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The episode begins with Ally and Elaine walking down the street,
passing a nativity scene. Elaine suddenly realizes the baby in the manger is moving, and goes and picks up the
baby. She falls in love at first sight, and enlists John and Ally in a court procedure to try to obtain guardianship.
John and Ally argue in her favor based on it being in the baby's best interest to remain with the caretaker with
whom he has bonded, even though it's only been for a day. Department of Social Services argues that she is a single
mother, and there have been couples waiting on the adoption list for a long time.
DSS interviews people at the firm, and they present in court information that could only be obtained from someone
who works with Elaine and knows her well - they have specifics about her court battle over her face bra (her family
didn't believe her at first and thought she'd stolen the idea), licking cappucino foam off John's face and generally
playing the role of the office tart. Elaine is very hurt and asks Richard and Nelle why they gave out this information,
but they insist they didn't. Billy tells her DSS interviewed Renee, so Ally talks with her, but Georgia comes in
and volunteers that it was she who told them about those incidents. She thinks it's fair that DSS, with people
trained to know what's best for babies, get all the information.
Everyone at the office is enjoying the baby, and maternal instinct is blossoming everywhere. Even Nelle seems to
become attached to him. Nelle and Ling get christened while changing his diaper [if you've ever had a baby boy
you know what I mean], and Richard, John and Billy teach him to dance in the unisex.
Ally makes a beautiful speech in court about Elaine's character - how unselfish and nurturing she is - and says
that, if she had a child who needed to be placed with someone else, she'd come to Elaine.
After deliberation, the judge rules in favor of Elaine, and says she's based it on Ally's statement of her character.
Meanwhile, Billy is doing some more self-exploring. He decides not to go to the office party, since Georgia might
be there, but his new assistant convinces him that he should go - maybe he could ask Georgia to be his date, or
at least get in a dance with her. He goes to her office and asks her out. We next see him talking to his men's
group, complaining that she turned him down; that she always saw him as not good enough; and, as he gets carried
away complaining, he decides she's a real *itch. The men start chanting the word, and [just as I was about to turn
the TV off in disgust] we hear oinking noises, as we fade to another scene!
Billy tells his assistant what happens, and tells her he realizes he doesn't want to get back together with Georgia.
He then asks her to be his date to the party, but she wisely says no: she works for him, and he needs time alone.
Later, as Ally is tending the baby while Elaine is in the unisex, she tells Billy she'd imagined 7 years ago that
they would be together with a baby someday. He asks what went wrong with them, and she says she doesn't know.
They all dance at the party [which doesn't seem to be unlike any other night at their bar, except they're better
dressed], except for Elaine, who goes upstairs because the noise bothers the baby. As she's changing his diaper,
the police escort in a young woman and her parents. The woman announces the baby is hers, and she abandoned him
in a bout of post-partum depression, and she wants him back. The others come in, and all rally around with support
for Elaine, referring to a case which might set a precedent for allowing Elaine to keep him since the mother forfeited
her rights when she abandoned the baby. John asks everyone to leave but Elaine and Ally, and tells her she needs
to think about whether she wants to put this baby through a long legal battle, and if she's thinking about what's
best for him or what she wants. Elaine goes back outside and gives the baby back to his mother. |
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