Original Run (1998-2006) Episodes Talk: Around the Apartment

[BizBuzz]

Hey ya'll!

I have always loved this show.  The one-liners themselves keep me tuned in. 

My order of likability is Karen > Jack > Will > Grace

Megan Mullally cracks me up.  In any scene she is in.

Wanna talk favorite episodes?

One of my faves was "Past and Presents" S04.E02, this scene in particular.  I laughed so much I cried:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UgPFgYdP6OY

 

 

[giovannif7]

Looks like the reunion special will be happening. I'm guessing it'll be an interview/clips/reminiscing show rather than a scripted comedy, which makes sense - the series ender 8 years ago pretty much tied things up for everyone. I figure NBC will air it for the tenth anniversary of the finale, but the actual filming/taping is probably dependent on when they can wrangle everyone together - hopefully including Shelley Morrison.

[BizBuzz]

I never thought I would see the day...cool!  Something to look forward to!

[giovannif7]

Apparently someone has their wires crossed somewhere - Sean Hayes sent out this tweet tonight:

Sean Hayes ‏@theseanhayes  ·
I can officially say, no one has contacted any of us about a "reunion" show or special.

[BizBuzz]

A place to discuss particular episodes, arcs and moments from the show's run. Please remember this isn't a complete catch-all topic -- check out the forum for character topics and other places for show-related talk.

[TheGreenKnight]

Aw, that's too bad. I would love to see a reunion.

 

Still love this show. If I had to rank the characters, it'd definitely be Karen > (Rosie >) Will > Grace > Jack. To be honest, never cared too much for Grace or Jack, although they had their hilarious moments, too. Watching the show reruns lately, it's so odd how much people can age in 8 years' time. Hayes and McCormack in particular looked so different at the end.

 

My only real gripe with this show was that Will rarely had relationships on the show (especially not ones that lasted more than one episode) when compared to Grace. I know this is partly to do with his character being self-conscious, reserved, etc., but it still always disappointed me. But at least i loved his endgame with Vince; I personally thought they fit very well together. Grace was okay with Harry Connick, Jr., but my favorite of her love interests was definitely Woody Harrelson.

 

My favorite scene of the show (so hard to choose!) was when Grace tries to teach Karen how to live on a budget and then, when Karen has a meltdown, Grace threatens to try on Karen's new clothes.

 

"You know what, this looks just about my size. I think I'm gonna go....try it on."

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!"

 

Besides that, in general my favorite scenes seem to involve Karen and Beverly Leslie. Val/Molly Shannon was of course a scene-stealer, too.

Edited May 4, 2014 by TheGreenKnight

[DXD526]

This time of year, it's always fun to revisit "Homo for the Holidays", which is a favorite of mine. Does anyone know why Veronica Cartwright was only in this one episode? She was so great as Jack's mom. 

[blaase]

The episodes with Woody Harrelson infuriate me. He was perfect for  Grace and for this show. Karen liked him for christs sakes.  

Karen hated Leo, Leo was an awful stupid decision by the writers.

[TaxNerd]

What did everyone think of the finale? I was a huge fan of the show, and once the finale aired it actually turned me off of the show. They were best friends for so long, then lost contact for fifteen years. The problem was the time of their lives they lost together were some of their best. They missed each other's kids growing up, and the development of their own families, and the transition from young adulthood to middle age. It just seemed so sad to me. I understand great friends you can just pick up the friendship again, but they missed so much in each other's lives.

After that the reruns lost something for me. Maybe it's finally time to revisit.

[LADreamr]

The finale just didn't make sense to me. I would understand if they had never reconciled, but they had. I think it may have actually been more poignant if they didn't make up, and then met at the college, and we get to see the conversation that followed, and maybe a vow never to let that happen again. The way they did it was just confusing.

[MaryMitch]

I've been watching the old black/white "Gunsmoke" episodes on MeTV - and guess who I just saw? Rosario!

Shelley Morrison was in the 1966 episode "Which Doctor" - she played a woman who functioned as the healer for a group of buffalo hunters. She must have been about 30 years old. She was a beauty, with a wonderful smile.

And spoke with no trace of an accent, which makes sense since she was born in New York... I was totally fooled by her Rosario character!

[giovannif7]

7 hours ago, MaryMitch said:

I've been watching the old black/white "Gunsmoke" episodes on MeTV - and guess who I just saw? Rosario!

Shelley Morrison was in the 1966 episode "Which Doctor" - she played a woman who functioned as the healer for a group of buffalo hunters. She must have been about 30 years old. She was a beauty, with a wonderful smile.

