Liza and Kelsey find themselves at odds when a self-made billionaire pitches a book on power to Millennial. Lauren proves her worth.
Liza and Charles have made the decision to keep their relationship a secret. They haven't told anyone about it. There isn't even the confirmation of Maggie knowing about it. She was dealing with her own feelings with Malkie for Liza to give her all of the updates. It's still the early stages of the relationship as well. Liza and Charles are just figuring out what it is they have together. They don't want to explain it to anyone just yet. Right now, it's simply dating. Liza goes over to Charles' brownstone when his kids are with Pauline for the night. He cooks her a nice meal while she reads the latest manuscript that Millennial has to make a decision about. It's very domestic while still being very secretive. They already feel like a couple who love each other. They cherish this relationship. And yet, it wasn't bound to last in its current formation. Liza has never had a ton of success when it comes to keeping secrets. People have always been learning the truth about her. Sure, she still has the majority of the office fooled into believing that she is a 27-year-old woman. There are only a few people she has shared the truth with in confidence. Liza and Charles are willing to help her keep her secret at work because they believe in the value she brings to the company. She has proven her worth to them even though she is still working as Diana's assistant as well. Things still have the perception of working the same as always. Books are being pitched to the company and the editors have to decide which to make offers on. And yet, Liza and Charles' relationship complicates their dynamic at work. In that regard, it runs the risk of changing the other dynamics in the workplace. Liza has so much love and trust with Kelsey. She is willing to do anything for her. Their friendship is so strong. But now, Kelsey is devastated to learn the truth especially in regards to how it affects her ability to do her job.The manuscript Liza was reading while on her date with Charles is actually really good. Kelsey just doesn't believe that it has a built-in audience that will buy it without the company doing a whole lot of work. It's certainly possible. But it seems like more of a hassle than it's worth. Millennial is receiving so many pitches at the moment because of the content deal with Hello Sunshine, Reese Witherspoon's production company. As such, Kelsey wants to be more selective. She only wishes to take on projects that she knows the company can do great things with. That means it's just going to be easier to market a book from Quinn Tyler, a self-made billionaire businesswoman. There is an awkward moment where Liza is just detailing Quinn's entire backstory in a very expositional piece of dialogue. She succeeded in business and made all of these achievements even without a business degree. And yet, her presence immediately casts a shadow over the office with what exactly defines feminism. Is feminism purely women supporting other women? If that's the case, is it then wrong for a woman to only be looking out for herself? Or is that actually the proof of true equality? Men don't have to worry about creating more opportunities for their gender. They are allowed to just look out for themselves. As such, Quinn embodies the idea that women need to take every advantage they can get and not be afraid to create their own opportunities. Nothing was ever given to her. And now, she is one of the most impressive people in business. She sees this book as her explanation for how all of that was possible. To Kelsey, that's the far more interesting story than one of a guy formerly in publishing who had to go to rehab to tame his addictions.
Everything is only made more awkward when Liza and Charles are spotted out on a date together. This was always going to be the concern whenever they are out in public. Anyone could see them at any time. They believed they were being sneaky and covert a week ago when they were meeting in front of the public library. But they were still openly kissing on the street. That was them just asking to get caught by someone. In this case, they are seen at dinner by Redmond. He has been the most consistent agent over the course of the series. Whenever it's important for the editors to be negotiating with an agent on behalf of one of their clients, Redmond is simply the answer. It allows for the stories to be clear and concise while bringing back an actor who is such a fun presence on the show. Sure, he has to explain why he is in this fancy restaurant on the Upper East Side with his personal trainer. And yet, it's less about him and more about why Liza and Charles are out together. They both panic. They are able to craft a story about Liza delivering this manuscript to Charles to reevaluate even after Kelsey passed on it. As such, that allows Charles to see the value in this book and make a deal for it. He buys it for Millennial though. He is overreaching just because he got caught in this relationship. He wanted to live in this bubble for as long as possible. But that didn't last long at all. As such, Liza has to come clean to Kelsey about what is going on and why she betrayed her in this way. It makes it seem like no one trusts her judgment. Now, she doesn't have the financing to buy the book she really wants. She is forced to resort to blackmail just in the hopes of proving to Charles that she should not be messed with when it comes to this business.
