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Will&Grace&Lucy: A Close Look at Intertextuality at Odds with Representing Homosexuality — The American Sitcom Main Menu Will&Grace&Lucy A Close Look at Intertextuality at Odds with Representing Homosexuality — The American Sitcom Table of Contents Introduction: More Intertextual than Political An introduction to the themes and arguments of the book: separating the show from political views. Chapter One - Lucy and Grace I Love Lucy intertextually informs the watching/reading of Will and Grace. Chapter Two - Self-intertextualization Infantilization vs. Stereotyping If Grace and Lucy are infantilized, Ricky and Will are stereotyped. An Intertextual Reminder Explicit vs. Implied Intertextuality

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Looking at the Parental Role Family affairs are staple in sitcoms. In shows where actual children aren’t involved, they still discuss and play out relationships with parents and siblings through holiday episodes and others. Looking at how characters are positioned in parental roles could actually be a good way to test how well the show has transitioned into homonormative storytelling.

Karen is the only character established as a parent early on in the show. Will and Grace have no children up until the original finale which was nullified in the renewed version. Finally, Jack has a son named Elliot who is a product of Jack’s sperm donation.

In the earliest episodes, it is Will and Grace who are positioned as parents. Will’s biggest client has dropped the kids off for Halloween no less in “Boo Humbug!” and the titular characters are especially anti-halloween this year. They just want to stay in and watch film. Meanwhile, Jack and Karen are going downtown to get their freak on (Karen has made an excuse to miss Halloween with her family). One of the kids throws up and the scene eventually looks like the classic nagging wife, crying child, upset husband intertextual bull excrement audiences know and eat up. This was the first episode not written by creators Kohan and Mutchnick.

Will, a gay man, is put in the Dad position and Grace in mom, the general heteronormative story audiences know and eat up.

In the new seasons, however, Jack’s relationship with, not his son, but his effeminate grandson Skip is a very developed storyline as opposed to a general nod at the American Disneyland Family. Skip is gay (or going to be) and this is made clear in one episode where he chooses to sing “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best friend” (Marilynn Monroe) to sing at church. Jack and Will go down to Texas (where Skip lives) to support his grandson. The conflict is that Jack does not want the Texans to make fun of his grandson.

As Jack decides after Skip does amazing and the crowd cheers, “It turns out Texas isn’t homophobic, I was just Texas-phobic.” Now it is clear that this quote is also pretty one-note. However, the fact that the show addresses the possibility that Will might be sick, is a slight win. The story line with skip is homonormative because it involves gay characters dealing with the ways that they know how.
The episode is cathartic for Will as well. His parents didn't let him go to the talent show as Freddie Mercury so he encourages Jack to support his grandson. We see psuedo same-sex co-parenting happening on TV, which is not impressive on its own, but moreso when you look at the shows intertextual roots.

The last line "can something be too gay?" just leaves a bad taste in your mouth, doesn't it? Will & Grace tends to soft paw around issues always taking a couple steps backward as soon as they move forward. Still, seeing Jack in the parent role was also meaningful to viewers.