Liza Miller is seen as the main character onYounger, as she lies about her age so she can achieve her long-held dream of working in New York City book publishing. The fact that she's in her 40s but says she's a millennial sets up a fascinating series about romance, age, career, family, and friendship.
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Fans love watching Liza debate between choosing young Josh and age-appropriate Charles. But what if there's someone else who can be seen as the show's protagonist? It seems like Youngeractuallyrevolves around Liza's beloved friend and co-worker Kelsey Peters.
Kelsey Makes Interesting And Important Career Decisions
Kelsey is a joy to watchbecause while Younger isn't a totally accurate portrayal of publishing, Kelsey's ambition and dreams propel her forward. She makes many changes over the show's 7 seasons, moving up from editor to publisher and back to editor again, asshe strugglesin the role of publisher and knows it's not the right fit.
A main character on a TV show about careers should definitely have goals that they go after, and Kelsey fights for her love of literature and desire to move up at Empirical every single day. While Liza loves books as well, she seems more content to hang back and let other people take charge.
She's The Brains Behind Millennial
When Liza and Kelsey begin working on their Millennial imprint, it's all thanks to Kelsey, who knows that she wants to champion younger literary voices. Lizais definitely the follower in this situation, thanks to her lower position at the company and desire to keep her real age a secret.
Main characters on this type of show aren't going to sit back and wait for people to promote them or notice their skills and talents. They're going to feel confident about their ideas and take risks. Since Kelsey is the brains behind this exciting imprint, it's proof that she can be viewed as a main character.
She's The Most Hurt And Betrayed By Liza's Secret
Liza tells Kelsey her real age at the end of season 3, and Kelsey has a tough time accepting it. She can't believe that Liza would lie to her, and Liz feels terrible about it as well.
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While Josh is initially concerned about the age difference, he does love Liza and always wants to get back together with her, which is why it's so satisfying for fanswhen they share a romantic moment in theseries finale. Kelsey is the one character who feels completely betrayed by Liza and it takes her a while to forgive her and move forward with their friendship.It makes sense that a main character would have their world completely changed by a secret like this.
She's Strong And Independent
An argument can be made for Kelsey being stronger and more independent than Liza. While Liza is kind, brilliant, and compelling, she is torn between her major love interests Josh and Charles, and that dynamic plays out throughout the whole show.
While main characters should show vulnerabilityat times, fans expect them to be strong and independent. This makes them easy to root for and it makes it satisfying when they find love and achieve goals. Kelsey definitely fits into this category.
She Brings The Different Groups Of Friends On The Show Together
The characters on Younger have sweet friendship scenes, and it's nice watching Liza move in with her long-time friend Maggie. It's also a lot of fun watching Kelsey and Maggie interact, as they're both fun-loving and always up for a party.
Kelsey can be seen as the show's main character as she brings various characters together and makes sure that they're an important part of each other's lives. She introduces Liza and Lauren, and she also becomes close with Maggie and Josh, which eventually enables everyone to spend time together naturally and seamlessly. If Kelsey was a minor player here, she wouldn't be able to do this.
She Has Personal Relationships With The Authors
Many of Kelsey's love interests happen to be people she is working with. She hasan affair with Anton in season 1 and then falling for writer Colin later on. She also dates her author Jake in season 5.
While Liza might be seen as the show's main character, she maintains some distance from Empirical and Millennial's authors, not becoming friends or even thinking about dating them. It seems logical that the main character onYoungerwould become invested in the writers and have personal relationships with them. Kelsey might not be in the right when she mixes business with pleasure, but she does get invested in these writers, and that suggests she has an important part to play on the series.
She's An Actual Millennial And Age Is A Theme On The Show
Younger examines being a twentysomethingand Kelsey perfectly embodies this time of life. She lives with her friend Lauren in Lauren's home for a while, she casually dates, and she worries about her future at every turn.
Although Liza is pretending to be a millennial, Kelsey is actually part of this age group, which suggests she could be considered the main character. The series looks at age in a meaningful way, wondering if age is just a number and if people can see as ageless, and the show discusses millennial life through Kelsey.
Her Final Character Arc Isn't About Love
While Kelsey and Zane flirt and compete for a long time and Kelsey is engaged at the beginning of the show, Kelsey remains single for much ofYounger.
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It makes sense that a main character in a romantic comedy or drama would get engaged or married or find a partner by the end of the story. But fans want more from protagonists and they expect some growth and a desire to do more than just find love. It's true that Kelseyfalls for Claire's ex-boyfriend Rob in the final season, butKelsey's final episodes aren't about her romantic life. This is not only refreshing but suggests she can be the main character as this show isn't solely about love. Kelsey stays open to finding her soulmate, but she's also grounded and career-driven, wanting to be happy on her own.
She Makes More Mistakes Than Liza
Youngermay be a show about age and book publishing, but it's also an examination of people who make mistakes and keep trying. Of all the characters, it seems like Kelsey messes up the most. She has an affair with an author, she posts a drunk video that Empirical's new investors see, and she competes too much with Zane.
Main characters have to make mistakes as otherwise, they would be boring, and viewers couldn't become wrapped up in their storylines and character arc. Liza always has good intentions and tries to do the right thing, and when she hurts Josh and then Charles, she's just following her heart. Kelsey, on the other hand, makes mistakes that could end her career and reputation, suggestingher importantrole on the show.
She Has The Most Compelling Season 7 Storyline
Fans predicted some of Younger's final season, and it made sense to fans that Kelsey would reach for the stars when it came to her career dreams. After creating Inkubator with Liza, Kelsey wanted to create an app, and she found an incredible investor in Hello Sunshine. Viewers cheered when this plot got wrapped up so nicely.
A main character should definitely have the best storyline of a show's final season, and that's true of Kelsey, but not of Liza. Fans were confused by Liza and Charles's break-up and when they got back together, it didn't seem right. Kelsey, on the other hand, worked toward starting her own company, thought about buying an apartment, and then decided to move away. It was perfect, memorable, and satisfying.
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