Love is in the Airplane

Love is in the Airplane is the eighth episode of the eighth season and 168th overall.

While on a plane to London with Will, Grace finds out that her ex-husband Leo is on the same flight. Jack meets the new maid Karen has hired as replacement for Rosario.

Synopsis[]

Oh, banana![]

After firing Rosario for keeping Stan's secret from her, Karen has hired Leni, a seemingly sweet English woman to serve as her new personal maid. Jack, however feels she should still consider forgiving Rosario and hiring her back. When Leni hears this, she threatens to castrate Jack if he mentions Rosario's name to Karen again.

Karen, however, does not believe Jack when he tells her about Leni's threat so he helps Rosario sneak into the mansion by distracting Leni. After initially refusing, Karen finally expresses how much she misses Rosario and decides to hire her back and fire Leni.

Mile-high club[]

Will and Grace are flying coach on a red-eye flight to London to see Billy Elliot the Musical when she sees her ex-husband Leo on the plane. With the help of Will's charm over the flight attendants, Grace is able to sneak into first-class where Leo is. Grace, wanting to find closure on her marriage, spends a surprisingly pleasant time with Leo and the two end up having sex on the plane.

After landing in London, Leo offers to move his connecting flight so he and Grace could see the city together. Grace, however realizes it will be better for them to simply move on with their lives instead of holding on to their past and they part ways again. As Leo leaves, she tells Will that she may never be able to move on.

Cast[]

Main[]

Guest[]

Harry Connick, Jr. (Leo Markus)
Millicent Martin (Leni)
Stephen Spinella (Bret)
Jim Rash (Brent)
Kristina Krofft (Passenger)
James Huang (Male Passenger)

Notes[]

Leo's first appearance since his and Grace's separation in FYI: I Hurt, Too.
Will previously predicted Grace reuniting with the love of her life on an airplane during the pilot episode.
Will is mistaken to be Middle Eastern again in this episode. His Middle Eastern features were implied in the episodes Hocus Focus and The Birds and the Bees.
As they hug, Karen alludes to Rosario's masculinity again when she points out that Rosario smells like Aqua Velva, a brand of men's aftershave.
One of the few episodes not to feature Will's apartment.
Will does a British accent at the airport and Grace ridicules him. Grace being annoyed by this habit of Will has been a recurring joke during the earlier seasons as seen in the episodes Girl Trouble and The Buying Game.

Cultural References[]

Will and Grace go to see the Billy Elliot musical which had recently started in London.
Leni likens Jack to "a young Princess Margaret", who had a scandalous public image due to her alleged affairs with several famous men.
The flight attendant mentions that singer-dancer Paula Abdul is in the first class section of the plane.
Jack compares Karen and Rosario to "Abbott and Consuelo", a reference to comedy duo Abbott and Costello.
Leo mentions that she saw Julie Andrews and that she looked "more like Victor than Victoria", a reference to Andrew's musical film Victor/Victoria who plays a woman impersonating a drag queen.
Leni claims that her hands were pinned under a dead horse for a week during the Blitz, the 1940–41 bombings of Britain during World War II.
While discussing how to sneak into the mansion, Rosario mentions to Jack that their plan is like that in the film Ocean's Eleven (2001) where the titular characters design an intricate plan to steal from casinos in Las Vegas. The film starred Julia Roberts.

Media[]

Quotes[]

It's an international flight and you're dressed for the International House of Pancakes. — Will

If there's a major celebrity onboard, the plane won't go down. If there's a minor celebrity, we'll definitely go down. Everybody knows that. — Grace

I love tea. It's so proper. Now, do you take lemon or peyote in yours? — Karen

Jack:	I'm thinking you need to hire Rosie back. You always said she was your soulmate.
Karen:	No, I said said she was my sole maid.

You look amazing. Now, I feel under-dressed. I guess that's what they mean by cabin pressure. — Will

Don't laugh at your own jokes. It makes you look like a dad. — Grace

Flight attendant:	I'm sorry, no coach people allowed.
Grace:	Yeah, my ex-husband is up there and I just want to say a quick hello.
Flight attendant:	That's a great story. Now, why don't you hurry back to your seat or you'll miss your cheese sandwich.

I stood behind Julie Andrews at a bookstore once. Just between you and me, she looked a lot more Victor than Victoria. — Leo

Flight attendant:	Are you flirting with me to get a better seat? Because I should tell you, I have a boyfriend.
Willl:	Well, I should tell you that by the time this plane lands, you might have two.

If they let us wear pearls, I'd be clutching them. — Brent

Will:	At least you got to say goodbye.
Grace:	You know what? I don't think I'll ever be able to say goodbye.

—as Leo leaves