u/Naive_Hospital_4086

Hot Stuff (Season 4, Episode 22). Waldo and Weasel come over to show off to Eddie their new car stereo. Eddie is really impressed and says he wishes he could afford one as well which Weasel mentions he knows a guy who would give a great discount. Later on after Eddie has bought his stereo, he's showing Steve all the speakers in the car. Steve asks where Eddie got the stereo and how he was able to afford all that, Eddie tells Steve about Weasel's guy and he was able to get all the speakers for $400.00. Steve is concerned about that exceptionally large discount and looks closer at the speakers which have had all the serial numbers removed. Steve tells Eddie that the stereo is stolen. Eddie goes to Carl for help but is upset when Carl tells Eddie that they have to take the stereo out of the car. Carl took Eddie's car to the police station without Eddie knowing and Eddie thinks his car is stolen and freaks out, Carl tells him where his car is and how it felt thinking that his car was stolen, Eddie realizes what Carl was pointing out to him and admits he knows now why it wasn't a good idea to keep the stereo. Meanwhile, Myra has returned after her first date with Steve. Steve admits he's attracted to her but is trying to resist due to his love for Laura. Laura wants Steve and Myra to connect and sets them up to have an accordion play off where they get so hot playing the music that they end up kissing each other.

FAVORITE QUOTE:

STEVE: Well, you remember Myra?

LAURA: Ted's cousin?

STEVE: Yes, indeedy. Well, she... She wants my bod.

LAURA: I think it's great news that a girl is interested in you. In fact, it renews my faith in miracles.

STEVE: But, Laura, you don't understand. Myra's all over me like a bum on a sandwich.

LAURA: You're kidding.

STEVE: Oh. Would that I were. She calls me constantly, she writes me love letters, she even sends me present. She's even transferred into my English class.

LAURA: Well, what's wrong with that?

STEVE: She doesn't go to our school!

FAVORITE MOMENT:

Easily the accordion play off, that is one of the funniest scenes in the entire series. I loved that it's played like foreplay/sex for Myra and Steve and how intense their faces get during the music. Jaleel and Michelle have incredible chemistry and played this scene so well.

OPINION:

We got Myra back! This is her second appearance on the show and I think it's safe to say after this appearance she's staying. We are still in the phase where she's still very civil to Laura and asks Laura for advice on how she can get Steve's attention. I actually love how much Laura cares about Steve and Myra connecting. She's partly doing it to get Steve to stop bothering her but I think she sees that they do actually connect and that Steve should give Myra a chance. Steve and Myra officially start dating this episode.

As for Eddie's storyline, I really like this one and Eddie is very likable in this episode. Part of being a teenager is making mistakes and getting ripped off is a hard lesson to learn. My parents taught me something very young "if something is too good to be true, it probably is". But as soon as Eddie finds out that his stereo was stolen, he did go to Carl immediately even if he was playing the "hypothetical" story so he didn't get in trouble, it was still very brave of him to go to Carl to ask what to do. I don't blame Eddie for getting upset about his stereo getting removed out of his car and losing $400.00 (minimum wage at the time was $4.25 an hour), like I said it's a hard lesson to learn. But better than being pulled over later on and arrested being accused of stealing that stereo himself.

This is a really good episode and very funny. There were a lot of scenes I didn't even mention that are so good: Eddie showing off his stereo to Steve who plays the yodel channel, Steve asking Laura to marry him so Myra won't be interested any more, Carl actually sympathizing with Eddie about the stereo and not getting mad at him and when Steve admits that he likes Myra and is not a fool that will give her up because he still loves Laura (which we will be discussing that in later episodes). There is a small continuity error in this one, the ending scene where Mother Winslow comes over to talk to Harriette and Laura, Harriette says "here comes the blushing bride" as if it's her first time seeing her since the wedding. I'm guessing this scene was probably meant to air before the last episode of Walk on the Wild Side where Harriette and Mother Winslow went to the strip club together. That or the writers hoped we just forgot about it. Remember the time before streaming and DVD's when we had to watch an episode week by week and it was harder to remember those little details?

GUEST STARS:

• Shavar Ross as Alex "Weasel" Park
• Michelle Thomas as Myra Monkhouse (RIP in 1998)

Fagel Attraction (Season 4, Episode 23). Will's laptop is stolen while at the coffee shop and he meets Detective Gavin Hatch who says that there's been a string of gay men's laptops being stolen around the neighborhood and asks Will if he wants to help catch the guy doing this which Will accepts. Jack has been going to gay group therapy where Gavin happens to be there and he admits that due to coming out later in life he has a hard time meeting men and will make up some elaborate lie to spend time with them and brings up how he lied to Will earlier that day. While Will and Gavin are at the nightclub, Gavin keeps making moves on Will but Will thinks it's all part of being undercover. Jack happens to be at the nightclub and sees them together and pulls Will to the side asking him why he's dating "freaky teeth guy" which he tells Will about Gavin, Gavin not only makes up these lies but has a fear of when people have food stuck in between their teeth. Will takes Gavin back to his apartment and deliberately eats foods that will get stuck in his teeth to freak Gavin out, he eventually confronts Gavin about the lie and Gavin admits he has a hard time opening up to men which Will tells him it will get easier. Val is back! Grace is working on a meditation room for a new client and Val comes over to talk to Grace but Grace is keeping her distance after the last 2 times they met ended with them doing a smackdown. Val says she admires Grace and asks for a sketch since she knows Grace will be famous one day and Grace lets her have it. Later on at the office Grace's client, Vince, shows up for the presentation where he mentions there's a new interior designer in the building who also wants to give a presentation. Her name is Val and she's using the sketch that Grace drew to steal Vince away from Grace.

FAVORITE QUOTE:

VAL: Actually, I'm on this amazing new psychotropic drug. I mean, sure, I have no sex drive and I'm always dizzy, but I think I could be a really good friend. So what are you working on there, G-Dog?

GRACE: Um, it's a meditation room for this client I'm trying to land.

VAL: Wow. That's nifty. I'd sure love a room like that.

GRACE: I'm surprised the court hasn't ordered you to be in a room like that.

VAL: Very funny! Tickle-tickle-tickle-tickle-tickle-tickle!

VAL: You're ticklish. See? You know what? I miss this! I miss this so much.

GRACE: Well, now, see, here's the deal. We could have this-- Uh-huh. If you were not this-- (WHISTLES 'COO-KOO')

VAL: All right. Hey, can I take this? 'Cause someday you're gonna be really famous, and I can say that I knew you when.

GRACE: Sure, but you know, Val, I really do need to get back to work.

VAL: Oh, sure. Yeah, I just wanted to come and let you know that I'm doing a lot better. (POINTING TO THE URINE CUP KAREN BROUGHT) Is that your urine or mine?

FAVORITE MOMENT:

When Will and Gavin are at the club together dancing and how awkward it already is between them but then you see Jack at the bar singing "Lovin You" by Minnie Riperton and the guy next to him is getting annoying by Jack's singing and asks him to stop and he says after one more note, Jack sees Will and Gavin together during the one note and screams and accidentally throws the drink onto the guy.

OPINION:

Of all the celebrities that have come onto WAG, Michael Douglas not only had to be one of the most random but surprisingly really good. Michael Douglas is an incredible actor but the works that I had seen him in prior were always drama, even Romancing the Stone which has elements of comedy but it's more of an action/adventure film that requires more dramatic acting than comedic. There's a saying that in Hollywood you can find 1000 actors who are good at drama but finding a good comedic actor, your choices are limited to 20. Michael can actually be a good comedic actor, who knew? Michael does a great job as Gavin Hatch, an older man who came out later in life so he's having a hard time connecting with men. I loved that little touch of Gavin hating food being stuck between people's teeth, I've actually met a few people like that where food in the teeth freaks them out so that is a real thing. To be fair, it isn't pleasant to look at.

Overall, Michael does a really good job at Gavin and gets some good laughs. I'm not completely sold 100% on the performance though for some reason. It might be because Michael has a couple of scenes where he plays Gavin a little too silly like in the club scene. When he's trying to trick Will into dancing with him, he doesn't look like he's a guy who just doesn't know what he's doing or how to get Will to like him, he looks like he's in on a joke that's being played on Will. I liked when Michael was playing Gavin more seriously in the beginning of the episode where we were getting to know his character. That's the hard part about comedy, it's typically the situations around you that are funny and if you play it straight, it's hilarious. When you play a silly character, you have to let the situation be serious. Like I mentioned comedy is very hard and I give Michael credit where it's due. I loved the gay group therapy scene where Jack was mocking Gavin's food in teeth fear. I also always laugh when Gavin accidentally calls Will "honey" and says all the guys at the precinct say "sweetie, honey, sarge" 🤣 This is Michael's only appearance on the show, I sometimes wonder what it would have been like if they brought him back just one more time in the show, like if Will's future boyfriend Vince worked with him, it could have given a good reason for Gavin to return.

We have another Val episode!!! I cannot say enough how much I love when Val appears, Molly Shannon is just too hilarious and plays Val so well. So in this episode we have discovered that Val is a psychopathic, kleptomaniac, stan copycat. She's the psycho that just keeps giving. Her scenes trying to steal Grace's client are beyond hilarious and I love how crazy she drives Grace. This is also the first time we see Karen interact with Val and surprisingly, Karen is the sane one of this group. I always get such a laugh when Grace says she's going to go beat Val up and Karen grabs Grace by the hair bending her backwards, that image is just too funny and was very tempting to use today in my thumbnail picture. Again, it's so hilarious when Grace and Val get physical and Val spanks Grace's butt with Grace cowering away. Karen was the one who actually saved the day this time by performing tai-chi on Val and dragging her away while Grace finishes her presentation to Vince. Molly Shannon is always such a joy and you know you're in for a really good episode when Val makes her entrance.

This episode is just so hilarious and has a lot of laugh out loud moments that I didn't even get to mention: Grace lying about the chocolate chip muffins to Will, Grace's face when Val tickles her, Will having fun with Gavin with the food in the teeth, Karen bringing a urine cup to Grace saying that's her "sample", Jack's line of "I'm too much of a giver. That's right. I give a little bit too much. Always putting other people's needs before mine. Well, no more! Before it used to be World, Jack. Now it's Jack, World." which almost made my favorite quote. There are just too many scenes to name.

GUEST STARS:

• Michael Douglas as Detective Gavin Hatch
• Molly Shannon as Val Bassett
• Fred Applegate as Dr. Foster
• Barry Livingston as Vince
• Louis Giovannetti as Cop
• Kevin Fabian as Man

Wedding Balls (Season 4, Episode 22). Will's cousin Alison is in town and she's getting married to her fiancé, Bob. But she got a nasty ear infection and is running late to Will's apartment. Bob is nervous finishing the wedding plans, so Will asks Grace if she could help him out with a female's input. Grace helps Bob with the wedding registry, the cakes and getting the wedding dress for Alison. But Grace is getting a little too wedding happy as she starts to act like this is her wedding they are getting ready for. Will tells her she has to stop acting like she's getting married, Grace breaks down to Will wondering if this will ever happen for her and Will comforts her. Meanwhile, Jack is upset with Will for having his cousin over and wants him and Karen to give Will the cold shoulder, but Karen notices that Will is reading the same book she is called "The Marriage of Equals". This infuriates Jack even further that they are bonding over the book and are going to meet the author together. Will and Karen fake a fight to make Jack feel better in the end.

FAVORITE QUOTE:

KAREN: Hey! Listen! Don't you tell me what to do! Or I will rip you a new-- hold on a second. You're reading The Marriage of Equals?! So am I.

WILL: You're reading The Marriage of Equals?

KAREN: Yes, honey, I love this book! Look, I can't put it down.

WILL: Me, neither!

JACK: Hmm!

WILL: You know, I have been dying to talk to somebody about this book.

KAREN: Oh. Me, too. You know, I was gonna have my staff read it, but I was worried that knowledge leads to freedom.

WILL: You know, that is so something Diane would say. Look, I gotta go, but, you know, if you ever want to get together and talk about the book, you just call me.

KAREN: You know, honey, I think I will.

WILL: Ok.

JACK: Hmm! Hmm! Hmm!

WILL: I think your poodle needs to piddle.

FAVORITE MOMENT:

When Karen sees Will in the hallway with the trash bag and she says "hi, Grace" to it and Will explains that's his garbage but they start bonding over the book again and Jack invites Karen out but Karen wants to talk about the book with Will and Jack gets upset and Will throws him the garbage bag and says "here, take Grace!".

