After an eleven-year break Will & Grace returned to our small screens with a fun outing that was a true Fart in an Elevator, minimum effort high impact. And even though I'm not sure that politicizing their first outing back was the smartest move it was a funny one indeed.
We enter the world of Will & Grace and the writers put a lot of effort in making us feel welcome again like we never left. The opening gig with the core 4 playing heads-up was a great one, especially the nod to Jada Picket Smith (I love you, Jada, no matter what everyone else says. XoXO). Am I a fan of how they annulated the events of the 2 hour season 8 finale? Not really, but Megan Mullaly's strong out Karen is a hilarious pleasure to watch. Jack using her pills like a rattle made me laugh out loud. And while they covered all the big events, why no one addressed Grace pregnancy? That was a weird stand out in a rather solid and entertaining episode.
I very welcome surprise for me in this premiere was that I for once enjoyed Jake. He just worked for me this week. I wasn't a Jack fan during the original run, I liked his occasional stories and the connection with his kid but besides that, he mostly annoyed me. Don't get me wrong, he is still the same self-centric arrogant dude we've known for 8 years but he was so sweet flirting with his crush and pushing Will towards his happiness. Also, loved all the times he took jabs at Grace and will, Sean Hayes did an amazing job in delivering them! His secret service date was sweet and hilarious, especially enjoyed Jack listing the projects he has done during the hiatus.
And while I was surprised by enjoying the Jake plot, enjoying the main plot involving Will and Grace keeping secrets from each other was not a surprise at all. The chemistry between Eric and Debra shines as much as it did back in 1998 when the show premiered. They perfectly play off each other and the jokes and story just flows so beautifully between them. I also loved all the small details they put into their interaction, like she taking his reading glasses, the small looks and smiles. It felt just so natural and enjoyable to watch. Their fight and reconciliation just highlighted all things I've listed above and there isn't much to say besides quoting Will here.
Cause all the other times we've done this we've thought it would be different. But this time we know it will be exactly the same. And that's what makes it different.
Grace and Karen meanwhile shared a bunch of hilarious scenes as well. Karen playing on Grace greedy side and connecting her with Trump was just a brilliant move by the writers. It brought out the worst in them and show us what great comedic actresses both of them are. Also am I the only one who loves how Karen pronounces Melania. I was pleasantly surprised by how great the scene between Grace and Tony was. Still, I'm bit annoyed we didn't get to see the scene between Tony and Karen which was promoted with the other promotional pics. By the looks of it seem as we missed out on a hilarious scene.
So what did you think of 11 Years Later? Did you get original feels or was it a complete letdown? Share your thoughts in the comment section and if you liked this review we have a date next Thursday at the same time at the same place.
