The Morning Show (2019) s01e09 Episode Script

Wow.
It's been a while since we talked outside of work.
How are you? I'm fine.
What How did you find my apartment? Oh.
Well, they couldn't take everything from me.
Still have my contact list.
Hey, um, could I come up for a couple of minutes? There's something I'd like to talk to you about.
Uh, I'm having people over.
Let's just talk here.
What's going on? Okay, well, do you remember a couple of years ago, to the point, you slept with me and then leveraged it to get the head booker job? And I'm not I'm not judging you.
Really.
I would have done exactly the same thing.
I salute you for it, and it might have even hurt my feelings a little bit.
But I got over it.
Anyway You remember that, right? I don't I'm not Okay.
Well, you played the game.
I get it.
But if you wanna dance, you gotta pay the fiddler.
And I need your help.
I need proof that Fred swept my so-called "behavior" under the rug.
And you are the living, breathing emblem of Fred's complicity.
And that's why I need you to go on the record with a reporter.
You want me to go against Fred? I know.
It's not a small ask.
How could I? This is my job we're talking about.
My career.
I know.
As far as I'm concerned, you've earned it.
And you're really fucking good at it.
It can be anonymous if you don't wanna be ID'd.
I just need someone to corroborate this.
I don't I'm not sure.
You know what? When I first met you, you know what I thought? I was touched by your ambition and your idealism.
And what you did What you did sort of took me off guard.
I bet that making a choice like that cost you something.
And I bet you still think about that choice.
I will admit, I am being forced to examine my behavior.
So, why is Fred the only one who doesn't have to look at his behavior? I know the world has changed, but shouldn't we all be living by the same set of rules? I suppose.
Well, I have already started talking to reporters.
Your story's coming out either way.
Controlling narrative is more powerful than you can imagine.
Okay.
I'll think about it.
It's all I ask.
Thank you.
Thank you, Hannah.
You're truly one of a kind.
Oh, shit.
Hello.
Good evening, Ms.
Levy.
I have Bradley Jackson here.
- Oh, fuck, um - Do you want me to let her in? Yeah, um Just Give me a few minutes.
- And then send her up, okay? - Sure.
Okay.
Fuck.
Oh, my God.
Don't jump.
Just drink instead.
This view.
It Oh, yeah.
Your whole place is Wow.
- Oh, thank you.
- Wow.
Thank you.
Thanks.
Yeah, I got this year five.
That must've felt really good.
Yeah, it-it felt like a fortress.
So, that did feel good for a while at least.
- Cheers.
- Cheers.
I know this is hard.
Yes.
It is.
But I think that it's fair to just tell us how you feel.
Okay.
I'm just feeling that, um I just hope, by sharing my divorce with America, that they realize that my sex life is about to get a whole lot better Finally.
- I think you have to say that.
- Mm-hmm.
Honesty is the best.
And it's fine, and people like that.
My God.
You wanna join Tinder with me? I mean, you're single.
We could do it together.
- Please tell me you're joking.
- Of course I'm kidding.
'Course I'm kidding.
Yeah.
Um, have you ever been interested in marriage? No.
- Wow.
That's "No", very definitive "no".
- Mm-hmm.
I've I mean, I've seen marriage.
I'm not suited for it.
I'm not I'm not sure I believe in love.
Marriage is a way too big of a leap for me.
That's a shame.
You think so? You're still a fan? Yeah.
I am.
I think it's I think it's conceptually lovely.
I think partnership is beautiful, you know, in whatever form it comes or even, you know, however long it it lasts.
I have, um, something that I wanna talk to you about.
- Mm-hmm.
- But I don't really know where to start.
Oh, my God.
I just vomited my entire insides to you.
You can start anywhere.
Okay.
Um There's an interview that I would like to do.
And I think it would be really good for us, really good for the show.
But I want to acknowledge up front that it is a sensitive subject.
Take the kid gloves off.
What is it? All right.
Mitch contacted me, and he wants me to interview him on the show.
What? Look, he obviously has an agenda.
He wants to out Fred Micklen for promoting a culture that silenced women.
And he's obviously out for revenge, in the most base and obvious way.
But in order to accuse Fred, he has to admit he was part of the problem, and that's a pretty stunning place to start an interview from.
