Will and Grace discover old letters written to each other from their college days, and decide to read them together. But reminiscing about the past turns ugly when a major bombshell is revealed in one of the letters. When Karen announces she'll never fall in love again, Jack channels Rosario to convince her it's never too late to find love.
In 2018, it has become very difficult to keep up with every television show out there. It's even more difficult to provide adequate coverage on this site about the episodes that air every week. Not every show can get full coverage because of my busy and hectic viewing schedule. As such, some reviews will now be condensed to give only some summary thoughts. But it also affords a space for me to jot down my thoughts on the various episodes. And so, here are my thoughts on this week's episode of NBC's Will & Grace.
"Who's Sorry Now?" was written by Tracy Poust & Jon Kinnally and directed by James Burrows
This is a very moving and emotional episode. It starts out in a very silly place with Will and Grace reflecting back on their college years and when they first entered each other's lives. However, it leads to such an emotional conversation as well. Their beginning was filled with hardships because Grace was in love with Will and he broke her heart by coming out as gay. That ruined their friendship in the beginning. It's apparently an injury that still hits deep now as well because it may still inform their dynamic. They remain the best of friends. It's actually been pointed out to them that they may be too close and codependent of each other. But it's also vital when they look back to realize that they weren't always like this. Grace wasn't always there for Will during his time of need. She abandoned him after learning that he was gay. She was broken because she could never have the boy that she loved. She never thought to consider things from Will's point-of-view. He wanted to be what she wanted. He just couldn't be. That was followed by a despair in which he considered killing himself. That's absolutely heartbreaking. And yet, it's so common in coming out experiences as well. Will wanted to be loved and supported. He wanted to be able to figure all of this out with his best friend. They were eventually able to do just that. But there was also a period in their loves where things were in turmoil. This changed their dynamic. It changed for the better. But that was only because of the self-reflection they did separately. Only now is Grace realizing just how agonizing all of this must have been for Will. She wasn't an ally. She was simply another person who criticized him. That's such a powerful story because it makes it clear that straight allies have to be willing to see things from a different perspective to ensure that the worst case scenario doesn't occur. Will is heartbroken in the present because Grace never opened this letter where he was pouring his soul out to her. She sees herself as a bad person. One who will always try to remedy the situation moving forward. That just means that she has to actually say "I'm sorry" every once in awhile when she actually does mess up and takes things out on Will. It's a story that has the potential to inform so many viewers about the difficulties of this experience. Hopefully, it's eye-opening in the way that many people need and will appreciate. Elsewhere, Karen delivers a revelation as well. However, her story with Jack is much more light and breezy. It still has its serious moments too though. Karen's life is in turmoil right now because of Rosario's death and Stan divorcing her. In fact, this season has been referencing Rosario much more so than last year did. It's clear that she is dearly missed by Karen. Sure, she makes jokes about her being a maid in heaven. But Rosario is seemingly able to fire some zingers back at her for how foolish she is acting. It's ridiculous to think that Jack is now suddenly a psychic who can turn that talent into a profession. Karen is right to see it as nothing more than a scam. A con job that she has seen many times over her life. And yet, she still gets wrapped up into the story as well because her friend is telling her that her life isn't over just because things seem difficult right now. That too is something that really needs to be heard. As such, it makes this overall episode so effective. It's because of the strength of the cast as well. There are no major guest stars. It's just the four series regulars interacting with one another. They have so much trust and respect for the other. That allows them to tell these stories in an intimate but powerful way to make a serious impression on the audience.
