Younger (2015) s07e09 Episode Script
Fallout
1
Previously on "Younger"
I want to think that you've changed.
Charles obviously does.
When it comes to him, I'd rather
save my ass than my face.
If you're teaching a bunch
of college students,
I don't think these tweets
came from them.
- You set me up.
- You're fired!
You brought this on yourself.
- My train's on the corner.
- Oh, no, no, no.
Freddie can take you anywhere you want.
Maybe dinner with a friendly book lover?
- You dated Clare.
- We broke up last month.
- It dropped today.
- Oh, my God!
Our little incubator, it's taking off!
Hey, what are you doing with that sign?
Maggie Amato's been cancelled.
[UPBEAT MUSIC]
♪
And the caterpillar emerges
from her chrysalis,
a beautiful butterfly.
Not now, I've been up since 4:00 a.m.
What are you doing back there?
Well, I built a dark room.
You know, this whole cancel
Maggie Amato business
gave me an idea for a new show.
- Hey, that's great.
- I think it could be,
but, no gallery wants to rep me now.
So I'm showing at the East River Bar,
you know, in that side
room people go to piss
when the bathroom line gets too long.
Well, hey, Charles didn't wanna publish
one of our INKubator authors,
so we got her into "Vulture."
Each week, a new chapter comes out,
and people are going crazy for her.
I know it's it's not the same, but
Even when the bathroom line isn't long,
people still go in there to piss
and vomit.
Well, you have to show your work
even in a bar that stinks
of piss and vomit,
because that's what artists do.
Yeah. Well, at least
you'll be there, right?
I'ma have to check my calendar.
[UPBEAT MUSIC]
Hey, hey, we got soul ♪
Oh, yeah, we got soul ♪
Hey, hey ♪
Hey, hey ♪
57 comments on Dylan's chapter,
and they're all positive.
Um, 58.
Okay, this one is just
an emoji of a bowl.
Do you think it means bowled over?
- No, eating it up.
- [GASPS]
You guys, these people
fell in love hard.
Ugh, look at you.
Withholding the chapters,
teasing the readers
I'm seriously triggered,
and seriously impressed.
I mean, it is a total mind game.
It's like, we hooked up, and it was hot,
but I want to take it slow.
Yeah, it's like a friendly hug goodbye,
but then you lean your hips forward
just enough to graze it.
- Ew, Liza, you nasty.
- I know, I'm nasty.
- [LAUGHTER]
- Good morning.
Good morning, hello.
Is this the girl that came
out of your INKubator night?
Sure is.
- It's good.
- Yeah.
Do you think maybe we
should bring her in?
Can I get a Y to the E to the
No, it's still not something
we would publish.
Well, someone wanted to publish her.
And let people read her work for free.
Well, sometimes content is for free.
That's what INKubator is all about.
And Dylan's next book might
be worth some money,
so, we're just helping her get there.
But I also need you to get to work
on books that people will actually
pay to read.
Excuse me.
[FUNKY MUSIC]
♪
Hi, me again.
Do you know Susan Abbott?
Yeah, of course, she's the food writer
married to Jonah Rothchild
he's one of my favorite authors.
Well, Susan and Jonah
are coming in today
to meet with me.
Jonah left FSG?
No, he's still there, and Susan
is still with Harper-Collins,
but, they're doing a book together
and they want a new publisher
- for the joint venture.
- Wow.
This could be a get.
Jonah has a Pulitzer.
And Susan ha two James Beard awards,
we worked really hard
to get them in here
since I figure it's a book people
will actually pay to read.
Um
would you mind if I joined the meeting?
It's your company, you can
do whatever you want.
[UPBEAT MUSIC]
[PHONE CHIMING]
♪
[PHONE RINGING]
[RINGING CONTINUES]
♪
Okay, so, first an unsolicited tick pic,
and now a FaceTime call with no warning?
I thought it was a fun surprise.
No!
In fact, most people would consider
this, like, a terrorist act.
Well, I need a social
media etiquette class.
- Or, maybe a personal tutor?
- I don't tutor.
Do you go to hockey games?
Why, did someone cancel on you?
I have season tickets,
you are the only person I've asked,
but if you want to invite
people, I have a box.
Oh, wow. [LAUGHS]
I'm surprised you didn't
send a pic of that.
Of my box?
Even I know that's at
least date two or three.
[LAUGHS]
I'll see you there at seven.
Perfect.
[UPBEAT MUSIC]
[SIGHS]
A notable food writer and a guy famous
for his literary fiction decide
to write a spy novel.
How did that happen?
Well, our first date, we saw
"Three Days of the Condor"
- Yes we did.
- at the Film Forum.
And afterward, we went
back to his place,
he pretended to be Robert Redford,
- I was Faye Dunaway.
- [LAUGHTER]
We love the spy genre is the point,
I hope, of that story, right?
Have you two ever collaborated before?
No, we were wiser in our youth.
Yeah, well, we d we've
always helped each other,
but collaborating was a different beast.
It could be worse, you could be
broken up and working together.
We published Charles's ex-wife's
book. That was tricky.
I thought that book went
pretty smoothly, considering.
Hm, well, I was the one who edited it,
so, I have a different take.
I'll bet.
So, who would we be working with?
- Me.
- Me.
Or, both of us.
Yeah.
That could be fun.
We both have multi-book contracts
with, y'know, publishers
and we want to make
an informed decision.
We actually have a lot of interest,
so we decided to do a bake-off.
Here are the first two chapters.
- Thank you.
- Just take a look, see what you think.
By tomorrow.
Uh, we'll make it work.
Well, then, you passed the
first test, look at that.
The second is if we
like your notes, so
And if we do, it'll be a double date.
