Abhiroop Das
Created by Sharon Horgan, HBO’s ‘Youth‘ follows Alex, who finds herself at a meltdown as a 50-year-old with no stable partner. Juggling between her job as a literary agent, raising a teenage son, and taking care of her parents, she can hardly find any time for herself. Added to this are her attempts at dating, which sometimes have comic endings or awkward on-and-off starts. Alex’s relationship with Patrick falls into the latter camp, and though they are not together, her mind keeps returning to him. The previous episode of this romantic comedy series takes Alex and company to Frankfurt, where her attempts to find international romance go hilariously wrong but steer her towards lucrative yet potentially troublesome book deals. This episode, titled ‘Michael Man,’ takes the journey in a completely different direction, but Alex’s dilemmas remain the same. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Alex Finds a New Love Interest in a Much Older Man
‘Youth’ episode 3 begins with Alex and Sam attempting to relax after a messy trip to Frankfurt. With Ruari being temporarily hired at Frank’s bar, Alex thinks it’s the perfect time to pay a visit, but that doesn’t exactly help take her mind off things. Between the risk of losing Charlotte Arbor as a client, the humiliation of getting Malcolm back as one, and, of course, the longing to resume her relationship with Patrick, Alex soon finds herself mentally overwhelmed. Here to the rescue, Sam yet again proposes that she go on a date with a much older man, a guy named Michael. Sam believes that it might be time for Alex to look for something more long-term and emotionally comforting, and though Alex doesn’t take the proposal too seriously, the thought persists in the back of her mind.
On her way back home, Alex also cannot help but think about Patrick again. Her feet automatically carry her to his address, and while she types out a pickup line, she spots that he is already with someone. As the three of them meet awkwardly, Patrick introduces Alex as an old friend, which only affects her more. As if that’s not enough, she accidentally ends up dialing Michael, and just like that, she has no choice but to go on a date with him. Expectedly, throughout the dinner, she cannot overcome just how much older he is, especially when he mentions the grim relationship he has with his mother. Though he intends to end the date with a kiss, if not something more, Alex does her best to smoothly change the subject, but not without the promise of a second date.
The following day, the first task on Alex’s calendar is to set up a meeting with Dr. Law, a prominent psychologist who wishes to step into the publishing world. However, all Alex can now think about is Michael and how old he is. While Law entertains the conversation for a fair bit, it eventually gets to a point, and Sam has to intervene, with some furiousness. To make things worse, Alex also has to meet up with Malcolm and practically beg him to sign back with The Laville Agency. Knowing that he has things completely in his grasp, Malcolm wants to have fun with this game, and it only annoys Alex more. The only break, so to speak, comes during her dinner date with Michael, when he asks her to recalibrate and ask Sam for the credit that she more than deserves. However, right before leaving, he once again tries to have sex with Alex, only to be rejected.
Alex and Michael Have a Rough but Predictable Break-up
The following morning, Alex gets a call from Sam, who is happy now that Malcolm is most likely getting back on board. However, Alex seizes the moment to defend everything she has done for the agency, and by the end, she wants to be promoted to partner at the company. Sam, however, laughs it off, and though hurt a bit, Alex does understand that she might have overstepped. The plan for the day is to host a brunch and invite Michael back, but this time, he won’t be alone. When he arrives, he is surprised to find out that Alex’s parents are also invited, and so is her sister, who is quick to turn back. Later on the call, she rebukes Alex for getting together with an older man, though Alex reasserts that she is going for a more comfortable relationship than a racy one.
The brunch party very quickly descends into chaos as Alex devotes herself to cooking, leaving Michael sandwiched between her parents and Ruari. When the latter heads for his job at the bar later that night, Michael finds herself alone with Alex again and realizes that he wants to end things right here. The fact that they wanted completely different things from the relationship turns out to be a sore spot, and they break up on a harsh note. Meanwhile, Ruari gets into a fight with other boys over the “pervert” tag, and by the time he returns home, it’s just him and his mother. Together, they share each other’s difficulty navigating daily life and finding the right balance between being too assertive and too shut-in.
Read More: Youth: Are Wagon Burner and Goblin Seed Based on Real Books?
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