Oh, what I would do to own a copy of the original script for this episode.....

Well, he's gone. Larry's gone. He left her with a note.

But it was so abrupt. So vague. And so uncharacteristic. So much so that I feel like it's all just a bad dream.

I think true Ally & Larry fans know that these two would have moved heaven and earth to fight to stay together. They wouldn't have just given up like that. But unfortunately, they were the victims of editing and rewrites. It's frustrating to think about what might have been.....

Here's a summary --

The show begins with Ally having a dream that she's in surgery and the doctor finds her heart to be, literally, broken. She wakes up and looks at the back of Larry's head laying down next to her (who wants to bet that "Larry" wasn't Robert, but an imitator). The next day, we find out that the two had dinner last night at a restaurant. Larry was going to propose but the waiter accidentally brought the ring to the wrong table. Larry sees this as a bad omen. Larry's feisty new assistant, Coretta, encourages Larry to propose to Ally tonight. Then his ex-wife, Helena, walks in and asks Larry out to lunch. He accepts, despite Coretta telling him not to go. Larry and Helena go to an ice-cream place. Apparently, Larry's seeking advice from his ex about Ally and marriage. Surprise! Ally and John somehow end up at the ice-cream place and see Larry and Helena in there together. Ally's ticked off. She storms in and dumps ice-cream, hot fudge, and whipped cream on Larry's head. Later, we find out that Ally and Larry had a phone conversation and Ally.... *gasp* broke up with him! Larry and Coretta talk about it and he comments that Ally doesn't trust him. Helena appears and she's surprised to hear that Larry and Ally broke up. We learn that Larry's really hesitant about marriage because he's failed before -- with Jamie, with Helena..... he doesn't want Ally to be Strike Three. He realizes that this is not about Ally, but about himself. Later, Ally and Larry are at her office. They're talking things out and he tells her that he failed as a father, he failed as a husband, and that the biggest lie would be to say he'd never fail again. At home, Ally is sure that Larry is going to leave her. Renee doesn't think so but Ally tells her that he leaves notes. He can't say goodbye, so he leaves notes instead. Ally gets to the office and Elaine tells her that Larry was just there. Ally's spirits go up. But then Elaine tells Ally that he left her a note. Ally's face falls and she is heartbroken. She goes into her office without even reading the note. Elaine peeks inside the envelope and Larry's note reads, "I love you. Goodbye". Fade to black.

Hmmph. That's all I have to say.

I completely understand the predicament that David E. Kelley found himself in. What do you do when you have your final scripts all done, and then suddenly your leading man is unavailable? He found himself having to scramble to rewrite the episode so that --

A) It incorporated the scenes Robert had already filmed

B) It gave Larry an exit out

C) It made sense

Well, I think DEK accomplished two out of three. (C) didn't quite happen, though. At least not for me.

First of all, was the ex-wife really necessary? She didn't add much of anything, and Larry could have easily had these conversations with Coretta the Assistant (who I really like!). But then, I guess we wouldn't have had that cute scene of Ally dumping the ice-cream all over Larry's head. And I don't blame her a bit for that. Larry cancelled lunch with Ally so he could have lunch with his ex-wife??? What the--? Okay, so the purpose was to talk about Ally, but still. But getting back to the "Larry Sundae" -- who wouldn't want to help lick all that ice-cream off of him? Yummy! :-)

Does anyone else think that they may have actually filmed the scene at the restaurant where Larry was supposed to propose? And, for whatever reason, didn't show it? It just seemed strange to see them mentioning it as an afterthought. And we had Larry obsessing about "omens". I guess it was clear that he had major issues with committment mainly because he's failed before. I guess that's understandable, but why did Ally break up with him? Because she saw him out with his ex-wife? Sure, she had a right to be p*ssed but she would've bounced back. A lot of things in this episode just left me feeling very confused.

