Anatomy of a Kardashians Scene: The Debra Messing Counter-Shade
Unnecessary. But probably worth taking notes for your next subtweet.
The Kardashians’ much-hyped redux might not feel too different from its E! origins, but at least that means some of the comic appeal of the show has remained.
While trying on potential looks with stylist Danielle Levi for her upcoming Saturday Night Live hosting gig, Kim describes her doubts: “I’m the underdog; everyone thinks I’m a ditz.”
This, of course, is a classic KUWTK convention: the Campbellian monomyth, also known as the Hero’s Journey.
Kim feels anxious about a new challenge or impending event; she calls upon friends and family for support; then she builds new skills, leans in, and, by the end of the episode, succeeds.
This, however, isn’t any little Dancing with the Stars spot. It’s SNL. Not only are the professional stakes higher; so, too, are the narrative stakes. So Kim further illustrates her point by referencing a recent online detractor.
“The girl from Will and Grace came out and said that she has no idea why I’d be chosen as a host.”
Wait. Let’s break this one down.
1. Will and Grace, the beloved early aughts NBC show about the quirky friendship between a gay man and a straight woman? What a throwback!
2. Girl? Which girl? Sure, there had been some women on Will and Grace, but how many girls did we see on the sitcom?
3. From where, exactly, had this bold troll emerged to publicly question Kim’s adequacy?
Suddenly, a screenshot of a tweet appears (fulfilling another KUWTK convention: post-modern narrative uses of the social media forms we’re all familiar with).
Debra Messing had said the mean thing! Debra Messing?
…Debra Messing?
Debra Messing isn’t just some “girl from Will and Grace.” She was —literally —Grace.
Not only that – Messing has definitely done other projects since that show. In 2020, she appeared in a movie written and directed by John Stewart; plus, she’s made numerous cameos on Project Runway. She did, however, commit a considerable error: upholding the expired tradition of trying to gatekeep Kim Kardashian from any arena of media.