Will and Grace 11×18 Review: ‘It’s Time’ to Say Goodbye Again!

Fans of the long-running queer comedy show Will and Grace had to say goodbye to the series once again with this week’s episode. In my opinion, ‘It’s Time’ gave a suitable ending to the entire cast while keeping things open enough for them to return someday.

The original series finale for Will and Grace aired all the way back in May of 2006 as the show came to an end during season eight. Years later, it was revived by NBC and the ninth season debuted in September of 2017. Of course, the revival retconned the finale that fans saw in 2006.

For those who don’t know, the season eight finale had Will (Eric McCormack) and Grace (Debra Messing) not speaking to each other for years only to come back together after their kids (Will’s son and Grace’s daughter) met in college. In a sense, now looking back at it, seeing the two keep apart for so long didn’t make sense.

The latest finale gave us a series conclusion that did feel in-character for the titular duo. Regardless of the amount of drama they continue to face, Will and Grace are always supposed to stay together. And that’s what the current finale showed. Even if they did end up finding romantic partners down the line, those two (along with Jack and Karen) will always remain a family.

I have to say that during the episodes before the finale, I thought concluding this series without at least one of them having a potential significant other in their life would be sad. Now, I’m not saying you can’t have or raise kids on your own. My point in that Grace and Will have always been shown as characters who want to settle down with someone. They want romantic partners to share their lives with.

That’s why I was happy when ‘It’s Time’ allowed McCoy Whitman (Matt Bomer) to come back to Will. Even Karen (Megan Mullally) got back with Stan. Grace knew she would find someone, too. Jack’s (Sean Hayes) already married. So, it was a happy ending for everyone.

Regardless of you being a fan of this show, the fact it broke countless walls when it came to queer representation in media can’t be denied. Yes, it has been blamed for creating a stereotypical blueprint for how queer characters were handled back in the day. Queer men in media could either be like Will or like Jack. But the good this show did shouldn’t be ignored. It paved the way for more queer content. And that’s why Will and Grace deserves a lot of respect.

I do think the current revival could have gone on for another season or two, but, then again, it’s always good to conclude a show while the ratings are respectable instead of unnecessarily dragging the story. 

Anyway, while I’m sad to (again) say goodbye to this show, I’m glad it came back for another outing and succeeded in making the original characters work in a modern setting.

As as I mentioned, ‘It’s Time’ concluded in a manner that kept the door open for another revival. I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t mind seeing Will, Grace, Karen, and Jack trying to raise children.

What did you think of the finale? Let us know.

Author: Farid-ul-Haq

Farid has a Double Masters in Psychology and Biotechnology as well as an M.Phil in Molecular Genetics. He is the author of numerous books including Missing in Somerville, and The Game Master of Somerville. He gives us insight into comics, books, TV shows, anime/manga, video games, and movies.

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