Will & Grace Season 10 Finale Review

I wasn't too thrilled with many episodes of Will & Grace that it aired during the first half of its season, but the show has been consistently great in 2019. I didn't review the past two episodes, but I owe it to the show to return for the finale. This episode will resolve last week's cliffhanger, which saw Grace and Will get upset with one another over Noah. It'll also hopefully resolve Karen's recent  identity crisis, all as Jack's wedding quickly approaches.

Grace is still upset with Will after he told her his true thoughts about Noah last week, and she makes this abundantly clear. The two argue it out at the airport, but Grace wants to put a hold on it until after Jack's wedding. However, the plane gets delayed due to bad weather, and even Karen can't help it. The plane does get completely canceled though, so that's cool. Jack takes this terribly. Speaking of traveling, McCoy tells Jack that he's getting a job in London, and the two discuss their long-distance future. Estefan tells Jack that they will just get married at the airport, which Jack isn't thrilled about. (So irrational Jack, an airport wedding is everyone's dream!)

McCoy tells Will that he didn't get the London job, but then admits that he actually turned down the job. Will tries to convince him to change his mind, and he does. Smitty makes his obligatory to give Karen advice on her new-found lesbianism. He tells her that she might not actually be a lesbian, just confused, and it gets her thinking. Grace and Will get in another argument at the bar, which leads to Will telling her again that she can do better, despite her belief otherwise.

Jack is worried that there's nobody to marry him and Estefan, but he soon finds someone, for a $75 $200 fee. Grace hits it off with some other guy at the airport. Karen tells Nikki that she's straight after all.

Jack and Estefan's wedding kicks off, with Jack not having any vows prepared and Estefan not caring. Jack delivers nice vows anyway but all of the guests start devolving into messes anyway. Grace starts to sing (which Smitty puts and end to), and McCoy starts crying over his impending breakup with Will. Just as Jack and Estefan are about to say "I Do," Will proposes to McCoy, and Jack freaks out. Grace decides to track down the guy from earlier and go away with him.

Wrap-Up:

This was a great episode, and if I didn't know any better, I'd say that it was a fitting series finale. It also worked out nicely as a season finale, though, and I'm exciting to see where it goes with some of these storylines next season. I don't expect Will's engagement to last very long considering how incapable of growth both he and Grace are, but I guess we will see. Nevertheless, it set up an interesting plot for Will next season. Karen's storyline from these last few episodes wrapped up nicely with the help of Smitty, and I was glad to see my favorite TV bartender (well, behind the gang from Cheers) make an appearance to help guide Karen. The ending featuring Grace heading off with her new love interest (Reid Scott, or Dan Egan as we Veep fans know him) was satisfying, mainly because it confirms that he relationship with Noah (who I used to like before last week) will come to an end soon. I didn't want Jack to get married, but his storyline tonight was still really fun and I am proud of his growth over these two revival seasons. All in all, this was a very nice finale which wrapped up the storylines from this past season very well, all while leaving us wanting more (and soon!).

Thanks for reading my Will & Grace reviews all season! I'll be back for more reviews this fall (hopefully) or whenever the show returns for season 11, so make sure to be there!

Score: 9/10
Grade: A-

Season Score: 8.5/10
Season Grade: B+

Will & Grace Season 10 Episodes 14 & 15 Review

My Will & Grace reviews are back with two (very) late reviews of some of the shows most recent episodes. I've been extremely impressed with the show lately after a somewhat-disappointing fall, and I'm excited to see if the show can maintain that impressiveness as it enters the home stretch.

Episode 14:

Grace learns that Noah is the author of trashy romance novels, but she doesn't want Will to say anything about it. Unfortunately, Noah can tell that Will knows, and Jack and Karen (a fan of Noah's series) also openly state that they know about it. Karen is devastated to learn that Noah plans to end his book series by killing off the main character, Aurora. Estefan invited Will to a play. Will clearly doesn't want to go, but Jack tries to force Will to make an effort with Estefan. Karen tries to convince Noah not to kill off Aurora, and she holds his laptop at gunpoint to keep him from doing it.

