Whatever Happened to Baby Gin? is the 22nd episode of the eighth season, and 192nd overall. Bernadette Peters guest stars as Karen's sister Gin and Josh Lucas appears as himself.
Karen introduces her sister Gin to everyone and all the while reveals things about their complicated past. Will and Vince decide to live together. Jack invites actor Josh Lucas to attend the premiere party of his show.
It is the penultimate episode of the original series and ends with a cliff hanger about Will and Grace's future as friends.
Synopsis[]
Gin and Karen[]
"The resemblance is uncanny. Meaning, both of you have huge cans."
Karen shocks everyone when she announces that she has a sister, Virginia "Gin", who was injured as a child during a game of Twister.
During their weekly dinner, Karen tells Gin that since she and Stanley are getting divorced, Karen will not be able to support her anymore. Gin goes to the Walker Mansion and declares that since she will not be receiving her $300,000 support, she will be moving in with Karen.
Later, Karen admits that she caused Gin's accident because she was jealous of Gin being their father's favorite. Gin in turn, comes clean as well and admits that she was actually injured by the trap she set up herself for Karen but got lost in the game and forgot about it. After finding out they both acted out of jealousy for each other, they reconcile and hug.
The Badge[]
Jack runs into actor Josh Lucas and invites him to the opening of his show, The Badge where he stars as the lead character. However, as they watch the initial clips, Jack finds out that his voice has been dubbed to sound tougher. Josh comforts him and admits that he himself has also been dubbed his entire career because of his squeaky voice. Josh admits that he had spent years training to sound more manly, and that all leading men in Hollywood are actually dubbed.
Where am I?[]
"I don't know."
Will's boyfriend Vince invites him to live together which he happily accepts. Will, who has decided to raise Grace's baby with her, assumes that Grace is also included in his and Vince's plans. Vince, however feels different and shares his frustration of feeling second to Grace. Will subsequently breaks up with Vince in favor of Grace and her baby.
Back at the apartment, Grace informs Will that Leo's wedding did not push through. Still wanting to have a relationship with the father of her baby, Grace tells Will that she is going to Rome to reconnect with him, convinced that Leo called off his wedding because he still loves her. Will is understandably furious at her for abandoning their plans and ignoring the sacrifices he had made. He asks her, "If you're Rome, raising this baby with Leo... Where am I?" and she answers "I don't know".
Cast[]
Main[]
- Eric McCormack (Will Truman)
- Debra Messing (Grace Adler)
- Sean Hayes (Jack McFarland)
- Megan Mullally (Karen Walker)
- Shelley Morrison (Rosario Salazar)
Guest[]
- Bobby Cannavale (Vince D'Angelo)
- Bernadette Peters (Gin)
- Josh Lucas (Himself)
- Charles C. Stevenson Jr. (Smitty)
- Dalton (uncredited)
- Mario (uncredited)
Notes[]
- Title of the episode is a reference to the 1962 Bette Davis-Joan Crawford thriller Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?. Karen and Gin's story also draws heavy parallels to the film where one of the sisters try to murder the other and one ends up with a disability.
- Josh Lucas would later star alongside Debra Messing in The Mysteries of Laura (2014-16) where he plays her ex-husband.
- Bernadette Peters was previously mentioned in Bully Woolley, where Jack had just cut a lock of her hair for his Broadway diva wig.
- Grace wants to name her baby George, after Will's father who died in Blanket Apology.
- Will recalls the time Grace abandoned their plans to have a family because of Leo during Season 5 where Grace and Will were supposed to have a baby via artificial insemination but she pulls out because she has fallen in love with Leo.
- Parts of the reading and filming the episode were featured in the special Say Goodnight Gracie, which aired on the same day as the finale.
Cultural References[]
- As pointed out by her friends, this is the first time Karen even mentioned having a sister named Gin. She claims to be referring to her whenever she was talking about the alcoholic drink gin. She then mentions her brother-in-law, Johnny Walker after the whisky brand.
- Grace jokes about the name "George" coming from the "curious monkey" in the Curious George book series, and then-president George W. Bush. If the baby was a girl, Will jokes that they will name it "Boy George", after the androgynous rock star.
- Josh Lucas mentions that he had been mistaken for Matthew McConaughey, Aaron Eckhart, and Thomas Jane--all film actors who are 6-foot tall with blonde hair.
- Gin suggests to Karen ordering a pizza and watching the animated comedy Family Guy. Episode writer Gary Janetti was a producer for Family Guy from 1999 to 2016.
- A humiliated Jack compares himself to Ben Affleck because of the string of critically-panned films he made during the early 2000s, against Affleck's childhood friend Matt Damon who made more considerable success during the time. Damon appears in A Chorus Lie.
Media[]
Quotes[]
| Gin: | Say that again. I didn't hear you because one of my legs is shorter than the other. |
| Karen: | You're such a pessimist, Gin. Why not say, "One of my legs is freakishly long"? |
The resemblance is uncanny. Meaning, both of you have huge cans. — Jack, comparing Karen and her sister
That's the last time that I place an order with Kinko's over the phone. You know, maybe I should have said "B as in Boy" instead of "B as in Bagina". — Karen, on "The Vadge" posters
It looks like my sister is going to be staying with us for a while, and I don't want her to feel self-conscious, so, run off to the tool shed and shave three-eighths of an inch of the bottom of your foot. — Karen, to Rosie
I've got to stop falling in love with straight women. — Rosario
Oh, my God, you guys. You're never gonna guess who's here. Me! I heard rumors that I wasn't going to show, but I'm really here. — Jack
| Gin: | Karen, If you think you're going to cut me off, think again, since we both know how I ended up like this. |
| Karen: | It was an accident! |
| Gin: | Was it? |
| Karen: | Gin, Please! |
| Gin: | Stop begging! |
| Karen: | Uh, no, I was ordering. Gin, Please! |
| Jack: | We're having a premiere party tomorrow night. Why don't you come on by? |
| Josh Lucas: | Sure. Should I bring my girlfriend? |
| Jack: | If by "girlfriend" you mean "open mind to experimenting," then yes. |
Thanks for coming to my big opening. Did that sound wierd? Thanks for making my opening so big. — Jack
| Josh: | All the top leading men are dubbed. |
| Jack: | Really? What about the bottoms? |
It's like you're Matt Damon, and I'm Ben Affleck and I just made Gigli. Or Paycheck. Or Bounce. Or Jersey Girl. Or Surviving Christmas. — Jack, comparing his embarassment
| Will: | Are you asking me to choose? |
| Vince: | I'm afraid to, Will, because... I think I already know the answer. |
Gin, I'm not sure about you moving in. It might make Rosie feel very uncomfortable. She prides herself on being the toughest thing to look at around here. — Karen
I'm so tired of falling in love with gay men. — Rosario