Diksha Sundriyal
Apple TV+’s ‘The Morning Show’ returns with a fourth season that continues to serve drama and intrigue as Alex Levy and Bradley Jackson embark on another path of truth and revelations. The previous season ended with UBA deciding to merge with their rival, NBN, an idea suggested by Alex after she discovered that Paul Marks, the billionaire whom Cory had enticed to buy the network, had different plans than initially imagined. Bradley, on the other hand, surrenders herself and her brother, Hal, to the FBI for his role in the White House insurrection and her role in deleting the evidence against him. The fourth season picks up two years after these events, and while a lot has changed for the characters, some things remain the same. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Alex Lands the Network in Yet Another Well-Intentioned Trouble
Following the merger, UBA is now UBN, and Alex has been moved from the Morning Show to focus on covering the Paris Olympics. A lot has gone into securing this deal, and the games are going to play a huge role in bringing the network back to its glory days. The Morning Show has been left in the capable hands of Chris Hunter and Yanko Flores, with Mia Jordan running the show. Alex, however, is working with Ben, the new Head of Sports, and her assistant, Remy. Meanwhile, Chip has turned towards documentary making, and Remy reveals that his latest project will be released at the upcoming film festival, and she can confirm that the film is rather well-made. Chip’s mention and the fact that he is doing so well without her make Alex a little irritated, but she tries to keep her feelings to herself. She is also annoyed by the presence of Bro Hartman, a podcaster whose ideas she disagrees with, but who brings in the audience that the network needs.
Alex focuses on the current task at hand, which is to interview a young Iranian fencer named Roya Nezari, who is going to compete in Paris. Before they sit down for the interview, Roya’s father, who is also her translator, slips a note to Alex, expressing their desire to defect. This catches Alex off guard, but she tries to conduct the interview as calmly as possible. Then, she asks a politically charged question, which leads the Iranian bodyguard to shut down the interview. While the network people try to calm him down in the hopes of continuing the interview, Alex slips away with Roya. After confirming that this is what the girl wants, she tells her to leave through another exit and use her car to get away. To create a distraction, Alex pulls the fire alarm, which also allows Roya’s father to escape.
While Alex thinks she has helped the father and daughter, the network is thrown into crisis mode. Celine, from the new board, promptly arrives to oversee the situation and is greeted by Stella, the new CEO of UBN. It turns out that when the network used an inordinate amount of money to secure the Olympics deal, they also promised to be politically neutral. However, Alex’s actions have ruined that because it turns out that the defection was not focused on the Olympian athlete, but her father, who is a nuclear scientist in Iran. Now, while they are being briefed, Alex will also be questioned by the FBI. But what’s more important is how the network will deal with the new problem in front of them.
Bradley Jackson Comes Out of Retirement
With Alex muddled up in the Roya Nezari case, Stella decides to pull her out of the Olympics duty, at least temporarily. Chris, who is a former athlete, is the obvious choice for the replacement, but that means that her seat as the host of the Morning Show would be left empty. While Mia and Stella explore their options, the conversation turns towards Bradley and how her pairing with Alex garnered the highest viewership for the show. They wonder what Bradley is doing now and if she’d like to come back. Mia decides to find that out and flies to West Virginia, where Bradley has been holed up since the events of the Season 3 finale. It turns out that she is now teaching journalism at a community college, and Mia showing up at her door is the most exciting thing that has happened to her in a while.
Mia explains the situation to her while also lying about Alex being on board with her return. Still, Bradley is not keen on returning to the show and refuses her offer. Later that evening, she receives an anonymous text from someone called “gaiawarrior96,” who asks her why she refused Mia’s offer. They also tell her about UBN being involved in a cover-up focusing on a company called Martel, whose chemical plant has been under scrutiny for poisoning the water supply, killing wildlife, and causing birth defects and other diseases in the locals. The texter pushes Bradley to go back to UBN and use her investigative skills to uncover and expose the truth behind Martel’s wrongdoings. However, they refuse to tell her how they know about her meeting with Mia and why they are invested in the Martel case.
In any case, they spark Bradley’s curiosity, leading her to reconsider her decision and accept Mia’s proposal. Before she can pack her bags and leave for New York, she has to inform the FBI agent overseeing her case. She explains that the Morning Show doesn’t even count as journalism, and she won’t be getting into any trouble. She is taking the job just for the money. The officer points out that she is not really in the FBI’s good graces. While her brother, Hal, has been sent to prison, Bradley was spared that fate because she decided to give up dirt on Paul Marks, but that didn’t really work the way it should have. While he agrees to let her go, he also reminds her that she cannot make any mistakes, as it would lead the FBI to double down on her, and it would ruin her life.
Alex and Bradley Clash Again as Cory Fights for His Survival
Alex tries to help the Nezaris, who are still being debriefed. There is no confirmation of whether or not they will be given asylum, and while her bosses tell her to stay away from it, she cannot do nothing. She seeks out her father, Martin Levy, who is a professor of law, to find out more about what can be done for the Iranians. The conversation suggests that the father and daughter have not been on good terms, and it might have to do with Martin looking down on his daughter’s work on a show that has little to do with serious journalism. He doesn’t hold back his words, but Alex shows restraint, revealing that she has found a way not to let him get under her skin. He reiterates the advice about not getting involved with the Iranians.
He shifts the conversation to himself, revealing that he has finally been offered the position to become the dean of law, which he’d previously unfairly lost to a woman. He wants Alex to speak with a journalist who is doing a profile on him and share anecdotes about their father-daughter bond, basically portraying him in a good light, though the expression on her face suggests just how preposterous his demand is. Meanwhile, Cory is in LA, trying to make a living as a film producer. He was kicked out of UBN after Paul made allegations of sexual misconduct against him. While he was cleared of those allegations, the simple act of being accused has led him to be cancelled to the extent that no one wants to work with him anymore.
Somehow, Cory has managed to find a project, but the weather, the city, and the people seem to work against him. When he loses the lead actress, he places one call after another to get another major actress to headline the film. When the plan fails, he reaches out to Doug Klassen, who is initially not interested in talking to him but eventually shows pity for him and asks him to send over the script. Stella, on the other hand, engages in a sexual encounter with a man named Miles. At first, they seem to be strangers in a bar, but it turns out to be a role-play, which they have indulged in for a long time. Miles talks about taking on a date to Japan, but they both know that the idea is not feasible. The real reason behind it turns out to be the fact that Miles is actually Celine’s partner, which means that he and Stella are engaging in an affair behind her boss’ back.
Meanwhile, Bradley returns to New York, and her first stop is Alex’s house. The reunion soon turns into an argument as Alex makes no effort to hide her true feelings about Bradley’s return. She points out that the network bosses don’t know why she really left the last time, and she also states that perhaps Bradley should look at other things. This angers Bradley, who was falsely led to believe that Alex wanted her back. But what angers her even further is that despite having done some bad things herself, Alex is taking a moral high ground and judging Bradley for trying to protect her brother, even though she eventually did the right thing. The conversation ends with Bradley revealing that she has no intention of going away. This leads Alex to call Cory, tell him about Bradley’s return, and point out that a catch-up between them has been long overdue.
Read More: Why Did Paul Get UBA Hacked?
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