- [CHUCKLES]
- I'm kidding.
I know.
That went well.
Um, maybe we can dig in after lunch?
- Yeah, I'll make copies.
- Okay.
- Lo cracks me up.
- Yeah,
I was trying to hold the elevator door
for Quinn and he dumped
my sweet greens and, um
crushed my hand, but it
was pretty funny, so
- Lo?
- Um, short for Lauren.
It's a nickname, and Quinn
gave it to me, so I like it.
Who was this "it's so important
we have to move our lunch meeting with"?
- Jonah Rothchild and Susan Abbott.
- [GASPS]
Susan Abbott was here?
Oh, my God, her book "Bread Soup:
A Winter In Milan" changed my life.
I know, same with me.
Yeah, it's the reason I only
masturbate with olive oil.
Okay, different for me.
So, I moved our lunch to 1:30.
What time is it now?
Um
Ooh, nice watch, sir.
If you want accurate time,
you get a watch made in Geneva,
and if you're very lucky,
you get one as a gift.
- It is 1:12.
- [LAUGHS]
- I'm gonna go grab my coat.
- Okay.
All right, get in here.
I can't tell if he likes the watch.
Is it too flashy? Not flashy enough?
And what does it say about
me that I was the first one
in the relationship to give a gift?
- My advice?
- Yeah?
Don't overthink it.
I mean, maybe gifts
just aren't his thing.
Like, he didn't even get Liza
a ring when he proposed.
He proposed? Like a proposed marriage?
[BOTH LAUGH]
Is that a joke?
No, I mean, I kind of wish it were,
but she she obviously said no, so
- [INHALES SHARPLY]
- Okay. Bye bye.
Hi.
[UPBEAT MUSIC]
♪
Well, I had a great time.
Ugh, me too.
You don't sound happy about that.
Well, I was kind of hoping
I was gonna have a horrible time
and get you out of my system.
- [SCOFFS]
- [LAUGHS]
I'm not really looking for
complicated dating situation.
It's not a complicated situation.
Claire and I ended things amicably.
We just we weren't a match.
And yes, of course, I noticed
how beautiful you were
the first time we met.
But I swear I didn't have one
impure thought about you.
Uh, until you yelled at
me about my books,
which, weirdly turned me on.
And it was a full month
after Claire and I broke up.
I love Claire, and I love
Claire's daughter
Shh.
[SENTIMENTAL MUSIC]
♪
Ah!
God. Jesus, Lauren.
Are you sneaking around with Zane?
No.
Okay, well, you're sneaking
around with someone.
I am not sneaking.
I went out with a guy, and it's nothing,
and if it turns into something,
- I will let you know.
- Boundaries, okay.
Not quite sure why best
friends need those,
but fine. [SNIFFS]
You made out.
[GASPS]
Do not sniff me.
Alexa, turn off the lights.
[ALEXA] Okay.
Okay, literally, keeping me in the dark.
Cute.
[JAZZY MUSIC]
These two have such distinct voices,
but they weave together seamlessly.
I know.
It speaks to their talent.
It probably also speaks
to a good relationship.
It's like that saying,
"A good marriage is like a casserole,
only those responsible for
it, knows what goes in."
The old casserole saying,
- how could I forget?
- Oh, come on,
I love quotes and sayings.
I had notebooks dedicated
to them when I was a kid,
and teen and maybe young adult.
- Wow.
- Stop.
All this time, I thought you
might have been popular.
Well, it's never too late to
be what you might have been.
- That's George Eliot.
- That's good.
You believe that's true?
Yes.
I think about finishing my book a lot.
Going upstate and just writing.
But I keep coming up
with excuses not to.
Well, stop doing that.
[CHUCKLES]
All right, what do we have so far?
So far, I've just told them
what we love about the pages.
So, maybe we just do that.
And we just tell them what we love
and what we're excited to see more of.
I know, I mean, these
are two professionals.
They're editing each other as they go.
Yeah, and I'm sure that they
just want to work with people
they get along with and
who share their vision.
- And that's us.
- Yeah.
We work well together, you know that?
Yeah, I do.
Getting late.
According to your fancy new timepiece.
Yeah, well, you gotta hand
it to the Swiss, they
know how to make a watch.
And cuckoo clocks.
Ha.
You should go, I can send
the email out for both of us.
Yeah. [CLEARS THROAT]
- [MELANCHOLY MUSIC]
- Here, I'll just
So sad, so sad ♪
Gone and lost the
best thing I ever had ♪
- Good night.
- Good night.
And you know, you
know that I'm sorry ♪
[SIGHS]
Hey, hey ♪
Hey ♪
♪
Hey, hey ♪
Hey, Miller, you had breakfast?
Hey, hey ♪
Hey, hey, hey ♪
Hey ♪
Look at us,
couple of OGs with
our plain cake donuts,
no frills, no fuss, just
getting down to business.
What is the business you want
to get down to, Quinn?
And I actually asked for
sprinkles, but they were out.
Bummer. Look, I'm gonna
be honest with you.
My experience with
relationships is not great.
They tend to go sideways
pretty early on.
- You're kidding me.
- But with Charles,
things are actually going really well.
And I don't want to do
anything to mess it up,
or get messed up by it,
so I need you to tell me
Are there any red flags I'm missing?
If you loved Charles,
and he proposed to you,
then why aren't you married?
There is nothing wrong with Charles.
You don't have to worry.
Marriage was just something
I didn't want to do again.
- That's it.
- So, you ended things?
No, he did.
If there's one red flag to report,
it's that Charles has rigid ideas
about how things should be.
He must have been so
surprised when you said no.
Marriage makes perfect
sense for somebody like you.
Somebody wants to marry me,
they have to sign a prenup
as thick as a phonebook.