OPINION:

This episode is such a mixed bag for me because I love it but I really cannot stand Grace in this episode and she is a really bad person in this one. I remember when I was younger and feeling bad for Grace at the end that she was getting the wedding blues, but as I got older I realized even though her feelings were valid, what she did was unforgiveable.

So Grace gets caught up in the wedding planning, it happens. When you're single and being reminded of how single you are, it can be tough. But it does not give you license to project your feelings of insecurity onto others. Let's start with the registry, while it's nice to have input on what you may or may not need in a house, Grace was selecting things that she would want vs. Bob or Alison. Then they are trying the cake and Grace being the glutton that she is won't let Bob try one bite. Bob mentions to Grace that Alison is allergic to chocolate and she says "they can make her a fruit plate" proving that she's gone full single white female. Then she goes to pick up the wedding dress, she doesn't just pick it up, the sales lady mistakes her for Alison and asks if she wants to try the dress on and Grace does so! Alison does come to the shop with Will later on and they catch Grace trying her dress on, Alison is surprisingly calm about this and must have the patience of a saint because I would have been livid. The first person who tries on an altered dress is the bride and should only be the bride and Grace was beyond incredibly selfish in this episode. Listen, I'm not saying that I didn't laugh at the jokes because they are funny, but it doesn't make Grace any more likable. Will disappoints me in this episode too because it shows at the end when he's hugging Grace how much he enables her in her bad behavior. If my friends saw me acting like that, I know they probably would have smacked me and told me to get over it. I'm always so mixed on this plot line and would love to hear other's opinions on it.

The Marriage of Equals plot line for me is the show stealer. We get little glimpses here and there of Will and Karen bonding but they've never had a common ground. They both love reading and didn't realize it until now. This was funny to see Jack get jealous as he was all excited when Will got jealous when Jack bonded with Grace. I think Karen loved them fighting over her a little bit. I like the scene where they go to meet that author of the book and are discussing the nuances and Karen asks the author, Rita, if she was meant to have an erotic reaction to the grizzly murder of the well-muscled handy man and Rita asks her if she did and Karen said twice. I swear, I just love Karen. I always love to see Will and Karen bond, I think I prefer them over Grace and Jack because while Grace and Jack are still very funny, they're a little too silly for my tastes. Will and Karen are such opposites but similar in a lot of ways, so when you see them get along, it feels good knowing they recognize and can see themselves in each other. Their relationship feels deeper and more sophisticated.

Like I mentioned, I have a weird relationship with this episode because almost all the jokes make me laugh. It's just Grace's behavior that really throws me off in this episode and it feels like it will lead into some other storyline that's just beyond the horizon. Think about it, we are not far from the season finale.

GUEST STARS:

• Steven Shenbaum as Bob
• Tracy Nelson as Alison Pollette
• Kimberly Scott as Rita Pigeon
• Stephanie Erb as Mona
• Nicole Forester as Lucy
• Tia Riebling as Mute Bride
• Judy Nazemetz as Clerk

Walk on the Wild Side (Season 4, Episode 21). Laura and her two friends KC and Maxine are chatting about their weekend and KC mentions to them how she got a fake ID and went to Club Buff, the male strip club. Maxine gets excited saying how she wishes she could do that too and KC offers for her and Laura to get fake IDs and go with her. Maxine is in immediately but Laura has her reservations which KC teases that Laura is "miss goody two-shoes" and isn't surprised that Laura would be nervous about doing something wrong. Laura gives in wanting to prove she's got a wild side. As Laura and Maxine are ready to leave for Club Buff, Steve sees Laura as they are ready to go and asks why Laura is so dressed up and she admits they are going to the club. At the club, the girls are let in and Maxine is going crazy over the hot guys but Laura can't seem to let go and have fun. At home, Steve is talking to Carl asking him where Harriette is, Carl tells Steve that Mother Winslow, Rachel and Harriette went to Club Buff for a girl's night and Steve runs out to go tell Laura. As he arrives, no men are allowed in the audience, so he sneaks in with one of the waiters asking if he's the new stripper and Steve goes along with it. Steve is pushed on stage where he tells the audience "what if you're mother caught you in here?!" hinting to Laura to get out, she gets the nudge but is caught by Harriette. Laura and Harriette get home and Harriette asks Laura why she snuck into that place, Laura admits that she was sick of her goody-goody side and wanted to prove she could do something crazy. Harriette laughs and tells her how similar they are and a story of Harriette skipping school when she was a kid to meet Smokey Robinson and kissed him and how her mother caught her on TV doing so. Harriette tells Laura being cool is just sticking to your morals and stand up for yourself, Laura agrees and they hug.

FAVORITE QUOTE:

DEREK: What are you doing here?

STEVE: Well, um... Um, I'm, uh... I'm from the temp agency.

DEREK: What? No, no, no. Please tell me you're not the new dancer.

STEVE: Oh, but I am. I'm, uh... I'm replacing... Who's it?

DEREK: Pete, the passionate plumber?

STEVE: Right. I'm Steve, the sensuous... scientist.

DEREK: It's a good outfit. Just one question.

STEVE: Yeah?

DEREK: You gonna use that body?

STEVE: Well, hey... it's not how many muscles you have, it's how you use the ones you've got.

DEREK: Get behind the curtain, you're on next.

STEVE: But I need time to pump up.

DEREK: You also need plastic surgery, but we don't have time for that.

STEVE: (BEING PUSHED ON STAGE) Listen, wait. I'm a little out of practice. I normally do this about...

DEREK: Ladies, it's time to fire up your Bunsen burners. Club Buff reluctantly presents... in his debut performance... Steve, the sensuous scientist.

STEVE: Stop the music. Stop the music. What is wrong with you, ladies? You're acting like animals. There's no justification for this behavior. What do you have to say for yourselves?

WOMAN: Shut up and shake your bootie!

FAVORITE MOMENT:

There are so many, I could say this whole episode is my favorite quote and moment but I'll go with Harriette's story of her ditching school to meet Smokey Robinson and kissing him. That was such a funny story and I love the way Jo Marie tells it.

OPINION:

We have once again another episode that just knocks it out of the ballpark, this is one of my favorite episodes for sure. I can definitely relate to Laura on this one, in high school I always tried to do the right thing but wished I could do something bold and daring. So I think there are plenty of people that can really relate to this story in one way or another.

A couple of interesting side notes, Judy is mentioned in this episode when Carl and Harriette are discussing how Laura doesn't have to be asked to do her chores but they have to beg Eddie and Judy to do them. So Judy is gone but not forgotten...yet. I always found it to be interesting that Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and Family Matters had quite a few similar episodes and plot lines, so we have a Fresh Prince episode where Will and Carlton sell Vivian's bracelet and need to buy it back later but need the cash so they go to a strip club where Vivian and Hilary happen to be at while Carlton is stripping and see him. If you are curious, Fresh Prince got it first airing on May 4, 1992 and Family Matters aired this episode on March 26, 1993.

I just love this episode. From front to back, this one has non stop laughs in it. I loved when the girls go to the club and how KC for the most part is acting pretty normal and cool, Maxine is going nuts over the guys and Laura can't stop sitting there being uncomfortable which later counterparts to Mother Winslow, Rachel and Harriette going to the club. Mother Winslow pretty much has a lifetime pass to the club and is cool, Rachel is excited and wants to do something naughty and Harriette is reserved not sure if she should be there. Steve goes to warn Laura again will always have me in tears of laughter. I loved his conversation with Derek about being the new dancer, Derek mentioning how Steve needs muscles and plastic surgery. Steve gets shoved on stage to dance and when they open the curtains, his looks of being a deer in headlights is just too hilarious. I love when he lectures the ladies on morals and how their behavior is indecent and one of the women, played by I had no idea that this was Mindy Sterling, screams "Shut up and shake your booty!" 🤣🤣🤣 You might remember Mindy Sterling from the Austin Power films as Frau, Dr. Evil's henchwoman.

I always loved the ending where Harriette catches Laura when Laura is under the table and tries to get away so non-conspicuous like no one will see that, but I loved when Laura said "uh oh" to Harriette and Harriette says "the big uh oh!". They go home and Harriette tells Laura that story about her trying to be daring and skipping school to meet Smokey Robinson. Found out why they called him Smokey when Harriette kissed him. I loved that Harriette didn't get mad at Laura and recognized she's a good kid, she just got caught up in trying to be cool. Like I mentioned, I think we can all relate to that.

Easily one of my favorite episodes, I always get excited when this one comes on. It's just such a funny episode with a good story and I always love when Laura lets loose a little more. Like I said before, this whole episode could have been my favorite quote and moment.

GUEST STARS:

• Cherie Johnson as Maxine Johnson
• Venus DeMilo as K.C.
• Kenny Johnson as Derek
• Bari K. Willerford as Bouncer
• Mindy Sterling as Woman
• Robert Kotto as Waiter
• Wayne Dillon as Officer Bob
• Dennis Parizek as Erik the Viking

Pulling Teeth (Season 4, Episode 20). In a 5-way phone call with Maxine, Laura, Eddie, Waldo and Steve, all are relaying information back and forth to each other. Maxine's boyfriend has just dumped her and she's left broken hearted, but it turns out that Waldo has a crush on Maxine and Eddie is encouraging him to go for it and ask her out. Eddie, Steve and Laura help Maxine and Waldo set their first date up. Later on, Maxine calls Laura to tell her about the date and Eddie calls Waldo to ask what happened. Waldo did mess up a lot on the date but Maxine was touched because Waldo did everything he could to make Maxine happy and not take advantage. Waldo even gave her a kiss and they clicked and would like to go out on another date. Meanwhile, Richie's tooth is loose and Carl wants to help him pull it out. Carl has the not so brilliant idea of putting a string around the doorknob and the other side of the string around Richie's tooth and closing the door pulling the tooth. When he wants to demonstrate to Richie, Steve comes in and shuts the door nearly pulling out Carl's tooth.

FAVORITE QUOTE:

LAURA: Maxine, please just calm down and tell me what happened.

MAXINE: Okay. Here I go. You know how I've been loaning Roger money so that he can fix up his car?

LAURA: Hey, I tried to warn you. I said, "Maxine... be careful, because as soon as that fool gets his car fixed up... he's gonna dump you."

MAXINE: Yeah, you told me a hundred times.

LAURA: Mm-hm. So, what happened?

MAXINE: As soon as that fool got his car fixed up, he dumped me.

FAVORITE MOMENT:

Laura, Steve and Eddie going back and forth getting Waldo and Maxine's date set up, I always loved how it was like the game of telephone where they keep updating what each other said.

OPINION:

This is such a fun episode. So a couple of fun facts, apparently this this was a tricky episode to film in front of the live studio audience. Each actor had to be on a separate set and when their line would queue, the spotlight would go on them and they would say it. But if they messed up, they had to do the whole take over again, so much kudos to Kellie, Cherie, Darius, Shawn and Jaleel for being able to keep up with one another. Then this is the first and only time we will ever hear Steve's mom's voice in the background, at the end of the episode, Steve's mom asks why he is still up and Steve says he's on the phone waiting for Eddie and Laura to get back to him. Steve even refers to her as mom vs. Diane/Roberta in previous episodes.

As I mentioned before, the writers were toying around with the idea of Steve and Maxine getting together but felt it wouldn't work so they were going through the characters and thought Waldo would be a better idea. While I do like them as a couple, it was kind of jarring and felt out of nowhere that we learn Waldo has had a crush on Maxine. And it felt out of nowhere as well that Maxine would click with Waldo. But as the show progresses, I actually do like them together, Maxine seems to be the right balance for Waldo and he treats her well. Waldo is a nice guy and that's what Maxine needed, she seemed to keep dating the same guys that Laura was dating which strangely will come back in the future. But I really love those call scenes, the back and forth and bouncing off each actor was really good and so funny. Kellie, Cherie, Darius, Shawn and Jaleel were really on their A game this episode.

Carl with the loose tooth plotline, I don't know why Hollywood had this crazy idea of pulling your loose tooth out with a string attached to the door. Talk about pain! When you're a kid with a loose tooth, you know the only way out is just wiggling back and forth until the tooth comes out. The worst case scenario is that you go to the dentist to have him or her pull it out if it's not coming out on it's own. The door is such an old school method when people didn't really have many dentist options. But in the 90's Carl should have known better, not to mention that Richie didn't seem to be having any problems with his tooth coming out, he just mentioned to Carl that he had a loose tooth. I think Carl lost his mind this episode. But I always get a kick out of Harriette telling Carl that when he did that with Eddie, Eddie would scream every time he heard a door close. I guess Carl never learned his lesson.

