Christmas came early for Younger fans, especially those who are #TeamCharles and have been waiting patiently to see what has been building for 5 seasons - Liza and Charles no longer being victims of unsynchronised passion but FINALLY being on the same page and getting together! And what an epic way to do it! I had warm fuzzy feelings the whole way through!
Before I get to the main storyline of the episode, I have to say that I love Diana in this episode and how she changes from the Grinch not quite to Elf, but gets decidedly more into the Christmas spirit thanks to Enzo and his humongous tree! Seeing how touched she was by Liza's homemade gift for her was wonderful - I really feel that these two could be great friends and I hope the writers build on this. Miriam Shor effortlessly delivers the most brilliant one liners and this episode was no exception: "Neckwear should inspire envy Liza, not seizures."
Now onto the Liza and Charles goodness...Sutton Foster is comedy gold and her yodelling 'The Lonely Goatherd' with Caitlin at Bob and Julia's holiday party managed to be both charming and hilarious. Her facial expression when she realised Charles was watching had me laughing out loud! Peter Hermann manages to say so much without even uttering a word and we see on his face as he watches her and then meets Caitlin, that all of the anger is gone and he finally understands why Liza did what she did.
This then led to Bob 'introducing' Liza to Charles and we get the gift of knowing that even if Liza had never gone to work at Empirical that they would have met that night anyway. If that's not destiny then I don't know what is!
One of the most moving scenes of the entire series came the morning after, over the coffee machine at Empirical. Charles, with his newfound understanding of Liza, shyly approaches her and they re-bond over shared stories of the lengths they go to for their children. It's so heartwarming to see them talk and laugh together again after after all the hurt and longing of prior episodes. As Charles stares after her with the look of a man deeply in love, we know he has realised that the lie is irrelevant and she is still the woman he fell for.
Flash forward to a wintery New York evening - the snow is falling and traffic is at a standstill as Charles sits in the back of a cab on his way to the airport. As the strains of 'The Lonely Goatherd' are heard through the radio, it's a sign and Charles knows what he has to do. The airport no longer his destination, he makes a frantic dash over to Brooklyn to get the woman he loves!
With the snowstorm in full force, Liza gets the shock of her life when she trudges home to find the man she thought she had lost waiting for her on her stoop. Her shock soon turns to joy as we see the relief literally ooze from Charles's pores as he declares "I don't care anymore". So simple a phrase, but so significant to these two as it signifies that the lie and all the obstacles and barriers that they have had to overcome, and others that will still have to face, simply don't matter because what they feel for each other is stronger. And then we get the epic movie style, swoon-worthy, Bridget Jones-esque moment when Charles takes her into his arms and kisses her like there's no tomorrow as the snow falls all around them. Merry Christmas everyone! Take a bow writers, take a bow!
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