I thought marriage was something
you felt like you missed out on?
No. No, I don't want to
disclose my tax returns.
A legal contract for business,
I understand,
but in the bedroom,
it's such a turn-off.
The minute I am legally
bound to something,
- I want to get out of there.
- Not Charles.
- Marriage is really important to him.
- Mm.
A man in the business of
books likes tradition.
I should have seen this coming.
[SIGHS] Well, thank you
for your honesty, Liza.
I guess we're not that
different after all.
Yeah.
Give or take a billion.
Oh, it's poison and wine ♪
It's pouring rain I've
got to feel the vibe ♪
Ready to get your booster
shot today or what, baby girl?
I'm not. Thanks for coming with us.
Yeah, of course. [GRUNT]
All right. Got your jacket [LAUGHS]
Where did this thing come from?
Huh.
I don't know.
That reminds me of Rob.
Do I need to shut her
ears for this story?
He had a box at Madison Square Garden.
He loves hockey.
- Yeah, okay.
- Yeah. We went to games there
all the time.
He even let entertain some
clients from work there
after we broke up.
He had his good moments.
- Yeah, that, uh, sounds like it.
- Oh, yeah
except when he dumps you, right?
Yeah, that is an excellent
point, you know.
How many good moments does it take
to make a good person,
right, or a bad person?
I mean, how do you measure
Measure a life ♪
What do you think, Kels?
I don't know. We're gonna be late.
Good luck, Gemma!
- Bye.
- Kelsey?
You are seeing Rob.
And that big old finger gave you away.
So what?
Claire and Rob aren't together,
he is an available, single person.
And, have you asked Claire
how she feels about that?
I'm not that close with
Claire, so I haven't.
Ha, well, had you not fallen
asleep during "Chernobyl,"
you'd know that you don't need
to be that close to be affected.
Here we go with "Chernobyl" again.
Listen, Claire is Chernobyl, okay.
And you, you're not Kiev,
you're not even Moscow,
all right, you are a moose,
grazing in a forest in northern Sweden.
But the break up is in the air, okay?
And it is travelling.
Okay.
And now it's on the grass
that you're eating.
Oh-oh, is that a blister on your hoof?
I'll tell Rob that I can't see him.
Kelsey, you will text him.
[PHONE BUZZING]
He didn't say what he wanted?
No. But this place is fancy,
so I'm assuming he's trying to
dull our senses with ambience,
and then pitch us something we hate.
Hello, Rose, Dorothy.
- So what's our plan?
- We're not ordering food.
Great, so I'll get right down to it.
I'll admit, I sent around
that INKubator article
when it first popped into my feed
and laughed with some friends,
but it turns out you
found someone special.
I love Dylan,
she's like the Korean Amy Tan.
Let's schedule a meeting.
With Dylan Park?
No, Dylan McDermott, what's he up to?
We don't feel comfortable
talking about Dylan's career
without her present.
Yeah, that's why I wanted
to have a meeting with her.
She's not taking meetings with agents.
- Why?
- Uh, you'd have to ask her.
I would love to. What why
are we doing this radio play?
What are you two hiding?
Nothing.
♪
You didn't release a
writer into the wild
without signing her first, did you?
No, why would we ever do that?
Because you don't have any money.
Do you not have any money?
Is INKubator some sort
of literary sweatshop?
No. [SCOFFS]
No, INKubator well, it's a pun,
but, it describes exactly what it is.
[LAUGHTER] So you two
get all the publicity
for your little side hustle,
while you lure in new
talent to your stable.
Shame on you both.
My girl needs to get paid.
- Your girl?
- [LAUGHTER]
Someone has to look out for her.
I know I can get Dylan
a deal for that book.
So either you cut me
in, or I'll cut you out.
Too-da-loo, kangaroo.
[SIGHS]
What an operator.
- We cannot lose Dylan.
- No, I know.
I know!
[UPBEAT MUSIC]
Ooh, ooh ♪
Just breaking down the walls again ♪
Ooh, ooh ♪
Tell me I can't ♪
♪
- Liza.
- Oh, hey, I was looking for you.
I was looking for you, too.
Jonah and Susan's office
called and left word,
and I wanted to wait for
you to call 'em back.
♪
You're too late.
No, you're not. We love your notes.
- We want you to edit the book.
- Yeah.
- Great!
- That is great news.
So we're up in Bronxville
during the week
when Jonah teaches at Sarah Lawrence.
We'd love you to come for
dinner tomorrow night.
Susan will cook something fabulous.
And, you know, we can talk specifics.
Uh, I think we can manage that.
Yeah, uh, we'll see the
two of you tomorrow.
- Great.
- Yeah.
- We got it! Oh!
- Oh, we got it.
Uh, that might cost us
everything that we have,
but this is exactly the
kind of book we wanted.
Right. Established, promotable writers.
Oh. Liza, this is really good.
What did you wanna talk to me about?
Nothing.
[UPBEAT MUSIC]
I got what you want ♪
♪
I got what you want ♪
[PHONE CHIMES]
Yeah, I got what you want ♪
I got what you want ♪
-
- And you won't believe your eyes ♪
[KNOCK AT DOOR] Morning.
- Hey.
-
- [MESSAGE SENDS]
- Come in.
All right, I was up all night thinking
about this Dylan situation.
I never should have given
her work to "Vulture."
- It was so stupid.
- No.
No, no, it forced us to get our
asses into gear. Sit down.
I love it when you talk
like a football coach.
"Millennial" was a big money maker.
We took this company into the black,
and apparently we need to
remind everybody of that.
Apparently, we do.
So here's what I'm thinking.
We take INKubator
online and monetize it.
