Whose Mom Is It, Anyway?

Whose Mom is it Anyway? is the 4th episode of the second season and 26th overall.

Grace is antsy knowing that her mother is visiting to set her up again in another blind date. Rosario and Jack prepare for a meeting with the INS about the legitimacy of their marriage.

Synopsis[]

I remember it well[]

Gettyimages-141191320-612x612-0 — "You know you shouldn't look, but there is a certain morbid fascination, isn't there?"

Karen is worried about Jack and Rosario's meeting with the INS about the legitimacy of their marriage. As they prepare by getting to know more intimate details about each other, Jack finds out that the INS agent who will be interviewing them is a gay man whom he previously had a fling with, meaning their green card marriage will cause Rosario's deportation back to El Salvador.

In a desperate attempt to clear the situation, Jack professes his love for Rosario in front of the INS agent and kisses her passionately. The INS agent, disgusted by the display, deems the couple "desperate to be an American" and lets them go.

The whack, the bang, and the wiggle-wiggle-waggle[]

Grace's mother Bobbi leaves her a message that she will visit New York and will be bringing Andy Fellner, whom Grace went to camp with when they were young. Grace is annoyed that her mother is still trying to fix her up with guys who turn out to be unsuited for her.

While having lunch with Grace and Will, Bobbi admits that he brought Andy to set him up with Will instead, to Grace's amusement. Will then reluctantly agrees to go on the date but unexpectedly enjoys Andy's company. This triggers more of Grace's frustrations and she inadvertently blurts out that the reason she is acting crazy is because she fears her mother has given up on her love life.

Cast[]

Main[]

Guest[]

Debbie Reynolds (Bobbi Adler)
Shelley Morrison (Rosario Salazar)
Andy Comeau (Andy Fellner)
Peter Paige (Roger O'Neill)

Notes[]

The title is a reference to comedy improvisation show Whose Line Is It Anyway?.
It features the second appearance of Debbie Reynolds as Grace's mother Bobbi.
At the record store, Jack sings a line of Cher's signature hit Believe (1998) which was released the year before. He then listens to Britney Spears, who had recently made her debut earlier that year. Both singers eventually appear on the show.
Though the INS agent Roger is credited with a full name, his name is never mentioned.

Cultural References[]

Jack's poetic exchange with Roger is a play on the duet "I Remember It Well" from the musical Gigi.
Bobbi is mentioned to be playing Professor Carol Hill on the musical The Music Person, a gender-swapped version of Professor Harold Hill from The Music Man. It is also mentioned that she has played Millie Loman on Death of a Salesperson, after Willy Loman from the play Death of a Salesman.
When Bobbi asks what music do boys make out to, she references gay icon Judy Garland and mimics Garland's pose on the film A Star is Born (1954).
Andy describes the last guy he went out with as a "fixer-upper" and refers to him as "This Old Boyfriend". This is a reference to the long-running home improvement TV show This Old House.
When Grace first mentions her "master plan", Will refers to her as Simon Bar Sinister, the villain in the cartoon series Underdog.
Will quotes the Irving Berlin song Sisters when he yells, "God help the sister that comes between me and my mister!"
As Grace discusses her "master plan", Will asks: "what's your damage, Heather?", a reference to the line popularized in the teen film Heathers (1988).

Media[]

Quotes[]

You know what they say: once you go yak, you never go back. — Will

Grace...I'm sorry your mother causes you so much pain and embarrassment, but you've gotta look at it this way. It's incredibly entertaining for me. — Will

What are you lookin' at, sideburns? Never seen somebody with money and soap? — Karen

What do the boys make out to these days? Is it still Judy? — Bobbi Adler

Grace, go to bed. You've obviously had a very busy day of crazy. — Will

This isn't about you. This is about me. And if you have a problem with that, then it's something you should take up with your pharmacist. — Will

How could you not know he worked for the I.N.S.? Don't they teach you anything in homo school? — Karen

Let's stop pretending. I've gotten farther with your husband than you have. — Roger

Bobbi:	Grace you told me to stop interfering in your life, so I stopped.
Grace:	Mom, I've been saying that ever since you snuck falsies into my band uniform. What's different now?
Bobbi:	I listened.
Grace:	You're a mother. You're not supposed to listen.

The gays are so much easier. — Bobbi, setting up dates

You two feel something when you hug? Anything? Because, Will, if you did, it would make my life so much easier. — Bobbi, to Will and Grace

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