Younger (2015–…): Season 6, Episode 7 - Friends with Benefits - full transcript

[UPBEAT POP MUSIC]

"The Mercury is rising at Millennial

"with the acquisition of the
newest imprint founded by

"Millennial chairman and
owner, Charles Brooks.

The prodigal son returns home."

That's "former" chairman.

- As I recall, he resigned?
- True.

You know, I'd really like to be focusing

more on Kelsey, okay? How about this?

[CLEARS THROAT] "Peters hooks Brooks

"to Millennial, where she plans



to find a home a home
for his fledging startup."

- "Fledgling"?
- I don't know.

Nascent? Baby?

I don't think you quite understand

the power dynamics at play here.

Oh, I do, diva, and it's women on top.

Okay, how about this?

"An extraordinary
display of solidarity.

"Charles Brooks has
a career renaissance

"at Millennial,
where he has found a home

"for his new startup, Mercury,
under the leadership of

publishing dynamo Kelsey Peters."

- Whoo-hoo.
- And his former intern.

I don't think that's necessary.



Oh...

Oh... oh, he's here.

[PUNCHY MUSIC]

Charles.

It is so good to see you. Oh!

I feel like everything
is right with the world again.

I'm happy to see you, Diana.

I just didn't expect so many boxes.

Oh, well, they're a testament
to a long and successful career.

- And a lack of storage.
- [SOFT LAUGH]

We just sold Pound Ridge

and Pauline sent all my stuff
from there here.

Oh, you sold Pound Ridge?
That gorgeous estate?

- Yeah, had to.
- Oh, my God, the memories.

The company picnics.
The sack races.

You poured your heart
and soul into that house.

Part of the divorce.

Oh, what a romantic cautionary tale.

I'm not sure marriage
should be in the cards again...

for either of us.

It's just a house.
Good morning, Liza.

Morning.

Do you ever feel
like a giant wrecking ball?

He didn't sell the house because of me.

It's okay, I blame myself.
I'm the one who hired you.

At the time, I thought you were
more stalwart than seductive.

I'm... very stalwart.

Hm.

Well, what can I say?
Love is blind.

What's in all the boxes?

20 years of old galleys,

manuscripts I've never read,

some books I probably
should have published

and didn't, and vice-versa.

Mostly junk, but I gotta
go through it to be sure.

Well, it's so crowded in here,
you can hardly see

the flowers someone sent you.

[SOFTLY] Oh.

[GENTLE MUSIC]

It's nice to be home.

Even if it does look like
an episode of "Hoarders."

Where do you want
the rest of these, boss?

I don't think you got
enough room in here.

Oh, you can take the rest of these

to my office, please.

We can sort through it all together.

- [COFFEE MACHINE HISSING]
- Ah... [INHALES SHARPLY]

My God, can I help you with that?

What happened to the old machine?

I upped the coffee game around here.

Smart move.

But getting me and Charles
back to prop you up?

Genius.

That's not what this is about.

Mm-hmm, tell yourself that.

For the record, though,
I was not a fan of the merger.

I threw Charles a lifeline.

Now I'm just trying to figure out

how much dead weight
comes attached to it.

- Are you referring to me?
- Your books.

What you have,
what you've bid to acquire.

Basically a performance evaluation.

I never heard you complain
about my, uh, performance.

I'm talking about at work,

where you will be reporting to me,

which I hope won't be a problem,

because I really
don't want it to be a problem.

I don't have
the bandwidth for problems.

Oh, I'm not gonna be
your problem, Peters.

Good.

Glad we had the talk.
See you in the meeting.

[BLUES SARACENO'S
"ONE OF THE GIRLS"]

What is Mercury?

Books with male appeal, but not dry.

Books with heart. Skews older.

Not that old.

Well, older than Millennial,

which is more female under 40,

which is our core demo.

Actually, Mercury,
as Zane and I conceived it,

is designed to appeal to men and women.

And we're pretty agnostic about age.

Of course.
Can we all agree that this

would be a perfect Mercury title?

Absolutely, a smart thrill ride

with a male protagonist.

After looking over
your current acquisitions,

I feel that this book

would be much better suited
as a Millennial title.

You lost that book.

You can't just poach it now
because you wanted it.

It's just a better fit for Millennial.

A story of a young woman
who may or not be a killer?

It's a real-life "Gone Girl."

Which is why we bought it.

We have to each define our brands

in order to work together, Zane.

Yes. I told her that.

Charles, if we give up that
book, what are we left with?

"The Third Leg"?

Which is a perfect title
for your debut.

How to keep the flame alive
in a long-term relationship.

It appeals to both
middle-aged men and women.

