Will & Grace – There’s Something About Larry

By: Kelly Kearney

Nobody does mentally unhinged like Grace’s arch nemesis Val whose catapulted her way back into their lives with Jack and Karen as her new victims. It’s a reunion of sorts and Val the train wreck isn’t the only familiar face thrown into this week’s mix. Will and Grace’s friends Larry and Joe pop up too and the couple is going though some serious empty nest syndrome that’s resulted in Larry making some rash decisions about the couple’s future. Its gay crushes and car crashes that keep the laughs coming in, “There’s Something About Larry.”

Empty Nesters

Empty nest syndrome is real and its making Joe (Tim Bagley) and Larry (Jerry Levine) more boring than ever. After 40 minutes of forcing Will (Eric McCormack) and Grace (Debra Messing) to view childhood photos of their college bound daughter, it’s clear Larry is struggling with his emotions. Joe, who is supportive but not as sensitive as his husband, lets their two friends know that Larry can’t move on from this and it’s been affecting his mood. That becomes crystal clear when he sobbingly joins Grace in a sing-a-long (never a good idea) of “Sunrise, Sunset.” The sob fest is interrupted by Jack (Sean Hayes) whipping through Will’s apartment and helping himself to snacks and supplies as he rambles on about his new job as a Lyft driver. Granted, Jack rarely has a job and doesn’t own a car, but his BFF Karen (Megan Mullally) lends him one of her own to fulfill his dreams, because that’s what a rich best friend does… or so I’ve heard. What they don’t do is pay a $20 vomit clean up fee because according to Karen, “that’s where they get you,” and besides its her car and she will vomit where she pleases thank you very much! The two friends hop into her Bentley, so Jack can practice for his new career and it immediately turns into a disaster and that disaster is named Val (Molly Shannon). Yes, the crazy neighbor that wrestled Grace and stalked Jack is back and the amateur Lyft driver runs her over, making this Jack’s biggest career faux pas in his barely employed life.

Meanwhile, at Grace Adler designs, Will and Grace are still working out the kinks of their intertwined lives and work place mojo. Will is leading the business side of the design company and Grace is the artist and sometimes those right and left brains do not mesh, especially when Grace hires Larry without consulting Will. Its not long before she regrets her decision because Larry is enamored with Will and agrees with him over Grace even when his ideas are less than stellar. Grace is frustrated and who wouldn’t be? She went from a one woman show to, two gays and a frustrated lady and it only gets worse when she finds out why Larry is such a big fan of Will. He confides in Grace that he’s not happy with Joe and is, in fact, in love with Will! Larry is ready to announce his feelings to the world, but Grace thinks the news will ruin their friendship. She offers her friend some advice, he should keep quiet and do what normal people do and cry about it alone in the shower. Grace is fairly shocked that he wants to throw away his life with Joe but in Larry’s mind, “Joe has a big ass and can’t cook. No offense Grace.” Poor Grace, always the butt of everyone’s jokes.

Pleasure and Pain

After running over Val, Karen and Jack offer to help her back to her apartment and the ride on the elevator turns awkward, fast. Val’s pain and pleasure receptors are crossed so the woman goes from wincing in pain to a full-blown orgasm, turning Karen and Jack into her unlucky voyeurs. When they finally get Val limping to her apartment, Karen thinks this whole thing is a scam, but the injured woman assures them its not about money.  When it comes to Val, nothing is ever as simple as it seems and that’s clear when she invites the two inside her apartment, only to push Jack out the door and keep Karen all to herself.

Inside, Val throws a log onto the internet fire via her laptop and the two women get cozy and talk money. Karen offers her a check, but Val insists that’s not what she wants. Karen, who thinks all roads lead to either money or sex, starts unbuttoning her blouse and assumes Val wants to “go beyond the wall and see the white walkers,” which is an interesting euphuism for breasts. Val laughs off the Walker cleavage and they two women start talking about their feelings. Val senses Karen’s pain and she’s right, the socialite is devastated over the death of her maid. Ever since Rosario died, Karen can’t find her cowboy boots and its pained her beyond belief. This car crash negotiation quickly turns into a female bonding session that Karen never knew she needed and probably shouldn’t want considering Val is one strap shy of a straitjacket.

Lunatics, Stalkers and Gays, Oh My!

Knowing she is Grace’s arch nemesis, Jack goes to her with his concerns over Karen’s new friendship with Val. After a text from Karen saying the woman braided her hair and they’re now walking to Central Park, Jack goes into a panic and Grace agrees he should be worried. The two schemers hatch a plan to see what the crazy neighbor is up to since Grace heard about people throwing themselves in front of cars to make money. She warns Jack that Val is a lunatic and then hands him a secret key she had made to the woman’s apartment. Grace, who’s a little loony herself, admits she kept that key around her neck for fifteen years just in case Will ever goes missing. She tells Jack he has to snoop Val’s apartment and find out what she’s up to. When Jack breaks in he’s shocked to discover an entire wall filled with pictures of him and Karen, only his face has been cut out and replaced with Val’s! He freaks and that’s when Val creeps up behind him and asks why he’s in her apartment. Jack side steps her question and asks why she has all those stalker photos of them. Typical Val, she claims they were there when she moved in but Jack’s not buying it. Just as he’s about to run off and tell Karen about her new friend’s wall of horrors, Val traps Jack by wrapping him up in packaging tape.

After Grace lets Will know she fired Larry, he goes behind her back and calls the depressed man to let him know they can work this all out. Of course, Will doesn’t know Grace fired him over his crush so, the lines of communication between Larry and Will get crossed. Will thinks he’s helping a friend in need and Larry thinks Will is game for some romance. It all comes to a head when Will asks Larry to meet at the office and tells him the only way this will work is if Larry gets behind Grace. The phrasing is off, and Larry thinks Will means a threesome. His crush must be strong because he is willing to go the extra mile and strips off his clothes as Will is in the back room looking for an energy snack. Naked and sprawled out on a bed in the office, Grace walks in and she has no choice but to diffuse this awkwardness with the truth. She admits she fired Larry because of his crush on Will and was trying to save their friendship and his marriage to Joe. The entire scene is cringeworthy and Larry realizes this Will crush was just a phase and he loves Joe, big butt and all. The naked and ready to mingle Larry, gets dressed and lets Grace know he’s not coming back to work, while telling Will he thinks he has the butt of a woman. When did Larry get so blunt?

Making Friends is Hard After College

Back at Val’s, Karen and her Cindy Lou Who braids, wander into the apartment to find Jack all taped up and squawking about the photo wall and Val’s mental stability. Eventually, Val admits she did throw herself in front of Jack’s Lyft car but not for money, for the friendship. Apparently, its hard-making friends after college when you’re, “nuttier than a tree full of squirrels,’ as Karen says, but she is more insulted that Val would take her friendship over money. This is something Karen can not trust but in the end, she makes nice with Val and promises they will remain friends. Besides, the two share the same blood type and you never know when that can be useful.

Now that the truth is out, Jack and Karen head down to the car for another practice round of Lyft driver and socialite while laughing about their promise to Val. Karen swore the new friends would do lunch but she admits, that’s a promise she did not intend to keep. Predictably, Karen spoke too soon because the minute Jack pulls out of the parking spot, Val throws herself on top of their car and asks if next Wednesday, is good for lunch? It looks like Val is here to stay and Karen’s Bentley will be paying the price. I bet that $20 vomit fee is looking pretty nice now that a crazy woman will be a permanent fixture in their lives. Thank goodness Grace made that key because when it comes to Val, saying no just isn’t an option.