Will & Grace Review: Anchor Away (Season 10 Episode 8)

After a string of strong episodes, Will and Grace was bound to make a few missteps, and while it’s certainly not a bad episode, Will and Grace Season 10 Episode 8, “Anchor Away” does feel like somewhat of a letdown after other peaks this season.

I have been longing for a more Will-focused episode, and I finally got it. Cut to: a crowded coffee shop. Will and Jack spot dreamy news anchor, McCoy Whitman (guest star Matt Somer). McCoy is achingly handsome (and poreless!) and Will cannot help falling over himself. 

Jack, the savvier dater, quickly assesses that McCoy is the kind of guy only interested in dumb and shallow men, so Will better ditch his Maddows (read: glasses) and act like his silliest, most inane self in order to win him over. 

Gone is Will’s initial plan to make his move by discussing Venezuela with McCoy, and out come excited moans about RuPaul’s Drag Race (though I personally take issue that you can’t intellectualize Drag Race, but that’s a conversation for another day).

Will ultimately gets a date with McCoy while Jack acts as a Cyrano-like figure and expert wingman, coaching Will how to be dumb and lure McCoy in.

He encourages Will to “think of someone fun and frivolous and maybe a little bit dim and become that person.” Will naturally decides to channel Jack.

This storyline/middle sequence is the best part of the episode by far and it’s one of the moments where Eric McCormack’s comedic skill, our own longstanding knowledge of Jack’s mannerisms, and Sean Hayes’ natural affinity for exaggerated gesturing all come together. (He wouldn’t be as fun to imitate if he didn’t naturally do everything so BIG).

Inspired, Will bursts into the apartment singing, “Who’s easy on the eyes and hard everywhere else?” He purses his lips, arches his back, impersonates Cher, chats about his pet project and one man-show “Watch Will!” 

Ultimately McCoy catches on to the ruse; Jack is the weak link in the ploy; he simply cannot convincingly portray a serious lawyer turned professor, though watching Hayes’ face as Jack’s discussion of law descends into a “Jude Law, J-Law, Cole slaw” word salad is a pure delight.

As the truth spills out, Will accuses McCoy of being too insecure to date his intellectual equal and McCoy challenges that Will was willing to pretend to be someone completely different just to sleep with him. 

Matt Bomer is visually stunning (I really understand the attraction, Will!) and this is reportedly only the first of several planned appearances. While I appreciate the underlying hints of combative flirtation and they certainly look good together, I am not totally sold on this potential pairing.

Besides Vince, we haven’t had the chance to see Will in a lot of relationships over the run of the show. I am eager to see more of that but this initial taste of McCoy reminded me too much of self-centered but beautiful James (Taye Diggs). That’s a path I am not interested in going down again. Hard pass.

There are some interesting ways to have McCoy return — it could be in a romantic sense, or it could be in a platonic one that may turn romantic, or even just have him becoming one of Will’s friends (though I know Will and Grace pretty well by this point. If there’s an attractive man in Will or Grace’s orbit, it’s going to be a love interest).

Given McCoy’s job in news and Will’s natural proclivities, I’d also be interested to see their paths cross if McCoy covers a cause Will is championing.

Whatever happens, I hope we get to see the intellectual connection between these two because the show suggests there are some commonalities there. 

In the future, I would also love to see them break down McCoy’s insecurities. Over the years, the show has really dug into Will’s, so it would be interesting to see him work through this with a partner, or have him be the more secure one for once! 

The B storyline circles back to Karen’s divorce proceedings, which we have not heard about in a while. In order to secure a larger financial settlement from Stan, she seeks out Lorraine (Minnie Driver), hoping Lorraine has photos of her dalliances with Stan that Karen can use as leverage.

While it may be sacrilege, I am not always a fan of Lorraine’s appearances on the show.

I adore Minnie Driver, and I think she can be quite funny in this role, but similar to Beverly Leslie, I think Will and Grace uses her character far more often than it should so she loses some of her impact and wears on my nerves.

The best part of this storyline is Grace, who is not even the focus. Messing gets a brief moment to pole dance (well, attempt to pole dance), Spanx in full view.

It’s brief but it’s funnier than anything else happening — and yes, it pains me to say that about a storyline with my beloved Megan Mullally, but I have to call them like I see them.

Stray Observations:

• Are Estefan and Jack only somewhat monogamous or does Jack think monogamish is actually the correct word?
• I consistently appreciate how Will and Grace combines moments of vulnerability with moments of pure absurdity. Exhibit A: after thanking Will for not allowing McCoy to write him off as an idiot, Jack slams the door on his own face.
• The award for best bit player of this episode goes to…Adam Rippon as Sassy Barista! As if it could be anyone else? Rippon possesses charisma for days. My only complaint is that I wish the show had utilized him in a different setting. I would have loved to see him paired more with Sean Hayes/Jack, perhaps as another performer in a show Jack is doing, a la Matt Damon’s guest-star appearance in the show’s original run.
• If they do not use “The Real McCoy” as a future episode title, I will be sorely disappointed. I hate missed opportunities for pun usage.

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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