Welcome back to Younger! I think it’s no secret to anyone that this episode is transitional. In fact, what is really important happens at the last minute. It isn’t my favorite of this wonderful series. In that last minute I shouted “finally, Liza!” Because what has happened is exactly what should have happened in the previous one, because it was clear how this was going to end. But let’s rehearse the whole episode. Here we go!
This episode has been directed towards that final minute in which Liza, finally, has realized that what is happening with Charles is not a game. What’s more, it was never a game. I’ll be honest, I rolled my eyes every time Liza and Charles went on screen and both appeared that everything was fine and that Charles’s actions were not sinking Millenial and that was not affecting Liza.
I will defend Charles at one point this time. The truth is that he was not doing anything he could not do now. That is, it has not gone to sink Millenial but it is competition, of course it will go for the big books, and more with everything that has been played to start his business. So it makes sense to fight for all of them with nails and teeth (don’t get me wrong, it’s very coincidental that Charles’s goals coincide with those of Millenial but that’s the fault of the writers because if that were not so, we would not have episode). That’s not the problem. Of course, what excuse is that everyone wins? Not at all, he wins, Kelsey doesn’t win, Millenial doesn’t win and, of course, Liza doesn’t win that is split in two.
The only one who wins is him. Of course, it is understandable and legitimate to fight tooth and nail for his new company but he can’t pretend to act as if he didn’t know what that means to Kelsey, Liza and Millenial. That is the definition of wanting to cover the sun with a finger. Charles is in mode: “ey, you are my family, also my competition, so I love you but even I’m going to put a blindfold on my eyes to avoid the damage that I’m doing to you”. Sorry but no. That is a decision not only tremendously naive but also cowardly; since Charles is willing to fight (as is legitimate) for what he wants but is not able to face the consequences of it.
In this sense there are no half measures, or keep fighting for what he wants, accepting its consequences or not. But he can’t have everything. He can’t pretend to win by losing others and above say – and think – that it doesn’t matter because others will be fine. They will not be and he knows it … but he prefers to close his eyes to it because he knows that it would be to face the pain of Kelsey and, above all, the serious problems he has with Liza, problems that, ultimately, can make him lose her. He doesn’t want to face that because it’s too painful … but it’s also real. The game that has been brought with Liza during the whole episode is not.
Liza is about the same point. In fact, I think she has been the problem this time. Charles was only acting like what he was: competition. He wasn’t doing anything wrong and she accepted that in the previous episode. Because that’s what she accepted. She didn’t put the points on the I’s and broke with him because of his lies. So she accepted all the actions of Charles that he would inevitably do as her competition and the consequences that would come with them.
It’s as if the whole episode Liza was thinking “look how cool and exciting it is that my friend and my boyfriend are enemies and that my boyfriend’s actions are causing the fall of my friend” and at the end of the episode she would have realized the obvious: that is neither cool, nor fun nor exciting. It sucks … and makes Liza is in the middle of an impossible decision.
Liza loves both of them and only wants both to succeed. But, today, that one triumph causes the fall of the other and inevitably she is in the middle … and has to choose a side. It’s clear that Charles is playing around with this … but Kelsey too, and she can’t let Charles win and self-destruct. That is out of the question. Just as Charles can’t either. At that point, Liza has to take sides. It is clear that staying neutral and pretending that nothing is happening is not working, I totally agree with Kelsey at that point and in every word she has told Liza when she has confronted her.
Liza is also in the same denial as Charles, trying to cover the sun with a finger. Pretending that nothing is happening, that there is no problem, that she isn’t split in two and that she and Charles don’t have several serious problems to solve as a couple.
But what the denial has is that it is temporary. There comes a time when it is over and all eyes open. That is the final moment of the episode for Liza. That is what happens. She has to choose … then she realizes that Charles is only focused on himself, he is so focused on himself that he doesn’t even want to face the damage that everything that is happening is doing to her. And that is the turning point, finally, Liza has realized that Charles has not thought for a second about what all this can mean to her, he has only thought about him … and that makes that, if that his philosophy, there is no place for them as a couple.
Charles was so desperate not to lose Liza for his secrets, for his lies and for his actions (that is clear when he finally tells her “what matters everything else, I have not lost you …”) that has not been realized that he was really losing her, not considering Liza’s feelings about what was happening.
It is clear that this doesn’t end here and most likely in the next episode this couple will be reconciled. But the actions of Charles, the secrets, the lies, what it means for Liza to be with Charles being the relationship between Kelsey and him totally broken … in short, the problems they have will still be there. And I think they will be the trigger for the final breakup of the couple towards the end of the season.
Another one that I think deserves a good dusting is Kelsey. I didn’t like anything that suggested Liza manipulate Charles to get information. I think that underestimates not only Liza but also her feelings for Charles and the relationship they both have. That proposal has not been good at all …
I melted with the scene between Josh, Liza and little Gemma. I can’t help it, these two kill me! I see an immense chemistry and connection between them. The scene was very similar to the reverie of Josh’s deepest desires … will it be a sign of the future?
Diana and Enzo are so cute. They are so different … but so great together. They as a couple also have their problems but they are the counterpoint to what is happening with Liza and Charles. Diana and Enzo as a couple, talk about their problems, face them and solve them. They never hide them or avoid them … because they get bigger.
Agree? Disagree? Don’t hesitate to share your opinion with us in the comments below! We’ll be back next week with 6×06 “Merger, she wrote “.
Younger airs on Wednesday, at 10 / 9c on TV Land.