S06.E03: The Unusual Suspect

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Quote

Liza and Charles' romance heats up, but Liza suspects he's keeping something from her; Millennial gets the scoop on a tell-all from acquitted murderer Audrey Colbert; Kelsey feels undermined by Quinn; Maggie seeks rehabilitation.

Original air date: 6/26/19

[Aulty]

Was that a spoof on Amanda Knox or is there some other murder suspect I am not familiar with? Having the story cross over into Charles and Liza's sex life was a bit of a reach, but hey, whatever works for them.

I was surprised by Josh's divorce proposal, the promo fooled me there.

I knew Charles would go into business with Zane. As he wasn't content with sitting at home doing nothing, getting into publishing again is no surprise, but to me it is easy to anticipate that due to the theme of the show, Kelsey will come out on top. Its nice to see the women succeed, but I am so tired of Kelsey. Even if announcing Quinn's candidacy was the smartest thing she could have done to get them out of that sticky spot.

Liza and Charles are doomed.

Glad that Maggie has a love interest again.

That Beatles movie 'ad' confused me (where Liza asks Diana about her weekend) because I remembered that they wore those clothes in the first episode. It was weird.

Edited June 27, 2019 by Aulty

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Ha, I loved that they included that bulk sale/inflated numbers storyline because I remember it was a HUGE deal. Combining that with the true crime/podcast trend was an added bonus.

I know Quinn is really mad that Kelsey ruined her big announcement about running for office, but she deserved it after she bought all those books in bulk, acted like it was no big deal, played dumb with the audience, and then forced Kelsey to respond to the allegations on the spot.

Part of me is glad that Clare and Josh put a definite end to the romantic relationship so that they can focus on coparenting without second guessing what the other person wants. But the other part of me is disappointed because I'm afraid that this is the beginning of resurrecting the Josh/Liza/Charles triangle and I'm just not interested in seeing that again.

I knew the big secret was Charles and Zane working together. I get Charles and Liza's decision not to talk about work at home, but there's separation of church and state and then there's blindsiding your partner with a huge decision that affects her work. Yes, Charles quit his job so he could be with Liza and yes, he's entitled to start a new business, but damn. The least he could have done was given her a heads up that he was going to start a new company that's in direct competition with hers.

[MissLucas]

*sigh* I know it's wrong but for a moment I started to side with Quinn just because I'm so tired of Kelsey (or rather how the character is written). And yes, I dread where they are going with Charles and Zane's plot. 

Who would have thought that one day Josh and Claire would be the reasonable ones?

At least Maggie seems to be doing okay and Diane still rules although the extent to which the character is kept out of the loop is getting tedious.

[Bort]

2 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

I get Charles and Liza's decision not to talk about work at home, but there's separation of church and state and then there's blindsiding your partner with a huge decision that affects her work.

Not that I don't agree that Charles owed Liza a head-up, but it makes Liza look like a moron that she was blindsided. Two unemployed, workaholics hanging out together a lot? I was pretty sure they weren't bingeing Netflix all day. 

[KittenPokerCheater]

Now, reason and logic don't really count on this show, but if Charles if the Chairman of the Board for  Empiracal/Millenium, wouldn't that preclude him from opening another publishing company?

I miss the days of seasons 1 and 2.

[dubbel zout]

12 minutes ago, KittenPokerCheater said:

Now, reason and logic don't really count on this show, but if Charles if the Chairman of the Board for  Empiracal/Millenium, wouldn't that preclude him from opening another publishing company?

Is he still chairman? Because, wow, that's a gargantuan conflict of interest if so. And there should have been a non-compete clause in his contract regardless. But, you know, logic and reason.

[MissLucas]

Yes, I think he's still Chairman of the Board. He got -ahem- promoted in last season's final episode and I can't remember anything going down in the last two episodes that implied anything's changed. 

