‘The Morning Show’ Recap: ‘Chaos Is the New Cocaine’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

THIS IS THE EMERGENCY SPOILER ALERT SYSTEM. YOU ARE ADVISED TO READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.

We often believe that the most important moments in our lives, are accompanied by some serious pomp and circumstance. The kind where someone important, provides us with some inspirational words about how our lives are about to change for the better. Something that is immediately followed by awe and wonder and tears as we share the great news with our friends and family, shortly before we embrace our new role with a sense of confidence and satisfaction, because we did it. We made it. But the harsh reality of the matter is, most moments in that vein, are nothing like that. They’re instead shocking, or sometimes surprisingly mundane and realizing that our lives are about to change quickly, often results in some serious nervousness. Because no one wants to screw up the opportunity of a lifetime.

Which is why the next episode of The Morning Show is so supremely fascinating. Because ‘Chaos Is the New Cocaine’ explores the harsh reality of how a life-changing moment can be uncomfortable and chaotic, something that is handled by way of Bradley Jackson’s journey in this tale. For when we catch up with her here, mere moments after Alex Levy has announced her as the new co-host on TMS, she’s in quite the difficult place. Because in no way does Bradley believe that she deserves this particular opportunity. After all she’s ‘Two-F*cks’ Jackson, and she knows full well that she has a tendency to let loose on producers and general managers that try and steer her narrative into fluffy pieces and that leaves her pondering as to whether or not she should even take this opportunity.
​
But it doesn’t take long for her realize that this is indeed the chance of a lifetime, and to pass it up would be foolish. A decision that made it seem as though this exploration of the chaos that follows the arrival of a life-changing career moment was going to come to a brief close. But thankfully that was not the case. Because there was a great deal of work that had to go into getting Bradley ready for her first show on Monday morning, and that led to a bevy of important scenes. The kind that did indeed demonstrate just how much Bradley wants this and how important her arrival on the national stage could be for television in general and really, it was just wonderful to have this episode take the time to remove the stigma of fame and remind everyone that making it big doesn’t necessarily mean that life gets any easier. 

---

Yet while it was quite fascinating to see Bradley transition from an everyday reporter to the co-host of the biggest breakfast show in the nation, there were some other important storylines that needed attention as well. Such as the fact that there was indeed fallout for Alex’s decision to make this all happen on her own. Because the network heads were furious, she pulled a stunt like this, but what matters more is that the talking to that Alex received, allowed for her to realize an important fact. In that, the network needs her more than she needs them right now, and that’s giving her a sense of unprecedented freedom in regard to her job, and it was downright wonderful to see her stand up to the network and take charge in every way imaginable in regard to this revamping of the show, and also show humility when needed. Especially after it was brought to her attention that being the one to interview Ashley would be a poor choice in every way imaginable.
​
Speaking of Ashley and the whole Mitch Kessler problem in general, we would be remiss to not follow up on his journey in this tale. Because ol’ Mitch is still convinced that how the world views him is a problem, and that motivated hm to reach out to Dick Lundry, a film director in the same boat as Mitch. And this meeting came together, because Mitch has decided that the men who have been accused of misconduct in the Me Too movement, should have their side of story told to the masses, and a documentary will help facilitate that, and this was another unsettling sequence to watch. Because there is no story for these men to tell, they did wrong and they’re now paying the price. But Mitch’s ego simply cannot understand his role in any wrongdoing and he’s now surrounding himself with people that will only exacerbate the situation and isolate him from the world further. Because Dick is an outright monster, something that Mitch is fully aware of, and no good can come from partnering with a guy as scummy as this.

In the end however, this was just another compelling tale from a series that simply knows how to captivate its audience and it is accomplishing this feat by offering up some insightful real-world concepts and some stellar performances. Because the cast just sucks you in, plain and simple, since they’re able to give new life to conversations and moments that would be viewed as boring or trite with another cast. But all of that aside, what matters more is that the big moment has arrived for Bradley. For she is mere moments away from making her debut on The Morning Show and it should be interesting to see how day one goes for her, and how the staff handles this incredible shakeup since there are some who are hoping to see Bradley fail. Leaving one to wonder, if some cutthroat tactics will come into play down the line, in order to make that happen. Until next time.

---