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Revivals are tricky. No one wants their favorite show, lovingly preserved in the amber of memory, to come lumbering back to life lacking what made the original so great. That hasn’t stopped plenty of shows from going the revival route, the latest being Will & Grace–which was worrying because multi-cam sitcoms haven’t exactly aged gracefully.
To my absolute shock and delight, the Will & Grace revival not only proved itself worthy of existing, it actually gave me hope that the multi-cam sitcom still has a lot of fight left in it. The first episode raised the bar for this new old show. Tonight’s episode, titled “Who’s Your Daddy,” somehow tops the premiere. It’s so good that all four W&G leads–Eric McCormack, Debra Messing, Sean Hayes, and Megan Mullally–absolutely deserve Emmys for their work in this episode alone. This actually isn’t even a big ask, as the Emmys have already awarded Emmys to this quartet for their work during the original Will & Grace run. It’s time for all of them to win their second trophy for their Will & Grace role (or third in the case of Mullally).
Here’s why (light spoilers ahead):
Eric McCormack
Will often has the most thankless role in Will & Grace. After all, he’s the straight man (not that kind of straight man) to Grace and Jack. McCormack gets laughs from high status zingers and quips, and he rarely gets to show off the way Karen and Jack do. “Who’s Your Daddy” shows us a devilish side of Will that’s an absolute joy to see as he indulges his vanity. He hooks up with a much younger dude (a post-Madonna gay, if you will) played by Broadway star Ben Platt. He brushes past all the warning signs, including the young’un’s invasive use of FaceTime. After all, he thinks Will looks like an anchor man! That’s kinda the peak compliment for a 50+ gay. All of this goes south, though, when Will learns that his date has no clue about gay history (the word “Stonehenge” is used). McCormack then gets to tear into a gay history speech that demonstrates what Will & Grace–and specifically a Will & Grace revival–can do: as an elder-statesmen of queer pop culture, it can impart gay history to primetime audiences while also making us laugh. Give Eric an Emmy!
Megan Mullally
I mean, Mullally deserves an Emmy just for her performance in the picture above. There’s actually not much to this plot: Karen and Grace get stuck in a smart shower, confronted with rising emotions and rising water. It’s not as deep as Will’s storyline, but it delivers a spectacle unlike… well, anything I’ve ever seen in a multi-cam show. When was the last time you saw someone perform underwater physical comedy on a stage in front of a live studio audience? Weightless in the water, Mullally’s body slithers and glides like a tipsy, lecherous snake. It’s an over-the-top performance (Karen wrapping her legs around Grace, her prey), one that proves something that absolutely didn’t need proving: Mullally is still one of the absolute best comedic performers working today, one with absolute control over her entire body–even when that body is wearing plaid pedal pushers underwater. Give Megan an Emmy!
Debra Messing
While Karen undulates in the watery deathtrap, Grace panics. This right here is where all those Lucille Ball comparisons come into play. Ball was, of course, known for her confident comedic performances, usually executed in ludicrous situations. Ball’s strength was humanizing those moments with her cartoonishly incredulous actions. These elaborately choreographed events were happening to her and Ball reacted like it was all new to her every single time. That’s what Messing does in this episode, as you see in the photo above. She goes for it, finding relatable humanity in every panicked glance and angry stare (like when she finds out what Karen’s safe word is). Messing’s performance totally balances out Mullally’s, making this ridiculous scene instantly iconic. Give Debra an Emmy!
Sean Hayes
Physical comedy is a completely different skill set, and it’s one that seems to have taken a backseat in recent years as multi-cam comedies (a format built to showcase comedic physicality) faded in popularity. Sean Hayes’ performance in this one episode not only proves that multi-cam works, it proves that physical comedy is art. Obsessed with recapturing his youthful vigor after being called “a daddy” by a young gay, Jack covers himself in Spanx and magnets. What follows is truly masterful as Hayes waddles, leans, and careens through a doomed date night. Hayes commits to every thrust, every goofy lunge, pulling off moves that look like they would absolutely wreck him if he missed his mark. You never see Hayes sweat, though, because to sweat would mess up the age-defying makeup he’s beat his face with. Give Sean an Emmy!
With this one episode, Hayes (and the rest of the cast) prove themselves to once again be award season front-runners. These performers have only gotten more fabulous and fearless with age. Give them all the Emmys.
