Younger - Merger She Wrote - Review: 'Family First'

First and Foremost, Younger will be with us another season as TVLand has green-lit another go around next summer!

This week on Younger we saw a retreat where drug use is required, a merger that earns a side eye and Maggie doing her best Cirque du Soleil on accident to get her groove back. Let's discuss.

I Have To Wonder

It is no big secret that the dueling publishing companies of Millennial and Mercury were both taking Ls as of late and the consequences were bleeding into the lives of those who run them. This episode continued on the tension that was mounting in Charles and Liza's relationship and try as they might, the issues were creating a chasm between them. It wasn't until the wise sage Maggie suggested that they join forces did it dawn on Liza that there could be light at the end of this tunnel. This solution seems to lessen the weight of the decision that Charles made last season to fold Empirical and hand the keys over to Kelsey and Millennial. Now I understand that the conflict was actually causing some bad shades of Charles to come out , but I have to say that the merger at the end of the episode seemed like the easy way out to bring the romantic pairings back together and get everyone in the same room again at Millennial.

Charles choosing his 'family' over the continued dueling companies was admirable, but there just doesn't seem to be a feasible way for him to be in that building and Kelsey be in charge, no matter how much he says he is okay. I will say the idea of the merger is somewhat welcome because I for one was getting tired of Liza trying to sunshine her way through playing both ends of her personal and professional fields. I do love how positive that woman is, but watching her grit her teeth through a smile as her loyalties were worn thin was becoming a bit too much for my taste. Now that the professional loggerheads seem to be easing up, it looks like we are dovetailing into a personal crisis with Liza's feelings for Josh.

Here We Go Again

Earlier this season, I pointed out that we are getting some lingering looks from Liza when it comes to Josh. Whether those were subconscious on her part is up for debate, but the Microdosing retreat that Charles, Liza and Josh all found themselves at led to a confession that I for one don't think was due to the drugs. I myself have never done LSD (Honest, I haven't!) but from what was explained, it is a way to expand your mind and reset.

When Liza hallucinated Josh showing up at her door and falling into bed with him, what exactly was she resetting? Liza did admit that she fantasizes about sexy time with Josh, but also seems happy with Charles. For his part, Josh has grown a lot in the series. When we met him, he was go with the flow tattoo artist that re-awakened a side of Liza that had laid dormant in her failed marriage. Now Josh is a father and successful business owner who was at the retreat to network with investors as a way to franchise Ink Berg. These changes in him might make Liza reconsider what led to their uncoupling as he is settled in the phases of life she couldn't commit to. The recent friction with Charles could explain all of this away, but we are only in the middle of this season and the professional issue referenced above seems to be solved, so something has to be on the horizon because this is television and couples don't just cruise. Could the next incoming storm be Liza conflicted about how she feels towards both men? It looks like it could be possible..... I guess we will just have to stay tuned.

Odds And Ends:

* Maggie losing her groove and getting it back the way she did is the most Maggie thing ever.

* Zane and Kelsey's dance is exhausting at this point and now she's his boss. The issue that looms large is if anything he says and does is actually genuine at this point despite how charming the lovely Charles Michael Davis plays him.

* That broadway number when Liza was tripping was hilarious and something I never knew I needed. Thank you Younger writers!

* Diana is now the voice of Bronwyn's romance novels, this is the best thing ever.

* Welcome to 2019, where we are now encouraged to do LSD as a way to get ahead at work.

* Am I the only one confused as to how all this business back and forth with Mercury and Millennial is supposed to iron out? This feels like publishing musical chairs.

That is it for now. On a personal front, I have to apologize for the sporadic reviews the last few weeks, we are back to our regular programming now. Let me know what you thought of the episode below!