Changes: The Return: 11 Years Later

Revision as of 07:09, 4 June 2020

The Return: 11 Years Later is return episode of Will & Grace. It is the first episode of season 9 and 195th overall.

Heavily influenced by the success of #VoteHoney campaign, the episode makes many political references to US President Donald Trump's recent win and affairs the administration has faced during his first months. As explained by the producers, the original ending which chronologically ended 20 years after the season 8 finale (i.e. in 2026) is addressed during the first scene of this episode.

Synopsis

The Craziest Dream

At Will and Grace's apartment, the four friends are playing Heads Up! when Karen snaps back from hallucinating and tells the group of her dream where they all have different lives, implying that the flash-forward events during the finale—including Grace ending up with Leo, Will ending up with Vince, the two couples raising their children who would later marry, Karen losing her wealth and Beverly Leslie's death—were all part of Karen's hallucination. Will reaffirms to Karen that she is still rich and Grace is simply staying over until "the dust settles" on her divorce from Leo.

The next morning, Grace praises Will for his sincere involvement in politics, including writing to Congressman Steve Sandoval, who is opposing environmental regulations. Will later admits to Jack that he and the congressman are actually flirting with each other. Jack tells him that their different views on issues should not matter and persuades him to go to the congressman's next engagement at the White House Rose Garden in Washington, D.C. Using Jack's connections to the Secret Service, he and Will are able to meet the congressman and are given a tour of the West Wing.

Make America Gay Again

Screen Shot 2017-09-29 at 10.13 — Act and then think.

Grace, frustrated of Karen tormenting her because Trump won instead of Hillary Clinton during the presidential election, decides that they should keep politics separate from work. Karen, however tells her that her friend First Lady Melania Trump has hired Grace Adler Designs to decorate the Oval Office for President Trump in Washington. Though she claims doing the job would be against her beliefs, Grace agrees to do it.

As Will is toured at the Oval Office, he and Grace see each other and start to argue about being selfish and hypocritical. When Will brings up Grace's tendency to act irresponsibly, the argument escalates into a messy pillow fight in the President's office.

The next morning, the friends realize that it would be better if they stay away from politics. Karen laments how Grace wasted the opportunity to decorate the Oval Office. Grace, however says that she was able to make one little change, as the camera pans to a hat on the president's chair that says "Make America Gay Again".

Cast

Main

Guest

Kyle Bornheimer (Lenny)
Eddie Matos (Congressman Steve Sandoval)
Kate Micucci (Page)
Anthony Ramos (Tony)

Notes

Episode features a new title sequence.
When Grace praises Will's political stance by writing a letter to the Senator, he mistakenly claims being called a hero, similar to the episode The Newlydreads where he and Jack tried to save a gay-bookstore from being demolished.
Jack pats his tummy to Shave and a Haircut.
On the message she left on the answering machine, Karen uses her alias Anastasia Beaverhausen again.
First appearance of Tony, Grace's apprentice.
The congressman shares his name with Will & Grace producer Steve Sandoval.
While at the Oval Office, Karen mentions again her relationship with the Reagan family. She has previously implied that she was a mistress to US President Ronald Reagan in the episode The Mourning Son.

Cultural references

While playing Heads Up!, Will and Grace mention politicians and celebrities who have been in recent news.
- They express dislike for actress Jada Pinkett Smith, presumably for her involvement in Scientology. Both have mentioned their hatred for Pinkett Smith during the first season episode Will on Ice.
- They mention wanting to support trans woman Caitlyn Jenner, but she "makes it impossible". This is a reference to Jenner's stand on issues, including opposing same-sex marriage^[1], and her support of Donald Trump during the 2016 elections.
- Grace answers Melania Trump when Will mentions "rich" and "hostage", poking fun at her marriage to the President Trump.
- Socialite Patty Hearst is mentioned again, noting her famous beret photo when she joined her the terrorist group SLA which kidnapped her during the 1970s.

Grace mentions that she used to be woke but now she uses her pussyhat to sneak candy into the movies, a reference to The Pussyhat Project designed to protest Trump's inauguration earlier that year.

