Will & Grace Season 2 (1999)
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Will & Grace Season 2 Review
The second season of Will & Grace is a solid improvement over the previous season with most of its 24 episodes being very strong.
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“Oh, Miss Karen, you love those shoes like your own husband.
Bite your tongue! Husbands come and go,
but the Chanel slingback is forever“
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Guess Who’s Not Coming to Dinner is more important than truly funny as it showcases Grace not being able to have fun without Will. Election is also quite forgettable as both of its storylines are admittedly weak. Das Boob is more fun in Grace’s storyline with fake boobs as Will being with Jack’s previous boyfriend ended in an anti-climactic way.
Whose Mom is it Anyway? is a terrific episode in both subplots. Jack trying to fool the IRS that he is straight so he can marry Rosario is such a great, funny part, but even better is Grace’s mother hooking Will up with a guy. The mother-daughter relationship is very well explored here and actually quite moving.
Polk Defeats Truman is a solid episode where the highlight is seeing Karen try to buy clothes in a cheaper store. To Serve and Disinfect makes fun of itself by basically stating that Grace’s subplot is so much better than Will’s. And yes, how can you top learning that Karen was once a porn star in dominatrix videos. Hilarious, and again true to her character.
Homo for the Holidays is a good episode, but not great. As well and as moving as it was, Jack’s mother not knowing about him was a bit too unrealistic. Terms of Employment is quite funny in Jack and Karen’s sexual escapades, thus proving how naughty this show can truly be at times.
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I Never Promised You An Olive Garden is very sweet in Jack giving advice to a gay kid while also being quite fun in Will and Grace’s drama with their boring friends who actually got a lot to do in this season. Tea and a Total Lack of Sympathy is solid and amusing in premise, but it falters in execution.
Seeds of Discontent is concerned again with Grace’s unhealthy obsession with Will for better and for worse. He’s Come Undone again explores how unhealthy their relationship is, but to much more amusing results. Rosario and Karen are also superb here.
Oh Dad, Poor Dad, He’s Kept Me in the Closet and I’m So Sad is everything its title suggests which is more dramatic than funny, but it works. Acting Out definitely ended in such a hilarious, perfect way whereas Advice and Consent is a dating episode which is solid, but far from hilarious. Hey La, Hey La, My Ex-Boyfriend’s Back is definitely very moving and cringy in Will thinking that he his ex wants him back, but he’s actually seeing someone else.
The Hospital Show is a missed opportunity. It sees Karen try to fool everyone as they are betting on whether or not she’s emotional over her husband’s hospital visit, but it never quite materialized into an inventive, hilarious situational comedy. Sweet and Sour Cherry is boring in the two protagonist’ subplot, but excellent in Karen’s story. The scene where she gives a lot of money to the poor woman is just so moving and powerful as the highlight of the entire show so far.
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An Affair to Forget is way too soapy for my own taste whereas Girls, Interrupted is a bit too silly and uneventful, but Jack being in a gay conversion group was a lot of fun. There But for the Grace of Grace is definitely solid, but repetitive. My Best Friend’s Tush is silly, but highly endearing. As for Ben? Her?, both parts are good and the cliffhanger is fantastic. It is a bit too silly a story, but it works as it was mostly very entertaining.
Overall, this season has its problems, but is mostly an improvement over the previous one thanks to a couple of terrific, hilarious episodes and better characterization.
Worst Episodes: An Affair to Forget, Guess Who’s Not Coming to Dinner and Election.
Best Episodes: Whose Mom is it Anyway?, He’s Come Undone and Sweet and Sour Cherry.