Grace is going shopping for a gift for Noah and she hops in a cab, brushing someone out of the way to get in. She then gets a call from Will, telling her that someone attacked Ruth Bader Ginsburg. She soon realizes that she was the attacker. Will tells Estefan that he wants to spend time together, and Estefan gets suspicious and confronts Jack about it. Jack denies it, and Estefan begins to believe that Will has a crush on him. When she gets home, a woman confronts her and tells her she knows what she did. She's talking about something else, but Grace confesses to her and the woman tells her to find RBG and apologize to her.

Noah is able to calm Karen, but he tells her that he's stopping to write a "real novel" again, which upsets her again. After some further conversation, Karen tells Noah that he's afraid of love, hence him spending Valentine's Day with her and not Grace. Jack forces Will to pretend that he has a crush on Estefan, and Will agrees. Once Estefan comes into the apartment, he professes his "love" for Estefan, and he lays it on extremely thick. He proposes that they share a kiss to quench his desires, which Estefan agrees to. Jack interjects, and Will suggests that they go to the bedroom to do it in private. Jack confesses. Grace hops in a cab to the hospital to apologize to RBG, but she hears RBG on the radio talking about how she forgives her assailant and the importance of love. This makes Grace go to see Noah instead. Noah tells Karen that Aurora will live, and she tells him to hurry to see Grace before the day is over.

Wrap-Up:

This was a bit of a strange episode, but I did like it. Estefan annoys me immensely, but I actually thought the plot involving him, Will and Jack was the better one. It wasn't the most original, but it was quite funny and it really fit the characters well. Grace's storyline felt so far-fetched that it was hard to actually have an open mind about it and enjoy it. One I got past how unbelievably everything involving American treasure Ruth Bader Ginsburg was, I did find the plot funny, but the bizarre factor was just too much to handle at first. Karen's storyline with Noah felt perfectly Karen, even if it was very over-the-top. It was nice, however, to see the two of them bond. All in all, despite it not airing when it was intended to, this episode was pretty good, though easily one of the weakest episodes the show aired in 2019.

Score: 8/10
Grade: B

Episode 15:

Martin and Marilyn are coming over for dinner, but before they get there, Will & Grace have to deal with Jack, who is freaking out about his play and to a greater extent, his wedding. Karen won't let him get a unicorn dessert station, which he has apparently wanted since he was a little boy. At dinner, Martin starts feeling pain and they rush him to the hospital.

Karen learns that Jack asked for the unicorn dessert station, and she cancels it because she's paying for everything. Jack begs for it, but she says no. Jack then learns that an actress in his play quit, and Karen offers to step in. However, she wants to change her role and give her lines, because she's paying, but Jack is able to convince her to agree to his terms. Will is donating his blood to Martin to help his recovery. However, once Grace tells Martin that Will's the one giving blood, he refuses to take his blood because Will is gay.

During the play, Karen starts going off-script (as in, she actually says something). She changes the whole play, which leads to Jack getting so angry he tells Karen he doesn't want her to pay for anything anymore. Grace tells Will that Martin wouldn't use his blood, and Will isn't nearly as mad as she is. He's just tired of having to defend who he is anymore, and he urges Grace to accept Martin's views for what they are. Karen apologizes to Jack for ruining the play and not letting him do what he wants, and he forgives her. She even agrees to let him have whatever he wants at the wedding.

Marilyn brings up Will's blood donation at another one of their dinners, but Grace tells Marilyn that Martin refused to take his blood. Will tells her not to make a big deal about it, but Marilyn doesn't listen and yells at Martin, and at Will for not standing up for himself. This leads Will to go talk to Martin. Martin apologizes to Will, and they both tell the other the they love each other. Meanwhile, Marilyn agrees to let Grace call her "mom," but only when they're alone.