[Yeah No]

Ugh, could this show get any more exasperating??  Now we have a blindsiding, surreptitious, underhanded Charles, a Kelsey I'm totally over and have lost all respect and patience for, and the set-up for more Josh/Liza will-they-won't-they dynamics.  I don't know which coupling they've bungled more on this show, Liza/Charles or Liza/Josh, but they've succeeded at making me hate both.  Seriously, Peter Hermann is such a hunk it would be very hard to make him look this bad without really trying.  The only good things left are the love interest for Maggie and the switch-over to statement earrings for Diana.  At this point I'm only watching because hope springs eternal that somehow the writers will get their heads out of their asses and bring the show back from this mess.  But even that will have an expiration date with me.

[Aulty]

4 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

The least he could have done was given her a heads up that he was going to start a new company that's in direct competition with hers.

I am sure we all know what would have happened if he had shard that info with her ... Liza would have told Kelsey (either reluctantly or running to straight her - she likes to mix it up), Kelsey would have thrown one of her tantrums trying to either blackmail or sabotage the start-up or leaving Millenial and (miraculously) taking all her authors with her. Or some shit like that.

Charles should have sold Millenial to Quinn, kept Empirical and started Mercury as a new imprint. Liza would no longer have worked for him and everything would be less ... of a feckin mess!

[LuvMyShows]

6 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

I get Charles and Liza's decision not to talk about work at home, but there's separation of church and state and then there's blindsiding your partner with a huge decision that affects her work. Yes, Charles quit his job so he could be with Liza and yes, he's entitled to start a new business, but damn. The least he could have done was given her a heads up that he was going to start a new company that's in direct competition with hers.

But it's sooo much worse than just that.  Looking back, Liza now knows that the work/separation/talk decision was pre-planned for this very reason, so he was being deceptive then and has been the whole time since then.  Also she point blank asked about the money and he shifted to try to distract her with sex.  And the only reason she now knows about the company is that she heard it through the grapevine, and not from him!!!!  I'm not sure I could ever trust him again, to say nothing of the fact that it also makes her look foolish (or complicit, depending on who wants to believe what).  Plus, it makes it look more like he did hand the company to Kelsey so it could fail, and he could build up his new company.

1 hour ago, Yeah No said:

Ugh, could this show get any more exasperating??  Now we have a blindsiding, surreptitious, underhanded Charles, a Kelsey I'm totally over and have lost all respect and patience for,

Seriously, Peter Hermann is such a hunk it would be very hard to make him look this bad without really trying.  

Kelsey is such a phenomenally horrible business-woman.  Lucky for her that Liza showed some level-headedness in not putting out that press release (although presumably Diana wouldn't have actually submitted it either).  And they showed Kelsey once again knocking one back at the bar before doing a business function.

I continue to be mystified by Peter Hermann.  Charles is very sexy with Liza and has great chemistry up until the exact moment that he puts his lips on hers, and then poof, it all goes away.

[bichonblitz]

Josh and Claire are going to get a divorce. Obviously by all indications Liza and Charles are headed for trouble. Will Claire leave the baby with Josh? Then Liza and Josh won't have to have the "I don't want to get pregnant" issue looming over their heads and they can resume their romance? Yuk. Please, no. 

Actually, I think Charles and Diana would make an awesome couple.  

[politichick]

3 hours ago, LuvMyShows said:

But it's sooo much worse than just that.  Looking back, Liza now knows that the work/separation/talk decision was pre-planned for this very reason, so he was being deceptive then and has been the whole time since then.  Also she point blank asked about the money and he shifted to try to distract her with sex.  And the only reason she now knows about the company is that she heard it through the grapevine, and not from him!!!!  I'm not sure I could ever trust him again, to say nothing of the fact that it also makes her look foolish (or complicit, depending on who wants to believe what).  Plus, it makes it look more like he did hand the company to Kelsey so it could fail, and he could build up his new company.

Kelsey is such a phenomenally horrible business-woman.  Lucky for her that Liza showed some level-headedness in not putting out that press release (although presumably Diana wouldn't have actually submitted it either).  And they showed Kelsey once again knocking one back at the bar before doing a business function.

I continue to be mystified by Peter Hermann.  Charles is very sexy with Liza and has great chemistry up until the exact moment that he puts his lips on hers, and then poof, it all goes away.

