job.