‘The Morning Show’ Recap: ‘Play the Queen’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

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

It is quite amazing how quickly things can change in our life. Because often times, we really are just cooking along and doing our thing, and just like that, our world is turned upside down and we are scrambling to find some semblance of normalcy. But while it seems as though such matters are often out of our control, what’s truly fascinating about this particular quirk of the universe, is that more often than not, the chaos we tend to experience… is self-inflicted. For the decisions that we make, especially the bold ones that rub people the wrong way, can immediately alter the course of our lives in ways we never expected, and it just so happens that a bold decision changes everything for everyone in the next episode of The Morning Show.
​
Because ‘Play the Queen’ sees Bradley Jackson bring chaos to the life she’s been enjoying for some time, but for all the right reasons. For the time has come to sit down with Mitch Kessler and conduct the biggest interview of her young career. But before she can make that happen, she needed to extend a little courtesy and let Alex know what she had planned and well, that went about as well as one might expect. Actually, it went far worse. Because Alex simply wasn’t having it and she was quick to blow a gasket and berate Bradley for even thinking this was a good idea since it would likely destroy the network and everyone’s careers, and well, this particular admission outright detonated any of the goodwill that Alex and Bradley were beginning to share with one another and it also gives life to the chaos in question.

For shortly after letting Alex know what was coming, whether she liked it or not, Ms. Levy made quite the power play. Because she placed a call to Fred and decided it was high time to sit down and talk about the future of the show and what came out of that meeting was quite unsettling. For the two of them put together an intricate plan, one that would see Bradley begin to be phased out of the show in a slow and methodical fashion, and sadly, it would also see Charlie Black take the fall for Mitch’s ridiculous transgressions. Because Fred finally confirmed what all of us were thinking, in that, UBA needed some kind of a fall guy, and who better than an Executive Producer that ‘allowed’ for this kind of behavior to happen on his watch. A move that Alex is hesitant to even consider at first, but she eventually agrees to meet the new EP candidate, simply because she knows this is likely her best chance to take complete control of TMS.

---

But while it seemed as though Alex was one step ahead of Bradley and ready to shift momentum in her favor, Bradley was setting her own counter-offensive in motion behind the scenes. Something that involved an off the books meeting with Cory, so that she could explain the importance and the gravity of this interview and thankfully he agreed with her and opted to bring Chip in on the matter as well, in the hopes of having the three of them work together on their master plan. Which involved vetting Mitch’s source, and bringing him to the studio in secrecy so that Bradley could interview Mister Kessler without Alex being aware of it. A solid plan that Chip was quite frankly unsure about at first, since he and Alex go way back and share quite the bond. One that was quickly severed when Cory made it clear that she was meeting with the new EP.
​
Yet while this cat and mouse game between two powerhouse anchors was indeed quite entertaining to watch, Bradley’s plans wouldn’t matter if Mitch couldn’t back up his respective source and well, that led to one of the most powerful moments present in this tale. Because he did pose to Hannah his plan and what he needed from her, something that she didn’t have to go along with in the slightest. But wouldn’t you know it? After pondering upon it at great length, and with a little liquid courage, she finally decided that backing Mitch up would be the right thing to do, provided of course she was cited as an anonymous source. Yet what truly made this sequence so powerful and so compelling, is the sheer fact that she was able to unload her feelings on Mitch, and call him out for his behavior, and it was quite incredible to see him squirm in discomfort over finally hearing some truth.

But alas, he still thinks he’s in the right, and he still thinks he can talk his way out of this and he will definitely be getting his chance to do so, since the stars have now aligned and well, when all is said and done, this was simply one incredible episode. One that exposed quite the divide at UBA between the old guard and the new guard and it should be interesting to see which one wins when this battle of attrition comes to a head in the next episode. As for the brilliance, well much of that is attributed to the performances here since everyone brought their A-game in this tale, to the point where every scene was electric. But most importantly of all, this particular tale set the stage for a powerhouse finale, one where it seems that Fred is going to be exposed at last and one that will change the landscape of The Morning Show and UBA for years to come and well, the time has come to bid you farewell, so that this reviewer can see how this incredible season, comes to a close. Until next time.

---