‘The Morning Show’ Recap: ‘La Amara Vita’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 207 of ‘The Morning Show’.
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One thing that we can all agree upon, is that life is filled to the brim with harsh lessons. So many in fact, that this journey can become quite overwhelming, especially when it comes to lessons involving interpersonal relationships. Because at an early age, we learn how powerful and special it is to make friends and share a bond with people and coming to learn that not all of those bonds will last and that sometimes they will be severed in a harsh manner… really is a shocking revelation. One that we will never be accustomed to and one that gets harder to deal with as we grow older since we understand the importance and rarity of those bonds in adulthood and well… that particularly difficult aspect of life is of note today, because it was on full display in this week’s episode of The Morning Show.
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For ‘La Amara Vita’ saw Mitch Kessler at quite the crossroads with the Coronavirus Pandemic reaching exponential proportions in Italy. Since it reminded him of the fragility of life and what he’s lost over the course of the past few months, and that prompted him to inform Paola that the time had come for him to return to the United States and be with his family and perhaps turn over a new leaf somehow, a decision that Paola accepted begrudgingly, since she enjoyed their time together. But before Mitch could book a flight home and pack up his stuff, quite the surprise landed in his lap. In that, Alex had made the voyage form New York to Italy, in the hopes of making quite the request of Mitch. In fact, she wanted a statement from him, informing the world that they didn’t sleep together and that led to quite the fight between the two of them, one that seemingly ended in a sour manner.

But thanks to a little push from Paola, Mitch was reminded of how much Alex means to him, and how hard it has been without her in his life because of their bond and that motivated him to try and make peace with her. An act that was difficult for certain, since all the betrayal and pain that she experienced from Mitch’s #MeToo moment… prevented her from taking an empathetic stance. But eventually… they were able to shed their anger and be reminded of the majesty of what they once shared and how precious their friendship and brief fling was. And for a time, it truly seemed as though this story wasn’t going to focus on the harsh lesson in question and that we’d see a reconciliation of sorts. One where Alex and Mitch could use their friendship to heal. But in the end, this was nothing more than a quick walk down memory lane… to prepare them both for a harsh reality.

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In that, Mitch’s actions had severed their bond, and that this was nothing more than an opportunity to celebrate what was lost, one last time, before they parted ways forever and that was quite the sobering and powerful revelation to see play out. Since it genuinely hammered home how difficult it is to face the end of a relationship that truly meant the world to us, especially when we realize that the damage done cannot be repaired and all we have, is our memories. Which is a shared epiphany that finally allowed for them to part ways in a mostly amicable manner and find some semblance of closure and well, shortly after they came to that incredibly difficult understanding, is when this episode took quite the shocking and controversial turn.
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Because after Alex left, Mitch found comfort in Paola’s arms, and whilst he was on a drive to get her more cigarettes after their moment of intimate bliss… a blinding pair of headlights sent Mitch off the road and off a cliff, making it clear in a Faustian manner that Mitch Kessler would never find redemption or peace, just ironic death and well… what makes this ending so controversial, is that some might view this as a cop out. One where Mitch never truly had to pay the piper for his actions. Plus, some might also see this as an ill-advised attempt at redemption for Mitch since there were finally hints of remorse in his eyes and his actions. But this writer sees this as a fitting end for the character. Because jumping into the arms of Paola makes it clear that remorse for guys like Mitch is fleeting. They want salvation from others and refuse to look within to find it, so this was the fitting end for a guy that just couldn’t ever see the bigger picture for his actions.

But make no mistake about it, this ending does not overshadow the more important theme present here. Because feeling a close bond with a close friend begin to fade is a hard experience, one that is just as devastating as the death of a loved one. And what makes it so difficult was put on display in subtle fashion here and really, this examination was for the audience. So that anyone that is struggling with this very problem can find peace in the fact that such an ending comes about because the person drifting away from us… has made their choices and we have no control over that. So, all we can do, is ask ourselves if we did everything right on our end and if so… move on, since this person chose their fate. And now that this powerful and fascinating exploration has come to an end, we are undoubtedly about to venture into a new one. Wherein Alex and the people whose lives were impacted by Mitch’s dumb decisions, have to reconcile the meaning of his death on a personal level. Until next time.

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