I know I can hold his feet to the fire, p-particularly with your help.
And if we can nail Fred at the same time? I mean, shit.
What would you What would you like me to say? I wanna hear your honest opinion.
When you said that, um When you said that he contacted you, did you mean in, like, in an e-mail or was it a phone call, or Um We met in person.
All right.
And you didn't think that you should talk to me first? No, I I should have.
But you didn't.
Probably because I thought that you would say, "Don't do it".
And I wanted to hear him out.
I felt like it would be irresponsible not to.
Oh, irresponsible.
- Yes.
Irresponsible.
- Mmm.
Alex, I would never bring this to you if I didn't think this was an opportunity for both of us.
Oh, stop saying "us".
There's no us.
There is you interviewing him and me getting fucked.
- Please hear me out just a minute.
- Oh, God.
I really do not think it would go that way.
You know he doesn't want just Fred Micklen, right? You know that.
He wants everybody.
He wants company in his cesspool of misery.
And guess what? That includes me.
Well, I would never let that happen.
- How? Exactly how? - I would protect you.
I Oh, please! I don't need protection.
I did nothing wrong.
Mitch did something wrong.
And if Fred enabled that, then fucking who cares? - It's business.
God - I didn't He protected him because Mitch was financially beneficial, and it was a boys' club and whatever else you're trying to point out.
Everybody knows that this silencing culture exists! We don't need you telling us all how the world works.
We need you to sit down and do your fucking job, which includes just one little shred of loyalty to me.
- Loyalty? - Yes! - I think I should go.
- Yeah.
You'd better go.
You know why he went after you, right? 'Cause you're an easy mark.
He's gonna get what he wants, and he's gonna make himself look good at the expense of your career and my fucking show.
And given how easily you fell for it, he wasn't wrong.
- I'll show myself out.
- Mm-hmm.
Show yourself out.
Holy shit, Bradley Jackson.
Not The Morning Show's Bradley Jackson? Oh, my God.
Shut up.
Are you busy? Yeah, I'm just, uh just taking meetings - and, uh, weighing my options.
- Mm-hmm.
Yeah.
- Why? You miss me or something? - Something like that.
Hey, what's up? I don't know.
I Did I ruin our lives? Jesus.
What, do I have to come up there and give you a fucking hug? I'm serious, Hal, I We were doing fine as a family.
I mean, we weren't awesome, but we were we were functioning.
And Dad could've gotten away with it.
Nobody saw.
Nobody knew anything but you and me.
And I For some reason it got stuck in my mind that I could fix something if I if I told on him.
How fucking arrogant is that? And what did it fix? Dad went to jail, and Mom lost her shit, I became an angry asshole.
Well, you were an angry asshole before, but I keep living this pattern over and over again.
I'm just sick of myself.
I - You finished? - Yes.
Dad was a drunk.
He killed a kid.
And if you hadn't reported him, it it might have happened again.
How many times did he drive loaded with us in the back? You didn't make me an addict.
I'm an addict because I'm wired wrong.
You wanna know why I'm gonna get better? 'Cause drugs are bad for you? No, uh, because you seem to think the world is worth saving, and I find it really fucking entertaining to watch.
I had a front row seat my whole life.
I'm just happy everyone else gets to watch now too.
I'm gonna get better so I don't miss the fucking show.
If you're having trouble making friends up there, fuck 'em.
You don't need 'em.
They don't know which way is up, and they need you to tell 'em.
I miss you.
Love you, brother.
I love you too.
- Hey, Mitch.
- Hey, Billy boy.
- Welcome home.
- Thanks.
- Good to have you back.
- Good to see you.
Hey, you know, I was hoping you'd come by 'cause I wanted to let you know that a lot of us think you got a raw deal.
It's a messed up world we live in right now.
- Thanks, buddy.
- You hang in there, huh? I really appreciate that.
Hmm.
Hi.
It's Alex.
I'm so sorry to call you so late.
Um Yeah, I know.
I'm I'm sure you're pretty surprised to hear from me, but I just think that we're really long overdue for a talk.
Would you meet me for lunch tomorrow? It would mean the world to me.
Got it.
Oh, God.
Okay.
Oh, God.
