"Dolls and Dolls" is the twenty-first episode of the fifth season of the American television series Will & Grace. It was written by Kari Lizer and directed by series producer James Burrows. The episode originally aired on NBC in the United States on April 24, 2003. Singer Madonna guest starred in "Dolls and Dolls".
In the episode, Karen (Megan Mullally) is prompted to meet "real people", and finds a peculiar office worker named Liz (Madonna), and becomes her roommate. Meanwhile, when Will (Eric McCormack) sprains his ankle, he develops a habit of taking too many painkillers, and his drastic personality change prompts a concerned Grace (Debra Messing) and Jack (Sean Hayes) to intervene and interfere.
"Dolls and Dolls" received mixed reviews from television critics. According to the Nielsen ratings system, the episode was watched by 17.7 million households during its original broadcast, and received a 9.3 rating/23 share among viewers in the 18–49 demographic.
Plot
Following her divorce, Karen (Megan Mullally) decides that she would like to spend time with "real people" and after seeing a roommate needed ad, she decides to be someone's roommate. She visits Liz (Madonna), a peculiar office worker and the individual who put up the ad. At meeting Liz, Karen becomes intrigued and decides to be her roommate. The two go to a bar, in search for men. While there, Karen and Liz discover they both like the same man, which prompts the two to fight over him. As a result, they are no longer welcomed back to the bar. The two go home with Liz no longer wanting to be roommates with Karen. Karen tries to change Liz's mind, but to no avail. Liz tells Karen to write a check to the landlord, Walker Property Management, for her side of the rent. Unbeknownst to Liz, Karen owns the apartment building, and decides she does not want Liz as a tenant in her building.
Meanwhile, when Will (Eric McCormack) sprains his ankle, he begins taking painkillers, as prescribed by his doctor, to relieve himself from the pain. His friends, Grace (Debra Messing) and Jack (Sean Hayes), begin seeing changes in Will's personality, including him not going to work, and not reacting to a messy apartment as he is compulsively obsessed with cleanliness. One day, he notices that his pill bottle has gone missing and is searching for them, not knowing that Grace and Jack have taken it. They will not give him the bottle back as they believe he has a problem. At the end, Will admits to his problem and promises his friends he will stop taking them.
Production
"Dolls and Dolls" was written by Kari Lizer and directed by series producer James Burrows. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on April 24, 2003. Will & Grace was one of several sitcoms to have a "super-sized" episode, which NBC employed as a sweeps stunt, and to initiate a mostly comedy lineup. Instead of the usual 30-minute episodes, "Dolls and Dolls" was increased to 40 minutes.
NBC Entertainment President Jeff Zucker announced at the annual Television Critics Association news tour in January 2003, that singer Madonna would be appearing in an episode of Will & Grace. On March 18, Madonna taped her appearance. While taping "Dolls and Dolls", Madonna recalled the first time she made her way on the set, the studio audience "cheered so hard" that she had to make her entrance all over again. "I had to wait too long to say my first line, so we had to do it over." Madonna's role in the show made it her episodic television series debut. In an interview with the entertainment news program Access Hollywood, the singer revealed that her manager gave her tapes of the show to watch. She liked the show and called it "hysterical" with "really good writing". She most enjoyed actress Megan Mullally's character Karen, and said she would do the show if her scenes were with her.
Executive producer Tim Kaiser told TV Guide that he sent Madonna arrangements of English roses with an invitation to make an appearance on the show, as he was informed that she did not own a television set, and had no idea what Will & Grace was until tapes of the show—with past guest stars—were sent to her. He noted that she agreed to do the appearance, as long as she did not have to play herself. Kaiser admitted that Madonna "had a few nerves" but was a real professional on set. In the episode, she played the character Liz, and according to Entertainment Weekly, a nod to her long-time publicist Liz Rosenberg.