Charles...

[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]

Kelsey, I appreciate
the thoughtful analysis,

but, uh, Audrey Colbert
needs to stay at Mercury.

Okay, Charles, if that's what you want.

How am I ever gonna
make this work with Charles?

I'm still intimidated by him.

- You've told him off before.
- It was different then.

I... I was a scrappy,
little underdog

standing up to power.

He respects you.

He was my mentor.

I owe him my career.

And now I'm supposed to tell him no?

It's starting to feel like
Quinn all over again.

Charles knows you're the publisher

of the combined brands.

He's enjoying being an editor
on the creative side,

without all the responsibility
of being a publisher.

Yeah, but then he gives me
that... that...

death stare, and I crumble.

Oh, I know that stare.
He doesn't really mean it.

It's like the male version
of resting bitch face.

- Really?
- Oh, totally.

You're just projecting
all of that authority onto it.

Look at it another way.

It can actually be pretty smoldering.

Ew.

No, I do not want
to look at it that way.

No, no, it's better that you don't.

[SCOFFS]

[UPBEAT ROCK MUSIC]

Wow.

[SIGHS]

Oh!

Oh, my God.

[SOFT MUSIC]

- [KNOCKS]
- Hi.

Oh.

Do you want me to pick you up
at your place tonight?

- For?
- The, uh...

The Reading Project fundraiser.

- That's tonight?
- Mm, in Tuxedo Park.

It's pure hell, but I have to go.

- You're off the hook if you want.
- No, I want to go.

We can suffer together.
In evening wear.

Hm, actually
it's the eighth circle of Hell.

The ninth is going through these boxes.

[EXHALES] It just fell open.

I'm not really
a glutton for punishment.

Let me know if you still
feel that way after tonight.

- Can I help you?
- I got it.

- Thank you.
- You're welcome.

[STRING MUSIC]

FYI, Kelsey is still
intimidated by you.

Really? I was pretty careful

not to wear a suit this morning.

[LAUGHS] I noticed,
but that doesn't help

with the height, your age,
and the fact that

you used to run the place.

Mm, can't help with any of those.

She thinks she can't say no to you.

Well, that's a problem.

I can't have a yes man as my publisher.

Then you need to respect her

when she says no to your books.

Absolutely, she needs to be

strong enough to stand up to me.

- Thank you.
- That's a tall order.

Pun intended.

[SOFT CHUCKLE]

Oh, my God, the lovebirds.

Wow, what a surprise.

Oh, didn't Charles tell you?
We're at your table.

- No...
- Didn't I?

We never miss this event.

I just love seeing this.

And to think, it all started
at our little Hanukkah party.

Well, that's what
we tell ourselves anyway.

Liza, did you know that
Tuxedo Park is actually

- the home of the tuxedo?
- Mm-hmm.

Actually, I did not.

Wearing a tuxedo in Tuxedo Park

is basically like

drinking a Singapore Sling
in Singapore.

- Oh.
- [SOFT LAUGH] Or having

breakfast at Tiffany's.

I hope the four of us get to do

all those things together.

[GASPS] Maybe even on a cruise.

To our cruise to Singapore.

And breakfast at Tiffany's.

Well, at least we crossed Tuxedo Park

off our bucket list.

- Hey.
- Cheers.

Liza? Oh!

- Michelle, hi.
- What are you doing here?

Um, well, I...
I'm here with Charles.

He's an editor of a new imprint,
Mercury.

And this is Bob and Julia,

Caitlin's roommate's parents.

And responsible
for introducing these two.

Everyone, uh, this is Michelle and Tom.

They are very good friends
from Paramus, New Jersey.

Very, very nice to meet you,

- Charles...
- Brooks.

Liza, you haven't been
hiding away this man

from your nearest and dearest,
have you?

Of course not.

There's, uh, nothing to hide here.

Yeah, there real...
there really isn't.

- Now, that is a tux.
- [SOFT LAUGHTER]

You know, we're double-balling
this weekend.

Excuse me?

Well, Charles invited us to this,

and then we invited you to
the Legal Eagles Gala tomorrow.

Oh, I didn't realize that was tomorrow.

Yeah, you'll be fine.
You can wear the same dress.

It's a whole different crowd.

Oh, great.

We are such ballers.

- Ha.
- [LAUGHS]

Do you mind if I crash for a bit?

- My table is so boring.
- Of course.

I am so proud of you, honey.

What, why?

Oh.

I mean, that young kid was adorable.

But now, you're past the crazy phase.

You're with someone who's appropriate

who we can all hang out with.

Josh wasn't a crazy phase.

- Oh, stop apologizing.
- I'm not.

