Will & Grace – Bad Blood

By: Kelly Kearney

If there is something Will & Grace do better than any other show on TV, it has to be the ability to mix side splitting comedy with heart breaking relatability. The laughs are a given but how they manage to weave in emotional turmoil with timely topics is why this show is still gaining fans after two decades. In “Bad Blood” we learn that even in 2019 the fight for LGBTQIA acceptance and equality is still an uphill climb and for Will, he is almost too exhausted to continue.

Family Dinner

When one of your parents marries your best friend’s parent it’s best to do family dinners together. It’s like killing two birds with one brisket, you get the awkward family time over with all at once. Before their parents arrive Will (Eric McCormack) mentions to Grace (Debra Messing) that he’s excited to get to know Martin (Robert Klein). Grace, who’s listed in Will’s mother’s phone as “Will’s Jewish friend” could use some step mother/daughter bonding time as well. The anxious step brother and sister get interrupted by Jack (Sean Hayes), who is stressed out over his busy life. His wedding day is approaching and while it seems to be heading in the right direction, out of Karen’s (Megan Mullally) wallet, the bridezilla is now having issues with his Gaybraham Twinkin play. The reviews are not good and the show isn’t really filling the house. Even Will and Grace haven’t seen it, although they do a good job convincing the gullible Jack that they have. So, the fact his career is on the skids and Karen is controlling the wedding day purse strings has Jack in a tizzy and stuck between a Walker and a hard place. It’s his big day! Shouldn’t he be allowed to include a whipped cream squirting giant unicorn?! Karen says no and he isn’t about to risk his friendship and her money over a horned horse and wedding games.

After a quick stop off for a pre-dinner hot dog, Martin and Marilyn (Blythe Danner) show up and look to be the perfect picture of marital bliss. When the group sits down for dinner, the new couple announces their plans to sell Will’s childhood home in Connecticut. This shocks Marylin’s son, who assumed she would fight Martin on this idea. That’s when the two newlyweds admit they’ve vowed to never argue (something they did with their first marriages). And considering these are the people who bore Will and Grace, two people who’ve managed to turn arguing into an Olympic sport, this promise seems out of character for the couple. Will barely has time to process the house news when the family dinner turns into a medical emergency. Martin gets sick, presumably from Will’s brisket, and the whole family heads to the hospital to find out what’s wrong with Grace’s dad.

A Penny for your thoughts?

With Jack dressed as a human penny and singing his show’s break out hi, “Me for Your Thoughts,” it’s a true shame that his show isn’t garnering the attention it deserves. Karen watches as her poodle rehearses his number but Jack’s usual flair is subdued thanks to her meddling with his wedding plans; namely the unicorn. Karen gets clued in on Jack’s big gay idea when she receives a call from the wedding planner letting her know her order is ready. “A unicorn? That sprays what? Out of its where? All over your, huh?” Karen thinks the unicorn is tacky and since she’s paying she declines the whipped cream magic horse, even if Jack’s been dreaming of one his whole life. Jack’s meltdown gets interrupted by a text informing that his costar is quitting the show. What is Gaybraham Twinkcoln without his supportive wife, Mary Todd? Cue Jack’s supportive best friend Karen who is not only the money behind the show, but wants to play Mary Todd and expand her role. So long one man show…say hello to the woman who made Lincoln a Twinkin. For the first time in Jack’s life, Karen’s money is getting in the way of his good times.

Over at the hospital Martin needs a blood transfusion and lucky for him, his step-son is a match. Will did say he wanted to get to know the man better and saving his life is certainly a great start. He says to Grace, “I will literally be inside your father,” which makes her cringe yet she knows Will’s heart is in the right place. The problem is Will wants to be Martin’s hero but the sick man doesn’t want his help, at least not his blood. Martin tells Grace he doesn’t trust that Will’s blood is safe and clear. He believes the stereotypes about gay men and disease. He goes as far as to say, “I’ll wait for the straight blood,” and Grace is outraged. No matter how she tries to educate her father and assure him the transfusion is safe the sick man stands his ground and refuses to change his mind. Grace asks what she’s supposed to tell Will and Martin tells her to lie; there is no need to turn this into a dramatic fight.

