S09.E09: There's Something About Larry

[Tara Ariano]

Quote

Will and Grace's old friend Larry decides he's in love with Will. On Jack's first day as a Lyft driver, he hits his wacky neighbor Val. Karen steps in to bail out Jack, but then needs Jack to bail her out.

[sinkwriter]

I thought Larry was married, or did I forget about a breakup between him and Joe in the original series? 

[Jillybean]

Val!

[giovannif7]

23 hours ago, sinkwriter said:

I thought Larry was married, or did I forget about a breakup between him and Joe in the original series? 

Yeah, the Joe/Larry wedding took place in an episode that had WaG arguing over her not paying her share of things. They also had a daughter they were raising - Hannah?

IIRC, the last time we saw Joe and Larry was at the funeral for Will’s dad, and they appeared to still be a couple. The precedent is there for Larry’s attraction to Will, though - both Joe and Larry admitted they were more into Will than each other for a while, during the Tracey Ullman cooking class episode.

[FormerMod-a1]

I enjoyed it.  And Val didn't even annoy me, so bonus!    Classic talking about two different things going there with WIll and Larry, but I still thought it was funny. 

[Annber03]

9 minutes ago, aquarian1 said:

Classic talking about two different things going there with WIll and Larry, but I still thought it was funny. 

Agreed :D. This show was always good at the innuendo/double entendre stuff. 

[Primetimer]

As Larry reveals that he's in love with someone other than Joe, chance throws together Jack and Val.

View the full article

[BloggerAloud]

Between Val on Will and Grace and Millie on Bob's Burgers, Molly Shannon really has cornered the market on psychotic folks that want to be friends with a main character on the show.

[festivus]

I didn't care for this one that much. I like Larry, but I can't stand Val. Molly Shannon always seems so desperate in everything she does. I did like Debra Messing though, she's toned it down and she's got Grace now. Jack was pretty funny also.

[Sakura12]

I wasn't really feeling this episode the Karen, Jack and Molly Shannon bit was not funny. However even though I knew the misunderstanding would happen with Will and Larry, that managed to get me to laugh out loud. Especially the bit about having to be with Grace to be with him since he has to,  and Larry was like "Joe always said that but I didn't believe him" 

[bichonblitz]

I think all the actors were really good in this one and Debra Messing is finding Grace again. The problem seems to be in the scripts... just not as sharp with the one liners as they used to be. Are there different writers than the original series? 

[theredhead77]

22 minutes ago, Sakura12 said:

I wasn't really feeling this episode the Karen, Jack and Molly Shannon bit was not funny. However even though I knew the misunderstanding would happen with Will and Larry, that managed to get me to laugh out loud. Especially the bit about having to be with Grace to be with him since he has to,  and Larry was like "Joe always said that but I didn't believe him" 

I laughed so hard at "Come to bed Grace, so I can get my part over with"

[Jillybean]

Debra Messing has apparently pissed someone off in the wardrobe department.

[iMonrey]

I hope someone will do the math on Hannah because I'm not sure she should actually be old enough yet to be going off to college. I remember an episode where she was a baby, and Will and Jack babysat for her, and I remember another one where Larry and Joe were having a birthday party for her, and Will and Grace were in a big fight, and that was right after she met Leo and decided she didn't want to have a baby with Will. I'm not sure how old Hannah was supposed to be at that point but I'm thinking she should only be about 14 or 15 by now.

I always enjoyed Molly Shannon as Val so it was nice to see her return. I'm really enjoying the recurring characters they've been bringing back. It would be great to see Sara Rue or Geena Davis as Grace's sisters again, or Steven Weber as Will's brother, or Blythe Danner as his mom again.

[lefawn]

According to Wikipedia the episode where Jack and Will babysat for Larry and Joe's daughter was season 3, episode 3 and aired in October of 2000. So, yes, she could be a college student today.

[SnarkyTart]

4 hours ago, bichonblitz said:

I think all the actors were really good in this one and Debra Messing is finding Grace again. The problem seems to be in the scripts... just not as sharp with the one liners as they used to be.

