There is no such thing as the perfect ending.

Inevitably, someone is going to be disappointed. It’s hard to fulfill everyone’s expectations as it is, but that becomes especially true during an episodes that is meant to provide closure to a beloved series of six years. 

I both loved and hated the Younger series finale. As Maggie said, love and hate tend to go hand-in-hand; they’re two sides of the same coin. 

The finale was an authentic wrap-up for each character’s journey with each of them getting their own version of a happy ending. We celebrated how far everyone has come from the pilot episode.

No one was sidelined or forgotten about, even if it did take 35 minutes into the episode for Josh to get any screen time. 

Can I just say, the series should have always embraced a 45-minute format! Look how much we were able to accomplish. 

I’ll break up my finale review by character, but I’ll start with the most important question, the one we’ve all been dying to know for seven seasons…

Team Charles or Team Josh?

The truth is, neither. The finale ended with Josh telling Liza “I’ve been right here, by your side all along,” which implied that Team Josh won out in the end, but it was also an ambiguous ending that allowed audiences to interpret it in whatever way they saw fit. Josh and Liza could’ve remained friends, they could’ve become friends with benefits, or they could’ve given things another shot.

The line was meant to imply that Liza was ignoring what was right in front of her this whole time, but how could she ignore a man she barely even saw?

The moment may have made Team Josh hearts swoon, but I felt a little cheated. Josh was an afterthought this whole season. He barely had any storylines, and he barely interacted with Liza at all. He popped in and out of every episode for a total of a few minutes just to keep up appearances. And he’s the one she supposedly ends up with? 

Why couldn’t we see them find their way back to each other. Why couldn’t we get more scenes between them? 

Though, I will give it to the writers for making things come full-circle as Liza and Josh found each other at the bar once again in the same way they did in the pilot. 

Credit: Younger/ Paramount+

Charles Brooks

Liza’s love story with Charles was a special one, but sadly, it was always doomed. Their relationship, for the most part, was based on a lie. Secrets defied their relationship.

While there was plenty of love between them, there also wasn’t a lot of trust. They would never be able to get past the feeling that the other wasn’t being forthcoming and truthful. And that wasn’t fair to either of them. 

However, if Charles and Liza were always going to go their separate ways, why did the show keep pushing them together this season?

It was such a tease to see them finally get back together after he broke up with Quinn only to have them ripped apart again. We saw Charles’s girls happy to see Liza back with her dad only for it to end again. It seemed like a colossal waste of time for both the characters even if it was realistic in the sense that there’s always that one person we keep going back to.

Most of the season felt rushed and as though the writers couldn’t actually decide what they wanted to do with this relationship. 

Everything was shaping up for them to end up together and then bam, the rug was pulled out from under us. 

If they were never endgame, it would’ve simply been better to keep them apart without the whole airport scene and give some of that screen time to Team Josh.

Though things didn’t pan out romantically between Liza and Charles, they were a necessary part of each other’s lives.

Liza reminded Charles why he got into publishing in the first place and pushed him to finish his novel, which was accepted into that YATO, a prestigious writer’s colony. He, in turn, named her Editor-in-Chief of Empirical, and I couldn’t think of anyone better for the job. 

Liza started out as a woman lying about her age because she couldn’t get a job to running one of the most respected publishing house’s in New York. 

And though they parted way amicably and will always remain friends, they also parted ways without actually growing much from the relationship — he remained insecure as ever and she continued to be painted as a liar. 

Liza Miller

I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again — Liza’s story was always one of forging her own path as an independent and badass woman. It was about finding herself after giving up her career to raise a child, owning her womanhood, her work ethic, finding her voice, becoming confident, her love of books, so it’s fitting that it ended with Liza putting herself first and getting the dream job. 

What more could a woman ask for?

Okay, fine, maybe Liza should’ve reserved the rights to her story and turned it into a book, but the least they could’ve done is invested in the musical put on by Redmond’s boyfriend. She was the sole inspiration of Scamalot… and it was brilliant! 

Kelsey Peters

Kelsey’s story was set up for a potential spinoff, and it’s a spinoff that I’m hoping gets greenlit. Kelsey came up with a brilliant idea with Inkubator, but it wasn’t meant for Empirical. The company, and Charles, took a chance on her right out of college, but Kelsey’s time with Empirical had run its course. And she knew that. That’s why this time, she took a chance on herself and left even before she got the funding for her company. 

