Will and Grace Review: Conscious Coupling (Season 10 Episode 16)
Nearing the season finale, Will and Grace continues to build momentum with another strong entry, Will and Grace Season 10 Episode 16 “Conscious Coupling.” The episode manages to gift us with revelations about Karen and Jack as well as feature some of the most clever writing all season as both Will and Grace take significant steps in their new relationships.
On this episode, both Karen and Jack fall victim to the hazards of a terrible winter storm: Jack is trapped in an elevator, forced to anxiously wait for help, and Karen, trying to catch a flight to visit Malcolm, is stuck in Grace’s office building waiting out the storm.
Jack goes into total meltdown until his old police officer/lover, Drew, shows up to save him, and Karen, downing vodka, chats up the upstairs office tenant, Nikki (Samira Wiley), oblivious to how different the realities of their lives are.
The setting is perfect for both Jack and Karen to make irresponsible decisions, or at the very least put their foot in their mouths yet somehow, they each come out of the situations having learned more about themselves, and dare I say it — having grown.
Jack’s relationship with Estefan has been befuddling most of the season, but with two episodes left, it shockingly seems more and more likely that the two will make it down the aisle.
Jack, clearly tempted by Drew’s reappearance, does not take the bait, and explains that love has made him a “changed man.”
Jack has been flighty and flirty throughout the duration of the series — both the original run and the revival — and is not known for his self control or restraint so it is especially surprising to see him resist his base urges and push Drew away.
Meanwhile, Karen’s storyline, a flirtation that ultimately leads to a sweetly vulnerable kiss with Nikki, opens up a number of doors for Karen. Samira Wiley is signed on for the rest of the season, so this is a duo we will see again.
Despite being such a signature part of the LGBTIQ zeigeist, Will and Grace has generally neglected to explore many pairings beyond those between homosexual males, though it’s certainly suggested in brief moments that Karen may have bisexual leanings. That lack of representation has been glaring so the Nikki/Karen romantic subplot, while unexpected, is compelling.
It also seemed strange that after divorcing, Karen jumped so quickly into what seemed like a longterm, serious relationship with Malcolm.
So much of the early episodes this season suggested Karen was reeling and lost as she dealt with the dissolution of her marriage, so a plug -and-play relationship with Malcolm seemed too simple and easy, and a shortchange to the audience.
What better way to work through the next phase of life than to explore her identity, particularly her sexual identity? It makes sense that this would be the time for Karen to take a step back and evaluate.
There are things about the Nikki/Karen relationship that we can already tell will pose challenges, like their very different socioeconomic classes and lifestyles but Nikki, despite having such a brief appearance, already makes Karen a bit softer. It will be interesting to see how that plays out.
While there are still issues with how Will and Grace shows the development of romantic relationships over time, the central storyline around Will and Grace’s hesitancy to move in with their respective partners is one of the best showcases of the season for the strong chemistry amongst various pairings on the show. It’s funny, clever writing akin to a classic Neil Simon play.
Grace and Will’s bizarre codependency was on full display, and it was also fun to see the different relationships Grace/Noah and Will/McCoy with the bonus of seeing the dynamic between McCoy/Noah.
I cannot easily recall a time where we saw Will and Grace’s partners interact or back each other up like Noah and McCoy do on this episode, but it’s a delight to watch and hopefully, we will see more of it in the future.
Matt Bomer is settling in nicely after a bumpy start to his run and David Schwimmer is doing some of the funniest work of his career (the moment where he correctly deduces that Will and Grace are wasting time and just spouting gibberish to each other before coming back to have a serious conversation with him and McCoy is genius).
Given that Will and Grace were initially resistant to moving in with McCoy and Noah but ultimately decided to anyway, it appears the final episodes will focus on Jack’s wedding and everyone’s new living arrangements. It seems unlikely that both relationships will make it past the finale, but here’s hoping that Schwimmer sticks around.
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 Thursdays at 9:30/8:30c on NBC.
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Cristina Iskander
Cristina is a Broadway enthusiast, book lover, and pop-culture fanatic living in New York City. She once won a Fantasy Bachelor contest (yes, like Fantasy Football, but for The Bachelor), and can banter about old school WB (Pacey + Joey FTW) just as well as Stranger Things and Pen15. She's still upset Benson and Stabler never got together and is worried Rollins and Carisi are headed down the same road, wants justice for Shangela, and hopes to one day walk-and-talk down a hallway with Aaron Sorkin.