You know, after the divorce,
I kind of felt sorry for you.

But now, I'm jealous.

He's a keeper.

[ELEGANT MUSIC]

[UPBEAT ROCK MUSIC]

Ooh, look who's here.

Cinderella is back from the ball.

- Yeah, slippers intact.
- How was it?

Uh, well, this about sums up the night.

Look who I ran into.

Oh, my God!

It's like "The Real Housewives
of New Jersey."

Yep, my worlds are colliding,

and it all feels strangely...
familiar.

I get it.

It's like you only had
chocolate ice cream for 20 years

and then you got divorced
and tried all these new flavors,

pistachio, guava, cookies and cream.

And now it's like you're with
chocolate chocolate chip.

- But I like chocolate.
- Sure.

Better than vanilla.

- [SOFT LAUGH]
- Where you going?

Oh, I'm going out with Josh and Lauren.

- It's after 11:00.
- Exactly.

Good night. Don't wait up.

Night.

[SOFT DRAMATIC MUSIC]

[DOOR SHUTS]

- Hey!
- Hey.

I haven't seen that beauty in a while.

Yeah, well you're not gonna
be seeing her

much more after this.

I officially found a buyer for her.

What? Why? You love that bike.

Yeah, I kind of been
rethinking my priorities

now that Gemma's around.

It's like, God forbid
something happens to me,

then it directly affects her.

I get anxious even
thinking about it, honestly.

Welcome to the rest of your life.

Hey, you want to go for one last spin?

- Huh?
- [EXHALES]

I'm dropping her off
to the buyer this afternoon.

I would love to, but
I am slammed at work today.

She really is a beauty though.

Yeah, she is.

I got someone much more beautiful

in my life now though.

Yeah.

[UPBEAT POP MUSIC]

[GASPS] Okay, Meghan Markle
has nothing on you.

Well, aside from that
royal redhead, that may be true.

What's the occasion?
Wait, is there an occasion?

Of course there is.

I'm going to a christening
this afternoon.

Enzo's niece. In Staten Island.

Wow, you are going to
make quite the impression.

It's a low bar, Liza,
but I try to lead by example.

Aw.

And finally, the book
we're most excited about:

"Arabian Sea."

Basically it's "Master and Commander"

in the world of
modern-day pirates.

We haven't had a good
seafaring book in a while.

Mm, I think there may be
a reason for that.

Well, with sea levels rising,
it seems very relevant.

Is there a woman in the book?

At the moment, no, but we can
discuss it with the writer.

You know what? Never mind.
I'm sure I'd be

worried about her
on the ship the entire time.

Either way, you don't
want to pass on this one.

What do you think, Kels'?

You know,
it's our first title together,

and I was really
hoping for something...

sexier out of you guys.

Well, there is a sextant.

[SOFT LAUGH]

The real love story

is between the captain and the sea.

I'm sorry, it's a no for me.

You just want to kill
everything, don't you?

I mean, what are we even doing here?

Oh.

[SOFT MUSIC]

Well, I'm just being honest
like you said,

and it's not making me any friends.

Well, you did kill their entire slate.

Well, I'm looking for
something romantic,

something commercial, like

a John Grisham or a Nicholas Sparks.

What if I told you
that Charles does have a book?

It's totally on par
with Nicholas Sparks.

It's set in the Hamptons,
about a college kid

working on a lobster boat

who has an affair with
a wealthy, older, married woman.

Now, that's interesting.

Why did Charles not pitch me that?

I'm not sure he even knows he has it.

I found the manuscript in some boxes

that got sent over from Pound Ridge.

Well, who's the writer?

How do we know that it hasn't
already been published?

I checked. It hasn't.

Possibly because it's not finished.

You want me to consider
an old, unfinished novel, Liza?

It's really commercial,
and if you respond,

we can have Charles get back
in contact with the writer.

Does he even know that
you're giving this to me?

He doesn't even know that I found it.

Just read it.

And if you don't like it,
don't mention it to Charles.

He doesn't need another pass.

[UPBEAT ROCK MUSIC]

Welcome all to
the baptism of Khloe DeLuca.

Now, through baptism God enables us

to participate in his life
and purifies us from sin

and purifies us from sin.

You look beautiful.

Thank you.

I wanted to look nice for your family.

You knocked it out of the park.

At the very dawn of creation...

Are those, um, real bird feathers?

Oh, they better be.

And now, I ask the godparents,

Enzo DeLuca and Maria Battiata
to join us.

You're the godfather?

Yeah. It's a big honor.

[QUIRKY MUSIC]

She's gorgeous, isn't she?

Oh, well, all babies are.

Waters of the great flood...

I guess.

