Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
‘younger’ cleverly confronts #MeToo era in its season five premiere
ON ANY other show, the #MeToo subplot that drove the Season 5 premiere of Showtime’s Younger might have come off as a contrived attempt to weigh in on a hashtag – but not in the unique Younger, Darren Star’s dramedy about a 40-year-old posing as a 26-year-old while she navigates Manhattan’s book publishing circles.
The premiere (# LizaToo) was everything that made Younger a delight to watch: whip-smart, funny and insightful, and the episode deftly used a storyline about sexual harassment to drop a bombshell that viewers had been waiting for.
At the beginning, we learnt that troubling allegations had been made against Edward LL Moore, an eccentric, flirtatious fantasy author. Liza (Sutton Foster) was asked by her boss (and love interest), Charles, whether she had any concerns about Moore. The possibility was there: He had said questionable things to Liza and asked her to wear a fur bikini to portray one of his marquee characters, Princess Pam Pam.
Liza told Charles that Moore was just a “flirty old man” and declined to make an official complaint, but concern spread around the Empirical office, spurring an awkward seminar about “safe touching” in the workplace. Liza ducked out when she recognised Bob, the lawyer brought in to explain sexual harassment.
She told Kelsey (Hilary Duff) that he was the father of her teenage daughter’s roommate. Bob knew her as a 40-something divorcée, not a 20-something book editor.
Over the last few seasons, we’ve seen Liza’s secret end her relationship with Josh (Nico Tortorella) and jeopardise her friendship with Kelsey. She can’t risk Charles finding out that she lied in order to get her job.
Ultimately, Moore gets his due when other Pam Pam models come forward with disturbing stories. Charles interrupts a promotional event to inform Moore’s fans that his book release has been indefinitely postponed due to the allegations.
“That’s absurd,” a stunned Moore growls. “We have a contract... you’ll pay for this!” He makes good on his promise, revealing the truth about Liza to Charles. It’s a genius move for the show because this has been a long time coming and Moore’s actions make sense in the context of the retaliation that follows reporting sexual harassment. | The Washington Post