When you have a big, sprawling cast like The Morning Show, it can be hard to fit everyone in. People disappear for an episode or two. But eventually, they get the focus turned back their way.
That’s the case for Mia (Karen Pittman) and Chris (Nicole Beharie) who play a big role in The Morning Show season 4 episode 5, “Amari.”
Mia’s offer
Mia quit her job at The Morning Show to close the third episode of the season. We didn’t see her in episode four, but the show certainly felt her loss. As we begin this week’s episode, she’s interviewing for a big, new job. Mia sees it as a chance to move on and find a place where she can make a mark all on her own.
But she can’t escape her past. The new job calls Alex (Jennifer Aniston) for a reference, and things fall apart. Mia doesn’t get a job offer. Instead, she learns that Alex told them she’d do anything to keep Mia at UBN. It’s a sign that even someone she saw as a friend could be blocking her path.
Mia is angry, but she doesn’t just sit on that anger. She finds a way to challenge it. She finds a way to make a new Mia and forge a new path. And that includes reaching out to an old colleague.
Doping allegations
Chris is off doing her run for the Olympics. She’s got the new news director Ben (William Jackson Harper) out with her. That’s when she discovers that the Internet has some breaking news—Chris used steroids to help win in the Olympics. It’s a small story, for now, but Chris is worried. Ben says he’ll look into it.
Meanwhile, Chris wants to boost her profile by popping back in on The Morning Show. It might work for Chris, but the juggling plays havoc with the understaffed show. That leads Alex to intervene, creating some tension with Ben—someone she didn’t want to have in the role in the first place.
Turns out it’s a former teammate who is spreading the story on Chris. When Chris makes an ill-advised late-night call, it gets leaked, making things worse. Chris is at a breaking point, looking for help when Mia reaches out. Mia offers encouragement and pushes Chris to go on offense. That means appearing with her accuser on Bo’s (Boyd Holbrook) talk show.
But things don’t go as planned. Turns out there was some truth to the allegations and, when confronted, Chris breaks live on air. She tells a long story of a lost pregnancy and the aftermath that pushed her to try something to help her get her body and career back on track. It’s a heart-breaking and emotional moment which could have big ramifications for Chris.
But no matter what it means for Chris, Mia will be in her corner. That’s something Mia makes abundantly clear when pushed by Alex. Mia is done playing by their rules.
Cory and Bradley
Meanwhile, the other hanging storyline addressed this week is Bradley’s (Reese Witherspoon) investigation. At the end of last week, she learned Cory (Billy Crudup) could have been the one to kill the story. Early in the episode, she uses a date to snoop on Cory’s phone. She doesn’t find much, but she still has suspicions.
She tells Alex about what she found, and Alex pushes her to be honest with Cory. Bradley is weary but makes a date to see him in person. When she arrives, it isn’t the welcome she expected. Turns out, Cory figured out that Bradley was snooping on his phone, using him for a story.
Bradley tries to pitch her side and asks for information. Cory shares what he did in his role—which it turns out wasn’t much—and expresses his anger that Bradley would think so little of him. For Cory, this was a real relationship. He’s been burned by Bradley again, and for the last time. He sends her off with little more to go on for her story and another broken relationship.
Thoughts on The Morning Show season 4 episode 5
It’s hard, as noted above, when you have a big cast. There are a lot of storylines, and you can’t fit everyone in. That’s made this season, while intriguing, feel even more disjointed.
Characters have big moments, then disappear for an episode or two. I’m curious to see if we can get more consistency in the back half of the season and if the show can start to bring all these pieces together to get where it wants to go.
The Morning Show streams on Apple TV+ on Wednesdays. Check back next week as we keep recapping the action of the fourth season on Show Snob.