So we keep giving chapters to
"Vulture" until the very end,
and then if people
wanna finish the book,
they have to pay to download
the app that we create.
One question: How do we make an app?
I don't know, but I've also never
bound a book by hand before.
- I did once.
- [LAUGHS]
But I get your point. We outsource.
Exactly. And "Vulture" has over 22.9
million monthly unique visitors.
And over half of their
readership is female.
I know those readers
better than Charles.
I know that they will follow Dylan
to that app and buy the book.
Okay, but all of this is
going to cost money.
And like Redmond said,
Dylan could take that book anywhere now.
- She's gonna want an advance.
- I know.
I'm gonna use the money
that I have saved
for a down payment on an apartment.
Kelsey, you can't do that.
Let's just ask Charles for the money
to try a proof of concept for this app.
- Like a pilot program.
- No.
I'm done asking.
I was publisher here once, okay.
I know what I'm talking about.
We keep shouting at Charles
that Dylan is a good investment,
but we have to show him, and when we do,
Empirical will pay me back.
Okay.
I believe in Dylan.
I believe in you.
[LIGHT MUSIC]
♪
♪
♪
All right. [LAUGHS]
Now, for starters, we have
bacon and cheddar toast,
followed by spaghetti with ramps
and an apple galette for dessert.
And the 2015 Gevrey-Chambertin.
I hope you like burgundy.
- Mm. To a new relationship.
- Hey.
And an old relationship.
[LAUGHS]
Cheers. Thank you.
Ooh!
So, Susan, I have quite an ask,
but could you tell me the secret
to your grilled cheese?
I'm sorry, you have a
famous grilled cheese?
It was on the cover of "Food & Wine."
But it beat out Thomas
Keller's Branzino.
- It was whoa.
- And almost every celebrity
did a TikTok trying to make it.
All right. Are you ready?
- Yes!
- [LAUGHTER]
I put a little mayonnaise on the bread,
and I grate some cheese
on that mayonnaise.
That's how you get the crispy shell?
Yeah. If you call that shell a tuile,
and liken it to lace on a wedding gown,
and don't mention the mayonnaise,
that grilled cheese gets to be
on the cover of "Food & Wine."
- Oh.
- Wow.
- That is a good segue.
- Wait, what is?
- Hiding the mayonnaise.
- Oh, God.
Well, my interest is piqued.
We wanna publish our
book under a pen name.
- Wait, what?
- Serita Consemint.
Wow, that's got quite a
flourish to it, doesn't it?
Is there a reason why?
Serita was the name of my great aunt
No, I mean, is there a reason
why you don't wanna publish
under your own names?
Well, there's the mystery.
And it's great for the marketing.
"Who is Serita Consemint?"
Like Elena Ferrante.
The two of you don't need a
gimmick to sell your books.
And you should be proud of your work.
- We are proud of it.
- Most of it.
He wanted to put in a torture scene.
- Yeah.
- I said no.
The book regardless
of what name is on it
will be a success.
The way you wrote together was inspired.
Yeah, of course the book will sell,
I just don't think that
people like being lied to.
Right, but, you know,
that's what storytelling is.
Right, it's lying to entertain.
Right, I don't disagree,
but save it for the story.
When that bleeds into real life,
then I think people
just feel manipulated.
Well, we appreciate
your thoughts on this,
but we're set on publishing
through a pen name.
Well, if you all are set on that,
then I'm afraid you'll have
to find a different publisher.
[SOMBER MUSIC]
All right. [CHUCKLES]
Let's make our way over to
the table for the main course.
We wouldn't want those ramps to wilt.
♪
That was awkward.
But, uh, I do feel like
it was the right call.
Why are you so stubborn?
- Excuse me?
- You loved them.
Jonah was an idol of yours.
Why cares if they wanna
publish under a pen name?
- [SCOFFS]
- My God.
It's gotta be your terms,
or it just doesn't work.
That is not true.
Are you kidding me?
We're not together
because all of a sudden,
you needed to be married.
We never even talked about marriage.
It wasn't all of a sudden.
All of a sudden you asked me,
and all of a sudden we're over.
I wanted to know that
you really loved me.
I wanted to have all of you.
You did have all of me.
Oh, my God. You don't believe me.
Can you blame me?
I wish I didn't love you.
Liza.
- What are you doing?
- I'm ordering an Uber.
Three minutes. You don't have to wait.
♪
[SIGHS]
♪
[UPBEAT MUSIC]
Hey. I don't have a title for it yet,
but, you know, it's all about
the perception of truth
what you see when you
look at another person.
- Is it who they really are
- Or is it who they were
at that moment in time?
[CHUCKLES] Yeah. Something like that.
But those tweets were
never what they said I was.
[LIGHT MUSIC]
Are you okay?
Oh!
Baby, you have the key ♪
To open the door ♪
And let me out ♪
Maybe you and I can
leave this behind ♪
Once and for all ♪
[JAZZY MUSIC PLAYING]
[GASPS]
You came.
Dinner ended a little early.
Everything okay?
Yeah. But we are not doing the book.
Oh. Why not?
The authors don't wanna publish
under their own names.
They wanna do some
gimmicky pen name thing.
So I said no.
Maybe I'm too stubborn.
Mm.
For the record, I would've said yes.
To the book?
To you.
[UPBEAT MUSIC]
♪
- Next time on "Younger"
- Clare.
You guys have been
so supportive since
well, we don't need to say his name.
No, we do not.
With Rob, it's just uncomplicated.
Mm-hmm, except it's not.
I have gotten several phone calls
about Empirical's new start-up.
This is huge, Kels!
Do whatever makes you
happy. That's all I want.
You are a remarkable woman, Liza Miller.
[AMBIENT MUSIC]
- [NOTIFICATION CHIMES]
- What's going on?