Of course, the show presents such an easy solution to this situation as well. Charles is able to explain that Calvin Kreiger is so eager to work with Millennial and desperate to be a published author he basically agreed to do it for free. That opens money up for Kelsey to buy Quinn's book. But the money isn't all that important to Quinn either. She just wants to work with women who embody the personalities and qualities that she respects. She sees the value in Millennial and knows that Kelsey is running a company that is bound to last in this cutthroat environment. There is a reason why Kelsey is being recognized with an award as a maverick in the industry. Sure, it mostly seems like something Lauren is able to put together to prove her worth as a publicist. Kelsey only wishes to see her as a friend instead of someone actually having an impact on her career. And yet, it's still a big deal when Kelsey has to accept this award and break from the tradition of having another successful woman introduce her. Quinn believes it sends a strong message that Kelsey got here on her own merits and didn't need to count on anyone else. However, that's simply not true. She cherishes the partnership that she has with Liza. Together, they built Millennial into the success it is. They work well together and always have each other's backs. That's why Liza would chose Kelsey over Charles. She doesn't want to jeopardize this professional partnership and friendship in any way. Yes, she risks it by keeping this romance with Charles a secret. But Kelsey is still willing to forgive Liza and keep her secrets for her. That shows that she is a true friend who will do whatever it takes to protect this dynamic. But again, it proves that this relationship may not be tenable for Liza and Charles for too much longer.
Elsewhere, Diana and Lauren have a significant story together. That's surprising and really delightful. They are two characters who haven't interacted a lot over the course of the series. They have met before. As such, it's not as big a deal as Diana meeting Maggie for the first time. And yet, there is some actual substance to their dynamic in this story as well. There is value in the two of them interacting. At first, it just seems like Lauren continuing to insert herself into Kelsey's life in order to get her on retainer as a client. She is continuing to prove her worth to everyone she interacts with. The moment that she was fired from her job last season it seemed clear that she too would be making her way to Empirical at some point. And now, it seems like that is finally coming to fruition. She is able to arrange this award for Kelsey. Meanwhile, she is able to pressure the company into buying a table in order to show them off from a position of strength. She has such a fun dynamic with Diana too. They love calling each other diva. That's so specific and so meaningful as well. It shows that there is a level of trust there even though Diana isn't inherently buying all that Lauren is selling. She doesn't believe the company needs her expertise. There isn't any value in bringing her on as a publicist. And yet, Lauren is able to discover that Enzo appeared in porn during his youth. There is only one video of him on the internet and Lauren is able to remove all copies of it. As such, she proves that she has Diana's back. She alerts her to the situation and handles the problem. She wraps it up nicely for Diane so that she can go home and hear Enzo's side of the story. It's perhaps the start of a beautiful and funny dynamic moving forward. At least that's the hope.
Some more thoughts:
- "Honk If You're Horny" was written by Alison Brown and directed by Todd Biermann.
- Are Calvin and Quinn going to remain ongoing presences at Millennial for the remainder of the season? Or are they simply the latest authors pitching to the company? Calvin doesn't even appear at all. So, it wouldn't be surprising to see his book just completely disappear after this episode. And yet, Quinn is played by Broadway star Laura Benanti. As such, it would seem like a waste just to contain her to this one episode - though the show has done it in the past.
- It's cruel and lame that the show teases an appearance from Academy and Emmy Award-winning actress Allison Janney only to not ultimately deliver her. Her name is mostly dropped just to establish the importance and magnitude of this event. It has to be meaningful that Kelsey is getting this award. But the actual ceremony seems too small stakes for someone like Allison Janney to ever have the potential of attending.
- Charles just assumes that Liza told Kelsey about their relationship. After Kelsey comes into his office letting him know that she knows the truth, that's how he assumes it went down. He's ultimately in the right to believe that. Liza confirms that she did come clean to Kelsey because their partnership is important to her. But Kelsey just as easily could have seen the two of them kissing on the street and understood what that meant.
- How long until someone else discovers that Charles and Liza are a couple? There are still so many characters of importance who need to be let in on that secret. Them choosing to keep it a secret is bound to inform so much of their story for the remainder of the season as well. The secret keeping is fun when it's just the two of them. But after the agony and pain it causes Kelsey, is it ultimately going to be worth it for both of them?
- The honking noice that Enzo makes at the conclusion of sex is just absolutely silly and ridiculous. It's just such an absurd joke that has the potential of taking the audience out of the seriousness of this story. It's introduced in such a sudden and laughable way just so that it is recognizable later on when Lauren discovers where she recognizes him from. It's forced and contrived in a way that doesn't really work.
