Although I heartily subscribe to Cory Ellison’s astute observation that the behind-the-scenes drama at UBN is much juicer than the on-air drama (and, I might add, that’s how I like my Morning Show), it was nice to watch the entire TMS crew have to come together and handle a breaking news crisis, to see them working their asses off, and to actually see the magic of Alex and Bradley this show is always going on about. Sure, by the end of “Love the Questions,” it’s the behind-the-scenes drama we’ll remember (it really is quite juicy), but the little change of pace was fun.
There is no way that right after Mia Jordan walks out, Stella isn’t either in the control room during TMS or has her new Head of News Ben the Sports Guy (let’s never learn his last name) overseeing things until the team, at this moment lead by Layla who you know wants this so bad but is not ready for what’s to come, gets their Mia-less bearings. But this, of course, is exactly what happens. Stella’s gone thanks to some AI conference; she is a woman obsessed. Ben is probably off reinventing the Olympics again; he’s very good at it, I hear. It’s fine to leave Layla completely in charge for what was scheduled to go down on TMS that day — a wildly cringey on-air proposal from Yanko to his somehow seemingly normal girlfriend Ariana — but when that gets nixed for breaking news that a plane is attempting an emergency landing at JFK after some sort of mechanical explosion that ripped off one of the doors, things get sweaty.
It’s really Alex who saves the day here. Or, at the very least, she keeps everyone as calm as possible as they change copy, coach Bradley and Yanko on what to report, and try to find experts to be interviewed. She’s in Bradley’s ear almost the entire time and they really do make an unbeatable team. They all survive a few snafus and even better, the plane lands successfully (and live on air!). The best part, though, is that everyone seems amused that it was an actual (almost) plane crash that put a stop to what surely was going to be Yanko’s metaphorical plane crash. Listen, everyone was very supportive, but when a guy chooses to Rickroll himself as a way to express his undying love for his gal, and the doves they ordered to release during the big moment are choosing death, it’s hard not to side-eye the entire production.
While the Alex and Bradley team-up is a success, it wasn’t a guarantee. And that’s not only because Alex is pissed off Bradley’s back, and her federal crime baggage with her, but because not long before the breaking news hits, Alex finds Bradley chatting in her dressing room with Chip. I guess since Alex fired the person who knows her best in the world, she is supposed to be informed of his whereabouts at all times? Alex and Chip have been separated for two years, and Alex seems as co-dependent as ever. It’s cute! But she’s not thrilled to see him or to learn that he and Bradley are now all buddy-buddy. She wants the whole story. Chip and Bradley loop her in to the Wolf River story — and there’s been some interesting new developments.
After looking for the depositions Bethanne Hines put Chip onto, our extra-curricular investigators learn that any trace of those depositions has been deleted from the UBN server. They don’t exist anymore. Chip starts looking into the environmental lawyer who would’ve been privy to those depositions, only to learn that the guy, Kenneth Stockton, found himself in the middle of a smear campaign, mostly by way of stories on Eagle News, and not long after, Kenneth killed himself. If ever Bradley and Chip doubted Claire’s story, that’s all changed now.
Bradley calls our favorite cable news anchor, Ashley Andrews (June Diane Raphael, still so great in this role) at Eagle News to figure out who their source on the Kenneth Stockton stories had been. Ashley never does anything for free, so she wants to make a trade for the information. While Alex is still miffed about Bradley and Chip being secret friends, once Bradley explains the importance of the story and reminds her that Claire will get this Wolf River stuff out no matter what and now she can’t deny she knew about it, Alex wants to help. That’s our girl, never doing anything truly altruistic. Alex has a story she knows Ashley and Eagle News will like: The one she was about to release that linked Extinction Revolt to the oil rig explosion to smooth over relations with Zeke Pemberton. Thanks to Paul Marks, Alex didn’t need to use the story, and now it’s in the hands of Eagle News. “I hope it’s worth it,” Alex tells Bradley. It probably won’t be in the end, but that’s why we love this show.
In the immediate aftermath, though, this trade of information is very important. Once Ashley sends over everything they were given on the lawyer, Bradley notices the name of a familiar company all over it — the same one Earl, Cory’s favorite fixer, worked for. Seems like bad business practices for someone whose work is supposed to be more or less anonymous to be passing info around on official letterhead, but okay! But that shouldn’t be the main takeaway here. Bradley and Chip piece things together — Fred Micklen pushed Bethanne out and brought Cory in as Head of News, and he (with Earl’s help) killed the Wolf River story. It was Cory at the center of this whole cover-up. Now that’s some real breaking news.
The reveal of Cory’s involvement in Wolf River is especially troubling for the woman who recently hopped into bed with the guy. When Bradley runs into Cory after realizing what he was involved in she looks like she really regrets putting down that bombolone to make out with his face. I guess the lesson here is always eat the bombolone. Oh, right, also, have ethics. It might take Cory a little while to catch on that his new girlfriend maybe is digging into his past only because he must be preoccupied with the wheeling and dealings he’s doing in regards to his future.
Cory’s at UBN to hopefully finalize his development deal with business affairs. (Again, Stella really wouldn’t be there?) Instead, he’s met first by Celine, who may match Cory as far as scheming prowess goes. She takes her time chatting him up, but eventually, Cory realizes she’s up to something. It turns out that she wants to know what leverage Cory has on Stella. It turns out that she, already President of the Board, also wants to be CEO of UBN. It turns out that if Cory helps her oust Stella, she’ll give him much more than a development deal. She’ll give him an entire film studio and $200 million. All he needs to do is tell her what information he’s been using to strongarm Stella. For a moment there, you think Cory just might have a heart. He could have everything he wants if he tells Celine that Stella is sleeping with her husband, but he stops himself. Maybe I’m being too generous, but it honestly looks like Cory keeps the affair to himself because he doesn’t want to cause his old friend pain. Celine even baits him with a soft dick joke, and he holds strong. Is Cory …growing?
Uh, no. He’s not. Moments later, Cory runs into Chip, and the two shoot the shit about the movie-making business, and Chip starts talking about how eventually his entire existence relied on getting his movie made. I mean, he says it in a friendly way, but it cuts to Cory so directly. He takes the elevator right on up to see Celine and he wastes no time telling her that Miles and Stella are sleeping together. It pummels her. But she pulls herself together enough to tell Cory she’ll make good on his deal. What she’s going to do to Stella and Miles remains to be seen. But if I know my French ladies with chic bobs, it will be devastating.
In Other News
• Yanko is such a doofus, but you really do feel for him here. He seems in love with Ariana, but the moment he overhears Bradley and Alex whispering about Claire being back in town, it unravels him. When his producer, Isabella, tells him they can go ahead with the proposal next week, he tells her to call it off because he thinks he wants to do something more private. We all know the real reason.
• Okay, I did laugh out loud when a sweaty, spiraling Yanko wonders to co-anchor Bradley if this (almost) plane crash is a sign he shouldn’t propose and her response is “sorry.” Bradley!! That is what you say to someone clearly looking for reassurance? Or at least some kindness? Brutal.
• Martin Levy pops in to yell at Alex about the student journalist, Justice, writing a story about him plagiarizing his first book and how it must be Alex’s fault somehow. When Alex reaches out to Justice, they try to leverage the request to edit the story for a job at UBN. At first, it seems like Alex will allow herself to be blackmailed to help out Martin, but then perhaps because Chip reminds her that her dad took her ex-husband’s side during their divorce. Yep, that’ll do it.
• “Coming up after your local news and weather, why your mattress might be spying on you.”
It’s nice to see Alex, Bradley, and the entire TMS crew come together and do the news just like old times.
