Will & Grace · Season 6, Episode 19 · “No Sex 'n the City”
Episode written by Steve Gabriel.
Classic Sitcom Scene Reversals
Wherein—a character insists on one worldview, then at the drop of a hat…reveals his or her adherence to another.
Another reversal: Will & Grace — Big Brother ↗
Will & Grace: Jack, Karen, and Bebe
INT. Coffee Shop – Day
Jack and Karen laugh maniacally.
JACK: Oh, boy, Karen: that was great. Who needs TV when you can have life experiences like that.
KAREN: Right?
JACK: OK, my turn. So, I went to a delicatessen—
KAREN: A delica-what?
JACK: A delicatessen. And after I placed my order, I had realized I had forgotten to say, ‘All white meat turkey.’”
KAREN: Uh-oh!
JACK: Yeah. You know what he said?
KAREN: No—but I bet it’s going to tickle and inform me!
JACK: I went back to the guy and said, “Could you make that all white turkey?”
JACK: He said, “…Sure!”
KAREN: That’s it? That’s your life experience?
JACK: Well, it was a lot better than yours: Rosario’s brother is a political prisoner? BORING!
KAREN: Yours was boring—at least mine was topical.
JACK: Mine had two characters and a twist!
KAREN: What was the twist?
JACK: He said, “Sure!”
KAREN: Jackie, let’s face it: without our shows…we’re nothing.
JACK: I know. It’s so sad. We’ll never be happy again.
KAREN: No…
BEBE NEUWIRTH comes in.
BEBE: Excuse me: did I leave a cell phone here?
JACK and KAREN: Lilliiiiiiiith! We love you Lilith.
BEBE: Thank you, thank you. It’s Bebe.
KAREN: God love ya’, Lilith. You’re so dryyyyy. Your unemotional monotone provides a much-needed balance to Frasier’s neurotic histrionics.
JACK: Plus, you’ve got the body of a 14-year-old Korean gymnast!
BEBE: I get that a lot. Well, it’s always nice to meet fans—especially in a public place with lots of witnesses and clearly-marked exits.
Jack and Karen grab one of Bebe’s arms each.
JACK and KAREN: So, sit down.
JACK: Now, we’ve stood by your show for ten years—
BEBE: …But Frasier’s been on
KAREN: We didn’t care for Season 8.
JACK: How could you end it like this. How could you just walk out on us without an explanation?
BEBE: Ok, you two really need to let you.
KAREN: But we can’t.
BEBE: No. I mean let go. You’re hurting me.
JACK: But how?
BEBE: Look: just move on, OK? I have. There’s more to me than Lilith.
JACK: We’ve never seen it.
KAREN: Come on—talk like Lilith. We hate your real voice.
BEBE: Well, I will if you will! Look, man, you guys are freaks, man. I’m not Lilith—I’m Bebe. I’m an actress. I sing. I’m a Broadway dancer. Look at these pins! You know any 40-year-olds who can wrap their legs around their neck? These babies worked for me before Frasier, they’re going to work for me after. So don’t you were about Lilith.
KAREN: You mean, ‘Bebe.’
BEBE: No, I mean, ‘Lilith’—I want to play that bitch forever.
KAREN: You do?
BEBE: Well…yeah…
JACK: What about your pins.
BEBE: Oh, screw my pins. Frasier is such an easy gig, man. They fly you first-class to Los Angeles, put you up in the Bel Air hotel—per diem, I deliver several lines in a robotic monotone…and I’m buying a new Lexus!
Karen and Jack jump up and down, clapping and cheering.
Will & Grace: Grace and Tom — “Call Me / Don't Call Me”
Another turn in an instant: Grace and Tom reverse course in the same conversation.