Last night was the series finale of Will and Grace. I have to admit, that I was a fan of the show, but not so much that I actually watched it regularly. Many times, the show down right infuriated me for one reason or another; Will’s inability/unwillingness to find a boyfriend, Jack’s incessant overly effemininite nature, too many guest stars detracting away from the comedy pairings of the 4 main characters, etc., but I always liked the show, and always ended up watching it. And last night, I have to say, when I sat down to watch the final episode, I was a little bit sad. Sad, mainly because this is one of the first shows I ever saw that even had a glimmer of semblance to someone like me on TV. A gay man as the main character. Groundbreaking, yes, but at the same time, not really. There have been gay characters on TV for years, but what makes this show so special, is that it shows us as just normal people that go on with our lives. It shows Will’s struggle to find happiness amongst all of the chaos in his life, and shows him through what we all want, gay, straight, or whatever in life; to make friends, have relationships with people, be happy, and hopefully find someone that we love that will love us back. Additionally, it offered us his journey in a humorous medium with fantastic characters, and portrayed real bonds between people. Grace is like my ideal example of someone I would be friends with (I even have a Grace), and if I could find her, I would seriously want Karen Walker to become a close friend of mine. To me, this is what was groundbreaking, the fact that these people just were who they were living life, and that Will and Jack just happened to be gay and funny; yes, too gay at times, but what are you going to do… it’s comedy.
With that being said, last night’s episode tried to wrap up the entire series in one hour, which, unlike some shows, where they end with the people just riding off into the sunset or whatever, Will and Grace took us until the end. It showed us what happened with Will and Grace, Jack and Karen, and a couple of other regular characters over the next 20 or so years. And the thing I think that got me the most, and that really threw me while I was watching the finale, was that Will and Grace somehow lost touch, and drifted apart; only to come back together in the end. And you know what, that really got me thinking, it is interesting how people that you know so well, and feel so close to, can drift out of your life almost overnight. At least they were able to come back together in the end, but that final scene, when they all met up in the bar for a drink, it was hard to see people that had spent so much time together, and cared so much about each other, only just then reconnecting after several years apart. It was hard to realize that this is what happens with life, that things change, and that people change, and that sometimes, it works out and sometimes it doesn’t. I know that I am glad that it ended well, with Will and Grace back together, but it was interestingly bittersweet for me, since they had lost touch for almost a lifetime in between. Life imitated for you can truly be accurate sometimes, and it can be hard to watch. I will miss Will and Grace, and I am glad they ended how they did. Hopefully something as good as Will and Grace, or better, will come along to take its place.
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