♪
♪
Previously on "Younger"
I want to think that you've changed.
Charles obviously does.
When it comes to him, I'd rather
save my ass than my face.
If you're teaching a bunch
of college students,
I don't think these tweets
came from them.
- You set me up.
- You're fired!
You brought this on yourself.
- My train's on the corner.
- Oh, no, no, no.
Freddie can take you anywhere you want.
Maybe dinner with a friendly book lover?
- You dated Clare.
- We broke up last month.
- It dropped today.
- Oh, my God!
Our little incubator, it's taking off!
Hey, what are you doing with that sign?
Maggie Amato's been cancelled.
[UPBEAT MUSIC]
♪
And the caterpillar emerges
from her chrysalis,
a beautiful butterfly.
Not now, I've been up since 4:00 a.m.
What are you doing back there?
Well, I built a dark room.
You know, this whole cancel
Maggie Amato business
gave me an idea for a new show.
- Hey, that's great.
- I think it could be,
but, no gallery wants to rep me now.
So I'm showing at the East River Bar,
you know, in that side
room people go to piss
when the bathroom line gets too long.
Well, hey, Charles didn't wanna publish
one of our INKubator authors,
so we got her into "Vulture."
Each week, a new chapter comes out,
and people are going crazy for her.
I know it's it's not the same, but
Even when the bathroom line isn't long,
people still go in there to piss
and vomit.
Well, you have to show your work
even in a bar that stinks
of piss and vomit,
because that's what artists do.
Yeah. Well, at least
you'll be there, right?
I'ma have to check my calendar.
[UPBEAT MUSIC]
Hey, hey, we got soul ♪
Oh, yeah, we got soul ♪
Hey, hey ♪
Hey, hey ♪
57 comments on Dylan's chapter,
and they're all positive.
Um, 58.
Okay, this one is just
an emoji of a bowl.
Do you think it means bowled over?
- No, eating it up.
- [GASPS]
You guys, these people
fell in love hard.
Ugh, look at you.
Withholding the chapters,
teasing the readers
I'm seriously triggered,
and seriously impressed.
I mean, it is a total mind game.
It's like, we hooked up, and it was hot,
but I want to take it slow.
Yeah, it's like a friendly hug goodbye,
but then you lean your hips forward
just enough to graze it.
- Ew, Liza, you nasty.
- I know, I'm nasty.
- [LAUGHTER]
- Good morning.
Good morning, hello.
Is this the girl that came
out of your INKubator night?
Sure is.
- It's good.
- Yeah.
Do you think maybe we
should bring her in?
Can I get a Y to the E to the
No, it's still not something
we would publish.
Well, someone wanted to publish her.
And let people read her work for free.
Well, sometimes content is for free.
That's what INKubator is all about.
And Dylan's next book might
be worth some money,
so, we're just helping her get there.
But I also need you to get to work
on books that people will actually
pay to read.
Excuse me.
[FUNKY MUSIC]
♪
Hi, me again.
Do you know Susan Abbott?
Yeah, of course, she's the food writer
married to Jonah Rothchild
he's one of my favorite authors.
Well, Susan and Jonah
are coming in today
to meet with me.
Jonah left FSG?
No, he's still there, and Susan
is still with Harper-Collins,
but, they're doing a book together
and they want a new publisher
- for the joint venture.
- Wow.
This could be a get.
Jonah has a Pulitzer.
And Susan ha two James Beard awards,
we worked really hard
to get them in here
since I figure it's a book people
will actually pay to read.
Um
would you mind if I joined the meeting?
It's your company, you can
do whatever you want.
[UPBEAT MUSIC]
[PHONE CHIMING]
♪
[PHONE RINGING]
[RINGING CONTINUES]
♪
Okay, so, first an unsolicited tick pic,
and now a FaceTime call with no warning?
I thought it was a fun surprise.
No!
In fact, most people would consider
this, like, a terrorist act.
Well, I need a social
media etiquette class.
- Or, maybe a personal tutor?
- I don't tutor.
Do you go to hockey games?
Why, did someone cancel on you?
I have season tickets,
you are the only person I've asked,
but if you want to invite
people, I have a box.
Oh, wow. [LAUGHS]
I'm surprised you didn't
send a pic of that.
Of my box?
Even I know that's at
least date two or three.
[LAUGHS]
I'll see you there at seven.
Perfect.
[UPBEAT MUSIC]
[SIGHS]
A notable food writer and a guy famous
for his literary fiction decide
to write a spy novel.
How did that happen?
Well, our first date, we saw
"Three Days of the Condor"
- Yes we did.
- at the Film Forum.
And afterward, we went
back to his place,
he pretended to be Robert Redford,
- I was Faye Dunaway.
- [LAUGHTER]
We love the spy genre is the point,
I hope, of that story, right?
Have you two ever collaborated before?
No, we were wiser in our youth.
Yeah, well, we d we've
always helped each other,
but collaborating was a different beast.
It could be worse, you could be
broken up and working together.
We published Charles's ex-wife's
book. That was tricky.
I thought that book went
pretty smoothly, considering.
Hm, well, I was the one who edited it,
so, I have a different take.
I'll bet.
So, who would we be working with?
- Me.
- Me.
Or, both of us.
Yeah.
That could be fun.
We both have multi-book contracts
with, y'know, publishers
and we want to make
an informed decision.
We actually have a lot of interest,
so we decided to do a bake-off.
Here are the first two chapters.
- Thank you.
- Just take a look, see what you think.
By tomorrow.
Uh, we'll make it work.
Well, then, you passed the
first test, look at that.
The second is if we
like your notes, so
And if we do, it'll be a double date.
- [CHUCKLES]
- I'm kidding.