This is really such a great and fun episode. We have a new couple with Maxine and Waldo to help continue the show with Eddie and Laura in the teenager storylines and will continue to see them grow as a couple. The jokes are really funny and the cast does an amazing job in this episode.

GUEST STARS:

• Cherie Johnson as Maxine Johnson

He Shoots, They Snore (Season 4, Episode 21). Grace was picked to teach an interior design class and is beyond excited to teach her students. But there is a problem, her students only want to know about the celebrity homes they'll get to design and if Grace has had any famous clients. After class all her students leave and don't return. Grace asks Karen if she could hook her up with one of her famous friends, Karen at first refuses but after Grace threatens to never let her leave Will's apartment, Karen gives in and say she'll get Katie Couric. At class Grace is getting ready to take her students to Katie's apartment but Karen admits she only said that just to get Grace to let her go. The students walk out of the class leaving Grace. Meanwhile, at Elliot's first basketball game both Will and Jack have gone to support him. Elliot sees his crush Nancy and while Jack isn't there to give Elliot any advice, Will tells Elliot to go for it and talk to Nancy, well it turns out this talk led to Elliot's first kiss. Jack is really upset that he wasn't there and blames Will. During Elliot's game, he misses the last shot and loses the game for his team, Will tells Jack that this is a perfect opportunity to cheer Elliot up. Jack and Elliot bond over what it's like to fail and that it's ok to get back up and keep trying.

FAVORITE QUOTE:

GRACE: So, I need you to hook me up with one of your famous friends.

KAREN: Sweet Grace! Now, I'm gonna tell you something, and I don't want you to take it the wrong way 'cause you know I love you, yeah! But, um... the reason that they're my friends is because I don't introduce them to people like you. Ok, I gotta go.

GRACE: You're not going anywhere.

KAREN: Wh--! Oh! B--!

GRACE: Look, you, you are the worst assistant on the planet. There are chimp assistants in the Congo who are better than you. Because of you, my phones don't get answered, my faxes don't get faxed, I'm constantly getting mail for Grane Adloaf, but I put up with it, and you know why?

KAREN: Because I'm pretty?

GRACE: No, because you're connected. You know everyone. That is all you do, and you are going to do that for me now. I'm calling in my chit.

KAREN: Grace! Language! (GRACE BLOCKS KAREN) Honey, I'm not liking this visit. Honey, look, a cupcake!

GRACE: (BLOCKING KAREN) I could do this forever, Karen. Just think about it. You could be stuck in this apartment for years.

KAREN: But I--I can't think of anyone!

GRACE: Have I ever shown you the view of New Jersey from my bedroom window?

KAREN: Oh, Katie Couric! I'll get you Katie Couric!

GRACE: Hmm. Katie. Not bad. Everyone's seen the interior of her colon, but no one's seen the interior of her apartment.

FAVORITE MOMENT:

It is the scene with my favorite quote where Grace is blocking Karen from leaving Will's apartment, but I'll go with my second favorite which I don't know why but I always love seeing that scene where Grace is trying to make her name all fancy on the blackboard.

OPINION:

I have no clue why, but I always forget this episode exists. The only scene that I have favorited on my YouTube page because it is one of my favorite moments of the series is Grace blocking Karen from leaving the apartment.

But let's go ahead and dive in anyways. Whenever I watch this episode I actually do feel bad for Grace for getting such lousy students. She was a terrible teacher with the whole "history of interior design" idea, but her students didn't care about anything that was actual interior design, they just wanted to know what famous people she's worked for and who they would get. I always wondered if the writers kind of copied the Sex and the City episode "Frenemies" where Carrie is teaching a dating class and her students are upset that they picked someone who has never been married to teach the class and walk out on her. Sex and the City aired that episode in 2000, and this episode came out in 2002. I always found the plots to be very similar. But nevertheless, as I mentioned I LOVE LOVE LOVE that scene with Grace blocking Karen in the apartment. Both Debra and Megan really nailed that scene between the bouncing back and forth off of each other, the choreography of walking in the same spot and Grace going off finally on Karen on how horrible of an assistant she really is, which Karen did deserve that speech. I don't think it was right of Grace to ask for a famous friend either, but like she mentioned, she keeps Karen in the office because of her connections. The only thing is is that Grace doesn't realize it's more helpful when she's trying to get a job with a famous client, not just show off their apartment to impress a bunch of jerk students. So you can say both were right and both were wrong in this scenario.

It's always interesting that Jack wants to be there for the "juicier" parts of Elliot's life. Will had no idea what was going to happen between Elliot and Nancy and just encouraged Elliot to talk to Nancy. It just turns out that they liked each other more than they realized. While the first kiss is a very big deal, so is Elliot missing that shot for his basketball team and losing the game. Like Will points out to Jack, Jack knows better than anyone on knowing what it's like to fail and was the perfect person to talk to Elliot about this. So I'm glad that Jack was able to have that moment with Elliot. And on a side note, Elliot did get his first kiss with Nancy showing how grown up he's becoming. I liked that Will was also there for him just like an uncle would be. Shows that the main 4 are all there for Elliot in some way cheering him on. Karen bonded with him on prank phone calls, Grace helped him out by taking him to the school dance, Will helped out with the first kiss and of course Jack has taught him to dance, dress, be brave and don't be discouraged by failure.

But like I mentioned before, it's so strange that I always forget this episode exists. Because when I watch it, I do enjoy it. I'm not sure if it's just kind of a bland plot that really never gets brought up again in the series or might be because the Elliot stories are not as interesting to me. I like the character Elliot, it's just that I'm watching an adult program with Will & Grace vs. Full House where both adults and kids are the focus. But still I do like this episode when I'm doing my WAG marathons, like I mentioned Grace and Karen's scenes are definitely the show stealer in this one.

GUEST STARS:

• Landry Allbright as Nancy
• Brian Howe as Ken
• Paul Parducci as Alan
• Irene White as Nicole
• Debra Azar as Kat
• Ray Porter as Dad
• Gabriel Bologna as Tim
• Tony Pasqualini as Man
• Alice L. Chen as Counter Person

Went to a Garden Potty (Season 4, Episode 20). With Will's parents splitting up, they asked Will if there was anything at the house that he wanted to take and there was one item in particular named Squatsie. Squatsie is a gnome that Will loved as a child and even gave him an Irish accent. Grace is scared by Squatsie and asks if they can put him in the community garden. Will agrees and says that they should plant some vegetable and take advantage of gardening. As they arrive at the garden, they meet one of their neighbors, a mean man who won't stop bragging about his prize-winning lettuce and thinks that Will & Grace will either steal it or ruin it. Will & Grace go to their own space and as they are planting, Will needs to get some bug spray and goes back to the apartment leaving Grace. There's another bug flying around and Grace swings the shovel accidentally hitting Squatsie and shattering him. Will comes back and is devastated by Squatsie being shattered and thinks that it's the mean neighbor that did it, Grace is too scared to admit she did it so she goes along with Will thinking that. Later that night Will wants to get revenge by peeing on the mean neighbor's prize-winning lettuce but he's caught immediately by the mean neighbor. Grace and their other neighbor, Steve, come to see what's going on and Grace admits that it was her that shattered Squatsie. Everyone asks why is that one neighbor so mean and he admits he lost his job tending his prize-winning lettuce too much, that and he also embezzled a little bit. They all hug and make up. Meanwhile, Karen's old friend Norman drops by, Norman was Stan's partner when they were in the mattress selling business. Stan went onto become a successful millionaire and Norman is still selling mattresses. Norman asks if Karen is willing to pay for a commercial to help with his business which she agrees and casts Jack as an upset straight husband whose needs are not met due to a lousy mattress, but when they get Norman's mattress, the marriage is saved. When Karen offers Jack another commercial, Jack is scared of being typecast as straight and goes to his teacher Zandra for advice who tells him that actors can only be picky if they actually have careers to pick from. Jack begs for the part from Karen but due to his previous rejection, Karen says no and casts herself as the new straight husband whose needs are not met due to a lousy mattress.

FAVORITE QUOTE:

JACK: Ok. I just did a commercial. Played a strappin' straighty with a yen for the ladies, and, Zandra... I was good. I was too good, I think. And now I'm plagued with doubt. Should I compromise my career goals for literally tens of dollars? I say no! So when they asked me to do a second commercial, I turned them down! And because you're my mentor, I wanted you to be the first to know. You may praise me.

ZANDRA: You stupid little ass monkey!

JACK: Ow! Ow, Zandra! My cheekbones! Ow!

ZANDRA: You turned down a paying job?! 40 years in this profession, and you are far and away the worst student I've ever had. And now by some miracle of God, someone actually offered you a job and you turned them down?! If I still smoked, I would take my Parliament and stick it in your eye! Oh, what the hell. I'm just gonna jab you with this dirty fork!

JACK: No! No! No! No! No!

JACK: Wait! Zandra, what about all that stuff you're always saying about how we need to make tough choices in our careers?

ZANDRA: Well, that only applies to people who have careers! You go back to this brainless fart who gave you this part in the first place, and you get down on your knees... and you beg... like a gypsy in an airport... for your job back!

FAVORITE MOMENT:

When Will & Grace confront the mean neighbor about why he's so mean. I loved his confession about being too attached to his prize-winning lettuce and that also the embezzlement might have been his downfall at his job as well. I loved the other neighbor, Steve, even hopping in for a hug from Will & Grace.

OPINION:

Why did I think that Mean Neighbor was played by Tim Robbins? For some reason I really thought I saw this as Tim Robbins and learned today that it was Peter Mackenzie as the mean neighbor. I just feel like this was meant for Tim Robbins for some reason 🤣

I really love this episode a lot. This is a hilarious episode and feels like we are back on track with the string of amazing episodes. We have Zandra which is always a treat. I loved Jack's commercial and the fact that he feared being type cast as straight was too funny. Zandra telling him that the only actors that can be picky are the ones who have a career was not only hilarious but so true. I'd love to be in Jack's mind for a few minutes, I'm sure he sees himself as Daniel Day Lewis but in reality, he's Tommy Wiseau. Zandra nearly beating Jack up again was so funny, I know it's dark, but Eileen and Sean play this so well and you can see that Zandra is fed up with these young actors who are taking her place as time progresses. How could you not love Eileen Brennan? It's impossible.

I loved Will's Irish accent. I know that he gets picked on by others in the show, but I think a lot of Eric's accents are actually dead on and he's really talented at trying these different accents. Him having the relationship with Squatsie was too cute. I'm sure a lot of us can relate to having that one silly thing that we are attached too due to childhood memories. I also laughed at Will's line saying "I come from a broken home and thanks to you I come from a broken gnome". Grace was such a horrible person for letting the mean neighbor take the fall, I give her some leniency considering I know she was scared to tell Will since she did have a thing against Squatsie and he might think she did it on purpose, but that wasn't right of her to put the blame on the mean neighbor just because he was mean. I will admit I loved her gardening outfit though and her love for a good Dove Bar, I can definitely relate. Steve makes another appearance, I always thought this is an under rated character. He makes a total of 6 appearances in the show and this is his 3rd. I don't know why but Steve Paymer reminds me of Gil from The Simpsons, like he's this pathetic guy but more likable. I loved him joining in with Will & Grace asking why the mean neighbor is so mean.

Tom Poston makes an appearance and this is an actor I'm sure you've seen before. I loved him as Mr. Looney in Family Matters, but he's been in an insane amount of projects that I'm sure you have seen him in something. He did pass away in 2007 from respiratory failure at age 85 may he rest in peace. I loved him as Norman, he always plays such a sweet but silly older man. Those commercials were also so fun to watch, I loved how badly acted they were but still managed to double Norman's sales from 1 to 2 mattresses. Karen telling Jack that she'll give him 30 Canadian dollars to play in the second commercial was too funny. Karen is always such a hoot in every episode. I loved her now playing the straight husband instead of Jack, I think she worked better in the role.

What a great episode, this one is insanely funny and always brings a smile to my face.

