Younger – The Good Shepherd

By starrymag | March 3, 2016

By: Taylor Gates

This episode starts in Maggie’s (Debi Mazar) kitchen. Liza (Sutton Foster) is stress baking pies, trying to get her mind off of Josh (Nico Tortorella). It’s not helping that Maggie is reading the article about him while she eats. Maggie says she never thought Josh would be the type of guy to let fame go to his head, but Liza defends him. This is her fault, not his. Maggie disagrees, saying she’s entitled to her privacy, but Liza shoots back that Josh is entitled to break up with her for wanting it, too.

 

Kelsey (Hilary Duff) and Lauren (Molly Bernard) show up, determined to help Liza get over Josh. It turns out they’ve put her on Tinder, much to Liza’s horror. Thanks to their meddling Josh and Liza awkwardly stumble upon each other’s profiles while swiping through.

 

Maggie and Liza go to the farmer’s market to buy more apples for Liza’s pies. While there, Josh texts Liza, questioning the fact she’s on Tinder already. She reassures Josh it’s a joke and he replies his account is as well.

 

Liza spies a booth selling wool scarves, which piques her interests. She starts chatting with the owner, Sebastian (Matthew Morrison), who reveals the fabric comes from a small flock of sheep he owns on his farm in the Hudson Valley. He used to own a vintage denim and boot business in Brooklyn before selling it to move to a quieter part of the state. Liza buys the scarf and Sebastian flirts with her a bit, giving her some informational cards about how to care for the wool and his musings while living on the farm.

 

Later that night, Liza wraps herself up in the scarf while reading the pamphlet he gave her. She’s clearly impressed by it, sharing it with Maggie and describing the writing as “Hipster Thoreau.” Liza even brings it to work the next day to show Kelsey, thinking there’s a lot of potential in his writing. Kelsey is skeptical, telling Liza the last time someone handed her a pamphlet with that much passion it was a Jehovah’s Witness on the subway.

 

Diana (Miriam Shor) interrupts the two, handing Kelsey a bottle of alcohol and congratulating her on her starter marriage. Kelsey tells Liza she hasn’t gotten very many likes on her Instagram picture announcing her engagement. Liza tells her it’s probably just because everyone is so overwhelmed by social media, but Kelsey isn’t sure. She invites Liza to Girls Night where she promises there will less baking and more drinking.

 

At Girls Night, Liza goes to join Lauren and a few of Kelsey’s other friends while she argues with the Uber driver. With Kelsey gone, her friends reveal that they’re concerned about Kelsey’s engagement. They don’t think Thad (Dan Amboyer) is husband material and the whole engagement seems vague and fake. Lauren asks Liza to talk to her, as Kelsey respects and cares about what she has to say.

 

Kelsey joins the group and Lauren puts Liza on the spot, saying she has something she wanted to talk to Kelsey about. Liza hesitates, but finally asks Kelsey if she’s sure about the engagement what with Millennial just starting up and everything. Kelsey gets defensive, blaming Liza for being jealous since her breakup with Josh. All her other friends completely throw Liza under the bus, saying they’re totally on-board with Kelsey’s relationship. Kelsey says she officially changed her relationship status to engaged and they all toast to her and Thad.

 

On their walk to work, Kelsey reveals that she read the shepherd’s pamphlet and agrees he’s a great writer. She wants Liza to find him and bring him in to talk about a potential book deal. Considering he doesn’t have an email, she’ll have to drive up and try to find him. Kelsey covers for her with Diana, calling her in sick, saying that’s what best friends do. Liza apologizes for butting in about Thad; if Kelsey is happy, she’s happy for her. She’s made so many mistakes; she has no room to judge.

 

Kelsey calls Thad, asking why he hasn’t accepted her request to show up as engaged to him. Thad defends himself, saying there are a few loose ends he needs to tie up first. Annoyed, Kelsey says they’re going to pick a night and tie up those loose ends together.

 

Liza beings her journey to find Sebastian, using the clues he left in his pamphlet to locate his home. She finds it without too much trouble, greeted by a pack of dogs when she parks. Sebastian comes to greet her, saying she missed the no trespassing sign. She promises she’s not a stalker, just an editor interested in his essays.

