BWW Recap: Workplace Romances Spark and Fizzle on YOUNGER

All the Empirical office romances are getting a bit more complicated this week! Liza's romantic plot line (read: Josh) is once again pretty much sidelined for the episode in favor of focusing more on the work scene, wherein Liza juggles administrative duties, being a supportive gal pal to Bjonberg-adulteress Kelsey, babysitting Charles' kids (yeah, we'll get to that one) and, of course, maintaining her guise, which, as she bemoans to Maggie in one scene (who's also pretty much sidelined for the episode), is getting harder by the minute.

After a brief cold open in which we learn that a) Liza's a former skateboarder (that'll be important later) who didn't play video games as a kid, and b) there's no longer a door to Josh's bedroom, which basically means sex is off the table (maybe that's why Josh is sidelined this week, hmm?), we're back at Empirical, where everyone's abuzz ahead of the PEN Awards, at which prized author Bjonberg is receiving an honor. (Side note: does the "P" stand for "Poet" or "Playwright"? Aw, never mind. Just asking for Nina). Amid giving several other demands in preparation for the evening, Diana lets Liza know Bjonberg's wife, Annika, is flying in for the event. Uhhhhh.... ok.

Cue - appropriately - Liza/Kelsey chat scene in the bathroom. Liza dishes her "motherly" advice, saving herself on an age-revealing snafu, and ultimately advising Kelsey to end the affair; it has, as Liza explains, "collateral damage," something she knows all too well from her own previous marriage. :-(

And yes, in this talk about Kelsey's affairs affecting different people, Thad is mentioned again. Where has he been this whole time?! I would love to have seen more scenes at home, where we could view his thoughts and reactions as Kelsey tells him she's spending another late night at work? Or his suspicions when she just sneaks off, etc. Even if Liza disagrees with how Thad treats Kelsey (and yes, to support that point, the last time we saw the guy was in the bar, where he took major advantage of his girlfriend), it'd still be nice to see how he feels through all this. And we've only got four episodes left, people!! Isn't it time we actually, literally see how Thad feels about this?! I think so. But maybe the writers have other plans. Anyway...

Of course, too, THE TALK doesn't go without Kelsey taking a potshot [that she doesn't know will offend Liza] at women of Liza's real age: "I don't wanna be one of those women who wakes up at 40 and realizes she forgot to have a life." On one hand, ouch. On the other, eh. Liza'll get over it. Just thought it worth mentioning. #Thisllprobablycomebacktobiteher

As a thank-you for picking her up at the airport, Annika takes Liza to lunch, where she reveals Anton's at work on a new book - about his 26-year-old mistress that works as an assistant at a publishing firm! Major uh oh!! And to make it worse? Annika thinks THE MISTRESS - with her doe eyes and her... well, no... I won't say... you'll just have to watch for that detail - is Liza!!!! Aaaah! More on that later.

The B-plot this week follows Diana contemplating her feelings for Charles. Which could get more complicated given what now about Liza and Charles' connection from last week. And given that connection - that spark, if you will - there's no doubt Liza will be roped into this plotline as well.

Gosh - and here I am worrying about what Diana will do if she finds out Liza's real age. But what could happen if Diana discovers the tension her assistant has with her crush?! Or is this something she's already figured out?! Or at the very least, suspected. Considering the "lectures" she's given Liza in past episodes, perhaps maybe she does know there's some tension. (Though I don't know if she suspects that Charles is equally as much into Liza as she is him!)

But regardless, this episode comes lecture-free, and we're instead treated to a scene in which Diana (once again) laments Charles' unattainability... and also (unknowingly) throws shade at Liza and her true age: "You have no idea what it's like to be single and in your 40's." (Watch closely for Sutton Foster's hilarious deadpan reaction from behind her boss' back!) Gosh, 40-year-old Liza's getting burned left and right this week! (Also, side note: Diana was involved with Philip Roth!!)

As predicted, the harmless little assistant is pulled further into the plotline re: the Diana/Charles(/Liza) romantic web; Charles' babysitter cancels and Diana volunteers Liza for the job. Damn... and she was so close to being wrapped in a slanket, gorging on wine and cheese while she and Maggie plowed through a DOWNTON ABBEY marathon!

