In episode 8, the focus of The Morning Show season 2 was the trouble with parents. But a story bubbling in the background was Bradley Jackson (Reese Witherspoon) following the Wolf River story to Belarus. As the hour closed, we learned she was in trouble.
In the penultimate episode of season 4, “Un Bel Di,” puts the focus on trying to get her out of the jam.
Bradley in Belarus
As we open, Alex (Jennifer Anniston) is sharing the video of Bradley being detained with Celine (Marion Cotillard) and Ben (William Jackson Harper). Both are alarmed. But both feel like the network should rely on the State Department. Alex is less sure. After she shares why Bradley went to Belarus, Celine seems to bristle. Alex wants more action, feeling guilt for Bradley not traveling with more cover.
Soon, Celine calls in Chip (Mark Duplass) to push for more information. He gets a weird feeling and decides to pop into Bradley’s office. There, he runs into Mia (Karen Pittman). She has a feeling something is going on and soon enough is able to get the truth out of Chip. She heads back to Alex’s place and comes to an understanding with Alex, too.
Alex has a Hail Mary plan. She goes to Paul Marks (Jon Hamm). He is reticent to help at first but offers to broker an introduction to a Russian oligarch named Dimitri (Costa Ronin) at the opera. The thought is if Alex offers a part to Dimitri’s girlfriend, he might make a call to get Bradley released. They make their pitch, but it falls short.
However, Mia overhears him say it wasn’t enough of an offer. Alex presses Paul, who says that Dimitri is after an AI program. Paul can’t give it to him because of economic sanctions. But Alex comes up with a plan. If Paul licenses the program to UBN, she’ll shift it to Dimitri when Bradley is free. It’s a risky plan, but it’s a plan.
Alex presents the offer and it’s accepted. As the second act commences, Alex waits for word about Bradley.
Celine and Cory
Celine, meanwhile, has other things on her mind. She calls Cory (Billy Crudup) to check in. He’s still a bit lost in the wake of his mother’s death. Since Celine is lost in the wake of her husband’s affair, and their lack of resolution, she offers to pay Cory a visit.
Turns out, they have a spark and have had it for a while. That spark is still there. Will Cory and Celine finally make it work? They take some steps toward it, but Cory gets a call from the funeral planner that breaks things up. Soon, Celine gets her own business call and has to step out. But that spark is still there. Could it be that Cory is setting himself up to get hurt yet again?
A broken deal
Alex gets a call. Bradley has been moved from the airport and charged. The deal falls through. In Paul’s box, Dimitri gets a similar call and quickly escapes. Paul finds Alex, stunned at the reversal. They don’t know what went wrong.
But Celine does. As it turns out, she turned back to her brother (Arnaud Valois) to pull a favor. Instead of getting Bradley home, they ensure she’s charged and put in prison. Celine can’t risk the truth of Wolf River coming out. While publicly she supports her reporter, in private, she’s working to make sure Bradley never comes home. And she’s teamed with Paul’s right-hand woman, Amanda (Tig Notaro), to get it done.
This is setting up an epic showdown as we head to the finale. Will Alex and Paul learn the truth? Will Bradley get home? Will Cory get his heart broken?
It seems like the answer to all these questions is probably yes, especially as Cory finds a report in a box from his mother that is the key to uncovering the problems with Wolf River. Buckle up!
Thoughts on The Morning Show season 4 episode 4
Some series have the big swings in the penultimate episode, others wait for the finale. My assumption is that this season of The Morning Show is leaning toward the latter. We don’t get much resolution this week, but the balls are all in the air.
And after a season that sometimes felt meandering, the ultimate focus seems to be coming into shape. We could be seeing Paul Marks back in a big way, and we’re likely seeing something that threatens to implode UBN in a huge way. I’m excited to see how this plays out.
The Morning Show streams Wednesdays on Apple TV. Check back next week for thoughts on the finale as we recap each episode.