Well, she did have some interest, but she shot those offers down immediately when she realized Rob was using her as a business transaction. Hey, Claire did try to warn her. Kelsey and Claire also made up, and I’m here for the female empowerment. They are both too good to be fighting over some worthless, misogynistic man.  

Eventually, Kelsey’s persistence paid off because Hello Sunshine, Reese Witherspoon’s female-positive media company, invested in Inkubator, and Kels announced she was moving to Los Angeles (likely because Hilary Duff wants to be closer to her family in real life!). I wonder if this means that Hello Sunshine has picked up the Kelsey-focused spinoff? Wouldn’t that be the perfect TV-meets-real world situation?

The best part about Kelsey’s story arc is that she finally made it as an independent woman. She never needed a man, but she always relied on them (bad men, might I add) as a crutch. This was her moment and she’s owning it by herself and for herself! There’s a beauty in her maturity! 

Josh 

Six seasons and they couldn’t give Josh a last name?! As I mentioned, Josh didn’t get much screen time in the finale even though he was the “chosen” one, but we did find out that he bought the apartment building that housed Kelsey and Lauren’s place along with Inkburg. 

I never knew Josh was that loaded, but I guess being a highly sought after tattoo artist likely pays well? I’m not sure. All I know is that Josh started off the series with roomies and ended up as a property owner, so good for him. 

Maggie Amato

In the words of Rihanna, Maggie found love in a hopeless place. And while happiness looks good on Maggie, I’m slightly disappointed it was with the woman who was petty enough to ruin her career. Sure, she revived it as a make-good, but it just seems like Maggie could do better than Cass, who will always be a malicious woman with deep insecurities about herself. 

Maggie, unlike Kels, has always been independent, and never needed to rely on anyone to help her career. 

Lauren Heller

Lauren is the only person who can take something that would’ve normally been a roadblock for and turn it into a whole opportunity. She’s always been authentically herself, so pining after some heterosexual dude because her parents wanted her to settle down just wasn’t her speed. But when Max explained that she encouraged him to be himself and introduced her to his male fiancee, it all suddenly fell into place. Lauren propositioned the both of them, and well, you don’t have to ask yourself WWLD (What Would Lauren Do) because you already know!

In the end, the series has always been about the friendships you make along the way, and that’s exactly how it ended — with Liza, Maggie, Kelsey, Lauren, and Josh enjoying each other’s company while navigating this messy and unpredictable thing called life. 

What did you think of the series finale? Are you happy with how it ended? 

The penultimate episode is setting up Younger for a happy ending, but will all the drama this season be worth it?

I’ll start with the positives — though I knew exactly how the episode would end, I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. 

There was such a thrill in seeing Liza come to terms with the fact that she had to let him go while also trying to see if there was anything left between them. 

And there was! When she handed him back the passport, there was plenty of tension and so much left unsaid. Charles’s feelings for her were obvious by the way his eyes lit up when she appeared at the airport. That’s the one and only thing Pauline was right about. 

However, the predictability was also what made me so upset with the episode. 

Younger has never been a cliche or predictable series, so having Charles realize that he has feelings for Liza moments before boarding a plane with another woman felt like cheap storytelling.

Was it romantic? Sure. It always is. That’s why near-miss airport scenes have been the backdrop for so many rom-coms, but we don’t watch Younger for a re-enactment of the classic Ross and Rachel scene in the Friends finale. We know the formula, and there’s nothing exciting about it. 

Credit: Paramount+

There is something to be said about the writing as it managed to do what I thought was impossible and bring the focus back to Liza and Charles, but again, that’s where the focus should’ve been this whole time.

Audiences didn’t want to see this mess with Quinn dragged on, we wanted the final season to explore Charles and Liza’s blossoming relationship. 

Not to mention, their reunion makes the whole season unnecessary and pointless as it unravels everything that’s happened over the course of 11 episodes with one big and predictable gesture. 

Why put them through all that drama if we were always going to end up back at square one?

For the last few seasons, I’ve been Team Charles and wanted nothing more than to see them end up together, but after everything he put Liza through this season, I’m just not feeling the romance.

And as I said in previous reviews, I would’ve preferred an ending where she chose herself. 

