A Gay Olde Christmas

A Gay Olde Christmas
Episode	09.07
Written by	John Quaintance
Directed by	James Burrows
Release
Original network	NBC
Original airdate	December 5, 2017
Chronology
Previous	Rosario's Quinceañera
Next	Friends and Lover

A Gay Olde Christmas is the 7th episode of the ninth season and 201st overall.

While visiting the Immigrant Historical Society Will, Grace, Karen, and Jack are forced to take the tour and relive the old New York.

Summary

While waiting to be seated at a restaurant, the friends enter a museum nearby showcasing the history of immigrants in New York. As the guide gives them the tour, they relive the story of an Irish immigrant, Karolyn O'Sullivan, who had moved to New York with her children and is struggling to provide for the family.

During the winter, a brawny sailor named John Patrick McGee looks for a room with Karolyn's family and immediately senses that her landlord, the uptight Billam Van Billiams is a closeted homosexual, although Billam is married to Fanny Van Billiams. With no more money to pay for rent, Karolyn makes a deal with John Patrick for him to seduce the landlord and avoid being evicted.

After the tour, the guide tells them that Karolyn eventually served four years in debtors' prison, John Patrick died at sea, Billam was convicted of sodomy and died penniless and alone; and Fanny was the first woman to vote in New York, and the first woman killed for voting in New York.

Cast

Main

• Eric McCormack (Will Truman and Billam Van Billiams)
• Debra Messing (Grace Adler and Fanny Van Billiams)
• Sean Hayes (Jack McFarland and John Patrick McGee)
• Megan Mullally (Karen Walker and Karolyn O’Sullivan)

Guest

• Leslie Jordan (Charlie)
• Brian Posehn (Pete)
• Mitch Silpa (Maitre D')
• Megan Littler (Mary)
• Evan O'Toole (Smitty)

Notes

• The first episode to feature a title card decorated with Christmas ornaments.
• The Immigrant Historical Society museum featured in the episode is fictional. However, it may have been based on the New-York Historical Society.
• This is the first episode to feature outtakes during the end credits.
• YouTube celebrity Mitch Silpa, famous for parodying David Blaine, appears as the snotty Maitre D'.
• Although never confirmed, the young Smitty is implied to be the same person as Karen's usual bartender when Karolyn laughs at the young Smitty's tragic news.
• John Patrick's middle name is the same as Sean Hayes' own middle name.
• Grace sings Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas (1944).
• The episode gives a nod to Debbie Reynolds, who portrayed Grace's mother Bobbi when a painting of her is seen at the Van Billam home.

Cultural references

• Jack mistakes Karen's reference to snow when it is implied that she is referring to "snow" as euphemism to coccaine or heroin.
• An annoyed Karen refers to Pete the museum docent as Hodor, after the character from Game of Thrones who is similarly tall and burly.
• Fanny's name has been a source of many jokes in the episode, poking fun at the difference between its American and British meanings.
• Billam mentions that he acquired his building from businessman Frederick Trump, another immigrant and actual grandfather of Donald Trump.
• Fanny mentions being friends with socialite Alice Roosevelt, daughter of President Theodore Roosevelt.

Media

1/2

Quotes

It's not going to snow. There's no such thing as miracles. Christmas is for spoiled rich kids, and Santa's just another old, white, perv we once trusted. — Will

If we don't maintain our Christmas Eve tradition then we'll be forced to spend more time with our family and that's just not what Christmas is about. — Grace

Karen:	I had the nicest dream. I was rich, and none of you were here.
Mary:	Merry Christmas, mother.

My wife, starting a business? Never. People would say, "Billam used to be the man of the house. Now his Fanny runs it." — Billiam

He's a sweeper of chimneys. A snake charmer. He only travels by tunnel. A mustache bumper. He rubs the silver wear without a cloth. He plays the flute of the damned. He's a homo. — John Patrick

The gentleman I acquired this property from says the poor have only themselves to blame, and I have yet to disagree with anything out of the mouth of Mr. Frederick Trump. — Billam

John Patrick:	When you spend your life at sea without women, you learn to drop your line over the other side of the railing.
Karolyn:	So you've—
John Patrick:	I've had sex with men, yes! But only on boats! And it didn't make me feel gay, just a wee bit queer.

Fanny:	Billam, have mercy on this woman. Her children are living in the closet!
Billam:	What's wrong with living in the closet? Closets can be nice, I not that I know a whole lot about closets.

It's shabby, but it could be very chic. I'd call it chic-y shab. — Fanny

Fanny:	It's nice you have children. We tried. Well, I tried, but you know men and their headaches.
Karolyn:	Maybe it's what you're wearing. 1888 called. They'd like their drapes back.

Fanny:	Alice Roosevelt telegraphed something funny to me the other day, and then I re-telegraphed it to a whole bunch of my friends.
Karolyn:	I ate a rat last night for dinner.

Fanny:	I know it's tough being an immigrant. Irish, Italian, Jews. No picnic being women, either. But this country is built on letting more people enjoy its great freedoms, not keeping people down. It may take longer than it should, but we always get it right, eventually.
Karolyn:	Sorry, dear, the opium just kicked in. I heard none of that.

Will:	I'm done complaining that things used to be better. They weren't. I know they're not great now but we do have a lot to be thankful for.
Grace:	We should have faith that it will get better.
Jack:	The arc of history is long but it always bends towards justice.
Will:	I'm guessing you dated a guy named Justice?
Jack:	And we called my penis the arc of history.