Back in 30, everybody.
Wow, I just gotta say, I love you guys together.
It's like watching a great tennis match.
- Oh, thank you.
- Oh, thank you.
I think Maria just gave us a great segue.
Make sure you catch her guest-starring Maggie.
Well, hey, take a seat.
Join me.
Look.
Our shining stars.
They're pretty special, aren't they? You have managed to keep the train on its track.
Congratulations.
Um, I feel so important.
If you wanted a quote for the Bradley article, you could've just called me.
I'm not here to talk about Bradley, and I'm not here to have a drink.
Uh, don't tempt me, Maggie.
I love a guessing game.
- Oh, great.
I'm gonna tell you then.
- Mmm.
I'm here to find out if you're plotting a corporate takeover.
Always.
To which one are you referring? I spoke to somebody on the inside.
They want me to investigate a claim that would incriminate Fred and the entire network.
So much plot and intrigue.
I think I'm gonna need something more specific than an anonymous source.
I don't give up my sources.
Okay then.
But this person, they wouldn't step outside the line if they didn't have a cover.
I'm assuming that cover is you.
If I wasn't a better journalist, I'd say, "I know the cover's you".
Okay.
I can understand why you'd make a move.
You're new.
You think you're impenetrable, but you're not, and you're just starting to realize it.
Everybody knows Fred didn't want to hire you.
The board forced his hand.
Even you know that.
I didn't know that.
I'm gonna start crying.
He's gonna keep you around for as long as he needs to, which is about two years tops.
So, I imagine that if somebody comes to you with a story about the complicity of your boss that nicely places you in a position of power, you'd say yes.
What you're misunderstanding, Maggie, is how little I care about losing this fucking job.
I'll get another one.
I have to tell you, you're kinda right.
I don't really care for Fred.
But I'm not afraid of him either.
He's just the Wizard of Oz.
He's a weak man hiding behind a curtain.
If he wants to fire me, he'll fucking fire me.
I don't need this job.
The only reason I'm doing it is because it's fun.
I'm very, very good at it, and it's easier to get laid when you're employed.
What you don't know is that when I first started, Fred gave me the UPLA merger story.
Oh.
That launched my career as a media reporter.
You have a certain amount of loyalty for someone like that.
Not undying loyalty.
Just enough that when you're investigating their mutiny, you do everything you can to make sure you have the story perfectly fucking straight.
I'm looking forward to talking to him.
Well, good luck with that.
It's humbling to admit when you were wrong, but, um, I care about this show just too much to let my bruised ego get in the way.
I mean, that's what led me to choose Bradley in the first place, and obviously that has put us in a very dangerous situation.
All of us.
She actually thought you would agree to an interview with Mitch? Yes, I know.
She did.
And she thinks that Mitch has something that could credibly take you down.
Unbelievable.
I'm astounded.
I know Mitch is desperate, - but this is beyond the pale.
- I know, I know.
We should have gotten rid of her when she spoke about her abortion on air, just like you said.
And I I don't know.
I don't know, Fred.
I I think I kinda I think I kinda lost my mind.
I really do.
And it's it's embarra I'm embarrassed.
I would've had this conversation with you at work, but it's a little bit sensitive.
And I hope it's not weird that I asked you to come here.
But we're friends, right? And I just I want you to hear me out as a friend.
Exactly.
Yes.
I'm all ears, friend.
Okay.
And I also wanna prepare you that what I'm about to say to you could be really, potentially very dangerous to the well-being of the news division of which you are in charge.
What an opening.
Please, go on.
Mitch Kessler asked me to interview him on the show.
Really? Yeah.
And he's a real charming piece of shit.
Uh, but he somehow has managed to make himself the victim in the grand scheme of things.
That sounds like boring TV to me.
I agree.
But he also claims to have evidence that Fred Micklen silenced women that he slept with.
He wants to topple the king.
And if that is of interest to you, that is definitely of interest to me.
Maybe you'll perceive this as convenient.
I wouldn't blame you.
There was something about Mitch that always bothered me.
Hmm.
I would have dinner with him, play golf, visit the show.
I would leave his presence and go home and be so deeply relieved to see Geneva.
I had this fear that I had somehow, you know, sullied myself just by being brought into his orbit.