Wrap-Up:

This episode was fantastic, and featured two plots that were great for reasons that were both similar and different. The main plot, featuring Will, Grace and their parents, was both hilarious and extremely touching. Meanwhile, Jack and Karen's plot was also hilarious and touching to a lesser degree, and was mostly great because we got to see Jack and Karen have an argument. This led (of course) to a heart-to-heart that made the plot truly special, adding both heart and humor to the episode through Karen's apology. Meanwhile, Will's plot truly broke my heart, and I felt so bad for him. However, I could see where Martin was coming from. I didn't agree with his opinion at all, but I could understand how someone from his generation could have such an outdated view on an issue where public opinion has been swayed mostly in recent times. This episode, and particularly the conversation between Will and Martin, was one of the best pieces of acting of the entire revival for Eric McCormack. It made me so sad to see Will learn that Martin refused to use him blood, and I'm happy that he was able to patch things up with Martin. Blythe Danner's return is always welcome, and my favorite part of the episode may have been the running joke between Grace and Marilyn, with Grace pushing Marilyn to let her call her mom.

Score: 9.5/10
Grade: A

Will & Grace Season 10 Episode 13 Review

McCoy Whitman (Matt Bomer) returns on this week's Will & Grace, and he's a little bit too clingy. Plus, Grace's run for president of the interior design association hits a snag when Val (Molly Shannon) returns.

Jack tells Will that he'll be sitting at the singles table at his wedding, something that seems to bring Jack more joy than anything else. This leads to him deciding to go out with McCoy again. On their date, McCoy reveals that he really likes Will, because he really "sees" him, and he becomes an emotional mess. Grace gets a surprise visit from Val on her way home, and she tells her that she's not crazy anymore. (Like we haven't heard that one before.) She also reveals that she's eligible to vote in Grace's upcoming election.

Karen tells Grace that she'll take care of Grace's problem with Val, but she promises not to try anything shady. Jack stops by to give Will his invitation, but Will tells Jack that he'll be inviting McCoy as his plus-one, meaning he won't have to sit at the single's table. This devastates Jack, who is clearly terrific that he'll be stood up at his own wedding. McCoy sends Will a ton of gifts, and Will thinks it's a bit much. However, he doesn't get a chance to speak to him over the phone before he shows up at his door. McCoy tells Will that he loves him, but Will isn't ready to respond yet, because of course he isn't.

Val tells Grace that Karen bought her a ton of things to seal her vote, but it didn't work and Val says she can't vote for a "dirty politician." McCoy tells Jack that Will broke up with him, and Jack offers to help him get him back. Val tells Grace how disappointed she is,and she steps out onto the balcony because she "needs some air." Grace falls for her trick and gets locked outside, revealing her plans to win the election herself. Grace tries to get back in, but she ends up scaring off a nesting hawk. Not wanting the eggs to freeze, she sits on the nest herself and ends up getting attacked over it.

At the election party, Val reveals her own plans to run due to Grace's absence. Grace runs in, looking insane, and she tells everyone about what Val did to her. Somehow, some way, she wins the election anyway. McCoy stops by to tell Will that he realized how he went too far, and that Jack was the one who helped him realize that. Will gives him another chance.

Wrap-Up:
Like nearly every Will & Grace episode of 2019, this episode was spectacular. I wasn't a big fan of the McCoy character the first time, though Matt Bomer was very good in the role. This time, however, he was much funnier and much more enjoyable to watch on screen. Painting McCoy as somewhat of a stalker until Jack of all people helped him was certainly not how I expected his return to go. I don't always enjoy Will's dating stories (because they always end in a disaster and I feel SO bad for him!), but this one was quite funny. This relationship definitely won't work out, but I'm excited to see where it goes anyway. Grace's story was pretty ridiculous and extremely unrealistic, but it was still still hilarious. As much as I love Karen and as funny as she was in this story, the real star of the show was undoubtedly Molly Shannon's Val, who made a triumphant return in true Val fashion. It's hard to believe that any of the four friends could still fall for one of her tricks, especially Grace, but the plot was still really fun and a nice way to end the season-long election storyline. Shannon's work last season was enough to get her an Emmy nomination, and I think this guest appearance was just as good. The part with Grace sitting on the bird's nest didn't make much sense, but it was still pretty hilarious.

