‘The Morning Show’ Recap: ‘Lonely at the Top’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

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

Something that is explored often in storytelling, is what exactly makes good human beings turn evil. Because there is something supremely fascinating about seeing an everyday person, suddenly see the world in a manner that motivates them to harm others and that’s led to some intriguing stories that truly dive deep into the darkness that mankind is capable of. But while these tales have helped us to understand what drives people to end the lives of their fellow man, or turn their backs on society as a whole, they tend to shy away from the everyday evil that populates our world. Which is unfortunate, because there really are some genuine monsters out there causing harm to innocent people in ways that need to be discussed more often. Which is why The Morning Show deserves some serious credit in regard to its next episode.
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For ‘Lonely at the Top’ takes the time to put Mitch Kessler, a sexual predator, at the center of the story. But not to help the audience ‘see’ his side of the story, nor to create sympathy for a man who has been trying to engender it since the beginning of this harrowing saga. No instead, this particular tale puts Mitch in its crosshairs simply to help us understand what it is that makes men like him seek out women as objective conquests and going that route made this one powerful tale. One that leaves the viewer in quite the uncomfortable spot thanks to a no holds barred approach storytelling wise, and one that travels to the past to help us understand Kessler’s broken mind. For this story ventures back to 2017 where we find Mitch at quite the crossroads, mentally.

For when we catch up with him here, he’s about to turn fifty and that is weighing heavily upon him. Not because the number is bothering him or that his body is starting to show more signs of wear and tear. But because he’s starting to panic in regard to his legacy. For despite the fact that he’s spent decades in the news business and accomplished wonders by being on a series as prestigious as The Morning Show, he simply feels as though he’s accomplished nothing as a journalist. Because while puff pieces on fashion have brought him ratings and recognition, there’s little memory for that kind of work, despite the fact that his friends tell him otherwise. But while that seemingly humanizes Mitch, his desire to continue to enjoy the fruits of his labors and relish in how people admire him, speaks volumes to the fact that he has simply lost touch with the world and what it stands for, something that lays the groundwork as to why Mitch does what he does.

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​Something that is also hammered home by TMS’ coverage of the Las Vegas shootings. Because venturing out there and seeing the carnage and the pain firsthand simply doesn’t affect Mitch in the slightest. Instead he is quick to point out how being able to report upon the moment and see it through a camera lens is an outright privilege and this kind of detachment from reality makes absolute sense. After all, the man makes $20 million a year at this point in the story, and he’s afforded every luxury that comes with that kind of financial prestige, including unlimited respect and adoration since people trust him and believe in him, and that perfect delusional storm is what motivates Mitch to abuse women in the manner that he does. Because they too are a luxury, something to possess, and they offer him adoration and awe and that gives him leverage. Which means that everything he does boils down to a chance to exert power over women and fill that void in his sour soul temporarily, something that all comes together by way of how he treats Hannah. 
 
Because she finds herself shattered by the carnage and pain she witnesses in Vegas, and Mitch is quick to swoop in and play the hero and the sage mentor, in order to gain that trust, and to relish in the admiration and respect that she offers him, and of course… to exert that power that makes him feel whole. Which leads to a powerful and horrifying sequence of events where he crosses the line with Hannah and where she feels helpless to stop a man of his ‘stature’ and that sobering moment, not only helps us to understand the heinous actions of men like Mitch Kessler, but also how they are allowed to continue to operate. Because upon her return to New York, she’s ignored by Mitch since he got exactly what he wanted and needed, which prompts her to march up to Fred’s office and lodge a complaint, an act that ends with quite the surprise, instead.
 
For rather than address the issue at hand, and the abuse she’s suffered, Fred instead gives her a promotion. In essence, buying her silence so that The Morning Show is forever protected and that is quite the powerful way to end this tale. For it finally reveals how Fred is complicit in these matters and how he helped this kind of culture to grow and well, now that the answers as to what brought us to this point in the story are in hand, a couple of episodes before the season finale, one can only wonder what other storytelling surprises will await us down the line. But in the here and the now we are left with one powerful tale, one that serves to remind us that creeps like Mitch Kessler and his real-world counterparts are nothing more than hollow cowards who will hurt others to feel alive, rather than address what’s really eating at them, and that makes them sad and pathetic human beings indeed. Ones that deserve everything they’ve got coming. Until next time.

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