Some fans have questioned why I’m so hard on Charles and not on Liza despite the fact that she slept with the first pretty boy she laid eyes on post-split, but there’s a difference between getting under someone else casually to move on and pursuing a brand new relationship with your exes sworn enemy and proceeding to flaunt it in her face.

Charles knew better and did it anyway because he could. Liza didn’t deserve any of it, and yet, she was ready to let him go and be happy because she loved him that much. 

Now, that’s not to say that Liza hasn’t had her fair of indecisive moments in the past that led Charles to question whether she was truly in it for the long haul, but even so, he should’ve been open to a conversation and let her explain why she wasn’t interested in getting married again. 

This time, Liza was his and only his, and he let his insecurities get in the way of a damn good thing. 

The silver lining is that he realized how stupid he was before he made any actual commitments to Quinn. 

I thoroughly enjoyed seeing Charles shock when the real Quinn came out. As she barked orders at him and belittled him for forgetting his passport (who doesn’t double-check before a flight?!), he realized that this was absolutely not the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life or even the next hour with. 

It’s further proof that this whole time, Quinn was putting on an act. She may have been in love with the idea of Charles, but she didn’t love Charles. And I’m convinced that a part of her also enjoyed flaunting the romance in Liza’s face. 

And believe it or not, she is the villain in this story as it all boils down to Inkubator!

Buying Inkubator would allow Quinn to get revenge on both Charles and Liza. Not only would she be able to take it away from Empirical, and thus, Charles, but it would also make her Liza’s boss, which means she’d essentially own her.

The storyline would’ve been promising in any other season, but with one episode left, I don’t really want to see Liza and Kelsey’s company get bought up by someone who doesn’t have its best interest at heart, nor do I want their unique concept to be ripped off by publishing vultures. 

19 Reasons Why Liza and Charles Are Endgame on Younger

Kelsey should’ve listened to her gut about sending the proposal to one of Rob’s VC’s.

He wanted to help her get the best price, but clearly the subject line “for your eyes only” means “forward this to everyone you know.”

I really hope that everything works out for them in the end because Liza and Kelsey deserve it. 

They’ve worked too hard on the concept to get ripped off. 

And let this be a lesson to Kelsey about keeping her ideas under wraps and only showing them to the people she absolutely trusts. Kelsey would’ve been better off researching a few investors herself and pitching them directly. 

As for Rob, he doesn’t seem to be worth all the trouble. 

As I said, he may have wanted to help, but in general, he’s just been causing chaos in her life both personally and professionally. 

In addition to the whole Inkubator debacle that we know is coming in the series finale, Rob also caused a rift between Kelsey and Claire, which meant that she had to move out of Josh’s place. 

I guess it was the little push Kelsey needed to get out on her own. 

Except that she’s not actually on her own and can’t even afford to get her own place without Charles’s offer. For now, she’s relying on Rob’s kindness and living in his model apartment, which could make things super difficult and awkward if she decides to break up with him.

Then there’s Lauren’s love life, and well, it seems like she’s going to end up with her ex Max. 

Now, all I want is for Lauren to find her soulmate and be happy, but I just can’t get down with her ending up with a regular dude like Max. I know opposites attract and he could be the one to level Lauren’s eccentric nature, but I don’t want Lauren’s spirit to ever be dimmed. 

She needs someone just as wild and free-spirited as she is; she doesn’t need to settle down with a “nice boy” as her parents suggested.

And don’t let that steamy sex scene that ended up being just a dream fool you. Though, it was great! 

I’ll admit a part of me is still rooting for Lauren and Maggie. 

As we near the end, the series wanted to bring some familiar faces, but I’m willing to bet that Pauline was not the familiar face we all wanted to see. Diana, where you at, girl?

I know her appearances were limited due to the COVID-19 pandemic and prior commitments, but really… Pauline?

The whole storyline was so juvenile. She tried to make amends with Liza and thought she contributed to her breakup with Charles. Can someone please help Pauline realize that she’s not that important?

Pauline’s plan wasn’t effective in the way she hoped it would be, but it did help Charles see Quinn’s true colors, so I guess that counts for something. 

There were moments where her meddling was slightly comical, but she came out of the blue and inserted herself for absolutely no reason and against Liza’s wishes. 

And once again, my issue with Josh’s lack of screentime stands. Pauline got more screentime in the 25-minute episode than Josh did all season. 

