r/WillAndGrace

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

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

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

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

One of the best Karen Walker moments:) Season 2, Episode 10: Tea and a Total Lack of Sympathy.

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)