The Unsinkable Mommy Adler is the 13th episode of the first season.
Grace prepares herself as her mother comes to New York. Jack learns from Karen that she might be pregnant.
Synopsis[]
Grace starts mentally preparing herself after her mother Bobbi leaves a message saying she will be in town to visit. She tells Will that her mother is highly critical of everything about her, especially concerning her life being wasted living with a gay guy. During lunch however, her mother tells her that she actually likes the fact that she and Will are living together and hopes that someday they get married. They laugh about it but Will hits a nerve when he says even if he was straight he still wouldn't marry Grace.
Grace confronts Will during brunch asking why he wouldn't marry him if he were straight and he admits that she has the tendency to be the "flower" of the relationship who gets tended by the "gardener", implying that her relationships basically revolve around her and her needs. Grace becomes upset since it is one of the things she herself does not like about her mother and her relationship with other people.
Later at the apartment, Bobbi comforts her daughter by telling how much she and Grace's father love each other despite their seemingly difficult marriage. Bobbi says that whether they are the flower or the gardener, it works for the both of them and that Grace should embrace it.
Cast[]
Main[]
- Eric McCormack (Will Truman)
- Debra Messing (Grace Adler)
- Sean Hayes (Jack McFarland)
- Megan Mullally (Karen Walker)
Guest[]
- Debbie Reynolds (Bobbi Adler)
- Scott Kelly Galbreath (Waiter)
Notes[]
- This is the first appearance of Bobbi Adler, Grace's mother. She would go on to appear in all eight seasons of the original series, and is the only recurring character to do so.
- The title of the episode is a reference to the musical film The Unsinkable Molly Brown where Reynolds was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress in 1964.
Cultural references[]
- Jack insults Will's figure again when he refers to him as Jabba the Hutt, the enormous slug-like antagonist from Star Wars.
- Jack thinks The Robot from the series Lost in Space is gay, as well as Star Wars' C-3PO who he even implies is in love with R2-D2, another robot.
- As soon as Will opens the door for Bobbi, she sings "Everything's Coming Up Roses" from the musical Gypsy.
- Bobbi and Karen sing "Good Morning" from the musical film Singin' in the Rain (1952) where Debbie Reynolds had her breakout role.
- While playing poker, Bobbi imitates comedian and sex symbol Mae West by quoting her on She Done Him Wrong (1933).
- After Jack mimes Karen taking the pregnancy test, she angrily calls him Mummenschanz, after the Swiss mask theater group.
- Grace says that he would marry Will if she was a gay man living in Amsterdam, who at the time was in the final stages of legalizing same-sex marriages; or Ancient Greece where sexual orientation was not a social issue.
- Bobbi asks Karen if she found herself "in a family way", which is a euphemism for being pregnant.
Media[]
Quotes[]
| Grace: | What movie did you get? |
| Jack: | Star Wars. |
| Will: | Oh, again? |
| Grace: | Jack, I'm dreaming of Jabba the Hutt! |
| Jack: | That's 'cause you live with him! |
Mother shields up. Judgment deflector activated. Fire away. — Grace, preparing for her mother
| Grace: | She's gonna say that I'm ruining my life, that I'm never gonna meet anyone because I'm living with a gay guy. |
| Will: | A gay guy? Is he cute? |
| Grace: | Not at the moment. |
Let's go shopping. We'll spend your dowry. Might as well put it to some use. — Bobbi, to Grace
Honey, just tell me what you want me to criticize, and I'll do it. I want you to be happy. — Bobbi
Ok, boys, last card. Dull and dirty. And feel free to come down and get me dirty sometime. — Bobbi, imitating Mae West
| Bobbi: | Honey, have you found yourself in a family way? |
| Karen: | Oh, no, no, no. But I think I might be pregnant. |
Can't you just hear it? "Will, you may now kiss the beard." — Karen, on Will and Grace getting married
I think it's a wonderful idea. She'll make such a beautiful bride. Grace, you'll look pretty, too. — Jack, on Will and Grace getting married
I'm not eating, my mother's having the snapper, and why the hell wouldn't you marry me? — Grace
You're just not my type of woman. Ok? I prefer...someone taller. And, uh, with a hairy chest. Ha! — Will, to Grace
| Grace: | You always need to be the center of attention. In a restaurant, in your marriage. You always have to be the star. |
| Bobbi: | God cast me in the role. |
| Grace: | Do not call me a flower. I am not a flower. I am a gardener, damn it. I do plenty of hoeing! |
| Bobbi: | That's just what a mother likes to hear. |
I do not have to sit here and be criticized and insulted by my best friend. That is why my mother is in town. — Grace