I agree with you about the writing being the main problem now.  For me, the show has been more tolerable the last two episodes now that Debra Messing has settled down a bit.  That has certainly helped a lot. 

The scene of Jack rolling into Val's apartment and ninja-jumping across the furniture made me laugh out loud.

[Gothish520]

I loved this episode! The cold opening was hilarious, especially Jack's bit. The stuff with Larry was great and everyone was on point - Grace is back!

Edited January 13, 2018 by Gothish520

[April Bloodgate]

This episode really did nothing for me. At this point, I’m mostly just watching because of the podcast.

[mtlchick]

This was less about Debra finally finding her footing as Grace again (I think the unintended 3 way scene with Will and Larry was her best scene so far in the revival) and more about PLEASE STOP, MOLLY SHANNON!  Shannon is the precursor to Kristin Wiig and she reminded me why I didn't miss her when she left SNL.

[txhorns79]

I did laugh at Grace's need to launch into Sunrise Sunset with Larry, and I really enjoyed Jack acting out everyone's reactions to his being a Lyft driver.  The Three's Company rip-off storyline with Larry, Will and Grace was meh, if only because I think the show used to be smarter.  Karen, Val and Jack was okay, if nothing special. 

[ButterQueen]

7 hours ago, SnarkyTart said:

 

The scene of Jack rolling into Val's apartment and ninja-jumping across the furniture made me laugh out loud.

Classic Jack...I rewound it three times.  That was awesome.

[SmithW6079]

Ugh. This episode was bad all around.

I've never liked the actor who played Larry, so I didn't enjoy his storyline with Will and Grace. 

And this may be a UO, but I've never found Molly Shannon funny, so I didn't like her plot with Karen and Jack either.

[Irlandesa]

I thought this was the second funny episode in a row--or at least the second episode in a row that made me laugh out loud.  I didn't love Val but I did like Karen and Jack trying to navigate Lyft. 

The misunderstanding is a classic sitcom trope but the actors pulled it off in a way that gave me a good chuckle even if it wrapped up a bit too neatly at the end.

[SparklesBitch]

On 1/12/2018 at 11:52 AM, festivus said:

I didn't care for this one that much. I like Larry, but I can't stand Val. Molly Shannon always seems so desperate in everything she does. 

Same here. My heart sank when I realized it was Val on the hood of the car. Ugh. I don’t understand why Molly Shannon has to overact so much all the time in everything. It comes off, in my opinion anyway, as “if I do this next crazy thing that’s ridiculously over acted, will you like me? And if you don’t, what can I do to make you like me??” 

On 1/12/2018 at 0:07 PM, Sakura12 said:

However even though I knew the misunderstanding would happen with Will and Larry, that managed to get me to laugh out loud. Especially the bit about having to be with Grace to be with him since he has to,  and Larry was like "Joe always said that but I didn't believe him" 

This got a laugh out of me too. The whole classic misunderstanding thing is as old as TV itself, but I thought they pulled it off. Will’s confused expressions at times (especially when Larry said something about “give me 20 minutes to shower and trim”) were enough to make the whole thing fresh and funny for me. 

Random thoughts: 

- Karen’s line to Val “you want to go beyond the wall and see the white walkers?” handed me the biggest laugh of the whole episode, and I felt like I was going to hell for cracking up at her “African-Americar” comment. 

- Grace’s “pretending to care about something when you want to kill yourself is what a human being does.” was great, and exactly right. 

- Jack is just a delight, from him chattering on as he gathered stuff up around Will’s apartment and left (“snide comment from Will but I’ll let it go because I’ll always be younger”) to his scandalized reaction to Val’s weirdo altar to Karen, to his actually doing a little spin when he tells Grace “my turn”....I just love him! 

Lastly, something that has actually bothered me since the very beginning of this show....why does everyone pretend that if you’re sitting in the living room of Will’s apartment, that they can’t hear (at least partially) what’s being said in the kitchen??? Will and Grace weren’t being quiet AT ALL when they were complaining about all the pictures of Hannah to each other and Larry and Joe were literally right there. They had to have at least heard something!!

