You Are Never too Old

Gabriella Piagari
Nov 4 · 2 min read

We all know the cliche “grandma character” or the older woman in a tv show or movie. They’re always hard of hearing, single, and have numerous cats wandering the floors of their dark and dusty house. Will and Grace goes against this portrayal of older women not always being lonely and cranky, but are just as social and fun as everyone else.

Grace is an upper middle class woman who lives in an apartment with her friend Will. She begins the episode talking about her trip from Europe and just how great it is to not have to worry about someone else and start making life about herself. She even talks about the “good dirty fun” she had over in Europe. This shows that Grace likes to travel and get out. This enforces she likes to be social and not spend her days being cooped up in a house. The bright clothing Grace likes to wear also sends the message that she likes to dress up and go out. She then shows a nasty big bite and Will says,“You should get that checked out.”

Later in the episode after the doctors appointment we see Grace crying on the train where a random lady asks if she’s ok; the big reveal comes when Grace cries,“I’m pregnant!” The lady says, “but aren’t you a little old?” And grace replies, “Yes, the doctor said it was a fricken miracle!” While this is the main joke of the show a deeper meaning can be observed. This shows older women that they can be anything they want. Nobody expected Grace to become a mother, but here we are. It is showing others to break out of a mold that has been an ongoing joke for decades.

The random lady from the subway begins trying to comfort Grace. Grace isn’t ready in the slightest to have a child and that she’s too old. The lady then says she herself has four kids and Grace will figure it out. This sends the message of life being unexpected and you’ll have to adapt to it. Grace decides she’ll have the child and comes out mentally stronger. Actually excited even.

We as the audience are taken out of the cave with Grace becoming a stronger, independent woman who, even going through a geriatric pregnancy, shows that age doesn’t matter. Anyone of any age should be free to do what they want and not let a number hold you back. As long as you are healthy older women let society swallow them whole and force them to feel age makes them less beautiful or less capable of performing life.