The only thing I did enjoy was how protective he was over Kelsey when he gave Rob a stern warning about “being a little more careful” with her heart than he was with Claire’s. 

Josh has every right to call out Rob since he’s now involved with two of the women that he loves.

What did you think of the penultimate episode? Do you think Charles should be forgiven and taken back with open arms?

Will you be happy with Liza and Charles as endgame?

We’re nearing the end, and I continue to be disillusioned with the final season of Younger. 

There were some redeemable moments on Younger Season 7 Episode 10, but overall, the season has not been impressive for all the reasons I’ve mentioned repeatedly in my previous reviews. 

For the sake of having to repeat myself again, here’s the condensed version:  the writers are focusing on the wrong things by introducing so many new storylines and characters when we really just want to wrap up all the journeys we started with the ones we care about.

Two things worked in this episode’s favor: it was Quinn-free (a rarity in season 7) and focused much more on the relationships between the core characters.

It wasn’t all great, however. Josh continued to be reduced to a secondary character that pops in and out of random scenes without serving an actual purpose. Why waste Nico Tortorella’s time and skills like that?

It’s seriously a shame what they’ve done with his storyline.

While he had a bit more screen time on this episode, even then, he just stood by and watched Kelsey and Claire’s feud play out. At one point, he was only there to fetch drinks for the group at Maggie’s art exhibit. Really? 

It seems that the writers think that we don’t care about Josh unless he’s involved in Liza’s love triangle, but that couldn’t be further from the truth.

Even without a romantic connection, the two of them have formed an incredible friendship that we wanted to see explored in the final episodes. 

Josh is so much more than Liza’s ex to the audience and deserved more love from the writers. We could’ve seen him pursue his career, bond with Gemma, or even find a decent love interest that maybe would’ve stuck around in the end. 

Kelsey’s been a hot mess this season but in the best possible way. Her love life has never been tidy before, so you knew that she was walking into a major disaster zone by pursuing Rob and keeping it a secret. Hey, Lauren tried to warn her! Girl code exists even if it’s just with an acquaintance whose baby daddy is your best friend!

In fact, Kelsey knew it too, which is why she kept it a secret from everyone in her life and avoided any interaction with Claire until it was no longer possible because Lauren recruited her to build out Inkubator’s app. 

At that point, Kelsey really should’ve come clean and had a chat with Claire. It was only a matter of time before the truth was revealed, and Claire was already being gracious by doing free labor. Apps cost a lot, especially if they’re being done by a Google coder!

I don’t know if Claire would’ve handled the news any better if Kelsey would’ve just confronted her about it, but at least she wouldn’t be so caught off guard and embarrassed. It’s the principle of the matter. 

Instead, Kelsey came off as shady and manipulative. 

No woman, even someone who had an amicable breakup (as if those really exist so soon after things have ended), wants to find out about an exes new relationship by reading the dirty texts he’s sending to a supposed “friend.”

It was made worse by the fact that Claire actually considered Kelsey a friend after they went out for a breakup brunch and talked about their feelings!

This wasn’t even Kelsey’s worst decision. There was a series of them including dating Rob and investing all of her money for finding an apartment into Dylan’s advance. 

She took the phrase “go big or go home” to heart, and went so big, she no longer has a home. 

Thankfully, Maggie has a big apartment and an extra sofa for her to sleep on. 

She may be canceled by the public, but she’s never been one to bail on her friends when they need her. 

I genuinely love that the show spotlights the power and dedication of true friends. When no one showed up for the opening night, they were all there and supportive regardless. You have to take note of who shows up for you when you’re a nobody, so you can remember them when you’re a somebody. 

Kelsey was the only one who ditched the exhibit of the woman who later gave her a roof over her head to go spend time with Rob. Honestly, maybe she deserves everything that’s happening to her.

After Clive, a famous art critic, gave Maggie’s show a glowing review, the dive bar was packed with people! 

Of course, it seems the critic came at the behest of Cass, the Dean who destroyed Maggie’s name and credibility in the first place. If I were Maggie, I wouldn’t be so forgiving… lord knows the Internet isn’t. 

Cass seemed genuine in her apology and explained that she finally realized her wife was a bit sleazy. There were definitely some vibes between Maggie and Cass, but I hope the series doesn’t explore that angle because Maggie deserves better than an insecure woman who was all too comfortable destroying another lesbian woman when her ego was bruised. 

