Since 2015, Grace and Frankie has been making viewers of all ages laugh and nod their heads in agreement as it touches base on the ups and downs of aging as a parent. While the show originally focused on the fact that Grace and Frankie’s husbands left them for each other, it has now transpired into a powerful display of independence and community.
Actresses Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin do a phenomenal job of showing the side of aging that no one talks about. What happens when you mentally feel like you’re 20 but physically you’re breaking down? The show integrates their children’s concerns and the trickle effect of life as they know it. And while the show is going on its sixth season, there are hundreds of iconic quotes from Grace and Frankie but today we’re looking at 10 powerful ones about aging.
“AT MY AGE, THERE’S ONLY ONE SPEED: BREAKNECK”
In the first season in an episode called “The Secrets,” we see the aftermath of an earthquake. Frankie is finally calming down and Grace is thinking back to the moment she kissed one of Frankie’s students.
Nevertheless, on a busy day with things to do, Grace can only do so many things at once and at her age, there’s only one speed “breakneck.” Per Grace, the scary part about her speed is that breaking her neck and other bones is a real possibility for her.
“DO YOU KNOW WHAT MOST WOMEN AT OUR AGE ARE DEALING WITH?”
When both women are going through their divorces and are realizing they may want to start dating, Frankie already has a love connection with her farmer and Brianna sets her mom up on a dating app. Grace is petrified of a dating app because she hasn’t gone on a first date in decades.
What are men in their 60’s and 70’s looking for anyway? Looking at Frankie, Grace says “Do you know what most women at our age are dealing with besides sagging breasts and chin hairs? Men who date younger women who don’t have sagging breasts and chin hairs.”
“I GAINED ANOTHER POUND TODAY, BUT I THINK IT’S A POUND OF KNOWLEDGE”
Viewers love that Frankie takes a few minutes out of her day to record her thoughts on her phone. Instead of always writing in a journal or diary, she records herself on her phone as a way to get things off her chest; as if she’s in a therapy session.
In one particular vlog, Frankie expresses that she gained a pound but she believes it’s a “pound of knowledge.” Considering many women are so hard on themselves when it comes to weight gain, this was a really uplifting (and humorous) way of thinking about it.
“DID YOU KNOW THAT 84% OF POST-MENOPAUSAL WOMEN FIND SEX PAINFUL?”
The wonderful thing about Grace and Frankie is how much it educates younger viewers on the hardships and concerns of people their parents or grandparents age. It’s a reminder that aging can be difficult and you’re treated almost like you don’t exist anymore just because you’re a couple of years older.
The same thing goes for intimacy. Just because Grace and Frankie are in their late 60’s and early 70’s doesn’t mean they’re not sexual beings with needs. Educating their children (and each other) about the downfalls of aging and sexuality is an important thing to remember.
“YOU KNOW WHAT I REALLY NEED? A PAIR OF GOOD, STRONG ARMS TO HELP ME OUT OF THE TUB”
Speaking of tubs, in the fourth season Grace and Frankie’s tub caused a water-leak, which started an entire lifestyle change between the two women and their children. With their walls gutted, a rodent problem, and nowhere to live for a few weeks, their kids figured the best place to be is a retirement home.
But in reality, Grace and Frankie felt perfectly fine in their home. Once their tub (and the pipes and the walls) got fixed, all they need help with is getting out of the tub (preferable by a handsome man).
“WHAT ABOUT DRYNESS, ARE YOU WORRIED ABOUT THAT?”
Around the time Grace had her first sexual encounter with Guy, she was a box of nerves. This was the first man she was going to sleep with after her husband. Frankie didn’t help Grace’s nerves after she reminded her about dryness. “And as our bodies age, [we] stop producing its natural lubricants," she reminded Grace.
Grace panics but Frankie has her covered with natural lubricant she makes from yams. It’s not known whether or not Grace used the product with Guy but it was in this scene that Frankie was on to something.
“I’M AN AMETERU SLEUTH WITH LIMITED SELF-CONTROL AND COMPUTER”
Grace is more business- and tech-savvy than Frankie but Frankie sure does try. Remember when she downloaded Twitter and was on the phone with technical support for hours? Grace and Frankie does a great job of showing the pet-peeves of the older generation and technology.
Whether it’s Frankie forgetting her phone charger and not knowing how to use Google Maps or Grace not understanding social media, it’s one of those things that reminds younger generations to help and be more sympathetic to those using technology for the first time.
“WHEN THEY FREAK OUT, WE GET PANIC ALERTS”
Grace and Frankie went through a lot in the later seasons of the show. Now that both women are independent, not married, and have been through new relationships, they’re falling in love with a new life.
But when they hit a few speedbumps and their kids thought it was best for them to move into a home, Grace and Frankie folded and convinced themselves their kids were right. But just because life threw Grace and Frankie a few lemons doesn’t mean they had to give up their rights; their freedoms.
“YOU DON’T WANT ME TO BE ALONE WITH FAITH?”
It’s always hard to see Frankie going through a hard time because she’s typically so upbeat and positive. But in the 12th episode of the fourth season, we see her take her new granddaughter, Faith, on a joy ride. She followed her favorite ice cream truck for a few blocks before realizing she didn’t know where she was.
Faith was fine in the backseat but when Frankie found out she was at the Mexican border, she knew she was in trouble. Once Bud found out about her almost taking his new daughter to Mexico because she was lost, he told his mother she wasn’t allowed to be alone with his daughter anymore, fearing for both their safety. This was a hard scene to watch because it’s something that can happen to anyone as they get older.
“THIS ISN’T A CANE, IT’S A WEAPON”
In “The Fall,” we see Grace fall in a frozen yogurt shop and break her hip. Breaking a hip is a very real (and very sad) reality for many people who are a little older. Now that she walks with a can when her hip bothers her, her kids used that fact against her when they thought it was time she went to a nursing home.
Grace didn’t see her cane as a crutch, she saw it as a weapon! And that’s something anyone who feels uneasy about their additional help should always remember and giggle over.