GUEST STARS:

• Eileen Brennan as Zandra (RIP in 2013)
• Steve Paymer as Steve
• Peter Mackenzie as Mean Guy
• Tom Poston as Norman (RIP in 2007)
• Melissa Russell as Actress

Mama's Wedding (Season 4, Episode 19). Mother Winslow is planning her wedding with Fletcher, they want just a nice traditional wedding in the backyard with family and friends. Carl is desperate to give her a huge party because he feels that he owes her for everything she's done for him. When Mother Winslow begs him to stop the planning for a huge party, Carl shuts down and gets upset. Mother Winslow tells Carl she doesn't want him to go broke for this wedding, she loves him and he doesn't owe her anything, Carl finally agrees to a nice wedding in the backyard. Meanwhile, Waldo and Weasel overhear that Eddie's parents will be out of town for a weekend and want to throw a big party. Waldo makes the flyers but accidentally puts in Mother Winslow's wedding date. So the wedding is a beautiful one with lovely guests, beautiful bridesmaids, handsome groomsmen, Mother Winslow looking gorgeous, a star lite night sky, Rachel singing Inseparable and almost 100 teenagers in the background.

FAVORITE QUOTE:

CARL: One hundred and fifty extra people at what was supposed to be a small family affair. Now, can you give me one good reason why I shouldn't ground you for the rest of your life?

EDDIE: Well, we took in $2,000, Dad, and we want you to have it.

CARL: I love you, son. You're a fine young man. You'll be spending the month of May in your room, but you're a fine young man.

FAVORITE MOMENT:

The wedding scene with the family, Judy and Laura looked very beautiful. Rachel singing Inseparable was so wonderful. The men looked fabulous and of course Mother Winslow was just so lovely and beautiful, I loved her dress.

OPINION:

We have a lot to unpack so please feel free to skip my opinion and just post your comments on your favorite quotes, moments and opinions. This is the end of an era, that it almost feels like this should have been the season finale.

This is Jaimme Foxworth's last performance and appearance as Judy Winslow. Judy was intended to be the youngest of Harriette and Carl's children and sister to Eddie and Laura. She had some decent comedic lines in the first season but as soon as Steve Urkel came in, you could tell the writers had something and needed to fit Steve into almost every storyline. Judy started fading away into the background in season 2 where she got an occasional line and maybe a minor story. The writers were not sure what to do with her or where her character was going so they would just pair her up with Richie to show the kids were still in the show. But this is the season they would let Jaimee go. She is mentioned once or twice more after this episode, but we do not see her again. There are mixed rumors on why the writers/creators of the show got rid of her: she wasn't as strong as other cast members, the direction of the show changed, her mother was too demanding, she wanted more money or they just didn't know what to do with the character so they might as well get rid of her. Jaimee tried to stay in acting, but never quite bounced back into mainstream. She did some adult films and fell on hard times with addiction problems. She says she is doing well now and has a child. I hope she stays strong and continues to thrive. I know there are a lot of #JusticeforJudy fans, I get it, but at the same time I also get why the writers/creators got rid of her. She never did hit that right note like Michelle Tanner did in Full House. I don't know if the creators/writers gave her a fair chance if given the right material if she would have thrived, but you could tell that scenes with Judy did tend to drag a bit. Nevertheless, thank you Jaimee for really trying to give Judy character, you will never be forgotten.

This is Naya Rivera's last appearance as Gwendolyn which is a bummer because she was such a cute counterpart to Richie. I loved her spunk and confidence. She was just such a cutie. My favorite scene with her is probably either the dinner date with Richie or when she brought her toy car over to show off to Richie and danced with him on her boombox. Naya went onto a very successful career acting in other television shows like: Fresh Prince, Baywatch and Smart Guy. She did movie work as well and had a role in Master of Disguise. But it wasn't until the hit TV show Glee that she became a household name playing Santana Lopez for 113 episodes. She was very well loved by her fans and made such a difference in a lot of people's lives at such a young age. She did marry (and divorced) Ryan Dorsey and they had one child together, a son named Josey Dorsey. On July 8, 2020 Naya and her son Josey were swimming in Lake Piru in California and got caught in a tidal wave. The police had found her son abandoned on their boat but could not locate Naya. Josey gave the best details to what he could about his mother disappearing, but at 4 years old it was hard to describe what had happened other than his mother wasn't wearing a life vest and she didn't get in the boat. The family and friend's worst fears came true when Naya's body was found on July 13th and it's assumed what happened was she had the strength to put her son in the life boat but did not have the strength to pull herself in after the tidal wave took her under. Naya died saving her son's life. She is and will always be forever missed by family, friends and fans alike. She was a beautiful young lady, soul and her legacy carries on in her son as I'm sure she is watching over him as an angel.

Ron Taylor as Pastor Peeble had a wonderful career playing in a lot of movies and television shows like: Trading Places, The Simpsons, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Home Improvement and Batman TAS. He was a wonderful actor who once again provided so much work that when you look at his resume you are impressed for a couple of decades how much incredible work he did. He passed away at 49 years old of a heart attack in 2002. Jester Hairston who plays Skippy makes his one and only appearance as Fletcher's father. He makes a memorable performance for such a small part. He's had an amazing career with 69 acting credits to his name. He was also an incredible song writer and composed "Amen" sung by The Impressions and the Christmas song "Mary's little boy". He passed away in 2000 at the ripe old age of 98. What a life he had. RIP to these 2 incredible gentlemen, may they rest in peace. This is both of their last appearances on Family Matters as well.

For the episode itself, this is a fun one. Waldo making the flyers for the wrong date will never not make me laugh and I loved that all the teenagers at Mother Winslow's wedding were so well behaved. It's not believable but it's nice to think that there would be teenagers that would be respectful of her ceremony. Carl has good intentions in trying to plan Mother Winslow's wedding but really should have asked for her input since it was her wedding. But at least he comes through in the end in giving her such a lovely ceremony. Rachel singing Inseparable is such a beautiful moment. I loved that Fletcher's dad is still alive and even asks Carl if his mother has a sister he can hook up with. The costumes and set design were done very well for this episode. The jokes are funny and the episode has a lot of heart to it, like I said I'm surprised this isn't the season finale but in my head I try to play it like that. I don't want to give you an eye sore so I will just leave it here.

GUEST STARS:

• Shavar Ross as Alex "Weasel" Park
• Naya Rivera as Gwendolyn (RIP in 2020)
• Arnold Johnson as Fletcher Thomas (RIP in 2000)
• Jester Hairston as William 'Skippy' Thomas (RIP in 2000)
• Ron Taylor as Pastor Peeble (RIP in 2002)

Higher Anxiety (Season 4, Episode 18). Eddie is on a date with his girlfriend, Oneisha and they really seem to be in a good place in their relationship. Until Steve drops in one day and tells Eddie that he saw Oneisha with another guy the other night. Eddie asks Oneisha if that's true and she has no problem admitting that she did get together with someone else. Eddie tells Oneisha that he doesn't want to see her again and he is left broken hearted. To cheer Eddie up, Steve and Waldo take him to a party where Eddie is moping on the fire escape. Steve and Waldo find him and come onto the fire escape with him trying to cheer him up with the hokey pokey dance, but this breaks the fire escape balcony causing it to turn upside down with them in it. They all figure out together how to get back inside without falling and Eddie realizes that almost losing his life on that fire escape made him realize that life is worth living and he can move on without Oneisha. Meanwhile, Mother Winslow and Fletcher have taken a vacation together where Fletcher proposes marriage to Mother Winslow and she happily accepts. Carl admits to Harriette the reason why he's been so upset with his mother's relationship with Fletcher is because it reminds him of his father's passing. Harriette tells Carl he has to accept Fletcher because it will push Mother Winslow away if he continues this behavior. Carl finally decides he's ready to accept Fletcher.

FAVORITE QUOTE:

ESTELLE: What you're up to?

FLETCHER: (BENDING DOWN ON ONE KNEE) Estelle...I love you more than words can say. You can make me the happiest man in the world...if you would consent to be my bride. Estelle... will you marry me?

ESTELLE: Oh, Fletcher. Yes, I'll marry you, honey. Oh...It's beautiful, Fletcher.

FLETCHER: I thought we'd get a place near our families. That way we can visit them as often as we like.

ESTELLE: Honey, you think of everything.

FLETCHER: Not quite. I have no idea how I'm gonna get back up.

FAVORITE MOMENT:

The whole fire escape sequence with the guys trying to figure out how to get back into the apartment was really exciting and so well choreographed. We also get a few laughs like when Eddie and Waldo think that Steve fell but he just stepped onto the drainpipe and every time Eddie gives Waldo instructions, Waldo keeps saying "S'up?"

OPINION:

Oneisha is back, first time we saw her she was a date that Eddie's cousin Clarance had set up for them, the second time was that she was Steve's date on the dating show Dudes and now she's Eddie's girlfriend. I don't know why Eddie was so surprised that Oneisha definitely gets around. This will also be an interesting story that gets brought up again in season 9, but we will cross that bridge when we get there.

I do feel bad for Eddie in this episode. Being cheated on just feels awful. I loved that Steve and Waldo did everything they could to cheer Eddie up. In that exciting fire escape sequence, we see how they really look out for one another and after all is said and done, Eddie realizes that he can keep going on without Oneisha. I always get some kind of giggle that they're at a party and not one person passed that window in an apartment no less and not one person saw them trying to get back in after the fire escape breaks? Must have been only like 5 people at the party.

Mother Winslow and Fletcher together are always so sweet to see. I loved that proposal scene. It shows no matter how old you are, you can still keep it traditional and romantic. I'm glad Carl finally realized how much he was hurting Mother Winslow with his over protection of her, thank God for Harriette. But now he has to deal with how serious it is with Mother Winslow and Fletcher that they want to get married.

A fun scene I always get a giggle out of is the ending of this episode where Steve sees the family watching tv and squeezes in the middle and pushes Judy off the couch. Talk about some major foreshadowing. I always really enjoy this episode, I'm not sure if it's a favorite, but I always love watching the fire escape sequence and the proposal from Fletcher.

GUEST STARS:

• Mari Marrow as Oneisha
• Arnold Johnson as Fletcher Thomas (RIP in 2000)

Cheatin' Trouble Blues (Season 4, Episode 19). Will & Grace are getting together with his parents, George and Marilyn, to celebrate their wedding anniversary. Jack and Karen are joining too but for some strange reason Karen just flat out refuses to take the elevator and would rather walk up 30 flights of stairs and takes Jack with her. As Will & Grace are having dinner with his parents and Will has gotten them a wonderful anniversary gift, he got them a cruise. When Marilyn asks Grace to go to the bathroom with her, George asks Will if he can bring a "friend" which Will is confused and George confesses he is still seeing Tina. In the bathroom, Marilyn is talking to Grace and asking her if she could get Will to buy an extra ticket for a "friend" hers. Grace is shocked and Marilyn confesses to having an affair with her yoga instructor, Timothy. As we check on Jack and Karen who are barely making it up 21 flights of stairs, Karen finally confesses to Jack that the reason why she is scared of the elevator is because Dennis Hopper threatened her and her co-workers to blow up the elevator she was on if his demands were not met and only Keanu Reeves could save them. Jack points out that was the opening from Speed which Karen realizes she mistook for real life and they continue up the stairs. At the dinner table, it's revealed that both George and Marilyn are having affairs and they go to the side to talk. Will thinks this will be good but they bring him sad news that they've decided to separate.

FAVORITE QUOTE:

MARILYN: Well, let's see, um... I'm having a consensual adult relationship with a man who's not my husband. And it's raunchy as hell.

GRACE: My mother has a similar relationship with pastrami.

MARILYN: His name is Tim, and, oh... He's a yoga instructor. Oh, Lord, I have never... I've just never been so in touch with my body, and... And I enjoy classes, too.

GRACE: Ok! OK! This has been fun. You shared. I shared. Well, I didn't really share. I'm gonna share now. You're making me really uncomfortable, so I gotta go.

MARILYN: Oh, no. No, no, Grace, please? I'm dying to talk to you. I can't talk to my friends. They're so sophisticated and elegant, and you're, uh, you're, uh... Well, you're one of the people. I just... Oh, please. Just ask me. Ask me something kinky and, uh, personal about Tim, hmm?

GRACE: Ok... Um...

MARILYN: Come on.

GRACE: Is... Tim... short for "Timothy"?

MARILYN: Tim's not short for anything.

FAVORITE MOMENT:

When Jack and Karen finally make it to dinner after the awkward conversation of George and Marilyn admitting that they are having affairs and they are screaming/singing Happy Anniversary! And Will screams at them "Will you get out of here!?"

OPINION:

This is where we learn once again a little more about Will's family. Marilyn has her affairs to. As to whoever started first, we are not sure, but I think it's hinted at that it's more on George that he started it and Marilyn did it as a way to get back at him. Will & Grace have this hard discussion where Grace tells Will that in some strange way the affairs just work for them and how they stay married. Will's family are known for sweeping emotions under the rug and won't confront the affairs. There are some couples that can do that, some are an open marriage and some are not, but they don't care if their partners are having affairs or just grin and endure. I think George and Marilyn finally see they are tired of keeping secrets from each other and they know they are not going to give up the affairs so it's best that they take time apart from each other.