And I suppose we all know it's because of real-life events that have caused the characters to take strange and unexpected turns. Rewrites were evident, and while I was watching the show, I found myself wondering which scenes were original and which were rewritten. It was just strange that one second Larry was going to propose marriage to Ally, and then the next second he leaves her. It was just all so sudden and strange: Ally doesn't trust Larry... what?? Ally breaks up with Larry... what?? Larry leaves Ally.... what?? Can you understand my confusion??? Where in the world did these things come from??? It was like BAM... BAM... BAM... One thing after another that left me feeling more and more confused. By the end, I almost felt like I didn't know who these people were. Grrrr, I'm frustrated!!

By the way, don't you hate it when things happen off-screen that you wish you could've seen? In particular, Larry meeting Ally's parents. Ally's mom mentioned that she liked Larry, so obviously she met him. Gosh, wouldn't you have loved seeing him meet Ally's parents? Especially after the 3rd degree Ally's dad put Brian through last year.... it could've been quite comical. But alas, we were cheated out of that. Quick, somebody write a fanfic!

Anyway, you know this is a cut & paste episode when Larry has more scenes with his assistant and his ex-wife than he does with Ally! He only had two short scenes with her. DEK did the best he could do under the circumstances. I just wish that things could have ended differently.

I'm actually guessing that in the original script, Larry would actually have proposed to Ally! Now it's just speculation on my part, but I really think it's true. Especially since the next episode is titled "The Wedding". If anyone has any connections to get the original script, DO IT!!!! LOL. I just have to know what was originally planned. For my own sanity :-)

Well, if there is any light at the end of the tunnel...... the ending with the note was very open-ended and it leaves the door wide open for Larry to hopefully return in the future. This can't be the end for Ally & Larry. It just can't be!

Also, the look on Larry's face said it all. When the ex-wife asked him what his life has been like so far *without* Ally, you could see that it's been miserable. Which is another reason why it seems so dumb the way he just left like that. Okay, my bitterness is beginning to show again. *Sigh*

Now I'm certainly not an expert on love..... and I know that these are only fictional characters..... but please bare with me on this. I'm a true believer that everyone has a soulmate out there...... someone is out there that you are destined to be with..... For Ally McBeal, this has always been her dream -- to find somebody to marry, have kids with, and grow old with. It is what has shaped this entire series -- the quest of finding "the one". When DEK brought Robert Downey, Jr. on board to play a character named Larry Paul, I don't think he had any idea the IMPACT that "Larry" would have had on Ally and us viewers. Robert completely turned the show upside-down and became an integral part of it in no time. The chemistry he and Calista share is undeniable. For this past glorious season, they have graced us with wonderful, heartfelt performances as 'Ally & Larry'. They made us believe in love, in understanding, in compromises...... Ally and Larry -- they're soulmates. Plain and simple. It's been quite a ride this past season, both on-screen and off. There's been some ups and some downs. Personally, I'm emotionally drained. But I feel very fortunate to have witnessed this amazing relationship.

I don't want to end this on a sour note. And I refuse to call this the "last episode" Larry will be in.

Maybe I'm just being dillusional, but I truly believe he will be back one day.

To Robert -- Thank you for sharing your incredible talents with us. Thank you for being in our homes every Monday night. And thank you for creating such a wonderful character. I wish you only the best in the future and I pray for you all the time.

To Calista -- Thank you for yet another great season full of wonderful performances. You're never anything less than excellent. Don't you think it's about time this girl wins an Emmy???

To Mr. Kelley -- Thank you for having the idea in the first place to bring Robert onto the show. And look at the frenzy you've created! People can't get enough of Ally & Larry and I hope you haven't given up on them.

Next week is the season finale. I hope we see lots of mentions of Larry. There are rumors floating around that a few scenes that Robert has already shot could still make it into the finale, but it seems like a longshot. We'll find out soon.

Whew! Well, it's been quite a season! It's not officially over yet but the end is in sight. Ally and Larry have certainly stolen the hearts of many, many fans out there. Let's all have HOPE and FAITH that things work out positively. Ally and Larry have been simply amazing. Again, I refuse to call this the END.

It's just love put on hold.

What Was *Supposed* to Happen