PRACTICE, THE: LIFE SENTENCE {FOURTH SEASON FINALE} (TV)

Summary

The fourth season finale in this series of dramas about the idealistic attorneys at a struggling Boston law practice. In this episode, Ellenor pleads with her deaf client Sally Berg, who shot and killed the man who raped and murdered her seven-year-old daughter Jessica, to accept a plea of manslaughter and a short prison sentence, but she refuses. Bobby demands that Ellenor withdraw from the case if Sally doesn't argue temporary insanity, as Judge Hiller surely won't accept jury nullification, and after a furious American Sign Language argument, Sally agrees to let Ellenor "do her job." Elsewhere, Helen tells prosecutor Richard Bay that she's sitting second chair on the case, as he is under review for his "loose cannon" behavior, and Bobby is deeply frustrated when a mistake with the invitation lists means that a whopping 390 people are now invited to his and Lindsay's wedding.

In court, news footage shows Sally very calmly shooting the man, Michael Whittier, as he was being arrested for Jessica's murder, and then immediately surrendering to police. As a result, the psychiatrist refuses to perjure himself by proclaiming Sally temporarily insane when she clearly was not, and Eugene scrambles to find another shrink. As Lindsay wonders if Bobby even wishes to marry her at all, Helen urges Richard to let her cross-examine Sally, as a woman will seem more sympathetic to the jury. Bobby and Lindsay very grumpily retrieve their marriage license, and Sally breaks down on the stand as she describes identifying her daughter's body and learning that her soccer coach had cruelly taken her life. Rebecca urges Bobby to show Lindsay that he genuinely cares about their marriage proceedings, and after Helen explains how Sally very methodically and rationally carried out Whittier's death, Eugene rests his case, opting not to call any experts. He and Jimmy persuade an angry Ellenor that the case rests on pure emotion, as everyone knows that she wasn't truly insane. Bobby admits his hatred of big weddings, feeling that a marriage should be an intimate experience for the couple, and Richard, in his closing arguments, admits that while he has no sympathy for a child-killer, Whittier's guilt had not yet been legally proven, as is required in a just society. Ellenor makes a more emotional plea, displaying a photo of Jessica and recalling her terrible last moments, driving even Helen to tears. Frustrated, Richard tells Helen that he needs a true guilty verdict to save his job and can't accept a last-minute plea of involuntary manslaughter, and Lindsay decides to surprise Bobby with an elopement and recruits Lucy and Rebecca to help arrange it. Sally's jury quickly returns a verdict of guilty on the charge of second-degree murder, which equals a life sentence, but Ellenor desperately promises to appeal. Later, Lindsay and an amazed Bobby are married in a small ceremony at his beloved Fenway Park in the presence of their best friends, while elsewhere Richard sadly watches as Sally is taken to prison. Includes commercials and promos.

Details

• NETWORK: ABC
• DATE: May 21, 2000 10:00 PM
• RUNNING TIME: 0:59:58
• COLOR/B&W: Color
• CATALOG ID: B:60362
• GENRE: Drama, legal
• SUBJECT HEADING: Drama, legal; Trials (murder); Murder; American Sign Language; Weddings
• SERIES RUN: ABC - TV series, 1997-2004
• COMMERCIALS:
  • TV - Commercials - "Chicken Run" motion picture
  • TV - Commercials - "Dinosaur" motion picture
  • TV - Commercials - "The World is Not Enough" home video
  • TV - Commercials - Budweiser beers
  • TV - Commercials - California Federal Bank
  • TV - Commercials - Carl's Jr. restaurants
  • TV - Commercials - Excel communications company
  • TV - Commercials - FedEx services
  • TV - Commercials - Hewlett Packard printers
  • TV - Commercials - Home Grocer shopping services
  • TV - Commercials - Investor’s Business Daily newspaper
  • TV - Commercials - LendingTree.com lending services
  • TV - Commercials - Lexus automobiles
  • TV - Commercials - Los Angeles Times newspaper
  • TV - Commercials - MSN internet service
  • TV - Commercials - Mazda automobiles
  • TV - Commercials - McDonald's restaurants
  • TV - Commercials - Nissan automobiles
  • TV - Commercials - Nokia cellular services
  • TV - Commercials - Salomon Smith Barney investment banking
  • TV - Commercials - Vioxx arthritis medicine
  • TV - Commercials - Volkswagen automobiles
  • TV - Commercials - eToys website
  • TV - Commercials - iMac Apple computers
  • TV - Promos - "20/20"
  • TV - Promos - "Con Air"
  • TV - Promos - "Eyewitness News"
  • TV - Promos - "Good Morning America"
  • TV - Promos - "NYPD Blue"
  • TV - Promos - "Spin City"

CREDITS

• David E. Kelley … Executive Producer, Created by, Writer
• Robert Breech … Co-Executive Producer
• Pamela Wisne … Producer
• Christina Musrey … Producer
• Gary M. Strangis … Producer
• Joseph Berger-Davis … Co-Producer
• Julie Kay Rogers … Supervising Associate Producer
• Tammy Ann Casper … Associate Producer
• Michael Zimberg … Director
• Christophe Beck … Music by
• Jon Hassell … Theme Music by
• Pete Scaturro … Theme Music by
• Dylan McDermott … Cast, Bobby Donnell
• Michael Badalucco … Cast, Jimmy Berluti
• Lisa Gay Hamilton … Cast, Rebecca Washington
• Steve Harris … Cast, Eugene Young
• Camryn Manheim … Cast, Ellenor Frutt
• Marla Sokoloff … Cast, Lucy Hatcher
• Kelli Williams … Cast, Lindsay Dole
• Lara Flynn Boyle … Cast, Helen Gamble
• Linda Hunt … Cast, Judge Zoey Hiller
• Jason Kravits … Cast, Richard Bay
• Nick Jameson … Cast, Dr. Thibodeau
• John Doman … Cast, Officer Finlay
• Alyson Croft … Cast, Marriage License Clerk
• Evan H. Mirand … Cast, News Cameraman
• Arlene Malinowski … Cast, Sign Language Interpreter
• Robert Prosky … Cast, Father Patrick
• Marlee Matlin … Cast, Sally Berg
• Paul Schackman … Cast, Dr. Lanning
• Marla Frees … Cast, Reporter Sheila McCrae
• Kira Tirimacco … Cast, Jury Foreperson
• Jeff Ramsey … Cast, Michael Whittier
• Von Roddy … Cast, Officer #1
• Dale Gibson … Cast, Officer #2