My heart just aches for Will in this episode. He set up this beautiful dinner and got them that wonderful present, only for them to say they are splitting up. I come from divorced parents too, they split when I was 15 years old so I was older and I think it's a little harder on you when you're older because you have seen your parents together for so long. You can tell Will is broken hearted and maybe even wonders bringing up this conversation was a good idea since it ended in his parents deciding to split up.

So some little continuity errors or I'm not sure if they are errors. It's interesting how in Season 1's Will on Ice it's stated that Grace and Jack are obsessed with figure skating, this is never brought up again. But when Will brings up that Michelle Kwon is on the cruise teaching figure skating, Grace says that it seemed like a bigger deal when he bought the tickets. You'd think that Grace would have been more excited about that even though Michelle was not doing that well that year. And for Jack and Karen's story, we've seen Karen take elevators before, but you could make the argument that Karen was just on another trip and watched Speed shortly before dinner.

But I really love this episode, the jokes are hilarious and it really grows Will's family situation. I always get such a kick out of Marilyn's little shady remarks to Grace, Karen doing her Liza with a Z! pose, how Tim isn't short for anything, Karen telling Jack to smack himself with her hand, balancing the wobbly table with Grace's bra pad and Jack and Karen singing Happy Anniversary at the worst time. I always love seeing Will's parents, so this is a good episode. BTW, this will mark the last time we see George for a while, we won't see him appear for a few seasons.

GUEST STARS:

• Sydney Pollack as George Truman (RIP in 2008)
• Blythe Danner as Marilyn Truman

Something Borrowed, Someone's Due (Season 4, Episode 18). Will & Grace are enjoying their new huge apartment, but there's only one problem, whenever they need to talk to each other, it feels like a hike to get together. They are starting to miss their place and want it back, but Rob and Ellen are settled in. Ellen goes into labor and they go to the hospital and Ellen has given birth to a healthy baby boy and decides that she misses her New Jersey home. Rob asks Will & Grace if they want to trade again which they agree too. Meanwhile, Karen reveals the reason why she stormed off when she saw her mother is due to her mother's schemes. Lois is a con artist who constantly used Karen as a child to get what she wanted. Lois apologizes saying that was wrong and Karen accepts her apology, but Lois asks for one more scheme. She wants Karen to look like she's slow and to get an older man who's on his death bed to write her into his will to get all his money. Lois sees how miserable Karen is and decides to finally stop all the schemes and wants to mend their relationship.

FAVORITE QUOTE:

GRACE: Bill just said 2002 was the last palindrome year of our lifetime, and I laughed, and he looked weird. A palindrome is some kind of elephant, right?

WILL: No. It's a word or number that reads the same backwards as forwards.

GRACE: Oh! Oh... Bill's kind of dull. 'Night.

WILL: Yeah. Grace! Ohh! Grace.

GRACE: What?

WILL: Do you think Phil kind of smells like wet dog?

GRACE: I don't remember what Phil smells like. Go get him.

WILL: I can't go get him. It's, like, a mile.

GRACE: I'm not hiking all the way up there just to smell Phil.

FAVORITE MOMENT:

When Grace sees Karen in her "I loves me kitty" sweatshirt and gasps and finally has her opportunity to say "Oh, honey! What's this all about?", I always nearly die laughing.

OPINION:

This episode feels like a bigger step up from the last episode. We now know a little bit more about Karen's childhood and it's really sad actually. Karen never really had a mother, Lois was using her little girl to run schemes. I'm sure this was so hard on Karen because you'll always wonder if your mom really loves you or loves what you can do for her. Karen's alcoholism is played as a joke but as the series progresses you actually see there are reasons why she may use alcohol to cover her pain. Especially being married to Stan Walker, she has an image to maintain where she looks like she's got it together all the time. I think this is another reason that I'm not big on Lois though, I can definitely relate on having a mother who shouldn't have been a mother, so it brings up bad memories. I really feel so bad for Karen this episode.

So this is why I said I'm not big on the cliche storyline in shows on "we need a bigger place than what we have now" because almost all the time the characters realize how "good they had it" and want to move back in the end. They cancel contracts and move back into their homes like it's so easy to just keep trading. Full House, Fresh Prince of Bel Air, Sex and the City (the movie), Home Improvement just to name a few shows that have done this storyline. Plus it felt weird when Will & Grace go to ask for their apartment back from Rob and Ellen, it looks like Will & Grace left all their old furniture and Rob and Ellen just covered it with a few pieces. I'm assuming the crew didn't want to go through the trouble of moving things for one scene but it still felt off. But as usual it works out in the end and Will & Grace are back in their apartment with Rob and Ellen moving back to New Jersey. So the plot feels pointless.

But like I mentioned, this episode feels like it flows better than the last. The characters are more fleshed out and the jokes work better for me.

GUEST STARS:

• Suzanne Pleshette as Lois Whitley (RIP in 2008)
• Tom Gallop as Rob
• Leigh-Allyn Baker as Ellen
• Joseph Will as Bill
• Mickey Maxwell as Doctor

It's a Mad, Mad, Mad House (Season 4, Episode 17). Harriette comes home from a long day and week at work where everyone is asking her to cook, clean and help with multiple tasks. Harriette asks everyone help out, they do at first, but not even a few days later are they doing the same things and bothering her. Harriette has had it and declares she's going on strike in the house and won't lift a finger until the family helps out. At school, Eddie plays a trick on his teacher, Ms. Connors, and when she tells Eddie to go to the principal's office, he starts to walk out but Ms. Connors asks Eddie why he would play such a trick on her, Eddie sits down and hangs his head getting to Ms. Connor's concerned side and Eddie sees the opening and says "Oprah uses the phrase 'dysfunctional family.'" Ms. Connors feels bad for Eddie and tells him he doesn't have to go to the principal's office but to stop the pranks. Steve comes into the classroom and Ms. Connors tells him she's concerned about a student who says he has problems at home, Steve not knowing it's Eddie, tells Ms. Connors she should get involved and see what's going on. Ms. Connors goes to Eddie's house at the worst time of Harriette's strike: the house is a mess, Richie is trying to contribute to dinner by making desert, Mother Winslow is going out to a date auction talking about buying men and Carl is upset because he's going undercover for a drug bust and has a specific outfit he likes to wear when he "goes out to buy drugs". Ms. Connors is horrified and Eddie comes home to Ms. Connors hugging him telling him how sorry she is for his situation. Harriette takes Ms. Connors to the side to explain what's going on and Carl takes Eddie in the kitchen to yell at him and tell him that a dysfunctional family is nothing to make light of and grounds Eddie.

FAVORITE QUTOE:

CARL: Harriette, I can't find my ripped jeans and my bandanna.

HARRIETTE: I'll call the FBI, dear.

CARL: I need those things. Tonight is my big undercover drug bust... and I don't have a thing to wear.

HARRIETTE: Carl, where did you see them last?

CARL: Well, I put them in the hamper two whole days ago.

HARRIETTE: Honey, check the clothes hamper.

CARL: Well, gee, didn't anybody do laundry around here?

HARRIETTE: Not me. I'm still on strike.

CARL: Well, excuse me, Norma Rae.

HARRIETTE: Look, Carl...

CARL: No, you look. Now if you wanna play this little strike game with the kiddies... it's okey-dokey with me. But now, you're messing with the big kahuna. And the big kahuna wants some attention from his little wahine.

HARRIETTE: And what would you like your little wahine to do?

CARL: Well, the hut's a mess. So why don't you just hula yourself on into the laundry room... and wash the big kahuna's wikiwiki.

HARRIETTE: Either the big kahuna's had too many mai tais... or he's got his head up his volcano. Because there is no way this little wahine is going anywhere near your wikiwiki.

FAVORITE MOMENT:

When Ms. Connors goes to the house and mistakes the strike thinking that Mother Winslow is buying men and Carl is a drug dealer. Then when Harriette and Carl see her how she tip toes around them like they are rabid wolves. I also love when Eddie comes home and she's hugging him offering support.

OPINION:

I cannot say enough good thing about this episode; it's definitely one of my favorites comedy wise. Let's start with Harriette's storyline of going on strike. Do I feel bad for Harriette when she comes home from doing over time and everyone is bothering her about their stuff, being a mom is a full-time job but it can get so overwhelming. I actually agreed with her about the strike, the family really did need to pitch in. But talk about bad timing with Ms. Connors which is one of the funniest scenes I have seen in Family Matters. I could only imagine what was going on in her head when she overhears about Mother Winslow buying men and Carl buying drugs.

Eddie is such a jerk in this episode, again he's a teenager so I do give grace where it's due and he saw that opening for Ms. Connors and took it with the sympathy game, but like Carl said Eddie making light of dysfunctional families is no joke. It makes me angry on a level because when people have real problems, those who can help them out are not sure if they are being played. Ms. Connors seemed like such a loving teacher and it was wrong of Eddie to take advantage of her. Speaking of which, Debra Jo Rupp, who would go onto That 70's Show fame plays Ms. Connors and I have always loved her work. I remember her in Big, A Woman Scorned and 7th Heaven, she's a wonderful actress with terrific comedic timing. The producers of Family Matters wanted her to return, but she was unable to commit due to different projects, which is a bummer because we have a hole left from Ms. Steubens leaving. But maybe there was only so many times you could fool Ms. Connors, so the one off appearance works better. Debra was just so funny in this role, Ms. Connors seems like a kind soul but clearly goes in head first into situations she's not sure how to handle. But bless her heart for caring that much about Eddie.

The only minor flaw with this episode is it's interesting on the age range for Eddie, Waldo and Steve. Steve is probably around 2 years younger than Eddie, why is he in his math class? Schools have advanced classes for the kid's year in high school; they do not move them up just because someone is smarter. Waldo's age has changed from being in Laura and Steve's class to being Eddie's age, but it was not surprising when the creators decided to make him Eddie's best friend. But it does not take away how entertaining this episode really is. Like I said, this is one of my favorite episodes, it always makes me laugh and I'd put it in my top 10 personally.

GUEST STARS:

• Debra Jo Rupp as Vivian Connors
• Tom Kindle as Cleaning Man (RIP in 1996)

Heart Strings (Season 4, Episode 16). It's Valentine's Day and Laura comes home sobbing to Steve about how her and Ted have officially broken up, so she is single again. Steve asks her if he can be her Valentine and she is touched by how much he is trying so she says yes. Gwendolyn is still looking to get together with Richie and asks Steve for help. Steve and Eddie set up a nice little dinner for Gwendolyn and Richie. When Gwendolyn comes to dinner, she gives Richie a card asking him to be her "daddy mac" and he accepts but asks if they could play games vs the dinner and she agrees. Carl and Harriette have gone to dinner and Carl is embarrassed by Harriette's behavior at dinner. She kept demanding a new table, was rude to the staff and put out a cigar in one of the customer's dinner. Harriette is upset that Carl won't stand up for her and they both ignore each other. But later on Carl comes to Harriette with flowers and candy and tells her that he realizes that her abrasiveness can also be handy at times when they were negotiating the purchase price for their house and Harriette tells Carl that he can be really patient with her when she needs it and they make up.

FAVORITE QUOTE:

HARRIETTE: Our first table was right next to the entrance where everybody was waiting to be seated. I do not like 30 people hanging over my shoulder saying: "Hey, señora, can you eat a little faster?"

CARL: I understand that. So they picked up all our stuff and moved us.

HARRIETTE: Yeah, right next to the bathrooms. Ordinarily, I like a table next to the water. But not when it's swirling around a porcelain tank.

CARL: I understand that. So they picked up all our stuff and moved us again.

HARRIETTE: And deliberately sat us next to a cigar smoker.

CARL: You know, you were rude to that guy, Harriette.

HARRIETTE: I simply put out his cigar.

CARL: In his soup.

HARRIETTE: Did I embarrass you, Carl?

CARL: Yes, Harriette. To be quite frank, I was embarrassed. And so were all the other customers.

HARRIETTE: No, they weren't.

CARL: Harriette, they applauded when we left.

HARRIETTE: Oh, no, no, no, Carl. You're wrong. The maître d' gave me a two-for-one coupon.

CARL: Look at it again, Harriette. It's to another restaurant.

