Younger- 3.01 - A Kiss is Just a Kiss - Advanced Review

Younger premieres Wednesday at 10/9C on TV Land.

Previously on Younger - Thad, the douche, got engaged to Kelsey, found out about Liza, and died like a Looney Tune episode. Good riddance. However, his twin brother is now hanging around and into Kelsey. Liza found herself in a love triangle between her hot young thing and her hot middle-aged boss. Maggie was awesome.

How you feel about this premiere may depend on how you feel about Liza's love triangle. If you honestly don't care about who she ends up with, you're the big winner here because while the love triangle is a main focus, it's the Diana storyline that really pops. Finding Kelsey working late at the office, Diana is immediately sympathetic. She offers Kelsey a little grief therapy via her favorite karaoke bar and slowly Diana's backstory comes out. A few rounds of vodka and some Mary Poppins later, Diana is showing Kelsey and Liza her apartment. Diana has some fine taste! She also takes her new writer's advice perhaps a little too seriously. By the end of the episode, Diana feels more rounded out and it's great to see her having a Girls' Night instead of always in a storyline chasing some man.


On the other hand, Kelsey finds herself having too much time with friends as Lauren's cure for the dead fiancé blues is every possible kind of therapy one can find in New York City. For the record, that's a lot of therapy. Lauren means well but she's actually causing Kelsey more stress. In the end, it's a quiet moment with Liza that helps Kelsey admit her feelings and start dealing with them. It's the best scene of the episode. Maggie, as usual, doesn't have a storyline of her own but she does have some great moments with Liza.

As for the love triangle, it is Charles' episode. Josh has a brief cameo scene but then vanishes from the episode. Charles, though, is stuck in a sticky situation after kissing his employee and attempts to keep things from being awkward. Maggie is definitely Team Josh but Liza isn't so sure and in a pivotal moment, it seems like her lies are going to catch up with her.

Overall I really liked this episode in spite of the love triangle shenanigans. One of my wish list items was to have Diana spend more time with other characters and less time moping about her love life. One of the two happens here so that's a start. I also like how they are handling Thad's death and especially Kelsey's reaction to it. It's not melodramatic but it's still complicated and that seems right for the character. Now if only they would give Maggie something to do.


Grade: B

Best Reason to Watch - all things Diana
Best Scene - Kelsey and Liza's conversation after leaving Diana's place
Best Back Story - Diana
Best Reaction - Liza to seeing….
Biggest Hmmm - Why are any of them writing their secrets on a paper in a group meeting? Did no one think that they would be asked to share?
Biggest Hidden Talent - Diana's drunk singing voice
Biggest Eye Roll - Bob
Least Likely to Take a Hint - Diana
Most Creepy - Chad hitting on Kelsey
Most Impressive - Diana's…
The "Wait a Minute" Award - Why exactly is Josh the bad guy for breaking up with Liza because he didn't want to have to lie anymore?
The "Didn't Know That" Award - vodka makes you a better singer…or maybe just makes you think you are
The "Say What?" Award - Equine therapy in New York is not what I thought equine therapy was. My understanding is you actually ride the horse.


Quotes -
"A hot guy who will lie for you? What more could anybody ever want from a relationship?"
"He was a WASP from Connecticut. I just thought he was uptight and well-mannered."
"I'm not sure what's more stressful - being a bride or a widow."
"Let it go."
"Maybe, but I know a girl who needs to cut loose when I see one."
"So behind door #1 we have your sweet, hot, 26-year-old boyfriend, who honestly knows and adores you and wants to be with you despite your craziness. Behind door #2, you've got your 40-something, divorced boss with 2 kids. Is it really a choice?"
"What is this place?" "Maria's Crisis. It's where I come whenever I'm having one."

Younger premieres this Wednesday at 10/9C on TV Land.

About the Author - Dahne

One part teacher librarian - one part avid TV fan, Dahne is a contributing writer for SpoilerTV, where she recaps, reviews, and/or creates polls for Teen Wolf, The 100, Grimm, How to Get Away with Murder, The Librarians, and others. She also runs the annual Character Cup. She's addicted to Twitter, live tweets a multitude of shows each week, and co-hosts The 100 "Red-Shirted" and Teen Wolf "Welcome to Beacon Hills" podcasts for Southgate Media Group. Currently she writes a Last Week in TV column for her blog and SpoilerTV. ~ "I speak TV."

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