With The Morning Show Season 4 Episode 3, “A Tipping Point,” we hit one of the slower episodes of the season.
After spending the last two episodes setting up explosive arcs, this one takes its time to give them a breather.
Hours lacking excitement are typically poorly received, and for good reason. They can be the beginning of a slow descent into the dreaded territory of boring.
However, every good recipe needs time to let the ingredients marinate or react fully, and this episode provides that time.
Despite pulling back on the larger arcs, two other stories get significant development as Mia Jordan decides she’s had enough of playing this game, while Chip and Alex find their mysterious informant.
When the Status Quo Doesn’t Work Anymore
Corporate culture dictates that you know your place, play along, and not cause trouble, and chances are you will get to step on the next rung on the ladder.
However, life is unpredictable, and at times, things don’t go as planned.
Mia has dedicated her life to The Morning Show, with the hope of eventually becoming the Head of News. The new network is even more promising given that women are at the helm and they understand what other women go through in the corporate world.
The episode does a great job of showing how much she wants this. She wakes up dreaming of it, her morning routine involves it, and when she gets to work, all she can think of is it: Head of News.
The bigger they are, the harder they fall. Losing the position breaks something in her. It isn’t regular dissatisfaction. It feels like betrayal, and it forces her to make a radical decision.
Someone once said that things go south when we stay in our comfort zone, or when we venture out of it. Mia gets out of her comfort zone, and there’s no telling how this will affect her.
Maybe she’ll realize that UBN has been holding her back. Or perhaps she’ll realize that she had it good there. Only time will tell.
However, one thing is for sure: UBN lost.
On a serious note. Who the hell is Ben?
Bradley’s Not All In
Bradley does not return to UBN because she loves it; she does this because she has something else in the works.
It feels like the novelty of being plucked from obscurity and becoming the center of the conversation after Mitch has worn off.
It’s understandable why she seems off because segments about certain people or products don’t resonate with her.
She loves the danger and thrill of unearthing explosive stories, and you can see her come alive while investigating the cover-up at UBA.
Rehashing the Past
Meanwhile, we revisit some past storyline as Alex runs into Paul Marks at a conference. Why are we doing this again?
The Paul Marks storyline, especially his relationship with Alex, was the weakest part of The Morning Show Season 3.
After two years, everything should have come to an end.
Like with Billy Crudup, it feels like an attempt to keep Jon Hamm‘s name on the call sheet. These are excellent actors, but at this point, they are not serving the story well.
And, it doesn’t seem as if Paul was brought back to help wrap up this chapter. Things are brewing again.
Meanwhile, Cory and Bradley are kicking up dust again, too. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, why are we doing this again?
People should learn to move on. It was fun while it lasted, but there is no need to rehash the past.
I like my dose of Cory in small samples, and now it’s giving too much.
The Truth Is Incediary, and It’s Under Attack
Things are changing. Or this is how everything has always been; we’re just realizing it too late.
News is not just news anymore. There are both personal and corporate interests to consider.
How will reporting on something affect the bottom line? Will the audience stick around? Perhaps we should try to appeal to their sensibilities.
What about the advertisers? Will they stick around, too? Maybe we should kill some stories.
UBN has lost because Mia would have helped them stay ahead of everyone else while doing it right.
Now, like a plethora of other networks in the real world, it’s more sports. Things that tickle your base instincts but don’t require much thought.
AI is being used as a replacement for real work by real people who understand people. A certain studio just recently unveiled an “AI Actress,” and “she’s been signed by a talent agency.” What fucking talent?
I get that change is necessary, even unavoidable, but burning everything to the ground instead of fixing what’s not working will never help anyone.
It’ll leave us scrambling for what we’ve lost, but there is no guarantee that we’ll get it back. Some things once gone cannot be reclaimed.
I fear we’re selling our humanity to machines and losing everything that makes our species work.
But what do I know?
However, here’s what I know. The old systems no longer work. Google and other search engines cannot be trusted to bring you real stories without first parsing them through their LLMs and stripping them of the real human feel.
This is why you need to get the stories from the source. Subscribe to the TV Fanatic newsletter using the big blue button at the top of this page to get our reviews, opinions, and editorials delivered directly to your mailbox.
“A Tipping Point” does not feel like an actual tipping point. The episode feels like the last stretch before the tipping point. However, it’s a crucial stretch because without it, we won’t reach the tipping point.
Over to you, The Morning Show fanatics. Which arcs are you enjoying this season? I’m finding the AI and the attack on truth quite compelling.
Chime in in the comments section and let’s keep this party going.
You made it to the end — and that means a lot.
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