FAVORITE MOMENT:

Richie and Gwendolyn's dinner date. It was just too cute and they looked fabulous. I always get a good laugh at Gwendolyn's card asking Richie to be her "daddy mac".

OPINION:

I had completely forgot to mention in A Thought in the Dark, that was the last time we get to see Ted played by Patrick J. Dancy. Patrick later on went to more television work and got famous TV shows like Married with Children and Saved by the Bell. He owns a successful shoe business and retired from acting. Even though I actually did like his character over all, I was kind of bummed they left Ted on a sour note. So the reason for his and Laura's official break-up is due to this girl flirting with Ted and telling him he looks good and he said so did she and Laura got really upset and they had a fight and decided to not be together any more. I'm not sure how to feel about this because the fight is off screen and Laura could have been over exaggerating as they are both teenagers and as teens, we tend to be dramatic. But so long to Ted, I think overall he was a nice guy who had some flaws, but had real potential to be such a nice guy and a good boyfriend for Laura. Plus, if it wasn't for him, we wouldn't have Myra who is a fan favorite. I will always laugh at the way that Laura describes their break-up to Steve, she occasionally gets theses moments of "sister" in her voice and I love it when she does. She looks really beautiful in this episode and I loved the scene where Steve comes in wearing the candy heart box for her. I liked how she was more touched by Steve's efforts to make her feel better; it's a really sweet moment in their friendship.

Gwnedolyn and Richie are just too adorable together. While Gwendolyn is really head over heels for Richie, as he mentions, they are just too young for romance. But it's just a fun little puppy love story, my first crush was at 6 years old on Michael Jackson 🤣 I think a lot of us as little kids got hearts in our eyes when we saw something we found attractive, more so it was a toy typically. Those were the days. I loved the little set up that Steve and Eddie did for Richie and Gwendolyn for a fancy restaurant in the living room with the fireplace in the background. It couldn't have been a more perfect date, dinner and video games afterwards, my husband and I are 41 years old and still play video games together for fun.

This is the one time I actually did not like Harriette and agreed with Carl. It was interesting how mad I was at Carl yesterday for reading Harriette's diary and today I'm angry with Harriette. Now to be upset because of table arrangements, I could argue the one time moving them would be ok, but it sounds like she would not give up and kept giving the restaurant staff a hard time about every table she sat at. Then putting out a cigar in a customer's soup is really crossing the line. Why couldn't she just ask Carl if they could go to a different restaurant if it was that bad? I don't like it when people are rude to restaurant staff members, customer service is an insanely hard job and it's harder when you have customers who are abrasive for no good reason. Carl really didn't need to apologize to Harriette, though I think he just wanted to keep the peace. Harriette should have apologized to Carl and the staff for her behavior.

But I really do like this episode, it's a sweet Valentine's Day episode with the right amount of heart in it, pun intended. So long, Ted. We get one more appearance of Gwendolyn in the future. Steve was respectful to Laura about asking her to be his Valentine and accepted that they are friends at least, I think he was just trying to cheer her up honestly in this episode. And I'm sure Carl and Harriette will always continue to give us something to talk about.

GUEST STARS:

• Naya Rivera as Gwendolyn (RIP in 2020)

Someone Old, Someplace New (Season 4, Episode 17). Will & Grace are on dates and bring them back home but the place feels a little crowded with both dates being there. Will & Grace discuss the idea of getting separate apartments but quickly dismiss the idea and decide it's time for a bigger place. After searching New York for a new apartment, including Sandra Bernhard who hasn't been able to get her place off the market since she met Will & Grace, they finally find a huge place that has 2 floors for them. Only problem is, it's out of their price range. Will has an idea to sublet their current apartment for a large rental price to keep up with their new monthly payment. Their old friends Rob and Ellen come over, Ellen is pregnant and is nervous about staying in New Jersey, so Will & Grace trick her into wanting their apartment and are able to move into their new place. Meanwhile, it's Karen's birthday and Jack's idea for a present is to make a movie for Karen interviewing all the people in her life to tell her how much they love her. He uses her check book for reference on who she knows and comes across Lois Whitley. When he asks Karen who that is, Karen shuts down and tells him she's probably a pedestrian ran over. Jack and Rosario are able to track Lois down and ask her how she knows Karen, Lois Whitley is her mother! Jack arranges a surprise for Karen at her birthday party for Lois to come see her, but Karen is beyond angry and tells Lois she never wants to see her again and runs out. To be continued.

FAVORITE QUOTE:

JACK: So, Lois Whitley, tell us. What exactly is your relationship to one Ms. Karen Walker?

LOIS: I'm her mother.

ROSARIO: Santa Maria, it has a mother?!

FAVORITE MOMENT:

When Will & Grace bump into Sandra Bernhardt again. I wasn't a big fan of her first appearance but this one made me laugh harder for some reason. I think because Sandra was so angry with them.

OPINION:

We've had some really amazing episodes in a row for season 4 that were non stop with the laughs, but now for me this one was like a wall I slammed into.

So with Will & Grace's storyline, I think the "our place is too small, let's get a bigger place" storyline has been done to death. I don't mind if it has a fresh take, but I usually don't get into any of these storylines that other shows have done because 99% of the time, the end of the episode or the next everyone realizes how much they really love their home and back out at last minute as if moving in real life works like that. I'm normally a fan of Rob and Ellen's but this appearance felt kind of painful. I think because they won't stop complaining, but something is missing and they don't feel as funny as usual. This storyline as a whole always falls flat for me.

Karen's storyline. So Karen does have a mother that's still alive. Karen has given hints about her mother in the past but referred to her that she locked her away in a mental institution. So this was a surprise storyline. It's even more shocking when at the end Karen is the most angry we have ever seen her, but we don't know why yet. This will be explained further in the next episode. Suzanne Pleshette plays Lois Whitley who is an actress from the golden age of Hollywood and continued steady TV work through the 80's and 90's. While I enjoy her performance, we do not get enough of her in the series to really make any strong impression on like Bobbi Adler or Marilyn Truman. Even Jack's mom Judith McFarland for some reason made a larger impression on me and she only had the one appearance. But still, this does make for some good character development for Karen as we will find out more about her childhood in the next episode and discover there is something deeper and some possible unresolved trauma for her.

Like I said, I'm not big on this episode. The jokes are funny but nothing that really stands out for me. It might have been because almost all the episodes that lead up to this one are very funny and have a lot of standout moments, this one just feels like a filler episode and it's usually like a chore to watch for me when I do my WAG marathons. But maybe I'm missing something and would love to hear other thoughts and opinions on this one.

GUEST STARS:

• Suzanne Pleshette as Lois Whitley (RIP in 2008)
• Tom Gallop as Rob
• Leigh-Allyn Baker as Ellen
• Nella Goron as Eileen
• Sandra Bernhard as Herself
• Mitch Kaplan as Mitchie
• Joseph Will as Bill
• Jamison Jones as Phil
• Lyndon Karp as Kid

A Chorus Lie (Season 4, Episode 16). Jack is auditioning for the Manhattan Gay Men's Chorus and is up against 3 other men one being a really handsome man named Owen. The other 2 are dismissed but Jack and Owen are now in competition for the spot in the chorus and Jack is trying to figure the on thing that can keep Owen from winning the spot, Owen is checking out a girl in front of Jack... HE'S STRAIGHT! Jack asks Grace for help seducing Owen which she excitingly does after she sees what he looks like and they make out with Jack catching them. During the final audition as Jack and Owen are knocking into each other, Jack just comes out and screams that Owen is straight. Owen admits that he is straight, but he loves coral music, dancing and is teased for liking girls, Jack mocks the fact that he's straight trying to get into a gay chorus but the choir director tells Owen that it's ok and Owen has won the spot. Meanwhile, Karen has a Valentine's Day dance at the country club that her and Stan always go to together and have a spotlight dance, but since Stan is in prison she asked Will if he could take her which he does. At the club, Beverly Leslie gives Karen a hard time about being single and when he sees Will he accuses Karen of having an affair but she is offended and says she just hired a gigolo to take her to the dance. Will isn't aware of this and is curious why so many potential female "clients" want his services and when Karen tells him why he is furious. He walks out on her leaving her heartbroken. Later at the dance when she's feeling humiliated, Will surprises her by coming back and not only sweeping her off her feet with a dance but gives her a kiss that leaves her breathless.

FAVORITE QUOTE:

WILL: What is going on? Oh, my God. If you're about to shed your human form, please don't make my body the next host.

KAREN: No, silly. I told everybody you were a whore, and I just want to make sure it sounds like we're having sex in here, ok?

WILL: Oh... What?! Have you lost your mind?!

KAREN: (HITS HER BODY ON THE WALL) Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Oh! Oh! Oh!

WILL: Stop it!

KAREN: What?

WILL: My God! Why would you spread such a horrible rumor?! What if I went around saying, "Karen Walker flies coach"?

KAREN: That would be a damaging lie!

WILL: God! This is so embarrassing. Here I am thinking I'm Julia Roberts in Erin Brockovich, and meanwhile I'm Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman!

FAVORITE MOMENT:

When Jack and Owen are at the final audition for the choir and they are pushing and shoving each other off the stage never losing their smiles. Then when they do their solos, they throw shady insults at each other "lying and a-cheatin!" "tubby and a tone deaf!" 🤣

OPINION:

A Chorus Lie is a fan favorite I think a lot of fans can admit is in at least their top 10 of favorite WAG episodes. I know I've been looking forward to talking about this one. If there was ever a perfect episode to talk about, this is the one. Even my husband was asking me what I would pick as the favorite quote and moment and I told him it's the whole episode, so I'll just have to go what first pops in my head.

Let's start with the biggie, Matt Damon as Owen who is easily one of the show's best celebrity guest stars. He is handsome and actually has incredible comedic talent. His banter with Jack is amazing. My second runner up for the favorite quote was going to be when Jack asks who they dated in common, Owen says he's in a long time relationship with his boyfriend Ben. This was an inside joke because Matt Damon and Ben Affleck are best friends in real life and wrote the script that put them on the map, Good Will, Hunting. There was a joke that they were really boyfriends and were just covering it up for image. Matt and Sean had really incredible chemistry that just bounced off each other perfectly. Then we get to him and Debra and again, what an insanely funny scene. Grace is feeling that she's not doing well in the flirt department so when Jack asks her to help with Owen, she doesn't fall for it at first but sees Owen and then is just struck by how hot Owen is and goes for it. She is so beyond over obvious in the "flirting" with Owen but Owen is a straight guy and hey, it's easy tea...and A. I could never say enough good things about this storyline and don't want to give you an eye sore reading this so please feel free in the comments to write your favorite moments and quotes.

Leslie Jordan as Beverly Leslie is always such a joy to watch, this is his second appearance on the show and this is where we really begin to see the frenemy relationship begin. His teasing Karen is so mean but their banter is what makes it so funny. Karen can take a lot, so it's all good. But her story with lying about Will being a male whore is just hilarious. The female clients coming up to Will and him not knowing that they think he's gigolo telling them how he'll get them "off" will never not make me laugh. Then when he finds out what Karen had told Beverly, his reaction is too funny. The lines afterwards with him being Julia Roberts are cut for some reason in syndication re-runs of the show is really sad. Him coming back for Karen at the end is amazing and shows what an incredible heart he has. I loved his dance with Karen and when he kisses her and she says "now I know why Grace married you" was too funny and cute.

Like I said this is not even the tip of the iceberg on how amazing this episode is, the cast is incredible and the storylines are both just hilarious. This is an episode from beginning to end non stop laughs and I cannot say enough good things about it.

GUEST STARS:

• Matt Damon as Owen
• Leslie Jordan as Beverley Leslie (RIP in 2022)
• Patrick Kerr as Choral Director
• Amanda Carlin as Mrs. Sanwald
• Craig A. Meyer as Burton
• Wendy Schenker as Woman #1
• Jan Sheldrick as Woman #2
• Julie Janney as Woman #3
• Steve Goodwillie as Guy #1
• Sonya Therieult as Pretty Girl

Tender Kisses (Season 4, Episode 15). Eddie, Waldo and Weasel want to go to a Tracie Spencer concert but the tickets are sold out. So Weasel has the brilliant idea that they dress up and sneak into Tracie's hotel room to ask for tickets. Eddie dresses up as a bellboy and Weasel dresses up as a maid. When Weasel is caught and thrown out, Tracie comes in and her assistant Lee scoots Eddie out while Tracie practices her song "Tender Kisses". Eddie listens in and then joins singing with Tracie. Tracie is impressed with Eddie's talents and asks him if he's really a bellboy and Eddie confess that he just wanted tickets to the concert, Tracie does that and gives him backstage passes. Curious about Waldo? Well, Waldo had a better idea than dressing up, he blew himself out of a cannon into Tracie's room to ask for tickets. Meanwhile at home, Carl is very curious about Harriette's diary that she writes in every night. He keeps trying to sneak her diary but she outsmarts him each time. She leaves the house and he finally was able to grab it, but he did promise Harriette that HE wouldn't read it, but he didn't promise he would get someone else to read. He gets Steve with the promise of a date with Laura to read the diary. In Harriette's log she talks about the affairs she's having behind Carl's back and when Carl confronts her when she gets back home she tells him to keep reading and the last entry is her telling Carl what an idiot he was taking her duplicate fake diary and that's what he's been reading. Harriette shows Carl her real diary and it describes how much she loves him and how lucky she feels. Carl apologizes and realizes what a jerk he was.

