Liza tries her best to convince Charles as to why she lied about her age, all while trying to keep Millennial Print afloat
Let’s recap: the fifth season of Younger came out swinging at every unanswered plotline you ever had. Liza (Sutton Foster) lies led up to a lengthy series of longing, lamented looks from Charles (Peter Hermann) when he found out about the (good reasoned) lie of Liza’s age. That’s enough wordplay for a day. Anyway, so Charles now knows about Liza being a 40-something divorceé and feels betrayed so he’s going around acting like the 26-year-old he thought Liza was. The episode begins with a fun game of mafia at a dinner party hosted by Diana (Miriam Shor) who’s finally trying to get back out there post-Richard and we’re living for it. The fun of mafia is ruined by Charles who accuses Liza of being a liar, which is very fitting and creative from the writers’ room. Back to Diana, her toilet breaks after the party and Enzo the plumber from season three is back and reveals she’s single again and he asks her out. Also at Diana’s party was Don Ridley who everyone thinks is a Manhattan elitist writer for Vogue among other outlets. He hits it off with Liza and she offers him to pitch Millennial for ‘The Talented Mr. Ridley” and he agrees to come by.
RELATED: What Liza Doesn’t Know Yet Will Soon Surely Hurt Her
That does not turn out as well and Charles strikes down every idea. Liza tells Kelsey (Hilary Duff) that Charles knows. Oh, he knows. Then Liza later finds out thanks to Charles that Don Ridley invited her an invite to People’s Ones to Watch Party that night. Meanwhile, Liza’s love life is anything but Diana’s (potential) love life for a change, and Charles is making comments as sassy as ever. However, they have a slight heart-to-heart after Diana leaves for her plumber date when Charles tells her that Millennial needs her right now and apologized for taking his anger out on Don. And the episode pretty much leaves off with Liza and Don Ridley agreeing to go to a movie premiere with free food and drinks, because who can pass on that?
This was a very Charles and Liza-centric episode, so other storylines besides Diana’s weren’t explored much. However, Josh (Nico Tortorella) and Maggie (Debi Mazar) are being each other’s supportive friend while Liza deals with the Charles drama.
Now with all of that in mind, let’s meet our roundtable!
Stephanie (@ASparkleFactor) – Fashion and Lifestyle Blogger at A Sparkle Factor
Janina (@JaninaRS) – I’m a Binge watcher of TV shows, I love TV and Movies, and am also willing to do all nighters to check out new TV shows
Denise (@aunt_liv) – Entertainment enthusiast and marketing mogul
Luis (@HilaryNews) – I love everything about Hilary Duff, TV and film. You can catch me at all the major ratings sites and more.
Judith (@svufanblog4015) – Film and TV enthusiast who loves to write
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1. What did you think of the awkward game of Mafia between Charles and Liza at Diana’s dinner party?
Stephanie (@ASparkleFactor): SO CRINGE. You could really feel the simmering anger that Charles has towards her and how hurt he is. I can’t imagine what everyone else thought! Maybe just that Charles is SUPER intense and competitive when it comes to game night?!
Janina (@JaninaRS): It felt very AWKWARD! Their facial expressions killed me, especially Charles’ tone of voice!
Denise (@aunt_liv): Awkward is definitely the word! While the game seems cool & something I would want to play at a party the exchange between Charles and Liza was definitely awkward. But I think it shows how hard it is to overcome Liza’s lie & how hurt Charles really is.
Luis (@HilaryNews): The game was the perfect way to begin this episode. It was amazing that the writers were alluding to something that we, as the viewers know, but the majority of the other characters don’t know.
Judith (@svufanblog4015): It was almost like a battle between them. Who can survive till the end! And the tension between them was just…wow.
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2. Josh is taking a 90-day break from alcohol among other things, possibly including gluten, which he quickly broke. Do you think that was ever going to work?
Stephanie: Come on, that was never gonna last! Josh is an impulsive guy, just like the break was impulsive, I knew breaking it would be too.
Janina: Of course not! I mean come on that’s like me saying, “I’m giving up junk food and coca cola for lent” – I broke it the next day!
Denise: No, that was never going to work. Josh needs some time to be alone so giving up all those things was never going to work.
Luis: No not at all, he’s a tattoo artist and he loves to drink. He’s simply just young and confused, but also tired of getting hurt. Josh needs to pick himself back up again and snap out of it.
Judith: I’m not surprised, that he didn’t manage to stay away from all these things for 90 days.
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3. Liza and Kelsey meet with Don Ridley from the party to discuss a possible book deal. However, Charles strikes down every idea. Do you think the personal feelings getting in the way of possible success for Millennial?
Stephanie: Oh, definitely. He went in predisposed to shooting down Don’s ideas. I definitely don’t think it’s conscious or vindictive… I just think he’s really on edge and sensitive towards Liza right now and anything related to her will set him off.
Janina: I believe Charles did turn it down because of his feelings about Liza lying. Either that or he’s jealous of the “pork chop thief” as I nicknamed him. Speaking of pork chop thief, there was something about him I disliked.
Denise: I think it was a little bit of both—personal and business. The book idea was a little weird & I’m glad they passed on it. But I definitely think Charles reacted based on his emotions.
Luis: Charles was taking his anger towards Liza out on the writer, which isn’t right at all. By doing this he is only hurting the company, as well as Liza and Kelsey’s potential to be successful with Millennial. They already have to work much harder for what they want, but at this point, Charles is being a nuisance.
Judith: Kind of right now. I think he is trying to find a way to deal with the whole situation. He is so torn right now, his head and his heart telling him two different things.
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4. After Charles threw away the pitch, Liza tells Kelsey that Charles knows about her and Liza proceeds to march to his office to try and resign. How did you think that went?
