Younger – Flush with Love

By: Ujjyani Banerjee

Liza (Sutton Foster) is getting ready for office. Maggie (Debi Mazar) shows her an invite sent by Josh (Nico Tortorella) and Clare (Phoebe Dynevor) which is about a gender reveal party for their unborn child. Liza is happy for them, but Maggie still doesn’t like Clare. Liza realizes how intimidating all this must be for Josh and soon joins him for baby shopping. She helps him with diaper purchase, advises on umbilical scabs and buys him two bottles of gripe water to help curb nausea. Josh gulps one down. Soon Liza leaves for work and Josh thanks her for the help and company.

At the office, Kelsey (Hilary Duff), Diana (Miriam Shor) and Liza gather for a focus group meeting to vet Quinn’s (Laura Benanti) book CLAW. Quinn has been showing resistance to editing and they need a picture on what others feel about the raw version. The reactions are bad and super harsh. Kelsey looks doomed. She and Liza decide to have lunch with Quinn.

At the packed restaurant Quinn gives them two gold card holders as gifts before discussion. Kelsey now feels uneasy to drop the bad news. She still explains why it would be a better idea to refine CLAW, make it less anti-woman and basically postpone release. Quinn agrees that it’s controversial. Liza speaks up on the friction they’re having and it’s best to self-publish if editing notes are unwelcomed. Quinn shoots back with how she is indeed self-publishing after saving Empirical from bankruptcy and cheering Kelsey on as the new publisher. Now it’s her turn to cheer. She suddenly reminisces about her first big win at State Cheerleading Champs, circa 1998, which was taken off of her book while editing. Liza feels it was too heavy on high school references. Quinn starts to chant “Guess who wrote a masterpiece! It will be our first release!” She is loudly banging the table rhythmically coaxing Kelsey to join. Kelsey is mortified.

Kelsey realizes she cannot stand up against Quinn and is screwed. However, she thinks of a better plan and tells Liza how they can release a blockbuster prior to CLAW as Millennial’s maiden project. It is the screenplay of a movie produced by Reese Witherspoon’s company. It’s sexy, millennial, fashion-related and perfect for them. If they release it during movie promotions, it’ll be a bonafide hit, giving CLAW’s release a much-needed bump.

That evening Kelsey attends the New York’s Literacy Foundation gala and is surprised to find her name as one of the co-hosts among the veterans of the publishing world. Zane (Charles Michael Davis), who’s also invited, catches up with her. He admits that he wants to be more than friends. Kelsey is elated and they kiss. She guesses that he’s gotten a job. Zane gushes that things are looking up.

Charles (Peter Hermann) and Liza come to the gala. While Charles is happy with their first official outing as a couple, Liza is nervous. He spots Diana and Enzo (Chris Tardio) who are just interrupted by Lauren (Molly Bernard). She wants to cover their story in the next issue of Modern Romance as their love story is almost utopic with the now-viral hug with Enzo fresh out of the sewer dripping with America’s digested bounty. Enzo is excited about it but Diana rejects it immediately. Charles approaches Diana and apologizes that he didn’t share his resignation notice with her first. Diana accepts his apology and agrees she’s too old to run Millennial and, moreover, admits that she always dreamed of her and Charles together. Realizing what she just said, she corrects it as “running the company together.” Enzo gives her a weird look.

Liza is happy to see Diana mellowed down. Charles feels that she’s a bit offended with Kelsey getting the helm at Millennial. Realizing that maybe Charles gave Kelsey the position just because of her age, Liza voices out that she’s competent, hard working and does justice to her title. Charles agrees and that’s why he gave the imprint to her in the first place. But experience never hurts and she’ll get there in time. Liza believes Kelsey is already there, given the way she tackled Quinn and decided to bump CLAW’s release with the prior blockbuster release of the screenplay book. Charles; however, thinks it’s a fruitless plan. If the first book is a hit and the second is a major dud, the latter is what’ll stick with Millennial tarnishing their image. Although, if things are reversed Millennial could not only blame the initial trough on the sudden dissolving of Empirical, but also come out triumphant with it’s second release being a major hit.

Meanwhile, on their way home, Diana praises the dynamic duo she and Charles once were. She admits that she always believed she’d end up with someone like him- cultured and sophisticated. Enzo is hurt. He tells that he’ll never be enough for her and she’s just “settling” for him. He lets her know that he doesn’t want to be someone’s Plan B for the rest of his life. He leaves.

The next day Lauren comes to get Diana’s approval on the photos for the Modern Romance article. Diana reveals that they’ve broken up. Lauren is shocked and sorry. She tells she’ll inform the editorial to cancel, but Diana wants to do it herself.

Liza tells Kelsey what Charles suggested regarding swapping the releases. Kelsey is shocked that her decisions are being run past by Charles. She asks Liza to arrange lunch for her and Quinn only, without Liza. At lunch Kelsey tells about her final decision to postpone CLAW. Quinn can’t let it happen because it’s tied to her campaigning. She is running for the senate in California, but Kelsey doesn’t care. Quinn makes a deal. If CLAW is published on time and the book flops, Kelsey will never have to see her again. If it’s a hit, Kelsey will be a hero. It’s a win-win situation. Kelsey asks her to put this in writing.

Later, Liza and Charles decide not discuss work anymore. At the baby-gender reveal party, Liza apologizes to Kelsey for involving Charles in their work decisions and they’re friends again. The party begins. A balloon has the baby’s gender hidden inside. As Liza tries to get ready to release it the balloon slips and escapes into the sky taking the baby’s gender with it. Just then, Clare goes into labor. Maggie and Josh rush her to the hospital.

Elsewhere, Enzo’s colleague shows him a Modern Romance article titled “Flush with Love” that’s about him and Diana. He starts to read. He realizes that Diana really loved him and it’s evident from what she’s said in the article. He rushes to her and ask if her feelings are genuine. Diana is in tears and admits that she is in love with him and they get back together.

At the hospital, Liza sees how content Josh is with his newborn. She goes back to Charles’ and reveals it’s a baby girl. Charles is happy for them and so is Liza. They share a hug and head inside his home.