Liza tries to settle into the next chapter of her personal life. Liza and Kelsey dig deep to win over Fupa Grünhoff, a teenage climate change activist.
In 2020, the television industry aired 493 scripted shows across numerous outlets. The way people consume content now is different than it used to be. It happens according to one's own schedule. As such, it's less necessary to provide ample coverage of each episode in any given season from a show. Moreover, it is simply impossible to watch everything. As such, this site provides shorter episodic reviews in order to cover as many shows as possible. With all of that being said, here are my thoughts on the next episode of Paramount+'s Younger.
"It's the End of the World, Worm Girl" was written by Don Roos and directed by Andrew Fleming
Liza and Charles have come to an end. That was the correct way to interpret the final scene from the premiere. To Liza, it was unclear. It didn't feel like an ending. She knows how to edit a book to a satisfying conclusion. She has had tumultuous relationships in the past. This didn't feel like that. However, Charles is certain that they want different ways in life now. That may change in the future. It's not worth waiting to see if that will ever occur. It's devastating for Liza. Charles holds no animosity towards her. He sees this as a relationship that should be able to come to a mature ending. Of course, that comes in an episode where a lot of immature things happen. It's insane to watch Lauren put on a whole show celebrating Liza and Charles' engagement. It's not happening. She went over the top. She genuinely wanted to do this amazing thing for her friend. Her heart was in the right place. Liza sees that. It's also incredibly embarrassing and forces a lot of emotions to the surface. Liza and Charles will always love each other. That probably will never change. And yet, Charles doesn't see a future together. It's a hard decision for him to make. He is completely clear about that now. There is no reason to be awkward around work or each other. They respect the jobs they do and the people they are. Nothing has to change. This relationship is simply done. It shouldn't be confusing. It is though. Liza struggles to make sense of these conflicting emotions. She believes that Charles is acting irrationally about her perspective on marriage. He also makes a convincing argument about having to bend a lot in order for this relationship to work in the first place. He was willing to make those sacrifices because she was worth it. He no longer wanted to hide from it. He wanted to embrace their bond fully no matter what that meant elsewhere in his life. He is back to being the publisher at Empirical. As such, one can also say that his life hasn't changed too much from the start of the series. He's in the same position. But all of this may possibly serve as a way to analyze the selfishness of the protagonist. Liza has hurt the people closest to her. Each of those relationships has mended over time. And yet, her secret still did a lot of harm. It came from a place of her being afraid. The series has asked her to mature over time. It has successfully done that as well. Sure, it probably took too long for the show itself to grow out of Liza's secret. That was a plot crutch for far too long. Dropping it still signified that Liza was engaging with the world as the fully-realized and confident person she is. And now, she doesn't know what to do after her latest relationship fails. Kelsey's advice of using work as a distraction doesn't help much either. For Kelsey, that has always been a benefit. It's a way for her to ignore the turmoil elsewhere in her life. For Liza, she can never turn her brain off. She is always thinking about the lingering emotions elsewhere. She cares about how people are doing and how they are feeling at any given moment. She extends herself far. It comes from a place of love. But again, it can paralyze her in times when she shouldn't think so much. It's a complicated life. One that had a nice thing going. It implodes here. She has to deal with that. It certainly sets the final season into turmoil. That is exciting. These characters are growing up. A new generation of influential people are taking over. The stand-in for Greta Thunberg is a broad characterization. The story doesn't particularly care about the nuances of the situation. It's a plot dealing with a serious issue. But it also pairs it with this insane, over-the-top character who is almost treated as too silly by the creative team. It's a balance that doesn't quite work. The one-episode potential authors have always been hit or miss with this show. This one doesn't pan out in an effective way until that final moment when Liza is asked to look inward. She may not like what she sees. She still gains clarity though. That is beneficial even though the future is a complete unknown at this point in time.
Liza and Charles have come to an end. That was the correct way to interpret the final scene from the premiere. To Liza, it was unclear. It didn't feel like an ending. She knows how to edit a book to a satisfying conclusion. She has had tumultuous relationships in the past. This didn't feel like that. However, Charles is certain that they want different ways in life now. That may change in the future. It's not worth waiting to see if that will ever occur. It's devastating for Liza. Charles holds no animosity towards her. He sees this as a relationship that should be able to come to a mature ending. Of course, that comes in an episode where a lot of immature things happen. It's insane to watch Lauren put on a whole show celebrating Liza and Charles' engagement. It's not happening. She went over the top. She genuinely wanted to do this amazing thing for her friend. Her heart was in the right place. Liza sees that. It's also incredibly embarrassing and forces a lot of emotions to the surface. Liza and Charles will always love each other. That probably will never change. And yet, Charles doesn't see a future together. It's a hard decision for him to make. He is completely clear about that now. There is no reason to be awkward around work or each other. They respect the jobs they do and the people they are. Nothing has to change. This relationship is simply done. It shouldn't be confusing. It is though. Liza struggles to make sense of these conflicting emotions. She believes that Charles is acting irrationally about her perspective on marriage. He also makes a convincing argument about having to bend a lot in order for this relationship to work in the first place. He was willing to make those sacrifices because she was worth it. He no longer wanted to hide from it. He wanted to embrace their bond fully no matter what that meant elsewhere in his life. He is back to being the publisher at Empirical. As such, one can also say that his life hasn't changed too much from the start of the series. He's in the same position. But all of this may possibly serve as a way to analyze the selfishness of the protagonist. Liza has hurt the people closest to her. Each of those relationships has mended over time. And yet, her secret still did a lot of harm. It came from a place of her being afraid. The series has asked her to mature over time. It has successfully done that as well. Sure, it probably took too long for the show itself to grow out of Liza's secret. That was a plot crutch for far too long. Dropping it still signified that Liza was engaging with the world as the fully-realized and confident person she is. And now, she doesn't know what to do after her latest relationship fails. Kelsey's advice of using work as a distraction doesn't help much either. For Kelsey, that has always been a benefit. It's a way for her to ignore the turmoil elsewhere in her life. For Liza, she can never turn her brain off. She is always thinking about the lingering emotions elsewhere. She cares about how people are doing and how they are feeling at any given moment. She extends herself far. It comes from a place of love. But again, it can paralyze her in times when she shouldn't think so much. It's a complicated life. One that had a nice thing going. It implodes here. She has to deal with that. It certainly sets the final season into turmoil. That is exciting. These characters are growing up. A new generation of influential people are taking over. The stand-in for Greta Thunberg is a broad characterization. The story doesn't particularly care about the nuances of the situation. It's a plot dealing with a serious issue. But it also pairs it with this insane, over-the-top character who is almost treated as too silly by the creative team. It's a balance that doesn't quite work. The one-episode potential authors have always been hit or miss with this show. This one doesn't pan out in an effective way until that final moment when Liza is asked to look inward. She may not like what she sees. She still gains clarity though. That is beneficial even though the future is a complete unknown at this point in time.