I... I mean Maria, the godmother.

She and Enzo went out for a while.

I really thought
they'd end up together.

Really?

What happened?

It almost hit the year mark,

and then, boom, Enzo's out.

Happens with all his girlfriends
after a year.

It's his pattern.

He's like the George Clooney
of the family.

Yes, well, George did
eventually marry Amal.

[SCOFFS] Yeah, well, she's Amal.

So that his son might be
the eldest of many brothers...

[SOFT GENTLE MUSIC]

[KEYS CLACKING]

_

- [TEXT MESSAGE WHOOSHES]
- _

[GENTLE POP MUSIC]

[ENGINE REVVING]

Charles, hey, before you leave.

I finally found a book that
I'm excited about from you.

- Really? Which one?
- Liza slipped it to me.

She found it in one of your
old boxes from Pound Ridge?

Can I see that?

It reads like a more
sophisticated Nicholas Sparks.

Can we find the writer and make
a deal with him to finish it?

It's... really not something
that I'm interested in pursuing.

[ELEVATOR DINGS]

[SCOFFS] As publisher, I am.

And as the author,
I most certainly am not.

[SOFT DRAMATIC MUSIC]

You didn't mention
you dated the godmother.

Maria? That was a while ago.

Lasted about a year.

Well, I guess
we have about four months left.

Excuse me?

Oh, according to your sister,

you have a year expiration date.

Let's get a picture.

We need to put the godparents together

close to the baby.

- Diana, come.
- Ma...

Here.

See, the lighting
is much better for you...

- Is it?
- Here.

[QUIRKY MUSIC]

[SIGHS]

Everyone, squeeze.

- Oh, there's a bush here.
- Squeeze, squeeze.

- [YELPS]
- Hold on a minute.

Are you okay?

[GRUNTS] Fine, I'm fine.

Dolce, but I'm fine.

You know what?
I'm just... I'm gonna go home.

No, no, come with me.

- No, she's gonna be next to me.
- Enzo, stop, it's...

Enzo, these pictures are gonna
stay in the family forever.

And, so I hope, will Diana.

- [CROWD GASPS]
- Oh, marone.

Diana, will you marry me?

[UPBEAT MUSIC]

Is there... a ring involved?

I'm being spontaneous here.

Oh, what's the rush?

Let her think about it.

She can take all the time she needs.

Yes.

[CROWD CHATTERING]

[CHURCH BELLS TOLLING]

Oh, God, it's so beautiful.

I love seeing the city like this.

Like, I know you're with him, but

I'm glad we can still
spend time together like this.

Yeah, me too.

You know, I've been reading
a book that reminds me of us.

Really? Tell me more.

It's about a younger man

who has an affair with an older woman.

Oh, an affair, huh? Sounds racy.

It actually is pretty sexy in parts.

Oh, I bet it is. [SOFT LAUGH]

So how does it end?

- Oh, that's a big question.
- Mm.

The writer didn't finish the book.

I love it, like,
the reader has to figure out

the ending for themselves, huh?

Yeah, it's like a "choose
your own adventure" romance.

[TENDER MUSIC]

Well, how do you think it ends?

I don't know.

Yeah, yeah...

[UPBEAT POP MUSIC]

Wow.

- [SOFT LAUGH] Hi.
- Hi.

[KISSES]

Where'd you disappear to
this afternoon?

I was playing hooky.

I needed to cut loose for a few hours.

Mm, you mean you had to disappear

while Kelsey read the manuscript

that you found in my personal papers?

You were snooping.

No, honestly,
the box, it just fell open...

and... and I read it and it was
such a beautiful story and I...

Yes, I was snooping.

Liza, the summer I turned 21,
I had an affair

with the wife of a famous author.

She was beautiful but dissatisfied.

She was always
looking over her shoulder.

And she thought that
a fling with a younger man

would make her feel young too.

And for a while, it was
exciting for both of us.

It's the part you read.

You wrote the book.

- Everyone's got one novel.
- Why didn't you finish it?

Because in the end, I realized
it would hurt too many people.

Still, the writing was wonderful.

I'm not really a writer.

But I knew what it was like

to be that young, heedless man.

And I understood the mind
of a woman in her 40s

who was bored with her life

and who needed his validation.

Charles!

Liza.

[SOFT CHUCKLE]

I really don't want to go
to this party, do you?

[LAUGHS]

Can we promise each other one thing?

Of course.

That in the future, we never ever

do anything together
we don't want to do.

[WALK THE MOON'S "ONE FOOT"]

Why wait?

Let's make a run for it.

- What?
- Run.

[LAUGHING] Oh, my God.

[LAUGHING]