And spoke with no trace of an accent, which makes sense since she was born in New York... I was totally fooled by her Rosario character!

Check out some episodes of 60s TV series The Flying Nun starring Sally Field, and watch for Sister Sixto. It'll give you a new appreciation for the Will & Grace "Sound Of Music Singalong" episode when Rosario shows up wearing a habit.

[MaryMitch]

I just watched the 2 part finale on LOGO. I have to say, I think this was the best series finale I have ever seen.

My favorite part: When Ben and Lila meet as college students. I love the gasp from the audience when they realized that these two characters were Ben and Lila and not Will and Grace!

[Snow Apple]

I like the finale, but thought it was weird. Will and Grace made up and they are both still friends with Jack and Karen so I found it hard to believe they haven't seen each other between making up and their kids in college. 

[legaleagle53]

7 hours ago, Snow Apple said:

I like the finale, but thought it was weird. Will and Grace made up and they are both still friends with Jack and Karen so I found it hard to believe they haven't seen each other between making up and their kids in college. 

They made up, but then they split up again two years later after Will saw that Grace had gotten back together with Leo; we just never saw the blowup about that. It's what drove them back apart and kept them apart to the point that they didn't speak again for another 18 years until they accidentally crossed paths while their kids were getting settled in college.

[Snow Apple]

2 hours ago, legaleagle53 said:

They made up, but then they split up again two years later after Will saw that Grace had gotten back together with Leo; we just never saw the blowup about that. It's what drove them back apart and kept them apart to the point that they didn't speak again for another 18 years until they accidentally crossed paths while their kids were getting settled in college.

The last episode starts with Grace and Leo getting back together and Will is about to open the door. Cut to a year or two later. Karen and Jack tricks them into seeing each other. This was after both couples had their babies. They hashed it out with Grace asking Will if he would have wanted to change anything now that he has Vince and Ben. Will admitted he didn't want to change anything, and they made up and wanted to plan a future get-together but found their schedules were too busy. Will and Grace expressed their sadness to Vince and Leo how people drift apart and there are no soul mates. So while they are too busy to see each other, they ended in a friendly place. Cut to 18 years later.

Edited June 2, 2016 by Snow Apple

[DXD526]

I was always of the opinion that Will never really forgave Leo for cheating on Grace. And that really complicated things when Grace decided she still loved Leo enough to work on their relationship and try to save it. Will probably said some very nasty things about Leo when Leo and Grace were broken up, and when they got back together, maybe Grace didn't want Will's negative influence around. While they were still friends, they drifted apart because Grace really wanted a stable home for herself and her child. Will and Grace becoming estranged had everything to do with Leo, IMO. 

[MaggieG]

My favorite episode has to be the Kevin Bacon episode. It cracks me up every time. Especially when Will and Kevin are dancing in the end and Jack comes in, mad. "If you need me, I'll be in your hamper." Another favorite was thr one where Mira Sorvino guest starred as the only woman Will ever slept with. Leo kind of won me over in that one, he was funny. 

I was definitely more of a Friends fan but Will and Grace had some funny moments

[Snow Apple]

I loved Mira Sorvino. "It mattered to me!" and quoting the song "You turned me right round baby right round"

Another episode was the one where Jack come out to his mom. Will, Grace, and Karen turned away to give them privacy, but turned right back around when Jack's mom cried "I have a secret too!"

[Maverick]

 I agree Leo was a mistake and I don't understand why the writers kept going back to that well.  Looking back, I kinda feel sorry for Will.  His two best friends were really kind of assy to him, particularly Grace in the later years.   Banter between the characters was one of the core components of the show, but Jack's jabs at Will had a particularly nasty edge to them.  And Jack rarely showed any genuine affection or appreciation for Will, even though Will was always there for him, not to mention supported him financially.   Having re watched the penultimate episode, I think Grace was really awful.  She had already agreed to have a family with Will 4 years earlier and then dumped him the minute some stranger came along.  And he she was 4 years later, expecting a child with no father due to her questionable decisions and turning to Will to help her raise the kid.  He makes a commitment to her and when he gets an opportunity for happiness he doesn't think about dumping her.  His natural instinct is to keep her involved in his life (I don't agree with his assumption that Vince would be ok and just dumping Vince out-of-hand).   When Grace gets barely a glimmer of a chance with Leo, she's ready to run off and leave Will without a second thought.  She just thinks that after agreeing to raise the baby with Will and him being involved for months is cool.  It's really a selfish, thoughtless move.   I don't know if it as the writing or Debra Messing, but Grace really became more humorless and shrewish in the later years.

