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In my mind there are no bad episodes of Darren Star's comedy Younger. There is, however, a single plot line so bad — sorry, baaaaaaaaad — that it still haunts me to this day.
Spoiler alert: It involves a sheep.
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Since Younger premiered in 2015 it's consistently been a bright, witty, romantic delight of a series. The show, which stars Sutton Foster, Hilary Duff, Nico Tortorella, Peter Hermann, and Miriam Shor, follows 40-year-old mom Liza Miller (Foster) who pretends to be a perky 26-year-old in order to land a job in publishing.
Seemingly endless hijinks ensue while Liza struggles to uphold her false identity and keep her secret from friends, coworkers, and romantic partners. But as the show preps to wrap its seventh and final season in 2021 I'm reminded that the series' biggest gasp-worthy moment had nothing to do with Liza's real age coming to light. Younger's biggest jaw-dropper took place in Season 2, when a hot shepherd named Sebastian (Matthew Morrison) fucked a sheep.
Yeah, you heard me. Mr. Schue schtupped a sheep!
Back the hell up. Who's Sebastian?
The Glee star made a surprise appearance in the Season 2, episode 9 installment "The Good Shepherd," and because Liza and Josh (Tortorella) had just broken up viewers embraced the rugged farmer with a penchant for life's simplicities and an impeccable beard.
Liza and Sebastian met at a Brooklyn flea market where he was manning his Potter's Hollow booth full of wool hats, blankets, and other cozy knitwear. You see, Sebastian owns a small flock of sheep on his farm in the Hudson Valley, and he made Liza a happy customer by selling her a "Stella" blanket (named after one of his favorite sheep). He also handed her a pamphlet filled with "musings" about his life on the farm, which she later read, only to discover that the hot shepherd philosopher could write.
The hot shepherd has arrived. Credit: tv land / hulu Liza called Sebastian's work "a modern-day Walden" and likened him to "a hipster Thoreau." She even showed Kelsey (Duff), who marveled, "God, he can write the shit out of nothing."
Desperate to bring Sebastian in for a meeting, Liza hopped in the car, tracked him down using clues from his essays, and he handed over a pre-written book that chronicled five years of life on the farm. His writing and unplugged, off-the-grid lifestyle were hits. All he had to do was sign some papers to make things official.
Liza trekked back to the farm to discuss the book deal with Sebastian, who was charming as ever. I know Morrison is easy to troll IRL (especially on TikTok) but once I laid eyes on Sebastian in his work gloves and plaid jacket with a shearling-adorned collar, I must say, I got the appeal.
If only we knew then what we know now... Credit: tv land / hulu The two shared a kiss at his kitchen table before Liza headed back to the office. She'd barely driven away from the farm when she realized Sebastian forgot to sign one of the forms, so she turned around, scoured the property for him, and found him pants down in the barn in back of sheep.
The infamous sheep scene
With less than three minutes left in the episode (credits included) Liza approached the open barn to hear Sebastian moaning and a sheep baa-ing. That's when the camera cut to Morrison embracing a sheep from behind. Cursed.
Liza, who was understandably appalled, screamed and bolted, while Sebastian let the sheep go, pulled up his pants, and ran outside — belt unbuckled and pants undone. He screamed, "LIZA! I WAS JUST GROOMING HER!" before dropping A Streetcar Named Desirereference by wailing, "STELLA!"
Ew(e) Darren!
The first time I saw this scene I screamed out loud alone in my living room and immediately rewound. He didn't just...I thought to myself. Oh no, HE DID.
The scene was jarring and unhinged, and after being tricked into crushing on this man for a whole episode I, like Liza, felt disgusted and rudely betrayed.
Liza returned to Empirical to tell Kelsey and Diana and the three wince in horror. And then? The episode ended. Just like that. And we never talk about Sebastian again!
I'm sorry, WHAT!? This man boinked a farm animal minutes after he kissed a human woman and we're just supposed to move on? Report him! Save those wooly little sheep! This is animal abuse??? Why aren't more people still screaming about this half hour of television?
In a 2016 interview with Decider, Darren Star explained that "a book about a shepherd in England that became a big bestseller" inspired the episode. As for the scaring sheep scene, he said, "You know, I like the idea that Liza finally had a moment where she was dating somebody. She thought she was dating somebody who was like getting away from the business and life in New York. And you know, it was just something that was going to bite her in the ass."
Star, who initially didn't know Morrison would play the hot shepherd, continued: "You got to go with your gut and what makes us laugh in the writers' room. We just loved her being surprised that way and to have the rug pulled out from under her."
A big old RIP to this fantasy. Credit: tv land / hulu OK. If they wanted to make Sebastian instantly unappealing, fine. I simply challenge them to choose a less damning way to pull the rug out. I mean, sheesh, Dr. Seuss' The Grinch Musical!wasn't even this vile.
Some days I'm reminded of the sheep scene during a rewatch or while chatting about the series with friends and I think, "Younger is never afraid to be bold. Maybe this is the exact sort of WTF scene that makes the show so great. Not every series could do this and make it five more seasons."
These things are true. But when the weak justifications fade away you're left to reckon with the harsh, undeniably wrong truth that Matthew Morrison's character fuckeda SHEEP.
Youngeras a whole is a delightful show. But "The Good Shepherd" ending will always be Bad.
Youngeris streaming on Paramount+and Hulu.