The dreaded company picnic.

They used to be so wonderful, but on Younger Season 4 Episode 9 the Empirical company picnic was a bit of a disaster because Charles had to deal with his ex-wife, fell over in the sack race and then got punched in the face, and learned the woman he loved wasn't willing to go the extra mile.

It wasn't the best day to be Charles if truth be told.

Josh, on the other hand, had a pretty good couple of days, even though he took his chances dating a jalapeno virgin.

Claire is a great addition to Younger. In no time at all, she feels as if she belongs in Josh's life.

She doesn't have any strange quirks and when the going got tough, well, Claire took to Google and Kelsey's yogurt to find a solution for what could have been a pretty unenviable position.

Claire: It still looks a bit angry.
Josh: Angry?
Claire: Defeated and blotchy.

• Permalink: Defeated and blotchy.

It might have been defeated and blotchy, but something tells me little Josh will have its rewarding moment (if he hasn't already).

Claire supported Josh through all of his Liza and Charles drama and she knows his history already.

She knew the truth of his life before Kelsey. That's a fairly big leap to be taking so quickly and to take so well. 

I wish Josh had handled it differently for his sake. Let's be real, $10k is a lot of money. He could have done something useful with that. But now he has the idea. He can go to another publisher before Empirical will likely find another tattoo artist willing to take the deal as readily as Josh.

So, Josh wins all the rounds in this particular game.

Liza is in a much more difficult position. Nothing about working with Pauline is easy on her, and in hindsight, Charles is going to decide taking on Pauline's book is the worst decision he's ever made.

I don't think it will be as easy for Charles as taking back Pauline even if Liza walks out of his life. First, they will still be working together, and second, that's not the man Charles is.

I also think at some point it will come to fruition that Pauline knows very well Charles is interested in Liza.

Liza is great. Empirical is great. But there is something very off about this entire scenario. The whole time Pauline was walking about the house and gushing to Liza, sharing tales of parties past, wondering who Charles was talking to and apologizing for talking so much, alarm bells were ringing.

Pauline knows people in the publishing business. The "oh, you know my kids?" part was the most alarming. 

Surely Charles had used assistants in the past to sit with the kids. Surely he'd taken the kids to work or had people over to the house (hello, they're at the house for a picnic). 

Why Millennial? Was Millennial really the first place Pauline wanted to publish her book? Her reasoning wasn't sound. Could she have run into the fellow Liza befriended who knows about Liza's age? Maybe he suspected more of Liza and Charles.

I could be totally off base, but I do not trust Pauline. I'm sure she's a nice woman and had her reasons for vacating her home to find herself, but there is more to this story.

Liza allowing everything to change as a result of Pauline's reentry into the picture isn't a good move.

It creates a lovely story for us, and I'll be swearing at the TV and wanting all of those moments we almost had to return, but Liza will regret it. She'll especially regret it if her move forces Charles to reconsider giving Pauline a second chance.

Liza needs to stop doing things because of others and think about herself for a while.

At this point, everyone is using Liza to suit their purposes. She is being torn in too many directions. I wish Kelsey hadn't weighed in making Liza feel even worse about everything that has happened over the past several months.

Kelsey: Did you sleep with him?
Liza: No.
Kelsey: Good. Keep it that way. I'm going to give you some advice. Sleeping with the boss doesn't end well -- for any of us.

• Permalink: Good. Keep it that way. I'm going to give you some advice. Sleeping with the boss doesn't end...

Once Kelsey has a chance to think that over, I think she'll realize it might have been a little harsh, especially since she wasn't aware of the circumstances behind what happened. 

Bringing on Jennifer Westfeldt as Pauline was great. She's an amazing actress and is doing wonders with the role. But let's be clear: I do not like having Pauline here! 

It's so unfair to have an actress I adore playing a part I want to see vanish. Giving a meatier story to Peter Hermann as Charles was also a wonderful idea, but I want his story to be something else. Hell, give him cancer. He can lose a leg! Yeah, that's the ticket.

This ex-wife stuff is the pits. It's ruining all the excitement I had to finally see something between Liza and Charles. We haven't even had an evening featuring them and a long conversation. I've been ripped off!!

And, really, isn't it all about us, the viewers?! 

Of course, I'm kidding. There's nothing better than when the stories get you so emotional and tied up. Good job, Younger. You've proved your point. You got me!! 

If you need to watch Younger online for a glimpse of that Younger Season 3 conversation of which I speak, have at it. I might do the same.

Do you feel frustrated after watching Younger these days? What do you love? What's making you lose your mind?

Carissa Pavlica is the managing editor and a staff writer and critic for TV Fanatic. She's a member of the Critic's Choice Association, enjoys mentoring writers, conversing with cats, and passionately discussing the nuances of television and film with anyone who will listen. Follow her on X and email her here at TV Fanatic.