Now, if I had one regret, it wasn't following that gut instinct that something about him was off.
And letting myself believe, even for a second, you were part of the problem.
And that's why I was so angry when you turned on me.
It was partially anger at myself.
- Can you tell me what - I'm processing.
Okay.
Can you do it out loud, or You're making me nervous.
After I process.
Okay.
All right, well, just so you have all the facts, I might've made a big fucking mistake and told Alex Levy before I told you.
Oh, no.
And that go well? Um, no, it did not go great.
She is terrified mainly because she's guilty.
She said, "But everybody knows there's a boys' club, and that there's this silencing, sexist culture.
It just exists".
That's what she said.
I'm guessing that didn't sit very well with you.
No.
She doesn't care, Cory, because it works for her.
She's the only woman in the boys' club and now she gets to pretend she's the only survivor of the boys' club.
But it's bullshit.
And I just wanna have the conversation.
And whether you meant to or not, you gave me the power to have it.
Wow.
Okay.
And I know what this means for you, and I know what I'm asking you.
And And I really do not enjoy being the harbinger of doom for people that I care about.
People that I like in my life.
Well We seem to be the only two people that care about this show.
And I think that we can right this ship.
And I'm really ready to try.
Our viewers deserve to have some order restored.
I could not agree with you more.
- And that doesn't include Bradley Jackson.
- No.
No.
She has got to go.
- Can I ask you something? - Yeah.
Uh, longevity at The Morning Show, it might actually get you something called, like, a nice life.
Have you thought about that before you blow it all up? Honestly, Cory, I have.
Well, then, I think I've processed.
And? Man, you had me at "Fred Micklen".
Okay.
- In an effort to be honest - Okay.
there need to be other changes.
Now, you know that we've been conducting an internal investigation.
Mm-hmm.
Some information has come to light about a colleague I know you care about, but there will be consequences.
Who? Charlie Black.
It has become clear that he knew about Mitch's behavior, and he chose to protect Mitch.
I'm sure he thought he was doing what was right for the show, but still.
Okay.
Chip his were sins of omission, as all of ours were.
Come on, Fred.
This guy that you're describing right now.
That's That's just He's not that guy.
Alex, he was running the show.
We need this.
We need this.
Oh, God.
Okay, I'll just Let me just, let me just Taking all of this in.
Hold on.
Now, it's important to me that you feel safe moving forward.
I want you to meet with my lead candidate, Marlon Tate.
I want you to feel like it's a relationship that works for you.
Now, will you do that for me? Yes, I will do that.
I'll meet with him.
- Hey.
How are you? - Fine.
I called you last night.
Yeah, I was up watching a documentary.
Research.
Got sucked in.
You don't have to lie.
I know you're avoiding me.
I'm not upset, okay? Look, can we talk about this somewhere else? Yeah.
I'm sorry, but there's a difference between going to HR - and telling all of our coworkers.
- No, no, I No, I get it.
And that's okay.
And I'm aware that going to HR wasn't a comfortable experience for you.
What are you talking about? No, being interrogated by a woman named Sheila about my sex life was delightful.
I highly recommend it if you never wanna feel horny ever again.
Okay, I wish that hadn't happened.
But, at the end of the day, we did the right thing.
And declaring ourselves to Sheila and HR doesn't mean that we have to go on air and scream it to the masses.
I mean, we can just take our time and just ease into it.
How exactly? I mean, it feels like an either-or scenario.
Look, let me take you out to dinner.
Come on.
We can celebrate.
Outside the confines of my apartment, but not where we have to explain ourselves to our colleagues.
And it'll be a real date.
Wouldn't that be, like, our first date? I think, technically, yeah, it would be.
Are you the kind of guy who would judge me for sleeping with you on the first date? No, but "Daddy" will.
- Not here.
- I accept.
Okay, go.
Go.
Then a short time after that, Bradley will be given a very compelling news story that she'll cover on remote.
And we all know how Bradley loves a remote.
Then you and I will have to hold down the home front.
And it will go so well, we will tell the press that we are just trying out a new format.
Then she'll spend more time away, and the audience will get used to our faces waking them up every morning, and then, eventually, an announcement will be made.
