Side note (before even beginning): Isn’t that an awesome-looking pizza … and arm? The pizza is from Treehouse Brewing Company, the arm is mine, and the tattoo is fake, but it completely relates to this post : )
When you think of TV couples, who were your favorites? Who were the ones that you rooted for, and when it didn’t happen, you felt like you were kicked in the gut? Who were the ones that you rooted for, and when it did happen, you felt like you’d just fallen in love, too?
One of those couples for me is from the TV show Younger. If you plan on watching the show for the first time, maybe stop reading around …. now.
For those of you who are still reading, I hope you’re fans of the show; otherwise, this post may be complicated, but hey, relationships are complicated. There’s no getting around that. Anyway, back to being younger, I mean, back to the show Younger (and my favorite Younger couple, Liza and Josh). When Liza and Josh first met, I believe they were in a bar. Liza was about to throw a shoe at the bartender. Why? Well, because the bartender was busy, but Liza thought they were ignoring her because she was forty. Josh saw this display of complete insanity and found it hilarious. It appeared to be love at first insane moment (I’m obviously not a fan of throwing a shoe or anything at a bartender, but I was a fan of Liza and Josh). It’s been a while since I watched it, but I think that’s basically the gist of how Josh and Liza met. If you haven’t seen the show, you probably won’t after my summary, but it was a great show.
I know the cards were probably stacked against them from the beginning. Their relationship started with a shoe … and a lie, not just any lie (not that any lie is ok, but), a humongo lie (you may think I spelled that incorrectly, but I like that word better than humongous, so in my eyes, humongo is spelled correctly, and is a new word that I just made up). I get that this is a TV show, but I was falling in love with their story. So, for me, the 52 cards stacked against them should have been reshuffled and dealt again. They weren’t : ( And I was left with that feeling of being kicked in the gut with this “Dear Josh” letter:
“Dear Josh:
I can’t begin to thank you for how you’ve changed my life, and picturing you not in it breaks my heart, but I need to let you go. From the first time we met, you saw me in a way no one had in a long time. Not even myself. Since then, we’ve made so many memories — some that still make me laugh, some I’ll never forget, and some I wish I could. And now I’ve left my lie behind, and you’re a dad. Look at us, all grown up. The problem with memories is that they lock us in the past, and we both need to move forward. As much as I want you in my life, I can’t right now, and I hope you understand why.”
Well, Liza, I know this letter wasn’t written to me, but I didn’t understand why, and I don’t think Josh did either. He was devastated by this letter and by the thought of never speaking with his friend again.
Of course, they would speak again because they were in the same friend circle, and I’m “Team Josh” for his words below:
Josh: You’re just going to write me a letter, then never talk to me again? That’s the plan here?
Liza: Yes, because I care about you. That’s the problem.
Josh: I’m calling bullshit. You convinced me to sign this lease. You told me you’d always be here for me, that you were going to be Gemma’s Aunt Liza, right? Now, what, you’re just abandoning me?
Liza: I want to give things with Charles a shot. I can’t go around riding on motorcycles with you and having late-night calls. You know this is going to hurt me, too. It’s going to kill me not to see Gemma.
Josh: Then why are you doing it? Is Charles that much more important to you? Are your feelings for him stronger than your feelings for me? Look, I get it. I do. You’re scared of us. Scared of what we were, and what we still are. So now you’re making the safe choice.
Liza: You don’t know anything about Charles. And don’t tell me how I feel. I know that this is hard to accept, Josh, but we were a moment in time. It was amazing, and I will cherish it, but the time has passed.
Josh: So just say it. Just say it. Say you love him more than you love me.
Liza: Is that what you need to hear?
Josh: Yes.
Liza: Fine, then I love him more.
Josh: You forget, Liza. I know you. I know when you’re lying, especially to yourself (pause, pause pause). You wrote a letter to the wrong guy.
I don’t know if Josh actually paused at that point, but I think it reads better with a pause. This scene was heartbreaking (for me), and I was sitting at home yelling, “Throw a shoe at her, Josh”. Of course, I was just kidding (disclaimer city: it’s a TV show, and I’m not a fan of throwing a shoe at anyone or anything. It’s never ok!) Part of my disappointment, though, comes from my hope that people can stay friends after a breakup or disagreement. I know that probably only happens in my pretend world (and on TV). So for now, I’ll keep my rose-colored glasses on because relationships are less fuzzy with them (even on TV). Oh, and the hourglass on my arm that I copied from Liza (you know, in the tattoo above) will stay on its side. That way, time will stand still just for a little while (in my pretend world).
Update: I rewatched the pilot, and Liza doesn’t throw a shoe at the bartender, she just waves it at him. So, I guess that’s a little better.
ewdating.com 