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Blooper: Molly Shannon

[Gothish520]

7 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

Blooper: Molly Shannon

OMG that's hilarious! I have to give props to Molly Shannon for holding it together as Sean and Meg lost it.

[Gothish520]

On 1/15/2018 at 10:16 PM, SparklesBitch said:

Same here. My heart sank when I realized it was Val on the hood of the car. Ugh. I don’t understand why Molly Shannon has to overact so much all the time in everything. It comes off, in my opinion anyway, as “if I do this next crazy thing that’s ridiculously over acted, will you like me? And if you don’t, what can I do to make you like me??” 

This got a laugh out of me too. The whole classic misunderstanding thing is as old as TV itself, but I thought they pulled it off. Will’s confused expressions at times (especially when Larry said something about “give me 20 minutes to shower and trim”) were enough to make the whole thing fresh and funny for me. 

Random thoughts: 

- Karen’s line to Val “you want to go beyond the wall and see the white walkers?” handed me the biggest laugh of the whole episode, and I felt like I was going to hell for cracking up at her “African-Americar” comment. 

- Grace’s “pretending to care about something when you want to kill yourself is what a human being does.” was great, and exactly right. 

- Jack is just a delight, from him chattering on as he gathered stuff up around Will’s apartment and left (“snide comment from Will but I’ll let it go because I’ll always be younger”) to his scandalized reaction to Val’s weirdo altar to Karen, to his actually doing a little spin when he tells Grace “my turn”....I just love him! 

Lastly, something that has actually bothered me since the very beginning of this show....why does everyone pretend that if you’re sitting in the living room of Will’s apartment, that they can’t hear (at least partially) what’s being said in the kitchen??? Will and Grace weren’t being quiet AT ALL when they were complaining about all the pictures of Hannah to each other and Larry and Joe were literally right there. They had to have at least heard something!!

Val is awful but I've accepted who she is and I just roll with the crazy. She was much less annoying in this ep than in past ones, at least. I cracked up when it turned out to be her on the car.

The Larry storyline was well-played by all. 

Jack was indeed a delight throughtout the whole episode. 

I agree about those kitchen scenes! Sometimes they do whisper, but other times the voices do seem loud enough that there is no way people in the living room can't hear. Then again, if the people in the living room are talking amongst themselves, they may not even being paying attention to conversation in another area. I've had conversations in the same room with others also conversing and they didn't hear what we said and vice versa.

[Bruinsfan]

On 1/12/2018 at 3:49 PM, lefawn said:

According to Wikipedia the episode where Jack and Will babysat for Larry and Joe's daughter was season 3, episode 3 and aired in October of 2000. So, yes, she could be a college student today.

This is where I crumble into dust and blow away like the endings of those Hammer vampire movies.

[Blissfool]

On 1/12/2018 at 0:14 PM, Jillybean said:

Debra Messing has apparently pissed someone off in the wardrobe department.

But hasn't Grace always been an odd dresser? There's even a running joke of Karen making fun of her fashion choices.

[janie jones]

I think she's always been an odd dresser.  She was wearing a leather suit in an old episode I watched recently.  I'd say her clothes and/or accessories are awful at least half the time.

[Jillybean]

While Karen always criticized Grace's attire, I always thought most of her clothing was reasonably inoffensive (however I recently saw the old episode with Jack and Will on the boat and that outfit was terrible).  Karen's remarks about Grace's clothing struck me the same as Jack's comments about Will being fat -- insults that weren't true. But the dress she wore in last week's episode (and this week's episode) were standouts as major "don'ts" IMO.  Debra Messing's body type is also different now and the clothing choices this season have been unnecessarily unflattering.

[ButterQueen]

I think Grace is still dressing quirky....like in the original episodes.  She's always had small breasts, and now her bottom half is a wee bit bigger.  I still think she's beautiful.

I have never liked Molly Shannon.  She makes the most unfortunate faces trying to be funny.

I so hope Kevin Bacon makes an appearance.  

[Primetimer]

As Larry reveals that he's in love with someone other than Joe, chance throws together Jack and Val.

View the full article