Will & Grace Review: So Long, Division (Season 10 Episode 7)

Will and Grace has gained great momentum as the season has progressed and fortunately, that does not stop with Will and Grace Season 10 Episode 7, “So Long, Division.” 

The episode wraps up the Noah/Grace/daughter storyline nicely and that’s still not even the strongest storyline.

Grace is understandably frustrated that Noah is not ready for her to meet his daughter. This part feels a little bit like backtracking though, as I thought he emphatically said that would never happen. The beginning of this episode seems to soften that a bit and reframe it as that he’s not ready yet.

Grace initially finds this unacceptable but after some prodding from Will, she goes to Noah’s apartment to apologize. In doing so, she runs into — you guessed it — his daughter, Katie, who initially mistakes her for her math tutor, Kimiko.

Katie’s excited to meet Grace because she can tell her dad is much happier — he hasn’t said the word “fascist” in over a week. Noah arrives home unexpectedly and Grace hurdles into the nearest closet to hide, only to be discovered by Noah minutes later.

Debra Messing’s physical comedy is so good at this moment and the fact that she can do this on the heels of delivering such poignant dramatic performances in earlier episodes is so impressive.

I find myself continually warming up to Noah and glad that David Schwimmer has stuck around over the season. This episode gives us a little more insight into Noah’s relationship with his daughter and his overall psychology.

The scene where Grace and Noah argue over the nature of their relationship and Noah reveals that he thinks the probability of he and Grace working out in the long run (despite the fact that he loves her) is well written and well acted, and frankly, echoes plenty of real-life arguments I’ve heard about relationships.

Noah, insisting he’s a realist, wants to be with Grace even though he seems confident it will combust in the future and Grace counters that there’s no point to the relationship if they don’t operate with some hope that it could go the distance.

At the conclusion of the episode, Noah shows up at Grace’s apartment, confessing that he’s scared and maybe there’s a modicum of a chance that he and Grace could work.

It’s interesting watching these scenes and being so well acquainted with Schwimmer’s previous work on Friends. Whether you like Ross Geller or not, it’s hard to argue that he’s anything but a perennial romantic optimist, despite plenty of evidence in his life that he should believe otherwise.

To see Schwimmer use his expressive eyes to convey fear and skepticism rather than pining and portray a character so different from the one he’s most identified with is a welcome shift. I appreciate Will and Grace for allowing me to see him through a different lens. 

Elsewhere, Will’s mother, Marilyn (Blythe Danner) comes to visit, distraught that her beloved dog, Dr. Silly, has died, and even more distraught that Will is not giving her the emotional support she needs and expected when she came to share the news.

I love Blythe Danner and her utter commitment to this uber-WASP persona. Her moments with Karen are drunkenly, dryly hilarious.

How have we not seen this pairing together more often? It makes so much sense!

On a more serious note, over the years, Will and Grace has been rather effective in utilizing its parental figures (terrible marriage subplot last season notwithstanding) and this season, the show has explored how we can learn to love those around us better.

On this episode, those ideas converge. It’s easy to forget that our parents are people too, people who need our support and attention and sensitivity just as much as we need theirs.

The best storyline of the entire episode though, belongs to Jack. I was initially concerned that they were going to drive the Gaybraham Lincoln story into the ground for a second episode (it’s funny, but it’s not that funny).

Jack argues with his African-American boss, frustrated that he does not appropriately appreciate how important it is to tell Gaybraham’s story and celebrate his contributions to the oft-oppressed gay community.

His boss charges back that Jack really does not properly understand Lincoln’s contributions and their conversation devolves into an argument over who is more oppressed — a black person or a gay person?

The argument escalates, as more people from oppressed groups join the conversation.

Another worker argues that “no one has it worse than Latinos. They put our kids in cages.” Someone else counters that as a Muslim, he cannot even get on a plane without judgment and looks.

More marginalized voices join, including the addition of a woman and an elderly woman (in a great bit, where you cannot even see her as she argues the elderly community is invisible). Jack is increasingly frustrated as he cries that gay people still have it the worst: “Try being me and having to claim Kevin Spacey as one of your own.”

It’s political commentary and comedy all rolled into one, each line funnier and truer than the next (though a black woman’s perspective really would have been an excellent addition).

The scene crescendoes as a man steps forward.

As a straight white male, right now, I feel I’m under attack more than any other group in America.

And the door slams right in his face.

I do think Will and Grace has some room to grow in terms of the representation of people of color in its regular or recurring cast, but I applaud the show for drawing some attention to the challenges of being in a marginalized or minority community in the U.S. It’s not a contest anyone should want to win, but the problems are very real.

At this point in the season, Grace, Karen, and Jack have all had episodes where they were heavily featured in the A-storyline and/or where their character went through some kind of significant development.

Will has not had quite the same kind of showcase this season (though Will & Grace Season 10 Episode 4, “Who’s Sorry Now?” comes close) so I would love to see the next episodes feature him more prominently.

Stray Observations:

• Grace ordering enough Chinese for six people and half-heartedly pretending she has a group over to avoid judgment is a real mood. Been there, done that, girlfriend — more than a few times.
• My favorite bit player in this episode is Jack’s boss, who argues “the Underground Railroad was not an underground club with a subway theme” with utterly flustered conviction.
• There is NOTHING wrong with using that tip calculator on your phone. RUDE, Noah.
• I love that Karen named her dog Shu-Shu, as in Shu-Shu Fontana, the drag name she gave herself in Season 1 of the series. I have appreciated that Will and Grace celebrates and calls back its original run without drowning in nostalgia.
• Where’s Estefan? Not that I’m complaining… but also, where is he?

What did you think of this episode of Will and Grace? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Will and Grace airs Thursday at 9/8c on NBC.

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