Boston Legal Season 1 Episode 4 Change of Course

Alan Shore and Denny Crane are tasked with representing a school principal who has been fired for attempting to teach intelligent design alongside evolution in his classroom. The case becomes complicated when the principal's lawyer insists on providing his own expert witness to testify, leading to a heated debate in the courtroom between science and religion.

Meanwhile, Shirley Schmidt and Sally Heep represent a woman who was fired from her job for refusing to attend mandatory drug testing due to her religious beliefs. The case takes a surprising turn when they discover that the woman's employer has secretly been putting drugs in the office water cooler to test their employees.

In the midst of all this, Alan's personal life becomes intertwined with the case when he meets a woman with a child who attends the school where the principal was fired. As the case progresses, Alan struggles with his feelings for the woman and his belief in the separation of church and state.

Throughout the episode, the themes of religious freedom and the separation of church and state are explored through the different cases, as the lawyers grapple with the boundaries between personal beliefs and professional responsibilities. The episode also delves deeper into the complex personalities of the main characters, particularly Alan Shore and his personal struggles.