I know.
That went well.
Um, maybe we can dig in after lunch?
- Yeah, I'll make copies.
- Okay.
- Lo cracks me up.
- Yeah,
I was trying to hold the elevator door
for Quinn and he dumped
my sweet greens and, um
crushed my hand, but it
was pretty funny, so
- Lo?
- Um, short for Lauren.
It's a nickname, and Quinn
gave it to me, so I like it.
Who was this "it's so important
we have to move our lunch meeting with"?
- Jonah Rothchild and Susan Abbott.
- [GASPS]
Susan Abbott was here?
Oh, my God, her book "Bread Soup:
A Winter In Milan" changed my life.
I know, same with me.
Yeah, it's the reason I only
masturbate with olive oil.
Okay, different for me.
So, I moved our lunch to 1:30.
What time is it now?
Um
Ooh, nice watch, sir.
If you want accurate time,
you get a watch made in Geneva,
and if you're very lucky,
you get one as a gift.
- It is 1:12.
- [LAUGHS]
- I'm gonna go grab my coat.
- Okay.
All right, get in here.
I can't tell if he likes the watch.
Is it too flashy? Not flashy enough?
And what does it say about
me that I was the first one
in the relationship to give a gift?
- My advice?
- Yeah?
Don't overthink it.
I mean, maybe gifts
just aren't his thing.
Like, he didn't even get Liza
a ring when he proposed.
He proposed? Like a proposed marriage?
[BOTH LAUGH]
Is that a joke?
No, I mean, I kind of wish it were,
but she she obviously said no, so
- [INHALES SHARPLY]
- Okay. Bye bye.
Hi.
[UPBEAT MUSIC]
♪
Well, I had a great time.
Ugh, me too.
You don't sound happy about that.
Well, I was kind of hoping
I was gonna have a horrible time
and get you out of my system.
- [SCOFFS]
- [LAUGHS]
I'm not really looking for
complicated dating situation.
It's not a complicated situation.
Claire and I ended things amicably.
We just we weren't a match.
And yes, of course, I noticed
how beautiful you were
the first time we met.
But I swear I didn't have one
impure thought about you.
Uh, until you yelled at
me about my books,
which, weirdly turned me on.
And it was a full month
after Claire and I broke up.
I love Claire, and I love
Claire's daughter
Shh.
[SENTIMENTAL MUSIC]
♪
Ah!
God. Jesus, Lauren.
Are you sneaking around with Zane?
No.
Okay, well, you're sneaking
around with someone.
I am not sneaking.
I went out with a guy, and it's nothing,
and if it turns into something,
- I will let you know.
- Boundaries, okay.
Not quite sure why best
friends need those,
but fine. [SNIFFS]
You made out.
[GASPS]
Do not sniff me.
Alexa, turn off the lights.
[ALEXA] Okay.
Okay, literally, keeping me in the dark.
Cute.
[JAZZY MUSIC]
These two have such distinct voices,
but they weave together seamlessly.
I know.
It speaks to their talent.
It probably also speaks
to a good relationship.
It's like that saying,
"A good marriage is like a casserole,
only those responsible for
it, knows what goes in."
The old casserole saying,
- how could I forget?
- Oh, come on,
I love quotes and sayings.
I had notebooks dedicated
to them when I was a kid,
and teen and maybe young adult.
- Wow.
- Stop.
All this time, I thought you
might have been popular.
Well, it's never too late to
be what you might have been.
- That's George Eliot.
- That's good.
You believe that's true?
Yes.
I think about finishing my book a lot.
Going upstate and just writing.
But I keep coming up
with excuses not to.
Well, stop doing that.
[CHUCKLES]
All right, what do we have so far?
So far, I've just told them
what we love about the pages.
So, maybe we just do that.
And we just tell them what we love
and what we're excited to see more of.
I know, I mean, these
are two professionals.
They're editing each other as they go.
Yeah, and I'm sure that they
just want to work with people
they get along with and
who share their vision.
- And that's us.
- Yeah.
We work well together, you know that?
Yeah, I do.
Getting late.
According to your fancy new timepiece.
Yeah, well, you gotta hand
it to the Swiss, they
know how to make a watch.
And cuckoo clocks.
Ha.
You should go, I can send
the email out for both of us.
Yeah. [CLEARS THROAT]
- [MELANCHOLY MUSIC]
- Here, I'll just
So sad, so sad ♪
Gone and lost the
best thing I ever had ♪
- Good night.
- Good night.
And you know, you
know that I'm sorry ♪
[SIGHS]
Hey, hey ♪
Hey ♪
♪
Hey, hey ♪
Hey, Miller, you had breakfast?
Hey, hey ♪
Hey, hey, hey ♪
Hey ♪
Look at us,
couple of OGs with
our plain cake donuts,
no frills, no fuss, just
getting down to business.
What is the business you want
to get down to, Quinn?
And I actually asked for
sprinkles, but they were out.
Bummer. Look, I'm gonna
be honest with you.
My experience with
relationships is not great.
They tend to go sideways
pretty early on.
- You're kidding me.
- But with Charles,
things are actually going really well.
And I don't want to do
anything to mess it up,
or get messed up by it,
so I need you to tell me
Are there any red flags I'm missing?
If you loved Charles,
and he proposed to you,
then why aren't you married?
There is nothing wrong with Charles.
You don't have to worry.
Marriage was just something
I didn't want to do again.
- That's it.
- So, you ended things?
No, he did.
If there's one red flag to report,
it's that Charles has rigid ideas
about how things should be.
He must have been so
surprised when you said no.
Marriage makes perfect
sense for somebody like you.
Somebody wants to marry me,
they have to sign a prenup
as thick as a phonebook.
