Younger’s messiness and fun make for a delightful binge.
Thus far, I’ve been enjoying myself, curled up under a blanket, pretending to work, while really losing myself in the lives of Younger‘s characters and all the ridiculous fun that runs rampant at Empirical.
Did I laugh at Thad’s outlandish demise during Younger Season 2 Episode 12? Absolutely.
Am I gobsmacked at Kelsey moving in with Josh? You betcha.
Does every broach and necklace Diana dons crack me up? Every single time. Also, she’s the greatest character in this series, and I’m not taking any pushback on this cold-hard fact.
But, of course, amid the stories of Liza finding new versions of herself at 40-something and the pure joy I get out of female empowerment and strong female friendships, even or rather especially cross-generational ones, it’s still Younger.
Josh is Great, But Charles’ Appeal is Undeniable
At the heart of Younger, there’s always the ‘ship element, and right now, Charles is my number one pick.
Maybe it’s the daddy issues I’ll wholly own. Charles IS a total DILF, and I mean every bit of that. Hey, if my love life were great, I wouldn’t be binge-watching about someone else’s. Don’t judge me.
But nearing midway through this series, Charles’ appeal is undeniable. I can preface things by saying that I love Josh. He’s super hot, compassionate, and totally into Liza.
I love how easily Josh immerses himself into her life and accepts everyone. Freaking Thad could NEVER.
Josh and Maggie’s friendship outside of Liza is one of my favorite things, and while I’m still side-eying the hell out of him and Kelsey right now, I also don’t hate that either … yet.
But as I said in my last Younger piece, Liza makes it incredibly difficult for me to root for her and Josh with all my heart because many issues prickle at the back of my mind when they’re together.
Josh and Liza Have Passion But No Compatability
I love Liza.
As a protagonist, I’m fascinated by how wonderfully flawed she is, and there’s always something reassuring and refreshing about a woman who may be getting older but still doesn’t have it altogether.
The myth that anyone at any age has adulthood all figured out is pervasive, and any form of media that pushes back at that and shows the messy truth of it all delights me.
Liza and Josh have their appeal as a post-divorce relationship, and I love them.
However, it also troubles me that their relationship has become one of little reciprocity when it feels like Josh sacrifices so much to make it work, and Liza isn’t doing the same.
But when they’re not having some of the hottest makeout sessions and sex, their relationship suffers from their different desires. It doesn’t feel fair to either of them that neither is getting what they want.
Josh loves Liza so much that he wants the house and kids with her, but he’s accepted their age difference so well now that he doesn’t even consider what that entails.
Liza has already married and had a kid, so it’s not something that appeals to her, but it doesn’t seem like Josh is listening.
Liza and Charles’ Smoldering Chemistry is Intoxicating
As endearing as this pair is, there are cracks in their foundation. Liza’s inexperience outside of her husband intrigued Josh.
He felt the pressure within that, which made sense, but then he went ahead and wanted to lock her down into marriage anyway, which was bizarre. Bless his heart; he’s all over the place. It goes back to the point about how it doesn’t matter if you’re 20-something or 40-something — no one has any of this figured out.
But someone who is in the same boat as Liza without the series highlighting it as much is Charles.
The chemistry between Charles and Liza is delightful. It’s smoldering in a subtler way — filled with loaded pauses, lingering looks, and restraint.
Whereas Liza and Josh have shifted into a dynamic that relies too heavily on sexual attraction and physical chemistry, Younger leans into compatibility with her and Charles.
I’m fascinated by watching this “older man” fall so helplessly for this woman he believes is younger than him because she’s such an old soul.
There’s a part of Charles that doesn’t seem like he’d want to go the cliche route and date a younger woman, so he’s battling resistance since he doesn’t know the truth.
Charles Wrestling with Why He’s Drawn to Liza is Compelling
What’s nice is that Charles isn’t falling for Liza for all the superficial reasons that guys typically go for younger women. And he oscillates wildly between an awareness of the power dynamic because of their “age difference” and their job rankings and saying “screw it” and delving all in.
Their kisses have been impulsive and had the air of forbidden that’s intoxicating. I’ve held my breath every time, from his bold, punctuated kiss when asking her to return to Empirical to the hungry one outside her resort room.
One minute, Charles is the inherently sweet, gentlemanly single dad trying to mind boundaries, and the next, he’s this passionate, virile, impulsive man hungry for this brilliant, beautiful woman who mentally and emotionally stimulates him.
Somehow, Charles operates space as the stable, reliable, and “safe” choice while also being exciting, sexy, and dangerous.
Charles and Liza’s Chemistry Doesn’t Rely Exclusively on Physicality
Charles isn’t conventionally exciting, but the risks and edge lie in his ignorance of Liza’s real age and their relationship, which threatens their respective positions and the company.
It makes every sexually tense moment between them about as charged as any of the preludes to sex Liza has with Josh.
I’d even argue it’s more difficult to still pull off that level of sexually charged tension without the same level of physical touch (Do you see that zipper move above? It should NOT be that sexy, but it is. Swoon).
Charles and Liza’s tension relies entirely on facial expressions during fleeting moments. Even in moments where he stumbles, the avoidance and attempts at distancing himself emotionally and reacting coldly to keep his emotions in check are ripe with the type of romantic angst that delivers every time.
Whether he’s throwing caution to the wind or trying to rein himself in, Charles’ head done in by Liza is delicious content, and his having a similar effect on her makes it all the more appealing.
The Sexy DILF Does It for Me and Is Perfect For Liza
Charles is who Liza would’ve sought out if she weren’t keeping up this ruse. He’d be the perfect beau, showing her what a legitimately decent relationship would be like with a man her age who is actually a man and not whatever wimp you’d like to consider her ex-husband.
The fact that Charles and Liza have met under such bizarre circumstances is the absurdity that Younger milks for all it’s worth.
Charles is head over heels and fighting it, which makes his scenes all the more enticing, but there’s also a level to him where he could challenge Liza rather than submit to her will so easily and resent her for it later.
Right now, they feel equally yolked, and this dance they’re doing keeps us on edge, but I need them to pull the trigger on it for good.
Charles is my guy, but I need him to be Liza’s sooner rather than later.
Is anyone binge-watching Younger on Netflix? Where do you stand? Let’s hear it below!
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