Younger Review: The Unusual Suspect (Season 6 Episode 3)
On Younger Season 6 Episode 3, “The Unusual Suspect,” Liza finally gets a clue about what Charles has been up to, Josh and Clare navigate co-parenting with maturity, and Kelsey takes a win over Quinn.
Millennial has launched Claw, and once again Quinn has “clawed” her way to the top by buying position on the best seller list. The thing is she continues to not care about how her actions reflect on Kelsey, or about how she could get caught faking her own popularity.
Quinn has essentially become irredeemable in the space of three episodes. She’s chaotic, mean, and far more trouble than she’s worth. Which is why it’s so satisfying to see Kelsey come out on top of their latest conflict.
Being the boss certainly hasn’t been easy for Kelsey, and I’m sure her work-related troubles are far from over, but she’s handling it with the power and finesse we’ve always known she’s capable of.
Kelsey: I am extremely proud to be the first to announce that Quinn Tyler is running for Senate in the great state of California.
Quinn: Do you have any idea what you just did?
As disappointing as it is to see Quinn become someone we love to hate, it’s absolutely delicious to watch she and Kelsey go head to head.
Unfortunately, before Kelsey can spin Quinn’s actions into a positive thing, her embarrassing faux pas causes Millennial to lose a hit novel from the latest true crime sensation that was supposed to be theirs outright. And who do they lose it to? None other than Charles and Zane’s secret publishing startup: Mercury.
I’m glad this storyline is coming to light sooner rather than later and that Liza has already started putting together the pieces. Charles has been keeping his career plans from Liza since he quit working at Empirical, and it’s only become more and more grating as Season 6 has progressed.
I could barely tolerate Charles’ secrecy through the first two episodes of this season, but on “The Unusual Suspect,” he crosses a line that makes me really uncomfortable. When Liza finds a financial statement saying that Charles has taken a nine-hundred thousand dollar loan out against his townhouse, she has some very reasonable questions. Instead of talking to her about his plans, or letting her in on this huge part of his life, Charles distracts Liza with sex.
For the series long build up that Younger has created for this relationship, I had hoped that the show wouldn’t immediately throw them into such an upsetting dynamic but here we are. Charles has been lying to her since Younger Season 6 began and it’s such a bad look for him. When he found out that Liza lied about her age he was devastated that she would keep something like that from him. What does he expect her to think when she finds out he’s been building a rival publishing company behind her back?
For much of Younger‘s run, Charles has been the long-awaited slow-burn that many fans hoped would be Liza’s endgame. Now it seems like he’s somehow become a villain when we weren’t looking. I would love for this relationship to still work out in the long run, but Charles, in particular, is going to have to do a lot of work for me to be happy with that outcome for Liza’s love life.
Meanwhile, Zane pulls a similar kind of stunt on Kelsey. The two of them sleep together again, and then he scoops the book she wanted right out from under her. Charles/Liza and Kelsey/Zane are two of Younger‘s relationships that I have been rooting for since their inception, but now I can’t help but be utterly ashamed of how both of these men are treating the women in their lives.
Kelsey and Liza both deserve better and I’m looking forward to seeing what happens when the truth comes out.
Shockingly, the couple that I am most impressed with on this episode of Younger isn’t even really a couple anymore. Josh and Clare are new parents, and the love they share for Gemma has brought them closer than they’ve been in a long time. Instead of letting that connection lull them into believing that they need to be involved with each other romantically, these two have matured enough to recognize they aren’t meant for each other in that way.
While I still don’t completely trust that Clare won’t somehow end up hurting Josh again, I am really impressed with the way they’re handling this situation. They are both invested parents and they love their child, and they can co-parent her without being in a relationship. This is one of the healthiest decisions anyone has ever made on Younger, and I’m so proud of Josh’s growth and his commitment to doing what’s right for both himself and his daughter.
OTHER THOUGHTS
- Maggie is seeing a vagina therapist! I’m very here for this relationship.
- I love that the whole gang comes over to Liza and Maggie’s for brunch now.
- Can we get some more Lauren? I’m loving her brief, snappy one-liners, but I want more!!
What did you think of this episode of Younger? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Younger airs Wednesdays at 10/9c on TVLAND.
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Samantha Coley
Samantha (she/her) is a social media specialist by day and a sci-fi junkie by night. As a freelance writer and podcaster, she also enjoys live-tweeting, blogging, good music, and better television. Her current favorite television shows include Star Trek (yes, all of them), Riverdale, and Stranger Things and there will always be a place in her heart for Battlestar Galactica, Leverage, and The West Wing.