‘Younger’ TV Review: #LizaToo
TV Land’s literary dramedy Younger returned tonight to kick off its fifth season, and finally goals have been reached and secrets have been spilled with the #MeToo movement looming in the background.
Younger is about a 40-something woman posing as a millennial at a publishing house after becoming a divorced empty nester. So her life is a lie.
The episode starts with the Empirical Press’ knockoff George R.R. Martin character Edward L.L. Moore having a soon-to-be-released series surrounding a scantily clad “Game of Thrones”-like princess. But it turns out he directed a sexually charged comment to a female fan in his made-up language at an event. When Liza realizes she would have to dress up again like the princess for Comic-Con, she remembers the author had made some crude remarks to her in the past as well.
Meanwhile, the Millennial imprint gets snubbed on the “Marriage Vacation” novel with an Empirical badge on the spine. The novel is written by the estranged wife of Charles, the senior editor at Empirical, who Liza is clandestinely in love with though Liza worked with his wife on the book. And the novel is real complete with the fictional author’s name on the cover.
Amid the book announcements, the company has to undergo sexual harassment training. Before the session, Liza, like in many episodes, runs into someone who knows her as a suburban New Jersey mother. It turns out to be her daughter’s roommate’s father. At the salad restaurant near her office. So it’s no surprise when the father shows up as the lawyer conducting the training back at her office. She hides under the desk and crawls out to the restroom.
At Comic-Con dressed as Princess Pam-Pam, Liza receives another crude remark from L.L. Moore. As she assembles other women dressed in the same outfit who were previous princess performers, she asks the group if they heard any off-color comments from the legendary wheelchair-bound 60-something author. They say yes. So Liza breaks the news to Charles, and since it doubles down on the earlier accusations, he postpones the book in front of the fans upset by the turn of events.
Though the princess series is canceled, Liza finds a way to alter the three-month Times Square advertisement to promote “Marriage Vacation” instead. But L.L. Moore, busy with his legal team, does an investigation on his accusers and presents evidence to Charles. With Liza’s birth and marriage certificates in hand, Charles can’t believe the millennial publishing assistant he’s fallen in love with is actually an age-appropriate liar.
Liza’s secret is revealed!
To Charles, the boss she’s in love with! But, of course, the episode ends, so Liza’s reaction to be continued.