"While Bradley has enjoyed her tenure at The Morning Show, she's realized that her true passion lies in field reporting".
The network saves face.
We usher in a new team: Alex and Daniel.
I'm trusting you with very, very delicate information, because I believe that you and I would make a great partnership.
- Alex.
- Yes? I'm incredibly flattered.
You have no idea how much I've waited to hear these words, but this is a big change.
So, let's just keep this between us for right now.
Okay? Hey.
Yeah.
Yeah, we gotta call it off at YDA.
I know, but I can smooth things over with Audra.
There's been a development here.
Look, I may be a fool, but I gotta go with the devil I know.
Yeah.
What are you Are you okay? Yeah.
I'm fine.
You don't look fine.
You're all shaky and I just had coffee with my friend Simon Reichl in corporate.
I don't know Simon Reichl.
Is he okay? What Simon's sleeping with Fred Micklen's assistant, James.
You're killing me here with this shit, Rena.
I don't know - what the fuck you're talking about.
- Okay, okay.
Fred had a meeting with Marlon Tate two days ago, and now Marlon Tate is having a meeting with Cory Ellison tomorrow.
Okay.
Is it okay? Yeah, it's fi Look, it's just a fucking meeting, okay? They vet people for my job every year, honestly.
It's a part of the corporate cycle of abuse.
They think it adrenalizes you, you know? Think it motivates you.
It's some bullshit they learn in some fucking corporate retreat in Aspen.
They're a bunch of fucking morons.
I got I got nine lives.
Okay? I've only used, like, seven of them.
I haven't even had my, you know, stress-induced heart attack yet, and and and I'm I'm My time's not up.
Hey, Rena.
Um, you know, whatever happens, you're gonna be fine.
I'm gonna make sure of it.
Okay? Wow.
How long has it been? Nine beautiful, sneaky months.
- Here you are, ladies.
- Thank you.
I just wish we could go public on our own terms.
HR's awful.
They managed to make me feel like both a victim and a criminal.
Well, I understand they need to be careful in the wake of Mitch.
Yeah.
No, I know.
I agree.
I'm just saying that Yanko's not Mitch.
But you don't feel comfortable going public with him? No.
No, but not because he's predatory.
Because he's best known for his passionate stance on hail.
Look, no one else gets him like I do.
No one would understand.
I feel embarrassed.
Oh, Jesus.
I think I'm embarrassed about dating him.
Well, great.
Then you have your answer, don't you? It's not that easy, Hannah.
I love him a whole fucking lot.
Except you're embarrassed.
Yeah, because I'm worried about being judged.
Kinda like how I feel you're judging me right now.
What the fuck? Look.
I know you think you love him, but, at the end of the day, it's a transitory chemical feeling that's not worth losing your career over.
Are you serious? Look.
I saw you guys together in LA, sneaking around.
I'm the one who reported you for exactly this reason.
It's hurting you.
It will keep hurting you.
It's just not good.
- You reported us? - I had to.
Well, you didn't think to ask me about it first? I did, but I was afraid of you feeding me some line about love that would make me feel empathetic.
And it needed to be done.
I have a higher-up position at work.
I have a responsibility.
But we're friends.
We're friends, right? I don't know.
Do you have any idea how human interaction works? I did this because we're friends, Claire.
I don't want you to become You're so young.
You have so much potential.
People take advantage of that.
There're a lot of men who care more about their own power than they do about you.
Okay.
How dare you judge me and my relationship.
And how dare you fucking report me to HR.
Listen, feel as self-righteous and mad as you want.
I get it.
But things like this, they aren't just what they seem.
I'm just saying there are consequences.
And you can't see what you're doing right now.
I was trying to do you a favor.
I don't care if you hate me.
I don't.
I don't hate you.
And I don't know what your experience was, but it's clearly not mine.
You know what? Thank you.
No, you actually did me a huge, huge fucking favor.
You made me realize why I love Yanko.
Because he's probably the only person in this world who actually understands me, who doesn't fucking judge me.
So, I'm gonna go and have dinner with my boyfriend right now, who I love, who'd never blow up my life behind my back.
Cory, what the fuck, man? Am I just a Am I a joke to you? You just playing some fucking mind games with my fate and my feelings? Yes.
