Will & Grace – Jack’s Big Gay Wedding

By: Kelly Kearney

On the season finale of Will & Grace it seems Jack’s big day hits a snag when the weather results in a canceled flight and zero chances of anyone making it to their Spanish wedding getaway. The couple is crushed, but who needs Spain when you have an airport congregation and a drag queen officiant? Let the party at United Gate 35A begin!

BTB (Bride To Be)

A wedding Spain will never forget is about to kick off as soon as Jack (Sean Hayes) and his friends can board the plane to his happily ever after. There’s only one problem, the weather is bad and Grace (Debra Messing) and Will (Eric McCormack) are fighting. After Will insulted Grace over her relationship with Noah (David Schwimmer), the two best friends are trading barbs and slinging shade. Will tries to keep his mouth shut about Mr. No-Show-Noah, but he can’t get over the fact Grace’s boyfriend chose a college buddy over a trip to Spain with his girlfriend. Grace doesn’t want to hear Will put down her choice in men so the two agree to disagree, for the time being.

Grace and Will aren’t the only ones starting this wedding trip in bad spirits. When Jack finds out the weather has canceled their flight he goes into meltdown mode. Karen (Megan Mullally) steps up to help and threatens the airline receptionist with “if you can get this tin bird moving, I’ll blow into all your tubes until you’re fully inflated.” Is that a threat or is that Karen’s idea of a lesbian good time? The woman cannot stop telling people she’s a lesbian and Jack wonders who she’s trying to convince – everyone else or herself?  Inflated tubes or not, Karen’s threat of a good time can’t make this bird fly and the flight to Spain is officially off. Cue Jack’s disappointed screeching. For now, it appears the wedding is off.

London’s Calling…

With Grace all but giving him the silent treatment, Will’s thrilled to see his boyfriend McCoy (Matt Bomer) make it to the airport for the wedding. His mood changes when the news anchor tells him about an unexpected job offer in London. It’s been McCoy’s dream to be the Chief London News Correspondent, but taking the job means a long-distance relationship and they never work out. Will realizes McCoy is putting his dreams on hold for their relationship and feels like eventually his journalist boyfriend will resent him for turning down the job. He tells McCoy to call London and accept their offer and that they will figure out the rest later.

Will and McCoy aren’t the only ones facing tough choices. Without their flight to Spain, Jack and Estefan (Brian Jordan Alvarez) are stuck making do with what they have, which is a wedding at midnight in front of United Airlines gate 35A. Jack’s not feeling Estefan’s airport wedding idea and asks him, “What? Do you want to have our honeymoon in the men’s room, too?” According to his beloved that wouldn’t be so bad as one of their dates actually took place inside a men’s room. Jack is so not impressed, but they are running out of options. Sure, the happy couple won’t be exchanging their vows in a Spanish castle, but the airport does have a White Castle and those little hamburgers go a long way to soothing Jack’s disappointment. That is until he realizes they can’t get married without someone to officiate their wedding! Apparently Estefan’s uncle in Spain was scheduled to marry them and now that their flight is grounded it looks like their nuptials are permanently off. …or are they? Enter Miss Coco Peru (Clinton Leupp) who is on her way to Tampa to marry her sister when she spotted Jack. She MAKES A BEELINE to the couple and berates Jack for not inviting her to their wedding. When she mentions she was headed to Florida to marry her sister Estefan laughs and tells her that’s illegal. Jack assures him anything goes in the sunshine state. Never one to miss a party, Coco agrees to officiate Jack’s nuptials for a price. Seventy-five dollars turns into two hundred dollars because Jack was never good at math, but at least he found the perfect person to officiate their no-so- perfect wedding!

Gay, Straight or Settling?

While Jack is organizing the gayest wedding the United Airlines customers have ever seen, Grace and Karen are struggling with their choices in the love department. Now that the wedding is stuck taking place at the airport Grace decides to give Noah a call, assuming he can attend. Big shocker, Noah turns her down and Will is not surprised. He holds his tongue rather than tell his best friend she deserves better, but Grace knows what Will’s thinking and doesn’t want to hear it.

Also struggling on her path to love is Karen, who is at the bar chatting up her favorite comedic bartender Smitty (Charles C. Stevenson Jr.). This jokester seems to be everywhere, especially when Karen needs cheering up with one of his classic zingers. Old Smits has been working extra jobs, the airport lounge included, because “dancing for Wall Street guys who throw lit cigarettes at me…well, really isn’t a job.” Oh Smitty, you slay us with those good time feels! Karen tells her old friend the big news about Nikki (Samira Wiley) and how she’s now a lesbian, but her happiness seems forced and her old pal notices it. Questioning this newly discovered sexuality, Smitty trades his jokes for some truth that Karen isn’t ready to hear. “Maybe you aren’t gay, but just lost?” That truth hurts and Karen likes Smitty better when he’s making her laugh with stories of his own tragic life, not reality checks about her own.