The Mary Todd Show

As expected Karen steals the show from Jack with her jokes and ad libs. The more Jack tries to shut her up the more Mary Todd reminds him who is paying for his Presidential trips to P-Town – the hottest gay destination for all closeted politicians and straight antique collectors her money can buy! Jack can’t take it anymore and flips out in the middle of the scene. He doesn’t want her money for the play or the wedding. He is done!

Back to Will, who is reveling in his new hero status until he finds out from Grace about Martin’s refusal to take his blood. It puts a real damper on his hero dreams, but he isn’t all the surprised. Grace thought he would be angry over the news, but instead Will is just tired. He’s tired of begging people like Martin to see him as an equal and a man deserving of respect. He tells Grace he can’t change Martin’s mind and doesn’t even want to try. In fact, he’s taking a page out of his mother’s new marital handbook and vowing not to fight his step-father on this. He just wants to move on, free of family drama. Grace can’t believe he is willing to drop this, but Will see this as just another example of how much farther the fight for equality has to go. He doesn’t want to lead this fight. He’s tired of going one step forward only to be pushed two steps back.  “I’m not being a defeatist. I just don’t want to have to defend who I am, all the time. I want a day off,” he says.

Heading back to the theater Karen apologizes for her money meddling by admitting she always loved Jack like family or at least “a little sister who we dressed as a boy, who later became a boy.” She wants back in on the wedding and even promises to give him the unicorn creaming of his dreams! Jack, Karen and her money are back together and this wedding is set to be the event of the year.

Family Dinner Part Deux

Marital bliss hits a snag when during family dinner Grace spills the beans about Martin refusing Will’s blood. Marilyn is shocked that her husband would refuse her son’s help based on some ignorant and archaic stereotype. When the man returns from the bathroom, his wife ditches her no fight rules and lays into her husband about refusing Will’s help. She tells Martin he should feel ashamed for what he did and that Will should feel ashamed, too. “Some things in life are worth fighting for,” Marilyn says and Grace cheers her on because who doesn’t like airing family grievances over a nice brisket? Martin tries to defend himself, but nobody wants to hear it and the man walks out to the balcony to be alone. Will follows him out and the two have a heart to heart. Martin explains that his refusal to take Will’s blood was not personal. Will doesn’t see it that way and says there is nothing more personal than rejecting his help because he happens to be gay. The two men go back and forth until Will takes the time to educate Martin on how blood donations work. Gay men cannot donate even though men like Will get tested regularly. They have to fudge the truth about their sexuality just to help save people like Martin. He explains that the laws surrounding blood donations are based on fear, not science, and Will does a good job of helping the man realize he bought into the anti-gay agenda. He also knows Martin is not a bad person but just misguided and maybe a little old fashioned. Martin takes what Will says to heart and wonders if the world will become more accepting once his generation has passed on. Will sees that as a cop out. They are here now, why don’t they try to set an example? It could go a long way to inspiring others to open their minds. Will explains, “You gotta keep going and I gotta keep fighting. Nobody gets the day off.”

Inside Grace finally gets the acceptance she’s been looking for from Marilyn when she thanks her for setting her father straight. After years of chilly interactions and ignoring Grace’s need to call her mother Marilyn finally gives in. Actually, Grace can refer to the woman mother as long as she doesn’t do it in public. Fair enough. After decades of being “Will’s Jewish friend” Grace is now a full-fledged member of the Truman family and she couldn’t be happier. Some people, like Will, fight all their lives to find acceptance and all it took for Grace was three decades of Marilyn’s frosty shade, one medical emergency, a brisket and a pint of blood. When is comes to Will and Grace, blood is never thicker than water. They will always have each other’s backs, side by side and standing up for what’s right. If that’s not family then I don’t know what is.