The Book of Rannells: Will & Grace: Season 9, Episode 4 – “Grandpa Jack” (2017)

While I saw the odd episode here and there and was aware of it as part of the pop culture zeitgeist, I never really watched Will & Grace.  As such, I can’t judge by this episode how the reboot compares to the original, and I don’t have any prior knowledge of the recurring character who’s brought back here.  However, by and large, I do enjoy the episode and think its main plot is well done.

Will and Jack are stunned by the arrival of Skip, the son of Jack’s biological adult son.  After Jack’s initial “I’m a grandpa?!” freak-out, he and Will start to realize that, like them, Skip is gay, and what’s more, his parents are taking him to a conversion therapy camp to “fix” him.  Meanwhile, Karen tries to convince Grace to get back into the dating game.

Despite the appearance of Anthony Ramos (John Laurens from Hamilton,) the Grace plot is a total dud.  Jack and Will’s storyline, though, is great.  It’s a little annoying that the “evidence” of Skip’s gayness is based on stereotypes like loving Lady Gaga or declaring that Karen is “fabulous,” but the story itself gets into some good, honest emotions (while still including plenty of comedy.)  I like Jack and Will’s reaction to realizing where Skip is going, Jack wrestling with the fact that his biological son would do that to his own kid, and Jack’s loving encouragement to Skip.  The camp itself is painted broadly, shades of But I’m a Cheerleader, and it includes some awful dark comedy, like all the kids wearing T-shirts that say, “Sometimes It’s Best Not to Be Yourself.”

That’s where Andrew Rannells comes in.  He plays Reggie, one of the camp counselors.  He, along with his “wife” (played by Jane Lynch,) purports to be ex-gay.  However, Reggie in particular is having a hard time with the whole “ex” part, especially once Will shows up.

It’s a small part but a fun one.  Although Reggie sings along cheerfully with the camp’s homophobic propaganda songs, his veneer of straightness is only skin deep.  Again, a lot of this is conveyed through stereotypes – doing cheerleading moves when he’s excited, commenting on fashion – but this time, we do also get some evidence of his same-sex attraction, the actual thing that makes him gay.  Despite his wife’s best efforts to keep him in line, Reggie’s true self just keeps coming out (okay, I wasn’t thinking of the play on words when I wrote that sentence, but I’m totally keeping it.)

Recommend?

In General – I think so.  I really like what they do with the Skip storyline, both the humor and the heart.

Andrew Rannells – Sure; fun and funny!

Warnings

Thematic elements, language, and sexual references.