Score: 9/10
Grade: A-

Will & Grace Season 10 Episodes 11 & 12 Review

I haven't reviewed Will & Grace in a few weeks, but I'm back with a special double-length review of the two most recent episodes! Both features some really great guest stars, with episode 11 featuring You're the Worst's Aya Cash and episode 12 featuring Andrea Martin as the sister of a beloved character and the return of Alec Baldwin's Malcolm.

Episode 11: 

After getting poor reviews, Will tries to impress his students by playing the ukulele, which leads to Jack ridiculing him. He tries it out in class, which leads the class thoroughly unimpressed. This leads to him taking a suggestion from Jack to make his class more like Judge Judy. After class, Will runs in to Karen's stepdaughter Olivia, a student in his class.

Will tells Karen about his run-in with Olivia. She tells him that Olivia still has her necklace, a family heirloom. Jack and Grace are a few days into their diet, but Grace tries to eat some croutons and they fight over it, and they both end up licking an entire container of croutons to get the taste. This ends with Grace swallowing one and Jack yelling at her over it. Jack then proceeds to also cheat on the diet.

Karen shows up at Will's class right before his Judge Judy court reenactment is about to begin, and Will decides to use Karen and Oliver's fight over the necklace as the case. This is as chaotic as it sounds. Will rules in favor of Karen, which causes Olivia to reveal that she thought of Karen as a mother. Will has the two talk out their issues, and Karen reveals that she never called Olivia after the divorce because she was scared to. They resolve their issues, and Karen gives her the necklace back. Jack and Grace decide not to worry about dieting anymore.

Wrap-Up:

The true highlight episode of this episode was Karen's storyline with her stepdaughter Olivia. The interactions between guest star Aya Cash and Megan Mullally were nothing short of breathtaking, and I need to see more of them together. Olivia could be a great recurring character for this series, and would be a refreshing way to paint Karen in a more sympathetic and motherly light. We don't usually get a chance to see Karen speak from the heart, but we did in this episode, and it worked so well. Seeing the two reconcile after their time apart was very emotional to watch. Will played a nice, small role in the plot and what we saw from him was great. His Judge Judy impression was hilarious. On the other hand, Grace and Jack's storyline was pretty forgettable. It wasn't bad at all, but it didn't make much of an impression on me and was the peak point of the episode, even though it did give us a handful of funny lines.

Score: 9/10
Grade: A-

Episode 12:

Grace is trying to convince Karen to start dating again, and Karen decides to give it a try. However, Malcolm shows up to try to win her back. Jack is stopped by Zusanna, the sister of his former acting teacher Zandra (RIP Eileen Brennan). Zusanna convinces him that he needs teaching again, and she agrees to un-retire. She also reveals that Zandra has died, which causes Jack to break down before he realizes that he already knew that. Karen tells Grace that she got stood up, and that she's giving up on love. Once Grace tells her that Malcolm stopped by, however, emotions are stirred up.

Zusanna causes Jack to stop being a teacher and become an actor again, and he even brings back "Just Jack!" Will discovers that Paul has a husband - and a child! - and he feels terrible. Once his husband leaves, Will confronts Paul, and Paul tries to convince him not to break things off, which Will declines.

Karen refuses to talk to Malcolm, even though he's in the same room as her, and they use Grace to communicate with one another. This makes for an extremely awkward experience for Grace, but a hilarious one for viewers. They finally talk to each other though, but Karen still doesn't want to get back together with him. Grace tries to convince her to forgive him, which she eventually does, giving them a fresh start. Jack tells Zusanna that he's getting his job back, but she reveals that her whole experience as his teacher was a stunt to get his job, and thanks to her carefully-spun word web, he forgives her.