Also, why didn’t they just host Maggie’s art show at Josh’s tattoo parlor during the Inkubator series? It would’ve fit the artistic vibe, plus, it was a guaranteed turnout as there were lines out the door!

Speaking of hurt egos, Charles is a lost puppy and the very definition of “you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone.”

He was adamant about not having Empirical be associated until he saw the success of Inkubator for himself and realized that it’s a solid idea that attracted award-winning authors. 

But here’s the thing — Charles doesn’t deserve to be part of that success. When Liza tried explaining it to him, when Kelsey pitched it to him, when they offered him Dylan Par as an author, and even when they showed him how much buzz the chapters were getting on Vulture, Charles kept shutting them down and telling them to “focus on the job that pays them.”

He didn’t appreciate the idea when it was just starting off, so he shouldn’t get to reap the rewards now that it’s blowing up and getting recognition. 

He’s the definition of hopping on the bandwagon and taking credit for something he didn’t do. 

It’s insulting to Kelsey and Liza as he didn’t trust their judgement or their vision.

And he can explain it as his way of guaranteeing Empirical stayed afloat, but it was really just another example of his way or the highway.

It would be easy to take Empirical’s money as Kelsey and Liza need it to sign authors if they’re going to build this out, but Inkubator has been successful solely because it isn’t restricted by corporate guidelines or greed. It’s powered by the love of writing, storytelling, and publishing, and it would be a shame to lose sight of that. 

Kelsey may not have handled other situations in her life properly, but she’s right about waiting to build out the app instead of allowing Charles to “mansplain” why their idea was suddenly valuable and profitable… and hopefully, that app is still happening amidst all the drama. 

You had one job, Kelsey!

Charles wasn’t leading with his heart, both in his career and in his love life. And he’s slowly, but surely, beginning to realize it and come to terms with the fact that his ego and his stubbornness cost him the best thing that ever happened to him.

While reconnecting with Liza over dinner, he realized just how much he valued her impact on his life. She’s a refreshing burst of energy that challenges him to get out of his comfort zone and lead a more exciting life and forces him to be a better person.

Life has thrown Liza so many curveballs, and she’s the definition of making lemonade out of lemons. Heck, she can likely make lemonade out of anything thrown her way. 

When Charles saw her at Inkubator downing shots and inspiring young minds to take a risk even if it terrified them, you could tell he was in awe. 

Liza is a force of nature. 

And that’s precisely why she shouldn’t give Charles another chance. 

Was I rooting for them to kiss after dinner and for everything to fall back into place? Yes. But that’s the romantic in me. 

They fall into a groove every time they go out together, so it’s obvious that there are very real feelings between them and we want to root for them. 

But the fact that they still have love for each other is also not enough of a reason to just forgive Charles’s hot and cold approach to their relationship. 

When Liza voiced her disinterest in getting married again, she had valid reasons that Charles simply dismissed. He let his insecurities run rampant and assumed that she wasn’t in it for the long run. 

And he then immediately turned to another woman for comfort. He’s like those people who cannot be single if their life depended on it. 

Quinn always has been and always will be a placeholder. She’s second best, but at this point, it’s exactly what Charles deserves. 

And the truth is, Liza doesn’t need a man who can’t see her worth when it’s staring him right in the face. She doesn’t need someone who only realizes her potential after she’s show receipts. 

It would actually go against Liza’s nature to dim her own light to allow Charles back in.

And if she even considers it, he’s going to have to earn it, which I, unfortunately, cannot see happening realistically in one episode. 

It’s possible Charles will dump Quinn and ask Liza for one more chance, which she can consider, but only if she’s prioritizing her wants and needs first!

Other Memorable Moments

• Lauren has stolen the season first by attempting her best to fill Diana’s shoes and then for being such a genuinely good friend and sticking up for Maggie when Cass waltzed into the exhibit. 
• Charles saying fuzzy p**sy (or fussy p**sy, I couldn’t tell) was beyond brilliant and hilarious. He’s so uptight that he couldn’t even say the P-word without turning bright red.
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What did you think of the episode? Do you like where things are headed ahead of the finale?

What are your thoughts about the final season? Let us know in the comments below!