Younger – The Bubble

By starrymag | August 6, 2018

By: Taylor Gates

 

 

After Charles (Peter Hermann) appears at Liza’s (Sutton Foster) doorstep, the two share a romantic dinner and talk about the first time they saw each other. After their meal, they go have passionate sex. The next morning, Charles promises to call her on Christmas Eve, and they prepare for ten days apart. Charles texts Liza right after he walks away saying he misses her.

 

Once everyone is back to work, Zane (Charles Michael Davis) is still giving Kelsey (Hilary Duff) the cold shoulder. Diana (Miriam Shor) is even grouchier than usual, having gone on a cleanse that forbids coffee. A newly-bearded Charles is in a particularly good mood, complimenting Kelsey on Jake’s (Jason Ralph) book and sending Liza secret texts.

 

Kelsey tries to make amends with Zane, but he is having none of it. He accuses Kelsey of doing everything in her power to get Jake all to herself, saying that he screwed him and then screwed him over.

 

Liza and Charles make plans to meet at the public library before going to Sophia Belle’s (Stephanie Szostak) pitch meeting. Sophia explains that for so long, couples have been told that openness is the key to a successful relationship. However, she says that mystery is actually important, too. Healthy relationships should feel a little illicit, and it’s during the bubble of intimacy where real sparks fly. During her speech, Charles flirtatiously touches Liza under the table.

 

Kelsey begs Liza to go to the dinner Lauren (Molly Bernard) is throwing to impress the girl she likes, as she personally can’t because Jake is in town. Instead, Lauren ends up inviting Maggie (Debi Mazar) and Josh (Nico Tortorella).

 

The dinner quickly turns awkward when Maggie sees that Lauren’s crush is her ex Malkie (Sally Pressman). Malkie is still bitter about their breakup and Maggie’s inability to commit. Malkie calls her out on loving the chase but never wanting to get real, and Maggie walks out.

 

Liza meets up with Charles, saying they should probably talk about how everything is going to work. Charles asks if they can stay in their bubble just for one night, and Liza happily accepts. Charles takes her to the Seaglass Carousel in Battery Park, and they have a blast.

 

Liza starts to tell Maggie all about her magical night when she gets home, but she stops once she sees how upset Maggie is. Although Maggie is the one who ended things, Malkie telling her she has issues really cut her deep. Liza gently tells Maggie that everyone is afraid to put their heart out there, but good things can only happen when they take that risk.

 

Maggie brings flowers to Lauren to apologize for ruining her party, but Lauren isn’t angry. Instead, she tells Maggie that Malkie left right after she did practically in tears. She encourages her to give the flowers to Malkie and try to win her back.

 

Maggie goes to Malkie’s boutique and apologizes for ending things because she was scared. She wants to try things again, but Malkie isn’t convinced Maggie is actually ready. In order to prove herself, Maggie employs Josh to help her paint a huge mural across from her store, telling her she’s ready to do the work. Malkie loves it, and she and Maggie kiss.

 

Kelsey meets up with Jake, and Jake surprises her by saying he put up a bid on an apartment. He’s up for Charlie Rose’s old gig, and even if he doesn’t get it he wants to start spending a lot more time in New York–preferably with Kelsey. Jake invites her up to his place, but Kelsey puts things on pause. She wants to break the pattern of hooking up with people she works with, asking him to let her just be there for him as his editor until after the book comes out. Jake is disappointed but thanks her for her honesty.

 

Kelsey tells Liza about cooling things off with Jake, making her promise to slap her the next time she wants to sleep with a coworker. Charles is still in a great mood, his secret fling with Liza putting him in good spirits. They even meet for a rendezvous in the stairwell in the middle of work.

 

During Charles’ meeting with Jake, Jake says that Kelsey is a little too green to be his editor. He also thinks that the Millennial imprint is too niche for his material, saying that he believes it belongs at Empirical instead. Charles calls Zane into his office, telling him about what Jake said. Although he’s still angry at Kelsey, Jake says that Kelsey is the one who practically invented and rewrote the book and that it should be hers. Charles agrees to keep the title with Millennial.

 

Kiara (Alanna Masterson) from Reese Witherspoon’s company meets with Diana and Liza, saying that Netflix wants to have the option of making Marriage Vacation into a two-season show instead of a limited series in case it’s a big hit. In order to see where the story could go, she’s invited Pauline (Jennifer Westfeldt) to their meeting to talk potential directions.

 

Pauline is obviously bitter about Liza’s involvement and pitches the idea that her characters would have to divorce in season two since Kate finds out Carl has been cheating on her with an assistant in his company. She shoots Liza a pointed look, clearly betrayed by her actions.

 

Liza tries to defend herself to Pauline, saying that perhaps the assistant in the story was doing everything she could to get Kate and Carl back together, but Carl couldn’t get over the fact that Kate left him and her own children for a whole year. Kate doesn’t buy Liza’s version, saying that she thinks Kate will want revenge on the assistant for stealing her man. Diana and Kiara eat this up, and Liza is understandably shaken.

 

Liza starts telling Charles about her meeting with Pauline, but Charles says he spoke to her as well. He has agreed to let Pauline have the option to her sequel back so she can get more money somewhere else as part of their divorce settlement. Charles saying he’s doing this for both of them. Liza asks him to get rid of his beard but says she can work with it. However, the next day he comes into work completely shaven. Diana wonders who he did it for.