Wasn't the idea to separate home and work Liza's idea to placate Kelsey after Liza recounted some advice or whatever Charles offered/said when she shared with him a problem with Quinn and her awful book?

[LuvMyShows]

5 minutes ago, politichick said:

Wasn't the idea to separate home and work Liza's idea to placate Kelsey after Liza recounted some advice or whatever Charles offered/said when she shared with him a problem with Quinn and her awful book?

Aaah, you may be right that it wasn't pre-planned by Charles (I don't remember how the conversation unfurled to know if Charles steered it that way), but he definitely knew what he was up to yet never said anything. 

And actually, now that I think about it, he can't even hide behind the 'let's not discuss what we did at work' because he didn't actually have work.  This is more along the lines of "I got a promotion, I was fired, I got new responsibilities, I got a raise", which it is ludicrous to think they would not tell each other, under the guise of the no-work-talk thing.  Plus, it concerns finances (major ones in this case), which once again (like last week) Charles appears to be doing without sharing/consulting.

[MissLucas]

I don't think Charles and Liza are serious enough that he has to consult her before making big financial decisions. Last episode she was still living with Maggie and the episode before he bought her a new bed. So clearly she's not about to move in with him and what he does with the house is none of her business. Ergo I was also not a fan of her reading those bank statements.

Whether he should have filled her in on his business plans is another question. IRL you'd think you mention it to your girlfriend if you're about to become her business competition - but on this show *shrugs shoulders*

[ElectricBoogaloo]

8 hours ago, MissLucas said:

Yes, I think he's still Chairman of the Board. He got -ahem- promoted in last season's final episode and I can't remember anything going down in the last two episodes that implied anything's changed. 

I’m guessing that he will explain away the business conflict of interest with Empirical by saying that he is just an investor in Mercury.

He and Liza aren’t married so no, he doesn’t have to run his financial decisions by her, but he should have at least given her the common courtesy of letting her know that he was creating direct competition for her. 

[chitowngirl]

Could someone refresh my memory-why does Quinn hold so much power and is calling all the shots?

[MissLucas]

The company was in major financial troubles - Charles told Liza last season that they could go on for three months -  and she busted them out. She's the main investor and therefore calling the shots.

[dubbel zout]

3 hours ago, MissLucas said:

I don't think Charles and Liza are serious enough that he has to consult her before making big financial decisions. Last episode she was still living with Maggie and the episode before he bought her a new bed. So clearly she's not about to move in with him and what he does with the house is none of her business. Ergo I was also not a fan of her reading those bank statements.

Whether he should have filled her in on his business plans is another question. IRL you'd think you mention it to your girlfriend if you're about to become her business competition - but on this show *shrugs shoulders*

I agree with almost all of this. Until Liza and Charles start living together on a more or less permanent basis, he can do whatever he wants with his money. I also agree that Liza reading the bank statements was wrong. I get her curiosity, considering the papers were out in the open, but that doesn't give her the right to read them.

What I don't really agree with is that Charles owed Liza a head's up about the new business. I don't think he could trust her not to tell anyone, as it's just too big. He's kind of a jerk to start a competing publishing house, but I also find it hilarious that a bank is happy to give him a giant loan when he couldn't handle his previous business.

[tennisgurl]

Kelsey is an awful businesswoman, it continues to baffle me how she has this big amazing job and that she hasn't already run this ship into the ground. Quinn is awful to the point of hilarity and no way is Kelsey tough and sly enough to deal with her. 

The bits about how much people love true crime podcasts was pretty funny because its true. I actually just saw a true crime podcast that is ABOUT true crime podcasts and how they affect people. 

So Josh is getting a divorce, and Liza and Charles are about to hit rough waters...how convenient...

[Aryanna]

Kelsey's boobs look bigger. Did Hilary get a boob job?

[Bort]

42 minutes ago, Aryanna said:

Kelsey's boobs look bigger. Did Hilary get a boob job?

I think Hilary had a baby shortly before they started filming.

[dubbel zout]

9 minutes ago, kariyaki said:

52 minutes ago, Aryanna said:

Kelsey's boobs look bigger. Did Hilary get a boob job?

I think Hilary had a baby shortly before they started filming.