Surprise, dude.
I got feelings, okay? I got a heart.
I got a brain, and I got some fucking lion-sized courage, and you threw it in the garbage can.
Why? 'Cause of Marlon "Spits-a-Lot" Tate? Oh, he's gonna right the ship for you? Good luck with that one, motherfucker.
'Cause that guy is a humorless piece of fucking shit.
Okay? And he's gonna bore the shit out of you and our entire audience, so fuck you, Cory.
I have two words for you, Chip: Maggie Brener.
Wh She's a great journalist.
What about her? You moved a little fast with her.
You didn't think things through.
You stuck your neck out.
If you wanna save your head, you'll meet me at your office in two hours.
God, you're so beautiful.
- Thank you.
Oh, cool.
- For you.
Yeah.
- You don't look so bad yourself.
- Oh, no, I don't.
Come on.
What do you think? Isn't it romantic? It's nice.
Nice? I've wanted to take you here for months.
Do they have burgers? I really feel like a burger with cheese.
No, they don't have cheeseburgers.
But their charcoal-grilled filet mignon is pretty exquisite.
That sounds acceptable.
All right.
No, they're just tourists.
Don't worry about it.
Okay, and I know the owner, and he assured me they won't let anybody bother us.
- Great.
- Okay.
All right, shall we? Okay.
Sorry, I Oh, God, this place is fucking intimate.
Can we just take a second? My heart is racing.
Yeah, sure.
There's no rush.
No, they'll hold our table.
It's fine.
You okay? - Sorry.
- It's okay.
Stop apologizing.
- It's all right.
- Okay.
Sorry.
Oh, fuck.
All right, what's going on? I'm just having a minor heart attack.
Okay.
Just breathe.
Okay, will you tell me what's actually happening? I thought this would be fine.
It would be a good first step.
But it All of a sudden, it feels like a lot.
You know what? Let's ditch this.
Let's go get you a burger.
- Yanko.
- No, I know an amazing place uptown.
- Okay.
The best burger - in the city, okay? And it's much louder than this and way less romantic.
It smells like someone spilled beer all over the floor.
Perfect first date.
Come on.
Let's just go.
I want to feel relieved and excited like you, but I just don't.
Okay, all right, but we can work through it.
Okay, 'cause everything you're feeling right now, I know is gonna go away in time.
Maybe it will, but the idea of waiting for some imaginary day in the future, it's too much.
I I'm not ready.
I can't live knowing that our coworkers know about us.
It makes me feel outside of myself.
No one will understand why we're together, and I have to justify it - You're embarrassed of me.
- No.
- You are.
- No, I'm not.
I'm not embarrassed of you.
That's not it.
I'm just starting out.
I don't want to be defined by who I'm dating.
But you will always define yourself, Claire.
You know that.
It's a beautiful, optimistic and very naive statement, Yanko.
But what if we just said fuck those people? I mean, seriously, just fuck everybody who doesn't understand us.
It's just you and me.
I mean, that's what matters.
I can't.
I can't do that.
You know, I was in this beautiful dark room with you, and I loved every minute of it.
Then the lights came on, and it's like I don't feel the same way anymore.
I'm sorry.
I really don't wanna do this.
I It really hurts, but I can't lie to you.
It's okay.
I understand.
No, Nate, I'm not worried about my exposure.
I'm worried about this custody thing.
Well, just give her the fuckin' house.
I don't care.
Yeah, I just want something in writing that says that I have access to my boys.
That's it.
Bottom line.
That's all I want.
Okay, you know what? I gotta go.
I'll call you later.
Just please make this happen.
Well, hello.
Come on in.
I am gonna guess that you are not in the mood for some takeout.
A chat? Catch me up on things? That's not gonna happen.
Bradley's not gonna interview you.
Okay.
Well, I haven't heard that from her.
So Your credibility's gone.
You have no allies left.
You're not going after Fred and the network.
It's time for you to go home.
It's time for you to leave me and my show alone.
Your show? Well, this isn't really about you, Alex.
- How's that? - I am fighting for my life.
Your life's gonna be fine, your career too.
You can You cannot guarantee that.
Actually, I can.
The world is not ready to hold women accountable for their complicity.
Even the ones in power.
