Fanilow

Fanilow is the tenth episode of the sixth season and 132nd overall.

Will tries to hide from his friends while in line to see a Barry Manilow Christmas concert. Grace denies being jealous after her mother opted to have a Hanukkah dinner with Jack rather than her.

Synopsis[]

Fanilow[]

Gettyimages-140933110-612x612 — You look odd.

As a die hard Barry Manilow fan, Will is first in line at the ticket booth to see his "A Very Barry Christmas" concert. To prevent teasing from his friends, he had told them that he is at the shelter feeding the homeless. Grace however runs into him camping in the snow in front of the theater.

While using the bathroom at the shop across the street, Will gets hit on by a large bear named Rudy, whose advances he quickly rebuffs. He later overhears that Rudy is actually Barry Manilow's road manager. Will desperately tries to flirt with him but Rudy is no longer interested, sensing Will is a "Fanilow", a die-hard fan.

When Will compliments Rudy's eyelashes, he finally agrees to let Will see Barry backstage on the condition that he goes on a date with him on the next venue of the tour, Philadelphia.

Better him than me[]

Grace is relieved that her mother Bobbi has cancelled their traditional Hanukkah-shopping weekend but is surprised to find her at a restaurant having dinner with Jack having their traditional Hanukkah short ribs dinner. She lures Jack away from the table to confront her mother. Bobbi tells Grace she had called someone who would actually enjoy spending time with her. Grace storms off repeatedly saying "better him than me".

As Barry Manilow's song Mandy plays and reminds Grace of how her mother made her happy, she sobs and goes back to the restaurant. She scares Jack into running away and tells her mother how she wants to keep their tradition and spend Hanukkah with her.

Cast[]

Main[]

Guest[]

Barry Manilow (Himself)
Debbie Reynolds (Bobbi Adler)
Sara Gilbert (Cheryl)
Chris Penn (Rudy)
Jackie Geary (Cashier)
Peggy Lane O'Rourke (Woman)
Gary Riotto (Waiter)
Adrian Mojica (Security Guard)

Notes[]

Barry Manilow makes a brief appearance at the end of the episode.
Will being a fan of singer Barry Manilow is referenced again in From Queer to Eternity, where Grace mentions the Barry Manilow fan site he maintains.
Grace and Jack mention him working on a drag version of her mother. This is later seen in the season 8 episode Swish Out of Water, where Jack dresses up like Bobbi as therapy for Grace.
During the end credits, Will and Barry Manilow sing Bandstand Boogie, which mentions Philadelphia.
- Barry makes a joke going to the "Copacabaño", a play on his hit song Copacabana and "baño", the Spanish word for bathroom .
Peggy Lane O'Rourke, the woman in line at the fast food, previously appeared in A.I: Artificial Insemination as the cab driver.

Cultural references[]

Grace sings the chorus of Barry Manilow's 1974 song "Mandy" with the lyrics changed to "Mommy".
Rudy (Chris Penn) refers to Philadelphia as "city of brotherly love", after its Greek roots philos (love) and adelphos (brother), given by founder William Penn. The city is also the setting of the gay-themed 1993 film of the same name.

Media[]

Videos[]

Will_and_Grace_-_Mandy — Will and Grace - Mandy

Quotes[]

You know what? Uh, even though I live alone, nobody likes me at work, and I follow a 57-year-old pop singer around the country, this is boring, so... Could you just talk to the person on the other side of you? — Cheryl, to Grace

Grace is after me. If you see her, fire a warning shot into her hair. — Jack

Karen:	This is Cheryl. She's a fanilow.
Cheryl:	The man makes me happy.
Karen:	This is Jackie. He's a fagalow.
Jack:	The mens make me happy, too.

Will:	Do you realize what you're suggesting? That is sexual blackmail!
Rudy:	Yeah, I know.
Will:	Okay, so long as we're clear!

Grace:	What are you doing here? I thought you were feeding the homeless.
Will:	Turns out they were just... snackish.