Credits | Summary | Quotes | Did You Notice?
Episode #4.18 | Original Airdate 03/28/2002
Written by Alex Herschlag | Directed by James Burrows | Eric McCormack (Will Truman) | Debra Messing (Grace Adler) | Sean Hayes (Jack McFarland) | Megan Mullally (Karen Walker) | GUEST CAST: Sydney Pollack (George Truman) | Blythe Danner (Marilyn Truman) |
Summary: It's Will's parents anniversary and he couldn't be happier at how to two are acting. They are flirting and seem to be having a much better time with each other than they have in the past few months. Will's hopes are dashed, however, when he gives his parents the gift of a cruise for their anniversary and George asks Will if he can take his mistress Tina as well.
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Meanwhile, due to Karen's fear of elevators, she and Jack end up lugging the anniversary cake up sixty-five flights of stairs. On their travel, Jack misplaces the cake, then finds out Karen isn't afraid of elevators after all, she was just thinking of something she saw in "Speed". Still, the two head up the stairs and arrive out of breath and exhausted, one hour late for the party.
Back at the dinner table, Will is just coming to grips with his dad's unfaithfullness when Grace finds out from Marilyn that she, too, is having an affiar, with her yoga instructor. She's desperate to finally be able to tell someone, and Grace becomes the unwitting listener. When she tells Will what happened, he is beyond shock, but Grace manages to convince him that it's for the best, and that his parents are happy this way. He reluctantly agrees.
However, Will can't keep his feelings bottled up and tells his parents what he knows. Both are surprised with the other one and spend the rest of the night talking. Just when Will thinks they've got it all worked out, they announce that they are separating. Will is crushed, and he and Grace spend the rest of the night eating Jack and Karen's cake.
Quotes
GEORGE: "Look, ice skating lessons with Michelle Kwan."
GRACE: "To be fair, that was a really good deal when he bought the tickets."
Did You Notice...
~This is the first episode in which both of Will's parents appear.
~George's affair is mentioned, something that was introduced on the show in "Cheaters". His mistress is Tina, a giggly redhaired "colleague" of George's. Will convinced his father to come clean to his mother. George was last seen in "Cheaters" and Will's mother, Marilyn, was last seen (and introduced) in "Moveable Feast". She apparently knew of George's affair as she was planning to send his best suits to the Salvation Army while he was away.
~Also around this time, Marilyn took up tennis, but gave it up when her instructor turned out to be gay. She then started yoga and is currently having an affiar with Tim (which is "short for nothing")
~Despite attempting a reconcilation, Will's parents decide to separate.
~The party was being held in the Rainbow Room.
~Will's mother was pregnant with his brother when she and George were married.
~Grace was last seen wearing her fake boob(s) in "Crazy In Love".
~The jokes about figure skater Michelle Kwan are centred around the fact that she lost the gold medal for the second time at the Olympics this year, despite being favoured to win.
~Will and Grace switch roles in this episode from the ones they had in the episode "Cheaters". In that episode, Grace knew of George's affair and had to sit through dinner without saying a word, despite the fact that it was tearing her up inside. Will, on the other hand, played it out fairly well, until Grace finally broke down. In this episode, Grace is the calm and in control one and it's Will who is forced to sit at the dinner table, desperately wanting to spill the beans about the affairs.
~The joke about the gay Canadian George plans to set Will up with is probably also a reference to the fact that Eric McCormack is Canadian.
~Submitted by Sebbie: There's a joke about Jim Carrey, too, in this episode, and he's Canadian.
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