[FormerMod-a1]

6 hours ago, Gothish520 said:

The thing that sucked about the original ending was not that they had children, it was the utter nonsense about them not speaking for 20 years, and not raising their families as the best friends they are and always were. 

I agree with this.  I can see needing a break and some distance from each other since they were very entwined.  But 20 years?!  really?! 20 years of 0 contact seems too extreme to the point of absurdity.  I can see a few years of 0 contact, maybe 5 or so, and then gradual reconnecting.  And since they had families and lived separately not getting as enmeshed with each other like they were before, so maybe seeing each other once a month or even once every couple of months, but still not the absolute no interaction they went with. 

[KWalkerInc]

Logo is showing the episode where Karen and Malcolm set up Grace with a friend played by Andy Richter.  They don't seem like a match at first, but then Grace starts to really like him...only for him to dump her after hearing her singing voice after she starts singing along when he plays his piano.  At least I think that's how it ends--they're only halfway through the episode at the moment.  I can't say I blame him for being annoyed, like the episode where the neighbors keep calling to tell her to shut up because she's singing "Hey Ya!"  I always wondered if Debra Messing believes she is a good singer in real life just singing badly for comedic effect, like Tracee Ellis Ross did on Girlfriends.  But I've heard the single Tracee released with her recent movie, and she is good.  Debra had a whole number of her own in that horrible Dirty Dancing remake on ABC, and she still sounded pretty much how Grace does.

[KWalkerInc]

Logo is going to show a marathon of episodes featuring Bobbi (Debbie Reynolds), beginning at 1 AM Pacific.  They are starting with "Fanilow" from season 6 but then going back to her first appearance in season 1 and airing in chronological order from there.

[Ms Blue Jay]

My favourite episode is the one where Mira Sorvino guest stars, "Last Ex to Brooklyn".  I've probably seen it 50 times.  It never gets old for me.

On 6/18/2016 at 7:41 PM, MaggieG said:

 Another favorite was thr one where Mira Sorvino guest starred as the only woman Will ever slept with. Leo kind of won me over in that one, he was funny. 

I was definitely more of a Friends fan but Will and Grace had some funny moments

So damn good.

[Ms Blue Jay]

On 2/13/2015 at 5:36 PM, blaase said:

The episodes with Woody Harrelson infuriate me. He was perfect for  Grace and for this show. Karen liked him for christs sakes.  

Karen hated Leo, Leo was an awful stupid decision by the writers.

This post is 6 years old but hell yes!  I loved that the show took careful consideration to have Karen be very consistent.  She always consistently loved Nathan and hated Leo.  I feel like most shows wouldn't go to that level of detail. It made Karen really seem like a real person.  Of course, this is all ruined by the reboot..... But.... 

Edited June 23, 2021 by Ms Blue Jay

[Ms Blue Jay]

On 11/30/2014 at 7:29 PM, DXD526 said:

This time of year, it's always fun to revisit "Homo for the Holidays", which is a favorite of mine. Does anyone know why Veronica Cartwright was only in this one episode? She was so great as Jack's mom. 

I was so shocked to learn here that she only appeared in one episode.  She made such a big impact.

Something cool is that Veronica Cartwright played Jack's mom and Suzanne Pleshette played Karen's mom, and they were both in Hitchcock's "The Birds".  This might be common knowledge, I have no idea, but I only learned this after seeing "The Birds" for the first time in 2020.

[Snow Apple]

I loved Mira. “It meant something to me!” “And you did, Will. You spun me right round.” A shame her acting career got sabotaged.

I agree Jack’s mom is great too. I love the scene where Will, Grace, and Karen walks away to give her and Jack privacy. Then she exclaimed “I have a secret too!” Will, Grace, and Karen turns back.

 I also like Jack’s stepdad when he gives Jack a box of cash because he didn’t know Jack well enough to pick out a gift. Jack was excited and says “You do know me!”

[Ms Blue Jay]

1 hour ago, Snow Apple said:

 A shame her acting career got sabotaged.

I know, and she is so sexy in that episode too.  Her legs!  Her hair!  Everything!

[JustHereForFood]

On 6/23/2021 at 7:57 AM, Ms Blue Jay said:

My favourite episode is the one where Mira Sorvino guest stars, "Last Ex to Brooklyn".  I've probably seen it 50 times.  It never gets old for me.

So damn good.

That is one of my favorite episodes and definitely the most funny.