 

They take a walk. Liza tries to convince him to publish some of his work by saying that readers want a glimpse of a simpler life and he writes with a clarity and purpose most people are missing. She compares him to some great authors, but he said he doesn’t want fame. She keeps trying, asking if he would even consider the possibility of developing his ideas into something more. He says, in a way, he already has.

 

He leads her inside, handing her a thick leather, handwritten notebook about his past five years on the farm. It’s the only copy and if she wants someone else to take a look, he wants to be there with it.

 

Liza takes it to Diana and Kelsey to read. Kelsey loves it and Diana is positive she’ll never eat lamb again after reading it. Diana doesn’t understand how Liza expects her to market it. Liza calls Sebastian in. After getting a look at him, Diana is sure she can use his attractiveness to her advantage.

 

Sebastian and Liza grab dinner, getting to know each other better. Sebastian says that he had his share of fun for about ten years, but now his work keeps him busy. He enjoys life so much more now that things are slowed down, but his ex didn’t feel the same way. So, now he is single. He hopes the one thing people take from his book is that you can always reinvent yourself. Just then, Josh and Greta, the curator from his New York Times article, walk into the restaurant. The four of them have an awkward, albeit brief, interaction to acknowledge each other.

 

Kelsey and Thad sit together in bed. Kelsey unfriending people from Thad’s social media—people like bartenders and alleged “cousin-in-laws” have to go. She asks if there’s anyone else that will be surprised when he changes his relationship status and he admits he hasn’t told his parents yet since they are out of town. Furious, Kelsey hops out of bed and storms out of the room.

 

The next morning, Maggie asks how Liza’s dinner with Sebastian went. Liza says that running into Josh and his probably-girlfriend Greta kind of spoiled it. Liza says that she’s happy that Josh found someone his own age. Maggie thinks the hot shepherd and Liza would be a perfect match, but Liza isn’t ready to jump back into a relationship. Maggie reminds her that before Josh she didn’t have sex for two years and tells her not to let that happen again.

 

Diana calls Liza into her office, telling her to have Sebastian sign a contract for the book. Since he already left for the farm, she’s going to have to drive up there again. Diana also wants Sebastian to be shirtless for the author photo so readers can “look beyond the 4H club.”

 

Liza and Sebastian sit down to go over the contract. Liza says he can have someone look it over, but Sebastian doesn’t believe in lawyers. Plus, he feels he can trust Liza. Liza says she thinks a lot of people will be touched by what he’s written. He replies that, regardless of what happens with the book, he’s just glad it gave him the chance to meet her. She feels the same way and he kisses her. He begins to apologize, but Liza kisses him back, realizing she’s being completely unprofessional.

 

Their makeout session is interrupted by a text from Diana, much to their dismay. Liza has to rush back to the office with the contract, but she promises she’ll be back soon to show him the proofs. He says she’s welcome back anytime she wants to sit by the fire and drink a glass of wine. She swears to take care of his book as if it were her own.

 

Liza has a big grin on her face while driving back until she realizes she forgot to have him sign one of the papers. She turns her car around, driving back to the farm. Sebastian doesn’t answer the door when she knocks so she goes to the barn to see if he’s out there. She walks in on him getting very comfortable with one of the sheep. Horrified, she sprints out of there.

 

Liza explains the situation to Kelsey and Diana. Diana says that’s what she gets for trying to find new talent at the farmer’s market; maybe she’ll have better luck at the circus. Kelsey says there is some good news—Josh unfollowed her on Instagram, meaning he misses her so much he can’t even bear to see pictures of her. Liza thinks maybe he just wants nothing to do with any of them.

 

Thad walks into the office. He and Kelsey are going to meet his parents for dinner. Thad already told them the big news and they are totally pumped. First, they make a stop, officially changing their relationship status to engaged to each other. Diana sees this pop up on her feed and likes it while rolling her eyes. Liza sees it while getting in the elevator, liking it with a smile.