An Old-Fashioned Piano Party is the 20th episode of the third season and the 66th overall.
After seeing an old friend, Grace starts to feel that her and Will's relationship has an expiration date. A brokenhearted Jack writes an erotic novel which Karen absolutely loves.
Synopsis[]
Love Will Keep Us Together[]
While at the cafe, Grace bumps into Heidi Dauro, an old friend who also has the same close straight woman-gay man relationship that she and Will has. She learns that Heidi and his gay bestfriend Charlie had drifted apart since, as she says, there is really nothing keeping them together, such as a house or children.
As Will plans his trip out of the country with his other friends Joe and Larry, Grace buys a piano in a desperate attempt to have something that can keep her and Will from drifting apart. She holds an "old-fashioned piano party" and forces Will to stay and play the piano even though he wants to go out. During their argument, Grace ends up spilling root beer float over the new piano.
As the guests leave, Grace expresses to Will how worried she is feeling that they are going to end up like Heidi and Charlie. When Grace asks him "what do we have to keep us together?", Will starts to sing on the piano "Love. Love will keep us together".
To Weep and To Willow: A Harlequeen Romance[]
"Cheese and rice, that is so hot!"
Jack had recently broken up with Rocco, a guy he has been seeing for two days and is feeling down. He channels his feelings into writing an erotic romance novel called "To Weep and To Willow: A Harlequeen Romance". After he reads a few lines to Karen, she instantly becomes hooked.
However, Jack soon gets back together with Rocco and he stops writing his novel. While at Grace's old-fashioned piano party, Karen pays Rocco $50 to dump Jack again. Jack later finds out and he becomes appalled at what Karen did but after she offers him $200, he proclaims that he has "no choice but to write through that pain."
Cast[]
Main[]
- Eric McCormack (Will Truman)
- Debra Messing (Grace Adler)
- Sean Hayes (Jack McFarland)
- Megan Mullally (Karen Walker)
Guest[]
- Tim Bagley (Larry)
- Gigi Rice (Heidi Dauro)
- Marshall Manesh (Mr. Zamir)
- Philipp Karner (Rocco)
- Jovial Kemp (Mover)
- Doug Devine (Mover)
Notes[]
- The following songs are performed on the piano are In My Life (1965) by The Beatles, Friends (1973) by Bette Midler, Un homme et une femme from A Man and a Woman (1966), Enough is Enough (1979) by Barbra Streisand and Donna Summer; and Love Will Keep Us Together (1975) by Captain & Tenille. Will also mentions learning "Three little maids from school are we" from the opera The Mikado.
- Will learns to play the piano in this episode and struggles to play basic chords. However, in the earlier episode Grace 0, Jack 2000 he is seen playing Ben by Michael Jackson quite well.
Quotes[]
Ever since Rocco dumped me, I can't eat a thing. It's like I'm becoming "manorexic." — Jack
You take a lickin', and you keep on tickin'... So you can keep on lickin'. — Will
I gotta pee like a racehorse. I don't mean a lot. I just mean throwing my mane back and snorting. — Will
Pain was the coal that fueled the choo-choo of my art. — Jack
| Karen: | Honey, I'm desperate. What's it gonna take to get you to break up with Jack? |
| Rocco: | Well, I really love him, so... fifty bucks? |
Sit your ass on the bench of the piano that we bought together, sip your root beer float, and have some friggin' fun! — Grace
Christian awoke with a start. There was Giovanni, looming large-- At least from the side view. His eyes, black as sin and burning with lust, Christian felt his man heat rise within his being. Suddenly, Giovanni seized his mouth, devouring his soul. Their tongues struggled to find each other in a wildly ravishing kiss that ripped through Christian like a bolt of lightning. — lines from Jack's novel
Giovanni's fingers tore wildly at the lacings of my seafoam green polar fleece. Like some fantastic farm animal he grunted and whispered "Tonight, my love, you will see the face of God." Christian closed his eyes and received him hungrily." He shuddered and screamed out, "I am reborn!" — lines from Jack's novel