Will & Grace Review: It’s Time (Season 11 Episode 18)

Don’t cry, don’t cry, don’t cry. As critical as I’ve been of Will & Grace this season, I’m surprised as anyone that I found a lump forming in my throat during the show’s second attempt at a series finale.

As a whole, the Will & Grace revival has been uneven, but its journey back to the small screen is rather remarkable and it has produced numerous classic Will & Grace moments to add to the canon (think Karen’s farewell to Rosario and Grace’s #MeToo speech.)

At its worst, the revival was a bloated, hackneyed romp but at its best? At its best, it explored new themes around aging and growth while wisely revisiting and revising missteps from its initial run.

Will & Grace Season 10 Episode 4 “Who’s Sorry Now?” is a perfect example of that and so is the finale Will & Grace Season 11 Episode 18 “It’s Time.”

Will & Grace rather famously dropped the ball with its original finale, a much maligned hour that saw the titular duo feuding and separated for decades of their lives, raising children with their respective partners. It didn’t feel right when it originally aired and was famously retconned when the show returned.

Will and Grace are soulmates; that much has been clear for years, and the last series finale lost sight of that. This time though, things are different.

This finale is shorter and less flashy than the first (honestly, at times, it feels a bit rushed). Rather than give the audience all the answers, the show teases enough to let us understand where the Core Four are heading and gives us a few nods to the past.

Overall, it’s a simpler, quieter series finale than most shows opt for these days. 

There’s no shocking twist, surprise superstar guest appearance, or long chase through the rain, though Will admits at one point to calling after McCoy like a “sad, gay crow”. Instead, each of the Core Four gets a moment to step forward into their future.

Interestingly, we don’t get to see the birth of either of Will and Grace’s children. That’s initially surprising but upon reflection, makes some sense. Will and Grace remark that it’s been just “Will and Grace long enough,” so what we’re seeing is the end of that chapter of their lives.

I’m disappointed not to have had another opportunity to see Demi Lovato but I understand the decision. 

Even Will’s reunion with McCoy (Matt Bomer) is relatively muted. McCoy’s departure earlier this season on Episode 4 “The Chick or the Egg Donor” was rushed so it’s lovely to have him properly back, but unlike the initial run, the show doesn’t try to pretend that a romantic partner is the answer to all of Will or Grace’s problems or dreams.

No, even though it’s likely McCoy and Will are going to reunite, it’s clear that McCoy is the one along for the ride with Will and Grace; they’re the love of each other’s lives. Everyone else is just extra.

Speaking of extra, Sean Hayes gets some final great slapstick comedy moments, proving again that he can make the stupidest bits work (there’s zero reason him falling all over himself during a curtain call is as laugh-inducing as it is).

The finale also takes an opportunity to poke fun at all of Jack’s jobs that disappear into nowhere once they’ve served a storyline’s purpose: see his role as a nurse, his work at the rec center, his ownership of the Queers bar. We stan a self aware show, willing to poke fun at itself and its characters.

As sweet and endearing as the finale is in many ways, the way Karen’s storyline is resolved is underwhelming. Reuniting with Stan doesn’t quite feel earned no matter how well Mullally works to sell his Statue of Liberty/helicopter proposal.

Karen’s journey and growth frustratingly stagnated this season so while her scenes are funny, they don’t pack quite the punch as some of the others.

Nevertheless, thinking through the entirety of the series, not just the revival, it’s possible to see tremendous growth for all of the characters, including Karen. 

Grace, once so insecure about her single-lady status, rejects a partner incapable of loving her in the way she needs to be, and ends the series comfortably setting up a family in a not-so-typical-but-far-more-authentic-to-her way.

Will, ever the risk averse, self-sacrificing, control freak, pursues his dream of parenthood regardless of whether he has a partner or not and trusts another human being enough to put his future in her hands.

Jack, a perennial commitment-phobe, settles down with someone who balances him and finally gets to achieve his ultimate Broadway dream, even if it’s as the third understudy for the Fifth Sailor.

And Karen? Well Karen explores different kinds of love and finds success on her own before ultimately choosing Stan not for his money but because she actually, truly loves him.

All of this goes to show that our lives evolve and change at different paces and that there’s so much joy to be found in middle age and beyond. You don’t have everything figured out by 20, 30, 40? That’s okay, there’s still more time for your life to change in significant ways.

Your happy ending doesn’t look quite like what the world expects? No problem. Some people find it easy to live their truth when they’re younger, but others take a little bit longer to get there. The timeline ultimately doesn’t matter, only that you get there eventually. 

And lastly, the most important relationships aren’t always rooted in blood or romance. The greatest loves of our lives are sometimes found in the communities we build for ourselves. Love is love: gay, straight, or platonic.

Thanks for all the laughs over the past 20 years, Will & Grace. Until we meet again…which I guess at this rate, is in what…twelve years?

What did you think of the farewell episode of Will & Grace ? Were you glad the show finally mentioned how that portrait in Will and Grace’s apartment looks like Will? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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