Meanwhile, Diana hits a snag at the awards ceremony; she listens to Annika berating the "dees-gusting" groupies who follow around "literary giants" with the hope that baiting them will "give meaning to their miserable little lives." What does she mean "baiting literary giants"? Oh, like how Diana tries to force Charles onto her? Yeah. And we see the thought dawn on Diana. Yikes!

With this idea in mind, she tries being more open to Charles' needs, taking an interest in his life, and attempting to form an actual relationship, instead of being the clingy, glomm-y "groupie" which Annika had earlier described (which is, not-for-nothing, a perfect description of Diana in relation to her crush!) But, alas, Charles seems to be more interested in Liza. :-(

(Who, BTW, is killing it in this babysitting job!! Zombies?! How creative! Also, did y'all catch the clever way in which she uses/disguises her past experiences to help her relate to the kids? Well done, writers!)

However, with all that going on, Diana is still not the person in the most compromising position. Nope, not at all. That would be Kelsey, who decides to confront Anton about ending their tryst, and the fact that he wrote about her in his book. When Anton refuses to stop their affair (he even cuts himself to emphasize how much she means to him!), Kelsey comes clean with Annika: "It's not Liza. I am the walrus."

I'm really stoked this storyline stopped after this line this week. What an excellent cliffhanger! And given the circumstances, the tension is at a major boiling point, which makes me that much more interested impatient to find out what happens next. What we do know, from Charles and Liza's conversation, is that a) Kelsey blew out of there rather quickly, and that b) by way of stealthy text message, Liza knows what has happened. But seriously: How will this affect Kelsey and Anton? Will Diana find out? Will Kelsey get fired? And how will Annika respond to Kelsey? Will she leave Anton? Will Anton then blame Kelsey? Oooh... this is too good! Such a fantastic way to execute the episode! Keep the viewers on the edge of their seats! Kudos!

Back at the house post-party, Charles and Liza have a drink (!), and discuss the hardships Charles' kids have faced as a result of the divorce... something to which - surprise surprise! - Liza can relate. Though Charles briefly questions how Liza can possibly be so wise for her age - Cue Foster's A+ response facial expressions! - they really seem to be hitting it off. Side note: it may be hard to tell considering they have had interaction in many scenes thus far, but this is the first scene Liza and Charles have together, where they're ALONE just the two of them, in a non-public work setting. And that does a lot to their relationship.

When Liza mentions Josh is waiting outside to walk her home, Charles looks crushed. BUT... he quickly acknowledges that she's 26 and with another guy, and they say "goodnight." But then... he calls her back, and she looks hopeful. And then he says "I forgot to pay you," and she looks crushed. Damn... I mean... the number of times they *both* look at each other with that glimmer of hope. And Liza - poor thing. Like she likes him, and the looks she exchanges hint that if she wasn't "26" - or also, if her boss wasn't crushing on this man - she'd totally go for it. Hmm... there's definitely something to play with here... and while it looks like the Anton/Kelsey romance is finished for now,

I hope this is the romance that replaces it. I mean, looking ahead at the promo, this isn't the last we see of Liza and Charles. Have I mentioned how kicka** the writing is on this show?

But then, Josh meets her outside with a skateboard (told you that'd be important), encouraging her to relive her GLORY days, and they ride off, with an upbeat pop song playing in the background as Liza smiles and laughs. Which is to say, metaphorically, maybe she's happiest when she's with Josh, and should just stay that way, and not think about Charles. But on the other hand, Josh is 26. And it wouldn't be wrong to do anything with Charles, considering they're around her same age. But, then again, for all Charles knows, Liza's 26. So, that would then put him at risk of dating a younger woman. And, ages aside, if Charles and Liza got together, that would really rile up Diana, who's probably going berserk right now anyway, as she may or may not have found out about Anton and Kelsey. Man, this is complicated!

And I could stay here and try to sort out all the craziness in this tangled web of mismatched, semi- inappropriate workplace romances. Or I could just say ('cause I essentially just did the first thing anyway), that I hope you enjoyed this week's episode, leave your comments below, and until next time, stay YOUNGER.

I'll opt for the latter. See ya next week, y'all!

Photo Credit: TV Land

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