Younger Review: Friends with Benefits (Season 6 Episode 7)
Younger Season 6 Episode 7, “Friends with Benefits,” is another excellent episode that definitely checks all of the boxes for why this show is so much fun. From delicate workplace friction, to fancy dinner parties, and a bountiful well of romance, this episode is a delight from start to finish.
Now that the band is back together, we’re seeing the complications that come along with this new work structure, particularly in the dynamic between Kelsey and Charles. Their positions are reversed and the echoes of who they’ve been to each other for the last six years are still very present.
Kelsey is trying valiantly to assert her power as the boss of the company, but it’s difficult for her to say no to the man who helped her build her career to this point. Charles understands that he now has less power in this relationship, but because he’s always been an authority figure to Kelsey it’s easier for him to push back against her than it is for her stand her ground.
I have faith that Kelsey can find the confidence to stand up to Charles in these moments, and I do believe Charles will have even more respect for her when she does.
“Friends with Benefits” is also a wonderful episode for Liza and Charles. Liza gets a new glimpse into Charles’ history when she accidentally discovers an old manuscript he wrote in his youth. We know a little bit about Charles’ past but most of what we know relates to his family. This is one of the first times we learn a substantial piece of who he was even before all of that.
Charles: I’m not really a writer, but I knew what it was like to be that young heedless man, and I understood the mind of a woman in her forties who was bored with her life and needed his validation.
I think that Charles and Liza understand each other a lot more clearly than we’ve actually seen on this season of Younger. I’m excited to see their relationship keep developing in healthy and happy ways. Watching the two of them agree to only do things they want to do together and then running off into the night is the first moment that I’ve felt completely pleased with this relationship since the season began.
This episode also opens up a really interesting potential future storyline for Charles. Both Kelsey and Liza loved his work on the manuscript. I would love to see Younger further explore the idea of Charles as an author at some point.
Reading Charles’ manuscript also causes Liza to continue questioning who she really wants to be with, how she wants her story to end. Josh is continuing to mature and grow for his daughter, and what they had was real love. It’s understandable that Liza would wonder if there’s more to that story than the way they ended things.
Liza: It’s like a choose your own adventure romance.
Josh: How do you think it ends?
Liza: I don’t know
These two still have an unbelievable amount of chemistry and I could still see Younger going in either direction for the endgame of Liza’s love life. The textualization of this conversation makes me wonder if this is the way that the show will end. Will the eventual finale of Younger simply be a cliffhanger before Liza makes that choice?
Meanwhile, Diana’s love life takes a definite step forward when Enzo proposes to her in front of his entire family. The way that they treat her is still infuriating, but the love between Diana and Enzo has only grown stronger this season. An engagement is such a beautiful next step for these two. I’m so glad that Younger has continued to evolve Diana’s story to this point, and I am just so happy to see her happy.
OTHER THOUGHTS:
- Seeing Bob and Julia, and Tom and Michelle all in the same place with Liza and Charles is really fun but clearly overwhelming for Liza. At this point, I think any time her very deliberately separated worlds collide is going to be tough for her.
- How are Charles’ and Liza’s kids doing? Are they all alright? We haven’t heard from any of them in a while.
- Please, please, let Kelsey, Liza, and Lauren all be bridesmaids at Diana’s wedding.
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.