hollywood
by tim parks
BOWING OUT WITH
GRACE AND FRANKIE S
ince 2015, audiences have been treated to the antics of former rivals Grace Hanson (Jane Fonda) and Frankie Bergstein (Lily Tomlin) on Netflix’s Grace and Frankie, who become unlikely BFFs upon discovering that their husbands Robert and Sol (Martin Sheen and Sam Waterson) have been carrying on with a decades-long affair. To say they were shook by the magnitude of the revelation would be an understatement, as the seismic shift of their lives hit 10.0 on the Richter scale. But as the dust begins to settle, the two become reliant on each other, with the basis for the laughs on the show being that opposites attract. Along for the ride are their offspring, Frankie’s two sons Coyote and Nwabudike “Bud” (Ethan Embry and Baron Vaughn) and Grace’s daughters Mallory and the delightfully caustic Brianna (Brooklyn Decker and June Diane Raphael). The treasured Netflix show will conclude its broadcast day, the sun setting on two characters in their sunset years. But, as the saying goes, “All good things must come to an end.” So, here’s a look at what these characters leave behind and what’s to come for Grace and Frankie.
THE LAST LAUGH The road to giving audiences one last go for the duo was a series of starts and delays, beginning with COVID-19 production delays on filming halted due to the ’Rona, not once, but twice in the year we’d all rather forget. Hint: It begins with a 20 and ends with a 20. Fonda told The Today Show that it was a necessary safety measure, as “all of the leads are older, so they have taken extra precautions.” She added that “I love Lily. When I don’t
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see her on a regular basis, I need a fix.” Amen, sister! But then Netflix announced that the first four episodes would drop in June of last year to chronicle the further misadventures of the modern-day Lucy and Ethel — yeah, I said that! Whatcha gonna do about it? — with the final 12 episodes to air at an unspecified future date, later revealed to drop on the streamer on April 29. The inaugural swan song episodes involved the titular characters becoming roomies with their exes, after their latest invention, the Rise Up toilet, floods their home and the pair attempts to reconnect physically, nudge, wink. Not only that, but the ladies must also contend with hiding a stash of ill-gotten cash that Grace’s new husband Nick (Peter Gallagher) is hiding from the Feds that they discovered hidden in a couch. Frankie and scam queen Joan-Margaret (Millicent Martin) concoct a plan to launder the money before you can say stone-cold busted — and why wouldn’t you really? Grace and Frankie continue to live together, after the former tries to figure out her marriage to the jailbird husband. All the episodes illustrate why this smart, sharp, hilarious and heartfelt series will be sorely missed. As for what will transpire next, the plot points, and even episode names, for the remaining Season 7 episodes are being kept so secret that even a seasoned entertainment reporter is stymied as to what will transpire. I’d wager a bet that even Nancy Drew or Angela Lansbury would find it a difficult nut to bust. I mean to crack. Thankfully, Netflix dropped a trailer that gives a bit of clarity to the goings-on. Well, kinda. Actually, not really, except that it shines
