The Charge

Grace: "You know, the old Grace would have done this…"
[Grace smacks her hand onto Jack's forehead.]
Grace: "But now, I just have this new serenity thanks to Mr. Kabbalah."
Will: "He's not a person! He's not like Mr. Peanut."
Jack: "Uh, Mr. Peanut is not a person, Will."
Karen: "He's a legume."

The Case

For a while now, Lionsgate has been putting out the NBC hit Will & Grace in truncated versions with the episodes cut for time, and it's been making the fans of the series a bit angry. So immediately I noticed one of the most important aspects of this release: Will and Grace: Season Seven contains the entire episodes, and not the syndicated versions. Right up front I wanted to let people know this is the best set released so far, but it's too bad they had to wait until near the end to get it right. A lot of people claim the penultimate season of Will and Grace was funny but not the best year for the show. Don't worry, the gags worked great, but the plots didn't move too quickly or in many significant directions. The series had well established characters, and there wasn't too much to do with them since we knew them intimately enough for them to even describe themselves in shorthand on the show. The major plot points include Grace coming to terms with her failed marriage to Leo, Will and Vince working their way through relationship obstacles, Jack getting a job at a gay network, and Karen being confronted by her past. Guest stars include Jennifer Lopez, Edward Burns, Janet Jackson, Molly Shannon, Kristin Davis, Victor Garber, Jeff Goldblum, Lily Tomlin, Luke Perry, Sharon Stone, Alec Baldwin, and Seth Green. Season seven ran from 2004 until 2005, and included the following 24 episodes:

• "FYI: I Hurt, Too"
Karen tries to get guest star Jennifer Lopez to listen to a song she wrote. Grace deals with the news that Leo has cheated on her.

• "Back Up Dancer"
Jack auditions as a backup dancer for guest star Janet Jackson. Will is torn between going out with Vince and staying in to console Grace.

• "One Gay at A Time"
Grace attends AA meetings for the free food and therapy. Will and Jack attend a gay television focus group.

• "Company"
Will and Grace invite a new neighbor for dinner. Jack's new co-workers mock him because of his Cher doll.

• "Key Party"
Grace assists Vince in choosing what to get Will for his birthday. Karen is depressed because it would have been Stan's birthday.

• "The Newlydreads"
Will and Jack save a local bookstore from going bankrupt. Karen takes over a design job that Grace cannot do.

• "Will & Grace & Vince & Nadine"
Will and Grace invite Vince and his best friend, Nadine, over for dinner. Jack hires Karen to be his new assistant.

• "Saving Grace, Again (1)"
Grace is fixating on what would have been her anniversary with Leo, so Will sets her up on a date. Jack and Karen try to find dates for each other.

• "Saving Grace, Again (2)"
Will takes Grace to the Berkshires to get her mind off of Leo. Jack finds a new face for Out TV.

• "Queens for a Day"
Will tries to make the perfect Thanksgiving dinner to impress Vince's mother. (Fans seem to have voted "Queens for A Day" as the funniest of the season.)

• "Christmas Break"
Grace accidentally breaks Will's mother's prized doll. Jack takes care of Karen's stepdaughter, Olivia.

• "Board Games"
A rival of Karen's tries to become president of Walker, Inc. Jack and Grace discover that Vince has been fired from the police force.

• "Partners"
While Will tries to please his boss in hopes of making partner, Grace is set up with the hostess's husband. Rosario falls ill, but Karen does not believe her.

• "Bully Woolley"
Grace takes on Scott Woolley as a client. Jack takes Will out to get his mind off of Vince.

• "Dance Cards & Greeting Cards"
Grace falls for a greeting card writer. Scott Woolley tries to win Karen's heart. Will and Jack enjoy a night out dancing.

• "The Birds & The Bees"
Grace enlists Will's help in making sure she doesn't go too far on her first date with Nick. Karen tries to set Jack up with a neighborhood bird enthusiast.

• "The Fabulous Baker Boy"
Will falls for Karen's Pastry Chef. Grace tries to get Nick's scriptwriting career started by presenting a piece to Jack.

• "Sour Balls"
Jack convinces Will to buy a vacation home in Middleborough. Ellen asks Grace to baby-sit her three children.

• "The Blonde Leading the Blind"
Will becomes jealous of the relationship between Grace and his therapist. Karen gets glasses.

• "It's a Dad, Dad, Dad, Dad World"
Grace struggles for the attention of her father. Jack sets Will up with a blind man.

• "From Queer to Eternity"
Will helps Grace write her will. Will decides to make a career move. Jack and Karen find out that somebody else is teaching Jack's acting method.

• "Friends with Benefits (1)"
Will turns to a career in writing. Grace agrees to do a design job for an old flame. Jack struggles with his newest TV show. Karen is forced to apologize to Beverly Leslie.

• "Kiss and Tell (2)"
Will becomes suspicious of his new job. Grace decides not to do Tom's hotel. Jack is promoted to host of his own talk show, but must share the spotlight with Karen.

There are four DVDs housed in a cardboard fold-out gate. The picture is pretty clear with only a few cases of edge enhancement to note. Otherwise it's all clean and crisp with nice vivid colors. The stereo sound is fine even though it has little separation and sounds a touch flat. Extras include what is labeled "themed featurettes" which really is just another name for a montage of quotable lines. They just show moment after moment of lines centering around the following: "Fashion Quips," "Food for Thought," "For Love or Money," "Hugs & Kisses," "Rank & File," "Enter Stage Left," "Everybody Dance," "Pop Goes the Culture," "9 to 5ish," "The Little Voice in My Head," "The Sounds of Comedy," "Out & About," "Let's Get Physical," "A Rose by Any Other Name," "My Breast Friend," and "With a Song in Our Hearts." Also included is a gag reel for season seven, which is always a good time.

Will and Grace: Season Seven is a great batch of episodes presented in their full versions for the first time on DVD. The extras are light, but they mirror what we've seen in other seasons. I wish they could have gotten the cast together for some commentaries or interviews, but since the series concluded, there's little hope for that happening for a while. I guess I'm just glad for Will and Grace sticking around for as long as it did. Eight years is a nice run, and these DVD sets are a great way to revisit the groundbreaking show.

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