Alive and Schticking

Alive and Schticking is the first episode of the eighth season and 171st overall. This episode was aired live via satellite on September 29, 2005 and takes place entirely in Will's apartment and the hallway outside.

The story picks up shortly after the events of the season 7 finale, when Stanley Walker is revealed to still be alive.

Synopsis[]

G.R.I. (Glitter-Related Injury)[]

Grace uses Jack's promiscuous history with married men as a legitimate reason to have an affair with a married man, but Jack tells her to forget about it as both of them are the moral role models to their friends.

After being honest with her, Jack confesses that the reason he is wearing an eye patch is not because he got glitter in his eye, as he told his friends. When he refused to stop his singing performance during the debut of his new talk show, Jack Talk, even though the entire set had accidentally been set on fire, his eyebrow was burnt off.

Ain't that a kick in the pants[]

Will comes home and reveals to Grace that Karen's husband Stan is alive and living in seclusion. Will's new employer Malcolm had revealed himself to be a government agent protecting Stan as a witness against the mob. He comes by the apartment to tell Will to keep the secrecy of the whole operation, especially to Karen. However, upon meeting Karen, Malcolm is smitten and she asks him out on a date, even though it is a conflict of interest according to Will.

Karen's friends eventually decide to tell her about Stanley's situation but she refuses to believe, saying her husband loved her too much to put her through the pain of his death. Rosario then comes clean and admits that she has known all along and has been giving Stanley reports on Karen for over a year. At the admission, Karen fires Rosario and leaves Will's apartment with Malcolm, explaining that Stan may be alive, but that he is still dead to her.

Cast[]

Main[]

Guest[]

Alec Baldwin (Malcolm Widmark)

Notes[]

The first of two live episodes in the series, the second being Bathroom Humor, ten episodes later. This is also the first live episode that James Burrows directed.
Although Tom's and Grace's kiss from the previous episode plays a role in her storyline, Tom does not appear again as she decides not to pursue the affair any further.
Megan Mullally hurt her ankle while dancing at home, so Karen's part had to be re-written to accommodate her inability to walk without crutches.
Jack and Grace have a lot of interaction in this episode. During both East Coast and West Coast performances, Debra and Sean broke character and got the giggles several times, as seen in syndicated versions.
In this episode, Jack confesses that he had never cheated. However, in the episode FYI: I Hurt, Too, he admits that he and Stuart broke up because he cheated on Stuart.
Grace states that they scattered a "trash bag of [Stan's] ashes." In 24, Stan's "ashes" were shown to be in two large popcorn drums.

Cultural references[]

Will tells Grace that Malcolm is working for "big brother", the term used to refer to an intrusive, controlling government. Will also says that Stanley is under the protection of Big Brother, the reality TV show.
When Will sees Jack's eyepatch, he quips something about "butt pirates", an offensive term for homosexual men.
Jack describes his eye-patch as "the largest glitter-related tragedy since Mariah Carey's film debut", referring to Carey's critically-panned film Glitter (2001).
After giving his advise to Grace not to cheat, Jack parodies NBC's "The More You Know" PSAs which feature a shooting star.
Jack mentions that he burned his eyebrow while singing "You're a Grand Old Fag", a parody of the patriotic song You're A Grand Old Flag.
Malcolm tells Will that he has to shred some documents for Republican congressman Tom DeLay, who at the time is involved in ongoing scandals including his Cuban cigar photo and the infamous illegal campaign finance case.

Media[]

Quotes[]

Malcolm:	Why did you quit your job? Is it because I said you couldn't wear open-toed shoes to work?
Will:	Uh, no, it's because I was working for a bogus charity, which was a cover for a shady government operation to protect a back-from-the-dead former client... and by the way, some sandals can be very dressy.

Malcolm:	Malcolm Widmark. I hope this isn't too forward, but I find you quite beautiful, and I look forward to the day that I see you ride this thing toward me on a very bumpy road. In a town where everyone's naked.
Karen:	Karen Walker, and it is pleasure to meet a true gentleman. Now, if you'll excuse me, the gap between my toes is throbbing like a son of a bitch.
Malcolm:	Sheer elegance.

Speaking of chairs, you look like a fun place to sit. — Karen

Oh, Will, you kill me... and one day I'm going to have to repay the favor. — Malcolm

I have no opinion on women's undergarments. I don't know what pokes through where. — Jack

I am just going to close my eyes and do whatever I want. Oh, hey, I'm George Bush! — Grace

Are you telling me you intend to know a married man in the biblical sense? And in the vagina? — Jack