I thought marriage was something
you felt like you missed out on?
No. No, I don't want to
disclose my tax returns.
A legal contract for business,
I understand,
but in the bedroom,
it's such a turn-off.
The minute I am legally
bound to something,
- I want to get out of there.
- Not Charles.
- Marriage is really important to him.
- Mm.
A man in the business of
books likes tradition.
I should have seen this coming.
[SIGHS] Well, thank you
for your honesty, Liza.
I guess we're not that
different after all.
Yeah.
Give or take a billion.
Oh, it's poison and wine ♪
It's pouring rain I've
got to feel the vibe ♪
Ready to get your booster
shot today or what, baby girl?
I'm not. Thanks for coming with us.
Yeah, of course. [GRUNT]
All right. Got your jacket [LAUGHS]
Where did this thing come from?
Huh.
I don't know.
That reminds me of Rob.
Do I need to shut her
ears for this story?
He had a box at Madison Square Garden.
He loves hockey.
- Yeah, okay.
- Yeah. We went to games there
all the time.
He even let entertain some
clients from work there
after we broke up.
He had his good moments.
- Yeah, that, uh, sounds like it.
- Oh, yeah
except when he dumps you, right?
Yeah, that is an excellent
point, you know.
How many good moments does it take
to make a good person,
right, or a bad person?
I mean, how do you measure
Measure a life ♪
What do you think, Kels?
I don't know. We're gonna be late.
Good luck, Gemma!
- Bye.
- Kelsey?
You are seeing Rob.
And that big old finger gave you away.
So what?
Claire and Rob aren't together,
he is an available, single person.
And, have you asked Claire
how she feels about that?
I'm not that close with
Claire, so I haven't.
Ha, well, had you not fallen
asleep during "Chernobyl,"
you'd know that you don't need
to be that close to be affected.
Here we go with "Chernobyl" again.
Listen, Claire is Chernobyl, okay.
And you, you're not Kiev,
you're not even Moscow,
all right, you are a moose,
grazing in a forest in northern Sweden.
But the break up is in the air, okay?
And it is travelling.
Okay.
And now it's on the grass
that you're eating.
Oh-oh, is that a blister on your hoof?
I'll tell Rob that I can't see him.
Kelsey, you will text him.
[PHONE BUZZING]
He didn't say what he wanted?
No. But this place is fancy,
so I'm assuming he's trying to
dull our senses with ambience,
and then pitch us something we hate.
Hello, Rose, Dorothy.
- So what's our plan?
- We're not ordering food.
Great, so I'll get right down to it.
I'll admit, I sent around
that INKubator article
when it first popped into my feed
and laughed with some friends,
but it turns out you
found someone special.
I love Dylan,
she's like the Korean Amy Tan.
Let's schedule a meeting.
With Dylan Park?
No, Dylan McDermott, what's he up to?
We don't feel comfortable
talking about Dylan's career
without her present.
Yeah, that's why I wanted
to have a meeting with her.
She's not taking meetings with agents.
- Why?
- Uh, you'd have to ask her.
I would love to. What why
are we doing this radio play?
What are you two hiding?
Nothing.
♪
You didn't release a
writer into the wild
without signing her first, did you?
No, why would we ever do that?
Because you don't have any money.
Do you not have any money?
Is INKubator some sort
of literary sweatshop?
No. [SCOFFS]
No, INKubator well, it's a pun,
but, it describes exactly what it is.
[LAUGHTER] So you two
get all the publicity
for your little side hustle,
while you lure in new
talent to your stable.
Shame on you both.
My girl needs to get paid.
- Your girl?
- [LAUGHTER]
Someone has to look out for her.
I know I can get Dylan
a deal for that book.
So either you cut me
in, or I'll cut you out.
Too-da-loo, kangaroo.
[SIGHS]
What an operator.
- We cannot lose Dylan.
- No, I know.
I know!
[UPBEAT MUSIC]
Ooh, ooh ♪
Just breaking down the walls again ♪
Ooh, ooh ♪
Tell me I can't ♪
♪
- Liza.
- Oh, hey, I was looking for you.
I was looking for you, too.
Jonah and Susan's office
called and left word,
and I wanted to wait for
you to call 'em back.
♪
You're too late.
No, you're not. We love your notes.
- We want you to edit the book.
- Yeah.
- Great!
- That is great news.
So we're up in Bronxville
during the week
when Jonah teaches at Sarah Lawrence.
We'd love you to come for
dinner tomorrow night.
Susan will cook something fabulous.
And, you know, we can talk specifics.
Uh, I think we can manage that.
Yeah, uh, we'll see the
two of you tomorrow.
- Great.
- Yeah.
- We got it! Oh!
- Oh, we got it.
Uh, that might cost us
everything that we have,
but this is exactly the
kind of book we wanted.
Right. Established, promotable writers.
Oh. Liza, this is really good.
What did you wanna talk to me about?
Nothing.
[UPBEAT MUSIC]
I got what you want ♪
♪
I got what you want ♪
[PHONE CHIMES]
Yeah, I got what you want ♪
I got what you want ♪
-
- And you won't believe your eyes ♪
[KNOCK AT DOOR] Morning.
- Hey.
-
- [MESSAGE SENDS]
- Come in.
All right, I was up all night thinking
about this Dylan situation.
I never should have given
her work to "Vulture."
- It was so stupid.
- No.
No, no, it forced us to get our
asses into gear. Sit down.
I love it when you talk
like a football coach.
"Millennial" was a big money maker.
We took this company into the black,
and apparently we need to
remind everybody of that.
Apparently, we do.
So here's what I'm thinking.
We take INKubator
online and monetize it.
So we keep giving chapters to
"Vulture" until the very end,
and then if people
wanna finish the book,
they have to pay to download
the app that we create.
