Younger Season 3 Episode 1 Review: A Kiss Is Just a Kiss
Carissa Pavlica
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Damn you, Kiko, and your kissing away of the things!
The speed with which Younger Season 3 Episode 1 passed before our eyes was much faster than the fluttering of a 15-year-old wedding dress after it was kissed off out of an open window, don't you agree?
Poof! Just like that, the butterfly wings on Charles' tender feels for Liza were crushed because New York City is much smaller than we ever imagined.
Meh. Baloney.
Does anyone think for one second it's going to be that easy for Charles to kiss off his feelings for Liza? Heck no. Not any more than I expect Diana probably had a mild myocardial infarction when she realized what she did with her carefully stored wedding dress.
Kiko make be making a mint on her self-help book, but we know what they're worth. The paper they're printed on and about 30 minutes of panic time after they're read. Beyond that, we're all on to the next self-help book with the realization we just made a $24.99 mistake with the last book.
Is there anyone out there who wouldn't give their eye teeth for the problems Liza suffers at the moment?
She has Josh. Sweet, sexy and incredibly appealing Josh who not only understands her, but her friends and now has the key to her daughter's heart! What the what? Is there anything he can't do? Other than partially morph with Charles to wipe out that tickle in the back of Liza's brain that's going to drive her nuts?
Caitlin is ready to search for houses and invite her friends to the housewarming party for her mom and her younger man after a box of donuts and his suitcase closing abilities. She admitted he's more than a mid-life crisis. What more could any mother dream?
If it wasn't for Liza pretending to be 26, her life would be perfection.
She also has the greatest friends. Of course, she's still waiting for the tree of doom to crash down upon those relationships, as well. Kelsey is in mourning...but she's not quite sure of what.
I'm not sure which is more stressful, being a bride or a widow.
Kelsey
I'm just pleased Kelsey finally admitted her secret, that she didn't really know why she was marrying Thad and is kind of grateful he's dead so she doesn't have to go through with it. He treated her abysmally; she has no reason to feel guilty.
We didn't see much of Chad, but kudos to Dan Amboyer for making him seem like a completely different person than Thad. Watch, he'll probably surprise me and be exactly like his brother in the long run.
Diana treating Kelsey to a drink was a chance for the two characters to bond a little bit more than they have in the past, and for Kelsey to have her experience with Drunk Diana.
I thought for sure that was going to give Liza the excuse she needed to smooth the waters with Charles, but do I really want poor, hot, baritone Charles to be smoothed over? I don't think so.
The way he talked to that strange couple about Liza was special and showed the intensity of his feelings is growing despite everything piled against them at the office.
Liza: I'm so sorry about last night.
Charles: Liza, I think you're fantastic. You don't have to explain a thing.
Liza: I just want you to know...
Charles: It was just a kiss, Liza. Let it go.
At this point, it would be wrong for Liza to get away with lying to him about much more than her age. As it stands, she's already lying to Josh now about what she's doing with Charles.
And, dang it, we like Josh, too. At what point is it going to be difficult for us to stand by and watch Liza mutilate the hearts of two incredible men simply because she can't figure out the two sides of her life?
I'll tell you, it's not going to be easy. When she was all in with Josh and not having feelings for Charles, it was easier. They were in it together. Now she's only going to have Maggie again, and that's going to be troublesome. It will only get harder for her to remember what lie belongs where.
I want to like Liza. I do like Liza. But I might fall out of like with Liza if she forgets why she's in this mess in the first place and the webs get even more tangled. Choosing #TeamJosh or #TeamCharles was already hard enough, but now I'm adding #TeamLiza.
The more convoluted it gets, the more difficult it will be to extract herself when the truth inevitably comes out. She has to be left with something, somebody, but most of all her sense of self and at least some of the friends she has made along the way.
Where do you stand? What avenue do you want Liza to choose? Team who?
Chat about the premiere in the comments and watch Younger online if you've missed any of the excitement so far!
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.
