Will & Grace Season 3, Episode 2
“Pappa Mia”
Posted by Sarah
Here we are, another episode deep into Grace’s Pregnancy Part Two: The Sequel, and I’m still conflicted as hell about it. I still really want to believe that the writers have something else up their sleeve, because I’m holding onto the part of me that refuses to truly believe we’re just copying and pasting the original run ending onto the revival. But I have to admit, I had fun with this episode. I mean, if Grace is going to get pregnant after a European vacation full of sexual exploration, the only real next step is a Mamma Mia! adaptation courtesy of Karen’s wealth and boredom. And when you add in Will and Jack’s disastrous turn at basketball, I can’t help but be entertained. So without further ado: here we go again, kids. (See what I did there?)
Will is extremely excited about becoming a dad, already talking with McCoy about potential baby names and being thrilled about all the things he could teach his son (listen, the importance of Dolly Parton is an extremely vital lesson). But when Jack brings up the possibility of having to raise a straight son, he starts spiralling into the terrifying territory that is the world of sports. This isn’t the first time he’s spiralled like this; back in season three of the original run–“Crazy in Love,” to be exact–he was scrambling to teach himself how to play baseball to keep up with his sportscaster boyfriend (hi, Patrick Dempsey!). But now, the stakes are considerably higher; Will remembers the look of embarrassment on his father’s face the one and only time they tried to play basketball, and he doesn’t want to see that look on the face of his future son. The worry that’s settling into Will so early in the game hurts a little, and it’s hard not to feel for him as he wonders how he will connect with a straight son as a gay man. Luckily, though, Jack is there to help teach Will how to play basketball to win the respect of his child.
And it goes exactly the way you’d expect it to go.
There are a lot of little things I love about Jack McFarland, but being able to sink the perfect basket because he auditioned for the role of Troy in a local production of High School Musical is definitely up there on my list. It allows for Sean Hayes to flex his physical comedy muscles again, and it’s always so great when he gets to do that…except this time, there’s a cringe factor to it that makes you want to cover your eyes while you’re laughing. Armed with this secret talent and an entirely convincing impression of a straight male teenager, thank you very much, Jack is relentless in his training, pushing Will harder and harder until he shoves the ball towards Jack, breaking his coach’s finger in the process. And good lord, man…no finger should ever be able to bend that way.
But that unnatural bend lets us see just what kind of dad Will is going to be, and real talk, it’s a great one. He steals two juice boxes from the cart outside, knowing full well that Jack was going to ask for a second one after downing the first. He doesn’t leave Jack’s bedside, trying to calm him down but still letting him feel his emotions, never once telling him he shouldn’t cry; in fact, Will tells him it’s totally okay to let it out. And it prompts Jack to tell him what we all know to be true: embarrassing your kid is unavoidable. But the way Will is showing an interest in his baby before there’s even a baby speaks volumes, and when it comes down to it, he’s going to be an excellent father to his child.
We’ve been in this place before, where we get a glimpse of what Will might be like as a father while he’s taking care of Jack. Think back to “Husbands and Trophy Wives,” also from season three of the original run: During a stressful night of babysitting Joe and Larry’s daughter, Jack essentially tells Will that he sucks at being a parent because he couldn’t get the baby to stop crying; then, on the way home and in the middle of all of his self-doubt, Will does the “Soccer Mom Arm Save” to hold Jack back when a car cuts them off, prompting Jack to tell him that he’s got that parental instinct and that he knows Will is going to make a great father, because Will’s been taking care of him for the last decade. And maybe it’s because this time, we know that he’s on the road to becoming a dad, but this episode hits a little harder than “Husbands and Trophy Wives” did. Just like that automatic Soccer Mom Arm Save, his parental instinct is all over this episode, all over the way he cares for Jack. It’s a really great thing to see this early into his story arc for the season. And I think it’s safe to say that Will is going to have a much better handle on parenthood than he realizes.
Meanwhile, Grace finally tells Karen about the pregnancy, and once her assistant’s laughter finally settles (that reaction was perfect and you can not convince me otherwise), they get down to the second question that’s on everybody’s minds–you know, right behind “Why are we doing this again, you guys?”–and that question is: who’s the father? Even though she hooked up with a few people after they went their separate ways in Europe, Grace is absolutely convinced that it’s Marcus. But when she reunites with him at Grace Adler Designs and surprises him with the news, Marcus has a little surprise of his own: according to him, he can’t possibly be the father, because he’s had a vasectomy. And once Karen realizes there are three other men from Grace’s trip to consider, there’s really only one way to solve this puzzle.
Do you hear that? That’s the strains of beloved disco songs turned showtunes growing louder and louder…
At this rate, my recaps are going to be filled with “I can’t believe we’re here again, but…” moments, so bear with me. I can’t believe we’re here again. But, if we have to be here, then I am absolutely okay with Karen going all Mamma Mia! on everyone’s ass. By now, you know how I feel about my girls sharing a storyline, and this one was no different; this is peak Karen right here, going to bat for her best girl in a way that is completely unconventional but also completely unsurprising. I love so much about her in this episode: how she goes all the way in on a plan that Grace has no idea she’s going all the way in on. How that plan is insanely elaborate, what with figuring out exactly who Grace slept with, convincing them to come over to a virtual stranger’s apartment because she tricked them into thinking they each won a boat, and picking up the tab for a few DNA tests and a lab coat she absolutely slays in. It’s almost heartwarming in a strange way, knowing that she’ll willingly do all of this for Grace. But that’s about all the warm, fuzzy feeling you’re going to get once the potential fathers make their way into 9C, because this cast of characters is not ideal, yet so very Grace.