Wrap-Up:

From start to finish, this was a terrific episode. Every plot was well-executed and got the screen time that it warranted. My favorite part of the episode was Andrea Martin's appearance and Zandra's sister Zusanna. I was hoping for the show to mention Jack's beloved acting coach since it returned, and I finally got what I've been waiting for, in the best way possible. Zandra was always a colorful character, and her sister is somehow even crazier than she is. The late, great Eileen Brennan brought such energy to the show whenever she'd appear as Zandra, and Andrea Martin did the same thing with this guest spot. I hope to see more of her, because she worked very well with Jack and gave him his strongest plot of the season. Will's plot really didn't get that much attention, but it was a great one anyway. Seeing him develop feelings for someone and then immediately call it off when he learned that that guy was married shows some true maturity and character growth, and I don't know if the Will from the old series would have done that. Karen's story was another great one, and it actually made me root for her romance with Malcolm. They've always been weird together, and they love to act in a way that makes us all uncomfortable, but I really think they're made for one another. They seem to genuinely care for one another, and seeing them go down the road of healing and forgiveness was a very satisfying end to the episode. It would be great to see more of the two of them over the course of the season.

Score: 10/10
Grade: A+

Will & Grace Season 10 Episode 10 Review

Will & Grace had a great return last week with guest star Mary McCormack, and this week's episode looks just as great. Jack gets caught between Karen and Estefan, while Will and Grace host a disastrous dinner.

Jack's birthday is coming up, but he's having trouble with Karen and Estefan, who are feuding with each other. Because of this, he gets a new app to track them both and keep them away from each other. Meanwhile, Will is struggling with a new department head at work, so Grace tells him to invite him over for dinner.

Estefan surprises Jack by showing up at the restaurant, though Jack is dining with Karen and he now has to juggle dining with both of them. Meanwhile, Will's dinner with Professor Rice isn't going very well, and it gets even worse when Professor Rice drops dead.

Grace calls an ambulance, but her and Will decide to look for his phone to call his wife. Jack keeps moving back and forth between Estefan and Karen, and it gets even more difficult when they start giving him birthday gifts. Grace notices a text on Rice's phone asking about Will's promotion, and she convinces Will to reply as Rice. When waiters bring out Jack's cake to sing Happy Birthday, they expose Jack's multiple dinners and ruin his night. After Will & Grace send the text, Rice wakes up.

Karen and Estefan make a scene in front of the entire restaurant, and end up wrestling in the lily pond. Professor Rice confronts Will and Grace about the text, and he fires him on the spot, despite Will begging for the job. Will then proceeds to tell him about his passion for the law, and Professor Rice allows him to keep his job. Jack asks Karen why she's so upset, and she reveals that she's afraid of losing Jack. He comforts her about it, and tells her that she isn't losing him.

Wrap-Up:

This was a hilarious episode, one just as funny as the midseason premiere. Even though I'm not generally a fan of Estefan, I really enjoyed the Jack storyline and thought that the fight in the lily pond was absolutely hysterical. The plot was certainly familiar, and very much reminiscent of plots from other sitcoms, but the show managed to add its own spin to it, which made it fun to watch anyway. The story also ended in a very satisfying and touching way, with the heart-to-heart between Karen and Jack. Hearing Karen speak vulnerably and talk about her feelings isn't something we frequently see, but it's always welcome and it always tugs at my heartstrings. Will and Grace's plot was definitely a far-fetched, but considering that it's Grace, it's understandable that she wouldn't be able to tell a deceased person from an alive one. Will getting to keep his job was a little hard to believe, but it was still nice to see him get a win. Despite its far-fetchedness, the plot was still so very funny, especially when the two of them argued over how they would get into the Professor's phone. Like the Jack storyline, this one was a little familiar, but also like that one, it was different enough to be enjoyable. All in all, while not the strongest episode of the season, this was still a very strong entry of Will & Grace.

Score: 8.5/10
Grade: B+