We check back with Grace who also seems to be lying to stay in a relationship. She tells Will not to say she deserves better than Noah because she really doesn’t think she does. Most people are lucky to find someone who meets 60% of what they’re looking for in a relationship, but Will thinks she’s worth finding 100% of her happiness. Settling isn’t what he wants for Grace and Noah just isn’t willing to go even halfway towards making Grace happy, something her bestie really wants for her.

“Hey, Points for Almost Asking…”

After their argument Grace buries her emotions in a face full of Cinnabon. While the red head is escaping her Noah woes in icing covered heaven, she meets a man named Marcus (Reid Scott) who also understands the importance of a cinnamon roll. The two chat each other up and Grace learns that Marcus is headed for an impromptu trip to destinations unknown. He plans to travel Europe and after that its wherever his heart leads him. With the way he looks at Grace, his heart might be leading him right to her. Marcus admits he’s been rethinking his entire life and this trip is all about soul searching and finding himself. This is something Grace can identify with now that she’s seriously questioning her own choices to led her to moving in with Noah. He tells Grace, “Sometimes, the things we do without thinking, wind up being the best things we could ever do.” These two hit it off so well that Marcus almost asks Grace to join him on his adventure, but he stops himself before he fully extends the invite. Grace catches on to his intentions and is impressed that he even considered asking in the first place. “Hey, points for almost asking,” she says as she smiles at the handsome traveler who has had more chemistry with Grace in two minutes than Noah’s had the entire time they’ve been together.

Out, Proud and Married!

After her talk with Smitty, we see Karen is even more confused about her new lifestyle as well as her future with Nikki. When her girlfriend shows up at the airport Karen decides it’s the right time to come clean about her true feelings. In a twist on the famous coming out episode from the sitcom Ellen Karen spills her truth on the airport loud speaker, “Nikki, I’m straight!” The crowd gasps in outrage because like Coco Peru says, “What about the children?” Apparently nobody needs to hear about Karen’s flip-flopping sexuality. Her straight announcement might be her truth, but Miss Peru doesn’t need that negativity in her life.

After Karen’s announcement she and Will walk Jack down the aisle and towards his sleeveless, bicep exposed, tuxedo shorts wearing forever-mate. As Will lifts Jack’s imaginary veil, Karen leans over to Estefan to issue the traditional father of the bride warning, “If you hurt my Jackie, I know someone who will reach inside of you and turn you inside out!.” Estefan purrs. She retorts, “No! Not in a good way!” All threats aside, all of the travelers at Gate 35A watch as Miss Coco Peru performs a wedding fit for two Queens. The couple’s vows are perfect, even if with half the congregation getting up to board their flights and Grace’s impromptu ear-piercing sing along. As the ceremony continues Will is struck with an overwhelming feeling of regret over telling McCoy to take the job in London. While his perfect 10 of a boyfriend will be dating super models and sports stars, he’ll be back in New York getting stood up by failed Grindr dates. So, when Jack’s pledging to love Estefan for death do them part Will steals his bestie’s thunder and asks McCoy to marry him! Of course, Jack’s just about had it with things getting in the way of his perfect day, but Will assures him he is still miserable inside…anything to perk up the screeching newlywed.

With the “I Do’s” over, Grace wanders over to Will to tell him she’s impressed with his impulsive proposal, which is so not a Truman trait. Leaping before looking is Grace’s thing, but Will’s more of a planner and this engagement is a total shock. She’s so inspired by his fearless dive into happiness that she decides, right then and there, to throw caution to the wind and go find Marcus. Grace waits for him at the gate and when the two see each other they know this finding happiness mission is right…for now anyway. Even Karen seems to be settled in her search for her own truth. She tells Smitty that Jack’s wedding gave her hope that one day she might find love again. Smitty breaks down laughing because finally somebody else’s tragic life is hilarious for a change!

With Will planning a possible wedding move to Grace getting whisked away to parts unknown, Jack’s airport wedding was just the thing they all needed. Maybe it didn’t have cream squirting unicorns and Spanish castles, but it did give his friends little push towards happiness they didn’t even know they were looking for.