First there’s Mario, the Italian taxi driver. There’s actually something to be said for the time he had with Grace; spending the early morning hours eating cold pizza and watching the sun rise over the Trevi Fountain is basically the height of romance for our beloved interior designer. Too bad he doesn’t even remember hooking up with her. Next, we have Paolo the pool boy, who’s incredibly handsome and, after his night with Grace, has made the discovery that he is gay. Because of course he would…this is Grace we’re dealing with, after all. And finally, there’s DJ, the kid who said he was 30 but is really a Senior…in college (god, that pause was excruciating and I 100% had the same reaction Grace did before he clarified). Once they realize they’re not there to claim their new boat, they each let Karen take a DNA swab to put the mystery to rest for good, and it seems like everything is ready to send off to the lab. That is, until Marcus walks in and reveals that he panicked about the prospect of a child and lied about having a vasectomy.
I just…come on, man. I actually really liked you. Okay, a baby may not have been in your plan. But coming to Grace and promising to do the right thing just because you feel obligated, AND stressing the fact this decision is taking away the very essence of who you are is not a good look. And I don’t know if the fact that this is all happening just after she got out of that horrid relationship with Noah is coloring everything for me, but that got to me and turned me off of his character a little bit. And it looks like it got to her, too.
Grace seals the DNA tests and by all accounts is ready to mail them off to determine who her child’s father is (girl, this kid isn’t even here yet, I don’t think a mail-in paternity test is how you do it? But for the sake of the story, I’ll let it go) when Will comes home and sees what she’s been up to while he’s been taking care of Jack. But it’s here that she has a change of heart and decides not to send in the tests, letting Will know why she’s at peace with not knowing:
Grace: Biology doesn’t matter. If this baby has a father, it’ll be someone I love who wants to raise the baby with me. And if that doesn’t happen, I will give this child everything it needs.
Okay, I can’t believe we’re here again (see, I told you this was going to happen a lot), but also GIRL YES. Never underestimate the power of a single mom. Of course it’s great if a child has both parents in their life, and both parents are invested in their health and well-being. But it’s also 2019, and we need to give up the idea that a single parent isn’t going to be able to successfully care for their child. Honestly, even when both parents are present, that doesn’t always mean it’s an optimal environment; just because they’re physically there doesn’t always mean they’re mentally and emotionally there. You don’t really have to look much further than Marcus’ reaction when he finally confesses he could be the father of Grace’s baby; he’s ready to give up the life he’s known thus far to settle down and be there for the kid, but it’s purely out of him thinking it’s an obligation rather than what he actually wants to do. You know there’s going to be a hint of underlying resentment there, and that’s not something you want to expose your child to just so they have two parents in their life. And I love that Grace recognizes this and so strongly believes that she can do this on her own. It’s a side of her that I’m not sure would have shown itself during the original run–in fact, this story arc is making it painfully obvious that it’s no longer in play, but when Grace was pregnant in the original run, I remember her starting to freak out at the prospect of raising her baby on her own, since Will was in a committed relationship with Vince at the time, and it wasn’t until Will reassured her that they were absolutely going to raise the baby together that she started to feel better–and I am so happy that it’s showing itself now; by the time Will throws the DNA tests in the garbage, you know that Grace is going to be just fine, regardless of who her baby’s biological father is.
So maybe I’m still not fully on board with what’s happening to my show in its final (for real this time) season. But in the grand scheme of things, any kid would be lucky to be part of the family that Will and Grace have created for themselves over the last few decades. There is so much love there–for each other, and for the little ones who still have a while to go before they make their debut into the world–that you just know those kids are going to grow up in an environment where they’re accepted for who they are by parents who won’t hesitate to do whatever it takes to do right by them.
And if Idris Elba happens to make his way into this cozy little family, too, so be it. Just as long as he respects the shower schedule.
Honey…What’s This? What’s Happening? What’s Going On?
- I was very ready to yell about how Karen Walker would never drink straight iced coffee like that, but of course there was vodka in it. Of course there was.
- Will admitting that he used the characters from The Facts of Life as his fake girlfriends is really endearing to me for some reason?
- I can’t decide what I love more: Karen yelling from the private office about Marcus’ vasectomy, or the fact that this alleged vasectomy led to a delightful ABBA sing-along dance party.
- “Grace, how many candidates are there?” “Two…” “How many donuts did you eat?” “Two…” “So it’s three?” “Yeah.”
- “We were in the park, and he threw me a basketball. I caught it, kissed it, thanked the Academy and dropped it on the ground.” Look, I know Will was talking about how he didn’t want to embarrass his kid the way he embarrassed his dad, but honestly…this is a really great image to have in my head.
- Give it up for my new favorite cheer:
- I would very much like the flashback episode where Jack auditions for High School Musical.
- “He can fish dead frogs out of my trap any old day.” You would think that by now, I would expect Karen’s outrageous innuendos, but alas…here I am, a broken woman.
- “Hurry up, gay dad. I wanna go home and watch an Adam Sandler movie on Netflix with my girlfriend who I cheat on.” Otherwise known as that time Jack McFarland landed a joke that made me think of an alarming amount of dudes from my hometown.
- “I could be shopping in the underground mall, JUDITH.” Kids, when this series is over, I’m going to seriously miss Jack’s calls with his mother.
What did you think of “Pappa Mia?” Let’s chat in the comments!
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