“Men are just candy.” That description comes from one of Empirical’s most treasured writers, Belinda Lacroix (Lois Smith), lamenting the stigma of being labelled a romance novelist. Men decide the genre is silly and so it gets completely written off, even though, as Liza is quick to point out, romance novels are all about women being the heroes (and having great sex). Sure, they’re talking about Belinda’s body of work, but they are also talking about Younger itself, a show that doesn’t always get the attention it deserves simply because of the genre it’s been labelled as. Younger, too, is superficially about love and lust and sex, but deep down it’s about strong ladies coming together and being the heroes of their own stories. Aw, look at Younger getting all meta!
Oh, Belinda Lacroix, so fabulous and wise … and now, so, so dead. Charles, Diana, and Millennial’s newest associate editor Liza take Belinda (who only wears Pepto Bismol pink, mind you) out for their annual lunch. After dropping those self-referential bombs on behalf of the show, she dies on the toilet. Liza sees those pink-clad feet slide out from under the stall and it is already too late.
There is a silver lining — and I’m not just talking about watching Peter Hermann deliver the line “Thanks for showing your pink,” but I’m not not talking about that either. Belinda was publishing royalty, so naturally her all-pink funeral is filled with the who’s who of authors. They pay their respects, of course, but Kelsey wastes no time introducing herself to Lachlan Flynn, one of her favorites, and reminding him that his spy novels have an audience with women. If his current editor (the very cute and extremely well-dressed Zane Anders) doesn’t realize that, maybe Lachlan should think about getting himself a new one.
What a funeral, huh? Kelsey and Liza need a stiff drink. After everything, it looks like these two ladies are back on track. It does seem a little extreme for Kelsey to completely forgive Liza so quickly after the amount of grief she gave her, but Kelsey explains that she now understands Liza was lying in order to help her kid — she hopes her own mother would be able to do something like that for her. I’m not totally sold, but I also wasn’t looking forward to another six episodes of Kelsey mean-girling Liza, so here we are. What really interests me is Josh’s reaction to Kelsey’s sudden change of heart. They were stewing in their anger together. They were a team! Will Josh tell Kelsey the real reason he and Liza broke up? Will Kelsey be #TeamCharles? I feel like Kelsey would be #TeamCharles. Now that word is out that Josh is moving on by way of hooking up with cute coffeehouse girls (Maggie lets Montana know whom she’s sleeping with and the guilt is so unbearable, blondie immediately confesses to Liza), Kelsey is all about encouraging Liza to move on as well.
If Liza’s belated birthday drinks (she quietly turned 41 in the midst of the Kelsey-Liza Civil War) are any indication, Kelsey is very onboard with Liza dating men her own age. She takes her pal to a bar that’s more Liza’s speed — or, as Lauren asks, “Is this an assisted living facility?” — and Liza ends up chatting with a very handsome man named Diego. He lives in Connecticut, he’s renovating an old bank in Brooklyn, he’s got very well-developed forearms, and the next day, after he gives Liza a tour of that old bank, they end up in bed together. Oh, also, he’s married. He comes clean after Liza tells him about her 27-year-old secret and everything-but-the-papers divorce. Diego doesn’t see a difference between his lie and hers: She’s 27 at work, he’s single in NYC. He isn’t completely wrong. Diego’s lie is much more morally icky, of course, but they are both lying to people they love. As hunky as Diego is, this seems way more complicated than Liza bargained for.
Kelsey, too, is dealing with some romantic complications. Lachlan Flynn takes her up on her offer to discuss his future, only when she goes to meet him, it’s Zane who shows up. If there was such a thing as too many handsome men in one episode of television, this would be it. But there isn’t, so keep them coming, Younger. The two get very flirty and as punishment for Kelsey trying to poach one of his authors, Zane invites her to a party that night. Ugh, Kelsey has to go on a fancy date with a fancy man who may be very sure of himself but is also a complete gentleman. KELSEY’S LIFE IS SO HARD.
In all seriousness, her life is about to get a little harder. She and Zane may be hitting it off, but she’s getting texts from Lachlan who is still very much interested in her editorial services. Romantic entanglements abound!
All these less-than-perfect dates with hunky men are exhausting, so it’s no surprise that at the end of the night, Liza walks in on Maggie, Kelsey, and Lauren — who’s nursing a broken heart from a major fight and apparent breakup with Max — having a girls’ night on the sofa at the loft. Liza wastes no time hopping on that couch, snuggling with Kelsey (I KNOW, YOU GUYS), and sipping on one of Maggie’s margaritas. After all, that’s what Younger is all about: Women coming together to take control of their lives. And also watch The Crown.
It’s Trout Season
• Diana’s. Pink. Coat. I mean, I’ve seen trumpet sleeves before but these are TRUMPET SLEEVES. You could fit an entire human inside of them. (Please let it be me.)
• I love that even though Liza gets a promotion, she’s still asked to stay on as Diana’s assistant. You can’t break that dream team up.
• Oh, Diana. Upon hearing that Belinda’s last words were “Men are just candy,” her first reaction is “It’s a great book title.” SHE ISN’T WRONG.
• Please imagine Diana Trout actually sitting on Barbara Walters’s lap. It brings endless enjoyment.