Grace likens the charismatic congressman Sandoval to the villainous lion Scar in the Disney film The Lion King (1994).
When Will accuses Grace of farting in the elevator, she denies it and tells him it is "fake news", a reference to the tumultuous accusations of President Trump against media outlets who have been critical of him during the 2016 campaign and during his administration.
Grace mentions Karen screaming "Lock her up!" at her when she wears something Karen does not like, referring to the anti-Hillary Clinton chants during Trump's campaign rallies.
Will describes Congressman Sandoval's hotness on "the Ryan scale" as "Reynolds-point-Gosling", after actors Ryan Reynolds and Ryan Gosling.
After finding out about Will's romance with a politician, Jack calls him Shonda and references Scandal, the political drama produced by Shonda Rhimes.
Jack enumerates famous "power gays": journalist Andersoon Cooper and singer Elton John who are both openly gay. He also mentions US President Abraham Lincoln, whose sexuality has become a subject for debate among historians since 2005.
After Jack books Will's travel to see the politician he refers to himself as "onefinegay", a play on the travel agency onefinestay.
Karen plays with Grace's boobs and calls it the "Sugar Ray speed bag", after American boxer Sugar Ray Leonard.
While at the Rose Garden, Will observes the garden where "Michelle Obama introduced broccoli to the Midwest".
At the Oval Office, Grace finds a Russian-English dictionary. This is a reference to the scandalous relationship of the Trump administration with Russian president Vladimir Putin since the 2016 elections.
Jack expresses his excitement by exclaiming "Kellyanne Conway, he's hot!", after the current Counselor to the President.
Grace tests the coloring of the Oval Office using Cheetos, poking fun at the popular joke that President Trump's skin has the same color as the cheese-flavored snacks.
Karen orders the waiter to give her the "full Pat Nixon". This is a reference to the myth that the first lady heavily depended on alcohol during the height of the Watergate scandal.
Read my lips: no new taxes
Will asks Grace, "Who are you? Mrs. Peacock in Clue?". This is a nod to Eileen Brennan, who played Mrs. Peacock in the film and Jack's acting coach Zandra in the original series. The film also starred Lesley Ann Warren who played Tina.
Grace mentions knowing about "the Anderson Cooper" from reading the online gay magazine Queerty.

Media

Quotes

Grindr has gotten so skanky, I feel like I could get finger herpes just from scrolling. — Jack

I used to be woke. Now I use my pussy hat to sneak candy into the movies. — Grace

Grace:	She never stops rubbing it in my face.
Will:	Yeah, but does she ever bring up the election?

Who's the guy? Your lips are pursed, your neck is flushed and you're presenting. — Jack

Jack:	How hot is he on the Ryan scale?
Will:	He's a Reynolds-point-Gosling.

—about Cong. Sandoval

Okay Shonda, now we got a Scandal. — Jack, Will flirting with a Congressman

Will:	Isn't it hypocritical to hook up with someone that I disagree with on virtually everything?
Jack:	Will, do you know how many men I've been with who I disagree with politically? I don't. 'Cause I don't ask. You just pop out your contacts and you get to work!

Jack:	Everybody in the Secret Service is gay. You know that.
Will:	Why do you say things like that?
Jack:	Because it's true. Who better to read a room?

What's with the Laura Bush pour? Give me the full Pat Nixon! — Karen, on her drink

Usherette:	We'll start in the Oval Office, But you should know, the owner's got someone in there redecorating.
Will:	"The owner"?
Usherette:	There's a lot of new words they want us to use.

Actually, you could say my job's gotten a lot easier. The nutjobs that we protected the last president from are this guy's biggest supporters. — Lenny, working for the US Secret Service under Trump

I can't watch another husband and wife fight in this office. — Usherette, as Will and Grace fight in the Oval Office

Karen:	So... did you get serviced?
Jack:	Shh. It's a secret.

Will:	You're really leaving, huh?
Grace:	Yep. I was gonna go to a hotel but...
Will:	You're too cheap?
Grace:	Yep. I was gonna to my sister's but...
Will:	She was eating on the phone?
Grace:	Yep.

References

↑ Ellen DeGeneres: Caitlyn Jenner gay marriage views discussed during Howard Stern interview. Entertainment Weekly. C Rosen (08 September 2015)

[1] Ellen DeGeneres: Caitlyn Jenner gay marriage views discussed during Howard Stern interview. Entertainment Weekly. C Rosen (08 September 2015)

[1]

@@ Line 14: / Line 14: @@
 Grace, frustrated of Karen tormenting her because Trump won instead of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hillary_Clinton Hillary Clinton] during the presidential election, decides that they should keep politics separate from work. Karen, however tells her that her friend First Lady [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melania_Trump Melania Trump] has hired [[Grace Adler Designs]] to decorate the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oval_Office Oval Office] for President Trump in Washington. Though she claims doing the job would be against her beliefs, Grace agrees to do it.
-As Will is toured at the Oval Office, he and Grace see each other and start to argue about being selfish and hypocritical. When Will brings up Grace's tendency to act irresponsibly, the argument escalates into a messy pillow fight in the President's office.[[File:Screen Shot 2017-09-29 at 10.14.33 PM.png|thumb|220x220px]]
+As Will is toured at the Oval Office, he and Grace see each other and start to argue about being selfish and hypocritical. When Will brings up Grace's tendency to act irresponsibly, the argument escalates into a messy pillow fight in the President's office.
 The next morning, the friends realize that it would be better if they stay away from politics. Karen laments how Grace wasted the opportunity to decorate the Oval Office. Grace, however says that she was able to make one little change, as the camera pans to a hat on the president's chair that says "[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Make_America_Great_Again Make America Gay Again]".