FAVORITE QUOTE:

WEASEL: You mind if I sit down and rest my beautiful booty?

LEE: Yeah, actually, I do mind.

WEASEL: Say what?

LEE: Tracie is gonna be back in a minute. We can't have the maid sitting here resting her booty.

WEASEL: So, what you saying? I'm not good enough to hang with the broad? That what you saying? Huh? Huh? Oops. Heh. I think I'll come back a little later, sir.

LEE: Just a second. (TAKES OFF WEASEL'S DISGUISE) Oh, thank God!

WEASEL: What do you mean?

LEE: I was hoping no woman could be that ugly.

FAVORITE MOMENT:

When Steve is reading Harriette's fake diary to Carl, the way he reads it like he's reading an exciting novel always gets me laughing. Then I love when Carl sees Harriette and says "Aha!" and Harriette asks what's going on and Carl tells her that Steve read her diary to him and she tells Steve he should be ashamed and Steve apologizes and says he's weak.

OPINION:

So I believe this is the real first episode where we get an idea that Eddie can sing. We have heard him a little bit through the show, but his singing voice was usually used as a joke. He did have the songs in Season 1's "Rock Video" but that was more of a rap vs. singing voice. Darius definitely has a great talent and has a very smooth R&B style of voice. Him singing with Tracie was really a wonderful scene.

We got guest stars Shavar Ross as Weasel, Tracie Spencer as herself and Stoney Jackson and it's a great cast this episode. Shavar Ross as Weasel will never not be able to make me laugh, like I mentioned before his character is not likable but his name is Weasel, so what else is there to expect? Him dressing up as the maid always has me laughing so hard and his "female" voice gets me too. Tracie is a very lovely lady and she did a great job singing her song Tender Kisses. She comes off as very likable in this episode and that she appreciates her fans. Stony Jackson as her assistant Lee is a special treat, so I know Stony from 2 appearances in 2 things I loved as a kid, heck I still love as an adult, he was one of the prominent dancers in Michael Jackson's Beat It music video and he was Ray Mitchell in Angels in the Outfield from 1994. He was really funny in this episode with Weasel and that quote will always get me "I was hoping no woman could be that ugly".

How in the world did Waldo know which window to aim at in Tracey's hotel? From the looks of it, Tracy was in a high rise which can go hundreds of feet up. The fact that Waldo aimed not only for the right window, but that he flew possible hundreds of feet in the air to land on a couch and the worst injury he has is a headache was really incredible.

Carl really did cross a line in this episode with reading Harriette's diary. Now don't get me wrong, this story does make me laugh with his and Steve's reactions to Harriette's fake diary but it's hard to like Carl in this episode. A diary/journal is very private, it's a way to release thoughts and feelings you don't feel comfortable saying out loud to others, so you can reflect later and try to make sense of it. Carl should have respected Harriette's privacy and Harriette shouldn't have let him read her real diary, he should have apologized and realize what a bone headed move that was. And like Harriette mentions, I would have been angry with my husband if he read my journal and if I fibbed that I was having an affair that he would believe it so quickly. Carl can be so insecure at times and this was crossing a line.

So over all the episode is very funny and has great jokes but the stories themselves can be troublesome. So I'd say it's an above average episode, but not one of my favorites.

GUEST STARS:

• Shavar Ross as Alex "Weasel" Park
• Tracie Spencer as Herself
• Stoney Jackson as Lee

A Thought in the Dark (Season 4, Episode 14). Steve will not leave Laura and Ted alone on their dates and are fed up with his antics. Ted gets the idea that maybe if he sets Steve up with his cousin, Myra, that maybe it'll take his mind off of Laura. Laura asks Steve if he'd be willing to go on a double date with her, Ted and Myra, Steve gives in. Ted brings Myra over, Myra is a pretty young lady who loves smart guy and she is immediately taken with Steve. Steve at first is resistant but when she is able to keep up with him intellectually in the conversation, he's starting to fall for her as well. While they are all on their date at the Dave Koz concert, Steve and Myra seem to really be hitting it off and Steve even goes in for a kiss with her but almost immediately stops kissing and begs Dave to hold the concert as he confesses to the audience his love for Laura. Laura is horrified, Ted just thinks how it's great he's good looking so he'll never have to do that, Myra thinks that this won't detour her advances towards Steve and Waldo who is an usher at the concert is trying to figure out if Ivanna Trump marries Neil Diamond and Jack Nicklaus, her name will be Ivanna Diamond Nicklaus. Meanwhile at home, Eddie asks Carl for some money to borrow but Carl points out that he has to pay their car insurance and tells Eddie from this point on he has to chip in for his car insurance. Later on, Judy admits to Carl that she took one of Harriette's sparkle shirts and washed it but it fell completely apart in the wash and is scared to tell Harriette. Carl tells Judy not to worry and he'll tell Harriette that he did it. Later on, Carl finds out that Harriette covered for Eddie's car insurance payment and Carl gets upset about her covering for him and she brings up that he covered for Judy about the shirt she ruined, she later confessed to Harriette what happened. Harriette admits that she's a sucker for Eddie and that the girls have Carl wrapped around their fingers but that it's ok for the kids to feel comfortable with going to their parents with their problems which Carl realizes is a good thing too.

FAVORITE QUOTE:

STEVE: Stop the music! Stop the music! Stop the music!

LAURA: Steve, what are you doing?

STEVE: I'll tell you what I'm doing. I, Steven Q. Urkel, am guilty of emotional adultery. Ever since kindergarten, I've loved one girl... and one girl only. The lovely Laura Winslow. Stand up, Laura. Take a bow. Well, come on, stand up and show that funky bod. (LAURA SINKS INTO HER CHAIR) Is this a raving beauty, or what? In a perfect world... Laura and I would be a couple, an item, a pair. But alas, it's not a perfect world... and Laura is here with another man. Oh, stand up, pretty boy. Ted's an okay guy, but he's got two things I don't have... my woman, and a humongous zit behind his ear. (DAVE KOZ COMES TO STEVE'S SEAT) Dave Koz, ladies and gentlemen, Dave Koz!

DAVE KOZ: Hey, you. Do you think you could wrap this up already? I'm trying to give a concert here.

STEVE: Oh, hang tight, Davey. Folks, Laura and Ted arranged for me to date this lovely, intelligent girl right here. Stand up, Myra. Take a bow. (MYRA STANDS UP AND BLOWS KISSES) Park it. She's a delightful, sweet young lady. But enchanting though she is... my heart will always and forever belong to... the lovely Laura. Laura Lee Winslow... the girl with a smile that can light the darkest corners of my heart. Her ripe, full lips could kiss away all the sorrows and worries of my weary soul. Tonight, I was tempted by the effervescent personality... and bodacious bod of another... and by God, I nearly succumbed. But I hereby declare... and all of you are my witnesses... that I shall never, never stray. Nay, I say. Instead, I shall redouble my efforts to win Laura's heart. I shall pursue her relentlessly... until I hear those three magical words I have waited my entire life to hear: "I give up."

FAVORITE MOMENT:

When Steve and Myra first meet. It is just too adorable and funny when they are talking intellectually, and Laura and Ted are confused with the way they are talking. I love when Steve tells Ted to read a book when he's not getting what they are saying.

OPINION:

We have made it, we are introduced to Myra Boutros Boutros Monkhouse. She is beautiful, funny, very smart and loves Steve. She also has a little psychotic side as we will see and discuss in future episodes. Michelle Thomas plays Myra and is fantastic, we will get more into how wonderful she was in the future, right now I would like to focus on her character more so. So for her first episode, she seems like a very sweet young lady who actually clicks very well with Steve. The only flaw I could see in her character is maybe her self worth as if I went on a date with a guy who I was really clicking with and he declares his love for another woman in front of me and a whole audience of concert goers, I would say "bye". But show has to show and Myra really likes Steve a lot to not give up so easily.

The whole concert sequence is just hilarious and such a memorable moment in the series. Real quick, I would like to give props to the hair and costume department because Laura, Steve, Myra and Ted look amazing in this episode. I still to this day think it's funny that they are all in high school and their idea of a date is to go see Dave Koz, I think the creators must have asked Dave Koz to make an appearance but had to justify it in some way. In high school if I went on a date to a concert, we are talking either Backstreet Boys or Linkin Park 🤣 but Dave Koz made for such a funny and great cameo, I loved when Steve is doing his whole confession to the concert goers that Dave starts playing the sax because Steve's words are so powerful. I loved all of the character's thoughts being played out for the audience. Ted keeps hoping that Laura won't see a zit behind his ear, Laura is happy Steve and Myra are clicking and oops she accidentally looked at Ted's zit, Steve is wondering if he should go to the next steps with Myra and Myra is nudging Steve to make the next move. I loved that they shoe-horned Waldo in as an usher and his thoughts of Ivanna Trump's name changing. This really was an amazing sequence.

Judy actually got a little mini storyline; it's kind shocking she got more than 1 line in this episode. Even though I don't agree with Carl and Harriette going behind each other's backs to take care of their kids, Harriette did bring up a good point that Carl was so quick to cover for Judy but picks on Harriette for helping Eddie out. I actually agree with Carl though, I don't think it was a bad idea for Eddie to chip in for his car insurance, $100 isn't that bad, I had to pay $800 every 6 months when I was working part time and was in college. Eddie got it really easy. You gotta love that it's always the boys that can play their moms and the girls always can get to their dads. But I'm glad that Harriette and Carl recognize this and they don't let the kids walk all over them at least.

Another fantastic episode, I love this one as a whole. I didn't even mention all the other funny jokes like the scene where Laura is asking Steve to go on the double date but he's blind at the moment from having his cataracts checked and can't see Laura as she's talking to him. There are a lot of other great jokes, but I want to keep this as short as I can, just trust me it's such a funny episode.

GUEST STARS:

• Michelle Thomas as Myra Monkhouse (RIP in 1998)
• Patrick J. Dancy as Ted Curran
• Dave Koz as Himself

Dyeing is Easy, Comedy is Hard (Season 4, Episode 15). Grace's ex, Danny is getting married and Grace has been invited and of course she is bringing Will. She wants to make sure that she looks good and sounds like she's had a successful life since her and Danny split. One of Danny's friends at the wedding wants Danny get some jokes thrown at him during the toasts and asks Grace to give him a hard time. Grace at first declines but when she throws one comment on how she wouldn't get back with him, it gets a laugh and she goes ahead and starts mocking all of Danny's flaws that he had during their relationship. The next morning as Grace is in the bathroom, Danny's fiance, Sarah, comes into the bathroom as well all dressed for the wedding. Grace and Sarah are bonding but Sarah says she's happy that Grace came to the wedding because now she realizes what a mistake it is to marry Danny, is calling off the wedding and locks herself in the stall. Grace realizes what a mistake she's made and now is begging Sarah to marry Danny by describing all the amazing things that Danny did during their relationship and she breaks down realizing what a nice guy he really was. Sarah comes out and thanks Grace and says she will marry Danny and they go through with the ceremony. Meanwhile, Jack took Elliot to go get his hair done and it's a little out there with going full blonde. Bonnie, Elliot's mother, doesn't like his hair and tells Jack that he's not allowed to see Elliot any more. Karen sees that Jack is hurting and checks Elliot out of school early to see Jack. Jack wants to respect Bonnie's wishes and brings Elliot back home. Bonnie tells Elliot to wait in his room, Jack tells Karen to wait in her limo as he and Bonnie talk. Jack thinks Bonnie disapproves of him being gay and that's why she doesn't want Elliot to see him, but Bonnie tells Jack that's not true because she's gay. Jack is shocked and asks why Elliot didn't tell him and Bonnie admits he doesn't know because she's scared to tell him and that's why she was upset at their relationship since Jack was able to tell Elliot so easily that he's gay. Bonnie realizes that Jack is a nice guy and tells Jack he can spend time with Elliot again.