Stephanie: I’m glad that Liza sort of stood up for herself and didn’t let him walk all over her. She’s right, they can’t continue this way! He has to either decide to move on and forget about the lie or fire her and get it over with. He can’t just be angry at her forever and let it get in the way of work.
Janina: When I heard Liza said she was resigning I was shocked and I’m pretty sure I physically gasped!
Denise: I think Liza has done her part—she’s tried to explain her choices and she’s tried to quit. It’s up to Charles now. I think the exchange went as I expected it to. Although I was slightly bummed he wasn’t more receptive to hear her entire explanation.
Luis: Charles deflected and said that he was coming from a business standpoint and not a personal standpoint by turning down Don’s book pitches and, so far, it appears we have to take his word on that. Charles was never going to let Liza resign anyway. The company needs her and she needs the company.
Judith: I think it’s good, that Liza marches into his office and bite back! In that way, she shows him, don’t mess with me. #BadassLiza is here to fight and she will not give up easily. Watch out #BitchyCharles!
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5. Diana goes on a date with a plumber at a fancy Italian restaurant in Staten Island that goes unlike how she was expecting. Do you think that Diana may actually have something good going for her in her love life?
Stephanie: I think so! I think that it’s really interesting to see her sort of step back from her prejudices. While I know we all love her, it’s true that she’s been a snob in the past and I think that her stepping out of her comfort zone and taking a chance on someone who isn’t her usual “type” is really refreshing and a sign of her emotional growth over the seasons.
Janina: I think Diana found “the one.” Diana is my spirit animal and I’m rooting for her.
Denise: I totally like Diana with the plumber! While she tends to keep up her fancy persona I love seeing her a bit vulnerable and open to new experiences.
Luis: I find this relationship charming, I’m actually glad they brought Enzo back. Diana was caught by surprise at dinner with all the special offerings, she just couldn’t refuse. I think he’s good for her, he also keeps her on her toes which is what she needs. Can’t wait to see more of them, it’s fun.
Judith: Yeah, why not. She deserves it. Especially after her last relationship. And I don’t think Enzo is this manipulate type of men like Richard was.
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6. Charles finally has a conversation with Liza again after the fallout from the last episode. He told her that Millennial needs her and couldn’t survive without her. What were your reactions?
Stephanie: I’m hopeful that the ice is maybe starting to thaw! The overarching theme to all of their talks is just how hurt he is. I think I didn’t expect him to be so angry! But you can see that he really is. I wanted her to say MORE. I was so glad she finally sort of got out how much she cares about him, but he’s totally not ready to hear it. I am not satisfied though… I need her to sit him down and tell him EVERYTHING. And like she said—he needs to get to know her, the real her.
Janina: It was really sweet and I was like awww, I think that deep down inside Charles still loves her. I love “Bitchy Charles,” – sexy AF.
Denise: I thought that was very professional of him and I feel like that reassured fans that Liza would be sticking around for awhile instead of being fired.
Luis: I think the writers have done a great job of making Liza important in her job, but I also think that they’ve gone a bit overboard and make it seem like Kelsey literally has no ideas and is entirely dependent on Liza. Would like a little more balance in there. It was nice of Charles to acknowledge how important Liza is, but he always has.
Judith: I was glad that they had this conversation. It shows that there’s still this connection between them. Even he is still mad at her.
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7. Liza’s date with Don Ridley proves that image is not always what it seems. What did you think of Liza’s attempt to get over what she’s feeling after the Charles fallout?
Stephanie: I am not a big Don fan. (And I kind of can’t stop thinking about how Sutton Foster and Christian Borle were MARRIED! WILD!) I think Liza jumps into new relationships really fast to get her mind off of whatever is going on with the guy she’s truly into. She’s been running from her feelings for Charles for a long, long time. I get that he’s angry at her, but that’s not going to last forever. Charles is worth the wait!
Janina: I think she shouldn’t be with someone else just to get over someone else, in my opinion. I think she should just keep fighting for Charles.
Denise: Liza is trying. She’s trying to figure out how to navigate her life as it’s slightly changed again. It has to be hard trying to find tidbits of happiness when you’ve disappointed someone you love. It can’t be easy working with him every day so I think we will see a few more attempts by Liza to get over what she’s feeling.
Luis: They seemed nice. This storyline seems a bit inorganic, but it’s always nice to see Liza exploring other options outside of Charles.
Judith: It was needed. She cannot lose herself in all these bad/sour feelings after the fallout.
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In a very tension-filled episode, Charles was almost willing to listen to Liza, but now is there even a chance?
Okay Team Charles folks, we’re just kidding. This is all probably a bump in the road right? Now again, we know why Liza lied but it’s going to take a while for Charles to understand it seems. And the biggest yikes moment of them all was when we thought Liza was finally getting through to him by the end of the episode when Liza apologized. She told him that she needs him to know how much she cares about him and he bit back with “and I need you to forget about it.” Ouch.
RELATED: Binge-worthy: ‘Younger’ Continues to Grab the Hearts of New Yorkers and Wannabe New Yorkers Everywhere
Overall, the writing and storylines this season have been phenomenal and has still remained extremely relevant despite the fact that they wrapped filming months ago. Storylines are no being explored that we personally have been waiting for, such as more about Diana and Josh, not to mention Kelsey as well!
Much like the working professionals of New York, the show is also taking a break for the Fourth of July holiday, and will not return for two weeks. With the introduction of Don (Who, by the way, is Sutton Foster’s real-life ex-husband), it seems like Liza is definitely trying to live her life without Charles. However long this lasts is the question, but you will, unfortunately, have to wait a little while to find out more.