Younger Finally Resolved The Liza-Josh-Charles Love Triangle

Spoilers ahead for the series finale of Younger. Since the beginning of Younger, there’s been one driving question: will Liza end up with Josh or Charles? Josh represented the fun, flirty life she lived as a (fake) 26-year-old; Charles was the age-appropriate and stable boss who understood the literary world she was making her career in. Heading into Season 7, it seemed the table was set for Liza to finally end up happily ever after with one of them. But for much of the final season, the love triangle seemed to be behind her; in fact, with Liza, Charles, and Josh all involved with new people, it only had more players and complicated shapes.

Still, Younger had to end somehow. Here’s how it all unfolded.

Charles

Following his breakup with Liza, Charles began dating Quinn, the woman who once almost invested in his company and ruined its reputation by faking sales for her memoir. She’d apparently grown and learned from her failures (even writing a new book, The ‘F’ Word). And though her about face was, at times, hard to believe, she and Charles seemed genuinely into each other.

Unfortunately, that wasn’t enough to keep them together. Just as Charles and Quinn are set to jet off to Mystique in the series finale, Charles’ ex-wife Pauline alerts Liza that she found an engagement ring in Charles’ stuff. Pauline then steals Charles’ passport in an attempt to stop him from proposing. Liza eventually finds the passport and rushes to the airport -- not to proclaim her love but to return it, having decided to let Charles go. Except Charles doesn’t get on the plane. “I was with the wrong person,” he tells Liza, and the two kiss.

Liza

The story isn’t over there. While Liza and Charles finally seem to be on the same page, Kelsey has sent out the pitch proposal for her and Liza’s Inkubator project, which promises to revitalize how books are released. After seeing the feedback (and money) that VC firms are offering, Kelsey decides to separate Inkubator from Empirical entirely. Newly-reunited-with-Charles Liza is understandably not all-in on leaving Empirical, but she encourages Kelsey to follow her heart and holds off on telling Charles until after the centennial celebration for the company.

Unfortunately, Quinn sent over a copy of the pitch doc to Charles as a parting gift. Once he finds out about it, he keeps it to himself until Liza warns him on their way into the party. “Wait, so you were testing me?” she asks, somewhat incredulous. “Maybe, in a way I was,” he responds. “But, you passed!”

Neither seems fully satisfied with that answer and, coupled with Liza’s reveal that she secretly entered Charles’ book for a prestigious writing retreat, they both start to feel like there are too many secrets between them by the end of the night. “We’re not gonna make it are we?” she asks later when they’re in bed. “I don’t think so,” he says quietly.

It’s an amicable breakup, but Liza is still prepared to resign from Empirical to make things easier. Fortunately for her, that’s not what Charles wants: with Kelsey gone, he needs someone to run Empirical while he’s off writing his book, “and maybe longer, depending on how things go.” She heads to the bar to meet with Kelsey, who has news of her own to share: Inkubator got picked up by Reese Witherspoon’s company Hello Sunshine, and she’ll be moving to LA to run it. Liza’s journey ends, and Kelsey’s spinoff gets its foot in the door.

Josh

Though Josh and Liza’s feelings came to a head at the end of the last season, Season 7 finds them in a much better place. After Liza tried to cut Josh out of her life and Josh confessed his feelings to her, they seemed to decide that they would stay friends, in some nebulous way.

Josh then started a relationship with KT, a no-nonsense agent. But the romance was short-lived because Josh hid his daughter from her, and she decided she wasn’t ready to date someone with a kid. From there, Josh spendt most of the season in the background, managing Kelsey, Maggie, and Liza’s complications. Which isn’t to say he hasn’t been busy behind-the-scenes: Inkburg is apparently doing so well that he bought the building, including his apartment.

He ends up at the same bar Liza is celebrating with her friends, chiding her for going to extreme lengths to get the bartender’s attention. Everything is a direct callback to their first meeting: their outfits, the busy bar, their banter.

And then things take a turn. “Sorry I didn’t see you there!” she laughs. “Really?” he retorts with the most tension one can muster for a single line. “Because I’ve been right here, by your side … all along.” The two gaze into each other’s eyes, and they continue to banter; the camera pulls back but the answer to the long-asked question seems to be answered: It’s Liza and Josh, baby.