Younger Season 5 Episode 3 Review: The End of the Tour
Lizzy Buczak
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The cat is out of the bag. And while not everyone is on the same page, everyone is more enlightened by the end of Younger Season 5 Episode 3 when it comes to Liza.
This puts Liza in either a really good spot or a horrible one, depending on how you look at it.
The bad news is that Charles knows the truth, doesn't trust her and wants nothing to do with her.
Also, Pauline put two and two together and figured out that Liza is the "other woman" in his life. Let's just say Liza broke a few hearts that really trusted her.
The good news is that she still has her truth and a whole lot of leverage over Charles and Empirical.
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Not that she would ever do anything to harm them or retaliate because that isn't Liza's MO, but the power is there, and that's important. With everything laid out on the table, no one can hold anything against her anymore.
If this got out, Liza would look bad, but Charles would look way worse.
Since Empirical cannot afford another scandal, you would think he would act more accordingly to prevent said retaliation.
But that gut-wrenching confrontation where Charles told her he's done with her after finding out the truth was no holds barred.
Charles: Who are you?
Liza: I think if you're asking you probably know.
Charles: I thought I did.
He took more jabs than necessary at her honesty, her integrity, her motives, and her overall being. It was brutal and a side of Charles we've never seen before.
Initially, it seemed like he was going to take Bob's advice and avoid all conflict by holding it all in and acting professional, but after Pauline took shots at him by calling him a terrible, inattentive husband, something in him snapped.
Instead of lashing out at Pauline, he took all his anger out on Liza which makes it even more obvious that he's completely detached from his wife.
However, the timing of it all could not have been more ideal. Charles may be truly sorry about what he did to Pauline, and in no way am I defending her or saying what she did was right, but her points about him are directly related to how he reacts to Liza's secret.
Pauline said he only thinks about himself, and when he confronted Liza, he couldn't see her perspective or why she did what she did. He could only see how it's going to ruin him, just like he only saw Pauline as a villain and himself as the victim.
He hasn't changed one bit.
And he's lashing out because he was blindsided with Liza just like he was with Pauline. He thought things were going so well when he didn't see what was right in front of him because he was too busy being focused on his career.
Maybe this means Charles isn't the all-around great guy that we thought he was?
Personally, I've been so mesmerized with how handsome and proper he is; I never stopped to think that maybe he's selfish, self-centered and not taking responsibility for his role in the demise of his marriage.
These aren't definitive statements either; I'm merely speculating that everyone played some role, and no one is exactly innocent.
If he had given Liza a chance to explain, he would probably realize that these two women could not be more different.
Liza's motivations weren't selfish, and she didn't intend on misleading anyone. She's just a loving and supportive mom who did what she had to do to put her daughter through college and pick herself up after a divorce.
Pauline: You know, you'd think the lying would get easier but the more it accumulates, the harder it gets.
Liza: Believe what you're saying is true, keep your answers short, and remember these people are here because you gave them hope.
Pauline: Yep, false hope.
Sure, she got a little lost along the way, and it got out of hand, but her reasoning alone speaks multitudes to her character.
The same cannot be said for Pauline who abandoned her kids because she needed space and a "marriage vacation" to find herself. See how well that turned out?
That is what made his "you did this for a job" comment such a low blow.
I don't think Charles will come to his senses soon because he's very indignant, and Liza will likely stay at Empirical because she's good at her job and isn't being asked to leave.
Her revenge will be following in Pauline's footsteps and writing a tell-all book about “how she needed to lie to get a job and found herself, her identity and a new life she loved along the way.”
I am giving them the rights to use that tagline, by the way.
Charles: Pauline and I are getting a divorce.
Liza: What?
Diana: Oh, Charles. I am so sorry. What are we going to do about the book tour? It starts tomorrow.
Charles: Everything goes forward as planned. I was never part of the publicity.
Diana: Not officially. The book has been gaining momentum because people thought it resulted in the author and her husband getting back together.
Charles: I don't know what to say, Diana. I'm not going to live my life to fit the novel.
That's probably what was teased in the promo during the scene where she walked into Charles' office, plopped down a manuscript and stated, "I didn't run away."
Then, Charles will read her book and become enlightened about how sorely he misjudged the situation.
But will it be too late? Is the damage already done? Do Charles' actions show that he isn't all that great at handling the pressure?
I wonder if Charles will loop in Diana at any point. I can bet any money that she would play it off like she knew the whole time just to save face. I also cannot wait to see her reaction when she realizes Charles and Liza have a "thing."
Will he confront Kelsey to see if she was also aware?
The good news is that Kelsey and Charles reacted with a similar level of anger and disappointment and she got over so it so he's bound to as well.
For the first time, I didn't despise everything about Pauline.
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Watching her cry during those interviews as she pretended that her marriage was great was hilarious. When she finally spoke her unfiltered truth and embraced the divorce, she became relatable.
Too bad there's about a zero-percent chance she'll keep her cool about Liza and will probably try to end her publishing career.
Kelsey and Zane's competitive streak continued even when Charles told them to work together. It seems they keep forgetting that regardless of whether someone signs with Empirical or Millenial, they are still on the same team.
Lauren: Kelsey got onto Yara.
Josh: Wow, this is like Tinder for the Illuminati, right?
When Kelsey told Jake that "three's a crowd," she was foreshadowing her personal relationships with both men and not their professional ones. I can't wait to watch that unfold.
Kelsey takes the statement "mixing business with pleasure" to a whole new level. Though she deserves it after all the crappy love interests she's had.
Speaking of bad love interests, Josh on a rebound bender is slightly awkward especially since technically, he's still married. And cause he has two female roommates that do not approve.
The Playboy thing doesn't exactly work for him, and I hope he finds some purpose and doesn't settle again.
I wouldn't mind if they spent more episodes just focusing on Josh and Lauren's friendship. Those two are a perfect match, and Lauren is always spot on with her comical dating advice.
Do you have thoughts on the big confrontation between Charles and Liza? Comment below and make sure you watch Younger online right here at TV Fanatic!
Lizzy Buczak was a staff writer for TV Fanatic. She retired in June 2021..