One question: How do we make an app?
I don't know, but I've also never
bound a book by hand before.
- I did once.
- [LAUGHS]
But I get your point. We outsource.
Exactly. And "Vulture" has over 22.9
million monthly unique visitors.
And over half of their
readership is female.
I know those readers
better than Charles.
I know that they will follow Dylan
to that app and buy the book.
Okay, but all of this is
going to cost money.
And like Redmond said,
Dylan could take that book anywhere now.
- She's gonna want an advance.
- I know.
I'm gonna use the money
that I have saved
for a down payment on an apartment.
Kelsey, you can't do that.
Let's just ask Charles for the money
to try a proof of concept for this app.
- Like a pilot program.
- No.
I'm done asking.
I was publisher here once, okay.
I know what I'm talking about.
We keep shouting at Charles
that Dylan is a good investment,
but we have to show him, and when we do,
Empirical will pay me back.
Okay.
I believe in Dylan.
I believe in you.
[LIGHT MUSIC]
♪
♪
♪
All right. [LAUGHS]
Now, for starters, we have
bacon and cheddar toast,
followed by spaghetti with ramps
and an apple galette for dessert.
And the 2015 Gevrey-Chambertin.
I hope you like burgundy.
- Mm. To a new relationship.
- Hey.
And an old relationship.
[LAUGHS]
Cheers. Thank you.
Ooh!
So, Susan, I have quite an ask,
but could you tell me the secret
to your grilled cheese?
I'm sorry, you have a
famous grilled cheese?
It was on the cover of "Food & Wine."
But it beat out Thomas
Keller's Branzino.
- It was whoa.
- And almost every celebrity
did a TikTok trying to make it.
All right. Are you ready?
- Yes!
- [LAUGHTER]
I put a little mayonnaise on the bread,
and I grate some cheese
on that mayonnaise.
That's how you get the crispy shell?
Yeah. If you call that shell a tuile,
and liken it to lace on a wedding gown,
and don't mention the mayonnaise,
that grilled cheese gets to be
on the cover of "Food & Wine."
- Oh.
- Wow.
- That is a good segue.
- Wait, what is?
- Hiding the mayonnaise.
- Oh, God.
Well, my interest is piqued.
We wanna publish our
book under a pen name.
- Wait, what?
- Serita Consemint.
Wow, that's got quite a
flourish to it, doesn't it?
Is there a reason why?
Serita was the name of my great aunt
No, I mean, is there a reason
why you don't wanna publish
under your own names?
Well, there's the mystery.
And it's great for the marketing.
"Who is Serita Consemint?"
Like Elena Ferrante.
The two of you don't need a
gimmick to sell your books.
And you should be proud of your work.
- We are proud of it.
- Most of it.
He wanted to put in a torture scene.
- Yeah.
- I said no.
The book regardless
of what name is on it
will be a success.
The way you wrote together was inspired.
Yeah, of course the book will sell,
I just don't think that
people like being lied to.
Right, but, you know,
that's what storytelling is.
Right, it's lying to entertain.
Right, I don't disagree,
but save it for the story.
When that bleeds into real life,
then I think people
just feel manipulated.
Well, we appreciate
your thoughts on this,
but we're set on publishing
through a pen name.
Well, if you all are set on that,
then I'm afraid you'll have
to find a different publisher.
[SOMBER MUSIC]
All right. [CHUCKLES]
Let's make our way over to
the table for the main course.
We wouldn't want those ramps to wilt.
♪
That was awkward.
But, uh, I do feel like
it was the right call.
Why are you so stubborn?
- Excuse me?
- You loved them.
Jonah was an idol of yours.
Why cares if they wanna
publish under a pen name?
- [SCOFFS]
- My God.
It's gotta be your terms,
or it just doesn't work.
That is not true.
Are you kidding me?
We're not together
because all of a sudden,
you needed to be married.
We never even talked about marriage.
It wasn't all of a sudden.
All of a sudden you asked me,
and all of a sudden we're over.
I wanted to know that
you really loved me.
I wanted to have all of you.
You did have all of me.
Oh, my God. You don't believe me.
Can you blame me?
I wish I didn't love you.
Liza.
- What are you doing?
- I'm ordering an Uber.
Three minutes. You don't have to wait.
♪
[SIGHS]
♪
[UPBEAT MUSIC]
Hey. I don't have a title for it yet,
but, you know, it's all about
the perception of truth
what you see when you
look at another person.
- Is it who they really are
- Or is it who they were
at that moment in time?
[CHUCKLES] Yeah. Something like that.
But those tweets were
never what they said I was.
[LIGHT MUSIC]
Are you okay?
Oh!
Baby, you have the key ♪
To open the door ♪
And let me out ♪
Maybe you and I can
leave this behind ♪
Once and for all ♪
[JAZZY MUSIC PLAYING]
[GASPS]
You came.
Dinner ended a little early.
Everything okay?
Yeah. But we are not doing the book.
Oh. Why not?
The authors don't wanna publish
under their own names.
They wanna do some
gimmicky pen name thing.
So I said no.
Maybe I'm too stubborn.
Mm.
For the record, I would've said yes.
To the book?
To you.
[UPBEAT MUSIC]
♪
- Next time on "Younger"
- Clare.
You guys have been
so supportive since
well, we don't need to say his name.
No, we do not.
With Rob, it's just uncomplicated.
Mm-hmm, except it's not.
I have gotten several phone calls
about Empirical's new start-up.
This is huge, Kels!
Do whatever makes you
happy. That's all I want.
You are a remarkable woman, Liza Miller.
[AMBIENT MUSIC]
- [NOTIFICATION CHIMES]
- What's going on?
♪
♪