FAVORITE QUOTE:

KAREN: Hey, hey, hey, come on. Before the hairpins start flying, maybe I can help. Now... Roger, is it?

BONNIE: Bonnie.

KAREN: Oh, pretty. Listen, Bonnie, I've got this maid Rosario, been with me forever. Now, I have had her stomach stapled, her teeth fixed, her hair dyed, she's been de-moled, de-clawed, deloused--

BONNIE: What's your point?

KAREN: Ohh, my point is... I think I may have broken your spirit. How would like to come work for me, ok? Come on!

BONNIE: You know, if there were any justice in the world, there'd be an alligator somewhere carrying you as a hand bag. Look, Jack, bottom line, ok? I'm his mother. I make the rules.

JACK: Well, here's a bottom line for your bottom line. I'm his father, and I get to make up some of the rules, too.

BONNIE: This is a big news flash for you. You're not his father. I'm his father, and his mother, and until he was eight years old, I was Santa freakin' Claus, all right? You got no rights, Jack. You're just a test tube that I picked up before they threw it away. I'm sick of it. I don't want you seeing my son anymore.

KAREN: You know, maybe there is an alligator running around somewhere with me as a handbag. I mean, who knows what they do with my old skin.

FAVORITE MOMENT:

When Will is telling everyone he's a tennis player because he doesn't want to deal with people giving him dirty looks if he admits he's a lawyer. Then later at the wedding they ask if he's played Steve Turner, another tennis player who's also at the wedding, he's scared and trying to leave but as he gets pulled back in the hallway he meets Steve. Steve says he's played Will before and they all go with it, Will asks Steve what is it like to be a tennis player and Steve says "how would I know? I work for the IRS"

OPINION:

Rosie O'Donnell is such a mixed bag for a lot of people, she is funny and a decent enough actress but can be very bold and abbrassive for people's tastes. I'm in the camp where I like her as an actress and at least can seperate her work from her life. She's a little much for me. However, that being said I think this is her best work. BTW, this is the second cast member from A League of their Own they've had on the show. But Rosie does an amazing job as Bonnie and I really love her scenes. I wished they had had her back on the show but maybe it's good to leave the audience wanting more. I loved her snips at Karen, I think she could have been a potential Rosario. But most of all I loved her bonding scene with Jack. Her admitting to Jack that she is gay but is too scared to tell Elliot was heartbreaking, you can tell she's probably put anything in her love life to the side because she knows there's a chance that if anyone knows that Elliot has a gay parent he'll be teased relentlessly. But when she sees that it was so easy with Jack and what door it opened, she's understandably hurt and jealous. She seems like a really good person and opens up to Jack and I love where Jack even gives her a kiss on the cheek showing he's grown to, as we know in the past, he's given lesbians a hard time to. Real quick, I loved that the show invented the language "lesbianic" and one of the terms is "home depot".

Now I love the wedding storyline, don't get me wrong, but why in the heck did Danny invite Grace to his wedding? I've never got that in real life if you invite an ex to your wedding, the only exception I can see is if you were very good friends with an ex and left off on good terms and they are also friends with either the bride or groom to be. Otherwise, that's just plain awkward. Grace is going to the wedding to show off that she's still amazing and what Danny lost. But it backfires greatly and part of me wonders if Sarah is a little sneakier then we give her credit for and she knew what Grace was up to, so she got Grace to break down talking about how much she wanted Danny back. Maybe I'm looking too hard into it, but it's just funny how fast Sarah was going from calling off the wedding to "oh, he is a nice guy, ok, wedding is back on". But that bathroom scene will always make me laugh the way Grace breaks down and even uses the towel dispenser to blow her nose.

All the jokes in this episode really work and it's a hilarious episode. I didn't even get into Will's storyline of him lying about being a lawyer because every time he tells a stranger he's a lawyer they give him a dirty look so he lies at the wedding and tells everyone he's a tennis player. I loved Karen checking Elliot out of school and when Jack makes her take Elliot back to Bonnie she is acting like a school kid along with Elliot about ditching class. Jack banning her back to her limo was really funny too. I really love this episode, it's a very strong one that I always enjoy watching.

GUEST STARS:

• Rosie O'Donnell as Bonnie
• Tom Verica as Danny
• Jennifer Aspen as Sarah
• Maggie Wheeler as Polly
• John Colella as Best Man
• Jim Hanna as Wayne
• Scott Haven as Steve Turner
• Darlene Hunt as Beth
• Greg Vaughan as Cute Guy
• Ralph Litt as Minister

Grace in the Hole (Season 4, Episode 14). Karen, Will, Grace and Jack are visiting Stan in prison and as Grace is waiting for Karen she sees an old friend/crush from high school, Glenn Gabriel. She says hi to him and asks if he's available to hang out, he says yes and she asks about his availability, he says about 5-10 years. Grace realizes she's dating a prisoner but doesn't care because she had such a crush on Glenn, he even says that in high school when he was singing "Rosanna" he was really thinking about Grace. Grace asks Will if he can help by being Glenn's attorney during the appeal, Will wanting to be a trial lawyer again accepts. Grace goes to visit Glenn again but now he's sitting with a different woman telling her the same story that "Rosanna" was really him singing "Sheila Slovinsky, yeah". Grace tells Will he can't be Glenn's lawyer, but Will tells Grace he can't back out. Will manages to get Glenn off the charge and tells him afterwards if he comes near Grace again he'll be singing "Rosanna" through a tube. Meanwhile, Karen has had it with the prison visits and doesn't want to keep going. Rosario tells Karen that her visits are what keeps Stan going, but Karen is being stubborn. Rosario tells Karen that if she knew what Stan was going through, she'd be visiting him right now. Rosario makes a bet with Karen that if she can last 3 days in Rosario's bedroom, she doesn't have to visit Stan, but if she breaks she has to go. Karen agrees but demands that Jack does it with her so she can make him her bitch. They at first are having a fun time, but realize prison isn't so fun when they don't get the stuff they want. Karen eventually breaks and goes to visit Stan.

FAVORITE QUOTE:

GRACE: Hey. You were pretty amazing up there.

WILL: You saw me?

GRACE: Peeked in. You were a regular Oliver Wendell Homo.

WILL: Funny.

GRACE: F. Lee Gayley.

WILL: You get one more.

GRACE: Johnnie Cochran.

WILL: That's his real name.

GRACE: It still works.

FAVORITE MOMENT:

When Will had a rough day at work and is discussing how he wants to practice in the court room again and he grabs a shot of liquor and slams it down choking and yells "How do they do that in movies?". That was my very first shot I ever took 🤣

OPINION:

This is such a funny episode that I really enjoy. I loved Grace dating Glenn, Glenn was a jerk, but I loved that Grace acted surprised that a con artist got her. Glenn with the Rosanna song always got me how he fit any girl's name into the title was really funny. Will making fun of Grace dating a prisoner saying how she's one of those "women in a polka-dot dress and a floppy hat that bakes brownies for serial killers." I'll admit, I have stolen Will's joke of Glenn being in a Jewish gang "drive-by slashing of credit ratings". And of course when Will finds out that Glenn was sneaking with other women behind Grace's back how he joked that "Hopefully, the next guy you meet will work a regular nine to five instead of serving five to ten. Maybe he'll have gone to Penn State instead of the state pen. Maybe you two will live in a big house instead of the big house." and she got him back at the end with my favorite quote for the day. Will & Grace can have such cute, funny moments together. I am dying to see a scene where Grace mentioned Will practicing his first courtroom session and played George Michael's "Freedom" in the background.

Jack and Karen in prison together was such a blast to watch. I loved how they at first loved being in prison together, but it barely takes a few hours before they are losing their minds. I'll admit there's a part of me that hates this story because every time I hear them sing "Mr. Sandman", it gets stuck in my head, especially the image of Karen dancing afterwards. There is a space in my head that lives rent free for that scene 🤣 I loved that Karen gave up because she realized that Stan was hurting being alone in prison, she really loves him. But she is showing she's human, visiting Stan in prison is really hard for her to and she's exhausted seeing him behind bars. As hard as it can be for the prisoners, it's hard for the family and friends too seeing their loved ones in a cage and can only talk through plated glass. This has been a very hard time for both Karen and Stan.

I really love this episode, it always makes me laugh.

GUEST STARS:

• Kirk Baltz as Glenn Gabriel
• Brent Sexton as Guard
• Cheryl Bricker as Sheila Slovinsky
• Steven Shaw as Judge (RIP in 2019)

The Way the Ball Bounces (Season 4, Episode 13). Eddie has a chance to get a scholarship at Illinois Occidental University and Carl is thrilled, but Harriette isn't so quick to jump on the bandwagon. She wants to know more about the curriculum and education they provide. She invites the basketball recruiter, Wayne, to the house and as her worst fear confirms, Wayne tells Eddie that he's there to play basketball and education comes second. Harriette invites a former college star basketball player, Sam the Slam, over to talk to Eddie. Sam tells Eddie that everything was going good for him in college playing basketball but then he hurt his knee and when he was healing he had to study to stay in school, but it turns out he could barely read. So Sam tells Eddie it's great that he can get a basketball scholarship, but to make sure to study hard as well and think of basketball as the cherry on top. Meanwhile, Laura has her PSATs to study for, this test can help determine if she can get accepted to Harvard University. But Laura is skipping sleep and sneaking into the library to continue studying. She eventually comes home and just breaks down. Carl and Harriette tell her she needs to balance her life and get some rest.

FAVORITE QUOTE:

CARL: Laura, I forbid you to leave this house until you get some rest.

LAURA: Dad, you're exacerbating the problem instead of ameliorating it.

CARL: I am not. But just to be sure, I'm going downstairs to check the dictionary.

FAVORITE MOMENT:

When Steve is covering for Laura when she goes to the library, Carl comes into her bedroom to say good night to her but Steve gets under the bed covers and pretends to be Laura. Carl asks for a good night kiss on the cheek and Steve tells him to close his eyes, he does so and he kisses Carl on the cheek. It's even funnier later when Carl realizes Laura snuck out and that it was Steve that kissed him on the cheek.

OPINION:

It's interesting coming from Season 1's Basketball Blues and Season 2's Boxcar Blues where Eddie wasn't interested in playing basketball and wanted to do something different with his life to this episode. You could make the argument that Eddie maybe just put basketball to the side for a bit after Carl tired him out and we did see in Making the Team that Eddie was on the basketball team. It's just never really brought up again how amazing of a player Eddie is and that he is good enough to get a basketball scholarship. I get it's a show, we can only show so much, but this basketball story felt a little out of left field. That being said, this still provides a really great message. A lot of potential star athletes only think about what to do today to be the MVP but what is going to happen in a couple years or if God forbid they hurt themselves. Not everyone can be Michael Jordan, Ken Griffith or Tom Brady. You hope it ends up that way, but you want to make sure that you always have a backup plan. So I'm actually happy about this storyline.

As it's brought up, the difference between Eddie and Laura is like night and day. Eddie likes the short cuts but Laura knows she has to work hard to succeed. Laura's ambition has been brought up in Season 1's Straight A's where she freaked out about getting a B on her report card and Season 2's The Science Project where she asked Steve to be her partner for a guaranteed A. To put pressure on yourself isn't a bad thing, but you can't let studies or work be your life. She takes her studies to an unhealthy level and even though her breakdown is played for comedy, it honestly could be taken more seriously when her mind just shuts down and she can't remember anything she studied. She crammed too much in her head and her mind just couldn't hold any more information. I'm glad that her just needing rest was the only thing she needed to keep going because I have seen people put too much pressure on themselves and they end up in the hospital. I also got very sick a couple of years ago and I would put an insane amount of pressure on myself from work and I wonder if that contributed to me getting sick. So this is definitely a storyline I think a lot of people can relate to.

All seriousness aside, the jokes in this episode are hilarious. I loved Steve covering for Laura, how easily he fell for her asking for his help while she snuck out of the house. And of course his imitating Laura's voice while under the covers, I can't believe Carl fell for that. I always get such a huge laugh at the closing scene where Carl realizes that Steve was the one who kissed his cheek and he yells "Steve!".

This is a really good episode with a wonderful lesson and is well balanced with the serious story and the funny jokes.

GUEST STARS:

• Christopher B. Duncan as Sam the Slam
• Jack Reilly as Wayne (RIP in 2016)