The Paper Chase

(Beginning the fourth season of this show, the third year of law school continues). Harriman is dumped by her fiance and has a one-night fling with Hart, who finds it meant much more to him than her.

Franklin Ford is falsely arrested and spends three agonizing days in jail before Golden can extract him from the police bureaucracy. Ford is deeply affected by his glimpse of the underside of the imperfect system he had spent most of his life pursuing.

The graduating class scramble to learn if their grades earn them Honors, Summa or Magna. Ziess finds he is a tiny fraction below the threshold and files a lawsuit against the law school over its grading procedures.

Laura stumbles across an art show, enters and wins 3rd prize, reawakening her past dreams about being an artist. Meanwhile, the other students have a "suppressed desires" party where everyone dresses up in a costume depicting what they really wanted to be in life.

[This episode has several clips, flashing back to early episodes] The first-year study group fractures under the pressures of finals. This two-part series finally shows all the characters future plans. Hart and the rest of Law Review scramble to get out their last issue while Bell scrambles for a job. Hart considers a possible teaching position at the school but Kingsfield resists. Laura tells Hart that she's going to drop law for art, which is much more fulfilling. Ford and Hart say goodbye to their apartment. Bell has one last time to talk with Kingsfield, and his parents step in. The graduation ceremonies begin with Hart as commencement speaker, giving deep thanks to Kingsfield. Diplomas are handed out.