She did; they were hiding it in the last few episodes of the previous season, I think. 

[Aryanna]

I don't know if they were really trying to hide it or just hiding it from the characters but it's been pretty obvious from the first episode of the season that Charles and Zane are starting a publishing company together.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Bloopers:

After show (for some reason, whoever uploaded this video to TV Land's youtube page made it unembeddable so you'll have to click the link to watch it):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CfFfyz35T9I

Edited July 8, 2019 by ElectricBoogaloo

[Aulty]

It cracks me up everytime when Miriam sais to leave 'a nice comment' at the end of each of those videos.

[aradia22]

True crime now? It feels a little... passe.

This whole plotline about Maggie's trauma after Claire's pregnancy feels... distasteful. It's got a misogynist edge... this horror of the female body.

Audrey seems like a moron. I know it's a notorious case but it seems like a huge ask to get a book out of her. If anyone ever needed a ghost writer...

LOVED Diana's jacket in the scene when she came in on crutches.

Quinn is ruthless but I can't be mad at her. Ethics in publishing? Please. There are all kinds of ways publishers juice their numbers to get that "bestseller" claim. Compared to all the other scandals... plagiarism, outright lying in nonfiction, racism... she's right. This is barely an issue. It's fair for Kelsey to care about her reputation in the publishing world. But outside of it, no one cares about stuff like this. 

Charles and Liza making a roleplay game out of a true crime podcast is creepy af.

Having been to various talkbacks, the idea of people in the audience going so hard against Quinn was ridiculous. This is not a metoo thing. In what world would people care so much that they would rudely confront Quinn head on like that?

I'm glad Kelsey didn't completely throw the interview but that was still unprofessional to take a shot at Quinn because she didn't like her behavior. And we're supposed to support the way Kelsey runs the company?

I know. The show needs conflict. But in what world are there only a number of books/authors that everyone needs to compete over. A good publisher should be able to make people interested in a story and then put out a quality book.

[love2lovebadtv]

On 6/27/2019 at 8:44 AM, KittenPokerCheater said:

Now, reason and logic don't really count on this show, but if Charles if the Chairman of the Board for  Empiracal/Millenium, wouldn't that preclude him from opening another publishing company?

I miss the days of seasons 1 and 2.

It absolutely is a conflict of interest. 

On 6/27/2019 at 10:55 AM, Aulty said:

Charles should have sold Millenial to Quinn, kept Empirical and started Mercury as a new imprint. Liza would no longer have worked for him and everything would be less ... of a feckin mess!

Smart plan! 

On 6/27/2019 at 4:33 PM, bichonblitz said:

Josh and Claire are going to get a divorce. Obviously by all indications Liza and Charles are headed for trouble. Will Claire leave the baby with Josh? Then Liza and Josh won't have to have the "I don't want to get pregnant" issue looming over their heads and they can resume their romance? Yuk. Please, no. 

Actually, I think Charles and Diana would make an awesome couple.  

Did Liza say she didn't want to get pregnant? I thought she didn't want to raise any more kids. At least that's how I remember it. And I don't want to see her go back on that. Raising a baby, whether biological or not, didn't seem like something she wanted to do. 

On 6/27/2019 at 4:52 PM, LuvMyShows said:

Aaah, you may be right that it wasn't pre-planned by Charles (I don't remember how the conversation unfurled to know if Charles steered it that way), but he definitely knew what he was up to yet never said anything. 

And actually, now that I think about it, he can't even hide behind the 'let's not discuss what we did at work' because he didn't actually have work.  This is more along the lines of "I got a promotion, I was fired, I got new responsibilities, I got a raise", which it is ludicrous to think they would not tell each other, under the guise of the no-work-talk thing.  Plus, it concerns finances (major ones in this case), which once again (like last week) Charles appears to be doing without sharing/consulting.

Agreed. Charles didn't have work but I don't think Mercury was a last minute idea. So when Liza was talking about work stuff, thinking Charles was out of the game, he was already working on Mercury and didn't even say he was thinking about starting something new. I wonder, if Liza didn’t suggest not talking about work, would Charles have said anything?