While Liza Miller hid a massive secret at the beginning of Younger, she was still a sympathetic character. Unable to find her footing in the publishing industry after leaving to pursue motherhood, Liza felt her only option was pretending to be in her twenties. After getting a position at Empirical, she began acting and dressing the part, but while viewers always liked watching her journey, she was still lying to several people who she cared about.
Younger’s much anticipated seventh season is now available for streaming and after observing Liza from the pilot until the current episodes, it’s clear that this character has made some positive changes in her life.
She Finally Stopped Lying To Everyone
While only Liza’s best friend Maggie knew her secret for a long time, she was able to stop lying to everyone once her secret was out. This was crucial, as Liza could only improve as a character once she was fully herself.
When Liza was free of this burden, she and Kelsey fixed their friendship and had a newfound respect for each other, and even Diana was eventually on board, understanding why Liza did what she did. Liza didn’t want to see herself as a dishonest person so it was key that she come clean. Luckily for her, people didn’t stay angry for long and she kept her job at Empirical/Millennial.
She Found Her Confidence At Work
The bubbly Kelsey was always there for Liza and it was no wonder that they became great friends and business partners.
From teaming up with Kelsey on their Millennial imprint to winning Diana’s respect, Liza found her confidence at work, and this is when fans could see an improvement in her character. At first, she was in over her head, intimidated by Diana and wondering how to use social media. But she realized that she had good ideas and that her love of literature could carry her through anything.
She Juggled Her Older And Newer Friendships
When fans met Liza, she had been friends with Maggie for decades, and then she became part of Kelsey and Lauren’s social circle. Things got tricky fast as Liza didn’t want to bail on Maggie but she did want to make new pals.
Liza became better and better as she figured out how to juggle her friendships. It helped that Maggie and Lauren got along well and that Kelsey eventually became closer with Maggie, too, and everyone could hang out together.
She Became The Editor Of A Bestselling Book
Liza also became a better character when she was given more responsibility at the office. This allowed her to really separate her feelings from her work.
In season 4, Liza edited Pauline’s book Marriage Vacation, and they were a great team. Liza became a much better character at this point in the show, as she was confident enough to take on this project and really make it shine. She worked with Pauline, even knowing that she used to be married to Charles and that it could make things awkward for her, and she tried her best not to let her personal feelings get in the way.
She Supported Josh And Clare’s Relationship And Baby
It was hard for fans to see Clare and Josh have a baby together as many people ship Josh and Liza.
But Liza was super mature in this situation, allowing Josh to find his way as a father and letting him know that while she would always care about him, she didn’t want to interfere. She knew she had to let him go, at least for a while, because he wanted a family and she couldn’t give that to him. Since that was the main reason for their break-up, Liza knew that she had to support Josh here. Not everyone would be so nice about their ex being in a new relationship or having a baby.
She Gave Caitlin Good Advice
Caitlin isn’t the smartest person on Younger but she is still young and figuring it all out. When Liza found out that Caitlin was in a relationship with someone who was much older than her, this gave the mother and daughter the opportunity to bond.
This storyline showed that Liza had improved a lot, as she gave Caitlin some smart advice: she should respect herself and break up with her partner. He used to be her professor and he was concerned with hiding her so he could get tenure. That wasn’t cool, and Liza proved that she could be a supportive yet strong parent in this scene.
She Never Judged Kelsey And Lauren
While Liza didn’t have a ton in common with Kelsey and Lauren, as she’s part of a different generation and not quite as bubbly and fun as them, she has never judged them, and that means a lot to them.
When Lauren wanted a “Little Women In Space” birthday party in season 7, Liza happily attended. Whenever Kelsey was stressed out or in the middle of a crisis, Liza was there for her. She definitely learned how to be a better friend over the seasons.
She Began To Have More Integrity
After lying for a long time, Liza knew that she couldn’t lie for Josh, proving she had become a better character.
The Josh/Liza/Charles love triangle is a beloved part of Younger and when Josh went to Ireland to marry Clare, Liza told him that she couldn’t pretend that it seemed like a normal, legitimate relationship. She didn’t want to answer any questions from officials and she made that very clear to him.
She Didn’t Let People Take The Fall For Her
In the earlier seasons of Younger, Liza went along with other people’s plans and even blackmail, as she didn’t want anyone to find out her real age. But once it was old news, she began to have more integrity and she didn’t let other people take the fall for her.
At the beginning of season 6, Empirical wanted to make Liza’s age public and explain that it was all a matter of ageism. When people thought that Kelsey and Charles were having an affair, Liza let everyone know the truth. This was a big deal as many people would have gone along with it, not wanting their reputation to change, but Liza wanted to protect Kelsey.
She Realized That It’s Okay Not To Plan Everything
After lying to her friends and co-workers and weathering the storm of them finding out, Liza was grateful that she had everyone’s support.
When fans saw Liza again at the beginning of season 7, she turned down Charles when he asked her to marry him and she said that she didn’t want to put that label on the relationship. After being married and divorced, falling in love with Josh and then Charles, she didn’t want to plan her future anymore. This is even more proof that Liza got better and better, as she didn’t want to feel any pressure; she just wanted to enjoy her life. And after everything she had been through, that made a lot of sense.
