After a one week break, Younger is back tonight. Let's discuss what went down in the last episode, shall we?
What Worked
Quinn Tyler has been nothing but difficult since the moment she stepped foot into this universe of Younger. Yes, she helped save the company but that wasn't out of the goodness of her heart, but rather another move to promote herself. The way she bullies and intimidates people is not feminism which she maskes it as. I am all for a woman who hustles and gets things done and if you want an example, look no further than some of our own queens on this show but Quinn's brand of feminism is not one that I can stomach personally. Was anyone surprised that Quinn bought her bestseller? Even before they revealed her dagger status, it was obvious Quinn was puppeteering her book's 'success' behind the scenes as a way to buoy her next career move in politics. What Quinn wasn't expecting is for Kelsey to beat her at her own game and I cheered when she got the best of Quinn in the end by announcing her run eleven weeks before Quinn wanted. Kelsey masterfully got herself and Millennial out of the corner they'd been backed into by Quinn's shady behavior and that my friends is why Kelsey is the feminist icon of this show and not Quinn. Too bad the men in her and Liza's lives were undercutting their next big get, but more on that in a bit.
Josh and Clare are great co-parents to baby Jemma and everyone around them noticed. What I think was great is that the show resisted the urge to put them back together romantically. Yes, they are working beautifully as a team to make sure that their daughter is loved and taken care of, but that doesn't mean what made them a lousy fit has gone away. Seeing Josh propose his divorce proves how much he has grown in this show. The man leads with his heart, and his heart was telling him it wasn't right to try to make it work with Clare just because of Jemma. I also think any reservations I had about Clare being shady were put to rest when she also recognized that it was not right for them to try and be a couple again despite it being tempting because of their child. Hopefully these two can continue to cultivate this loving and healthy environment for their child going forward.
What Didn't Work
Charles and Zane finally revealed what was behind their sneaky behavior and I am not at all shocked. They are starting their own publishing company called
Mercury. Now that in and of itself is not something that is totally bad, because Charles did walk away from his life's work for Liza and to ensure that his father's company didn't fold. He doesn't want to stop working and needed something to keep his twitchy palms at bay (I mean mid afternoon rendezvous with Liza role playing at a museum seems fun, but that isn't a career). Where I have a problem is both Charles and Zane having zero respect for women they claim to care about and going behind their backs to poach Audrey Colbert, the subject of the podcast everyone is obsessed with. I get that all is fair in love and war but Liza and Kelsey have both been worrying about what these two are going to do because Charles and Zane mean something to both individually. Turns out the two men they both care about deeply were behind the scenes stealing the book. Sure, the whole thing was hush/hush but as we saw this episode, nothing is secret in the publishing universe, so I find it hard to believe that Zane and Charles didn't know Liza and Kelsey were trying to sign Audrey. Especially with shameless, self-serving Redmond representing her. This just screams dirty deception and I am not a fan. No matter if Liza and Charles agreed not to talk about work, he had the perfect opening to tell her when she found the notice for the second mortgage and he instead distracted her with sexy role play. Zane on the other hand has always been a bit slimy so I am not shocked this was what he was doing. The idea of the business isn't a bad one per say, but poaching an author Liza and Kelsey were so intent on signing is a big issue for these couples going forward. I for one will be side eyeing the misters of Mercury for the rest of the season, am I alone?
Odds and Ends:
* Diana being flabbergasted why anyone would start a publishing company in this climate is a big mood.
* Maggie is scarred because of watching Clare give birth. This is actually a great topic to broach as it does happen more often than people realize. It also was a clever way to introduce her new love interest, Beth.
* How does Lauren always know where to find just the right thing like the support group? Where can I find my own Lauren?
* That podcast actually sounds addicting, did anyone else wish it was real? Or was that just me?
* Who else is glad Quinn is running out of California? I hope we are getting a break from her!
Well that is it for now. What did you think? Are you disappointed in Charles? Let me know!
