S01.E07: Where There's A Will, There's No Way

[Tara Ariano]

Quote

Grace fears that Will is the reason that she has no interest in dating men. Jack faces trouble when the IRS catches up to him regarding his tax evasion.

[Primetimer]

Grace blames Will for her lack of libido and not, for instance, the dullards she's dating.

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[WhosThatGirl]

I love that you guys said Will was probably watching PBS for ballroom dancing because DWTS didn’t exist yet which is super true as my great grandmother loved ballroom dancing and was always watching PBS!

[sinkwriter]

I love that dance between Will & Grace, especially after Grace freezes in "realization" about her issue while Will keeps dancing in the background, adorably so. That's my favorite part.

Another part I love is when Karen starts singing as she's shaking her pills at Grace, "Clang, clang, clang went the trolley... ding, ding, ding went the bell..." It makes me giggle. (And helps solidify Karen's occasional enjoyment of breaking into song, here and there throughout the series. I think the next one is when Grace's mom comes to visit. Nothing finer than two Broadway ladies singing together, even if only for a line or two.)

I also admit, I chuckle every time I watch this episode Grace comes in from a date and tells Will, "Turns out, it's not you! I'm just DEAD inside!" Heeee.

I know the tax evasion plot is pretty pointless, but I always find it amusing when we hear more about Jack's random jobs and other experiences. I don't know why, but this line always intrigues me: "I can't handle this. I'm freaking out! Oh, God, this is worse than when I was caught shoplifting at Lane Bryant." I always hear that line and wonder to myself, "What on earth would Jack have wanted to shoplift at Lane Bryant?"

Also, I like when Will kisses Jack's cheek at the end and tells him not to worry, he's going to pay his tax bill for him and that Jack can always count on Will for help. It's such a little thing, maybe it doesn't seem like a big deal, but for Will to kiss Jack, even platonically on the cheek, it just feels like one of those things that helps to inch things forward, society-wise, even the smallest bit. So I appreciate when they include little gestures like that.

And this is one of my favorite Will & Jack exchanges from the episode:

JACK: No, don't let them take me, Will. I still have a novella to write. I've never met Barbara Eden. My life is just beginning.

[WILL SLAPS JACK ACROSS THE FACE.]

WILL: I'm sorry for that "Knots Landing" moment. Believe me, it was necessary.

JACK: You're allotted one of those in your lifetime. You just cashed in.

"You just cashed in." Heeeeeeeee. That makes me laugh so much.

I know the episode is kind of a throw-away, especially given that so many of the upcoming season 1 episodes are really, really good, but I still find a lot to laugh with in this episode. There's some fun one-liners and silliness (like Will teasingly asking if Grace gave her date "a little sugar?... a little nectar?... a little fructose?" which is cute and shows the closeness of their relationship, that it's likely they ordinarily talk intimate details of their dates with one another) and I don't know why, but I love how Sean Hayes can do a headstand on a chair, wave his legs around in the air, and still do his scene, without batting an eye or missing a step. That was pretty awesome, and he deserves the applause he gets after he dismounts and goes into a landing pose.