My complicity? Oh, God.
Really? Are you really gonna keep pretending - that you didn't know what was going on? - Oh, my God.
- Oh, man! - My God.
Could we just act like fucking grown-ups and just level with each other for once? - Let's just be honest for once.
- Honest about what? Are you You actually gonna look me in the eye and say that you didn't participate? Participate how? Okay, I guess we're still pretending.
Or I'm misremembering it.
You didn't roll your eyes at these women? You didn't make jokes at their expense? You didn't mock their sometimes desperate behavior when I moved on? Oh, I may have fucked 'em, but you were very cruel.
And words matter.
Look, I'm not coming for you.
At the end of the day, I will always have your back.
I always will.
But this could be advantageous to both of us, if you just remove the emotion from it.
Very few men in my situation have been willing to talk.
People are gonna watch.
It could be an iconic moment.
It could elevate you and the show.
Bradley sees that.
You cannot compartmentalize me.
You can't separate my pain from what you want.
You need to understand that what you're trying to do is breaking my heart.
It's my whole life.
My legacy.
You can't ask me to not fight for that.
I can, and I am.
I'm asking.
I'm asking.
Well no.
Well, it's not happening on my show.
Okay.
Well I can go somewhere else.
Any program would jump at this.
And if that happens, it'll be hard to keep out of the narrative the fact that my own home wasn't willing to take a deep look at themselves.
And given the opportunity, they opted for silence.
I'm going to be doing, um, a lot of press about my divorce, why it happened so quickly on the heels of you being exposed.
You see, the truth is it wasn't easy sitting next to you.
You were powerful and intimidating.
There were times that I've spent years just trying to forget.
I actually remember one time in particular.
We were in Chile on a remote, and, um, oh, you were so mad about how the show went.
And you accused me of eating into your segment.
And I felt terrible.
I felt horrible.
So, I wanted to make it up to you.
So, we went out for drinks, and then more drinks.
And I just remember trying to get back to my hotel room.
And then I woke up in a bed that wasn't my own.
And I was in your bed.
And I don't fully remember how I got there.
You wouldn't dare.
Try me.
This is pathetic, Alex.
I don't care.
Goodbye, Mitch.
There are a lot of moral lines in this business, and I'll admit I've crossed most of them.
But this is Dramatic? Thrilling? You wanna turn The Morning Show into a fucking nuclear weapon and drop it on the network.
This is insane.
Weren't you the one that lured me all the way to Brooklyn to have some surreptitious conversation about how you wanted to take down Fred Micklen? Yeah, I didn't want to use our show as a weapon.
This is a kamikaze mission.
You're using a lot of World War II metaphors Yeah, well, I'm upset.
Okay, I understand, but I'm not trying to blow up TMS here.
I'm just trying to explore Mitch's claims about Fred.
On Fred's airwaves? Yes, but if I do my job correctly, I think I can avoid network nuclear holocaust.
Yeah, I mean, "think'', that's the operative word here.
- You know this is - Hey, Chip.
The train is moving, buddy.
It's really only a question of whether you're on it or being obliterated by it.
Your replacement is being vetted.
Mitch is in the city, and he's ready to spew his truth to whoever will listen.
And if it's not us, YDA will snatch him up.
They'll overtake us in the ratings and Audra will win a fucking Daytime Emmy, God help us.
And let's not forget about your dear confidant, Maggie Brener.
Thanks to you, Maggie is smelling a Pulitzer Prize-winning article about the many skeletons at UBA.
Which means she's talking to everybody, including Fred.
So, he knows mutiny is at hand.
Yeah, we have to move fast here.
We have to control what we can.
Bring Mitch to our house and do it on our terms.
We just need one glorious segment.
Where is that courage, Chip? What about Alex? I What, we just gonna do all this behind her back? I mean, do you feel good about that? No, I mean, for me, I mean, it feels awful.
She brought me this opportunity, for whatever her motives were, and I should be grateful.
I should be kinder.
But what's that gonna get me? What's that gonna get any of us? We have an opportunity here to do something truly meaningful.
And none of us should be arrogant enough to think we get all the chances.
We're all collectively too fucking old for that.
No.
For the record, I might be arrogant enough to think I have a lot of chances.
- Uh-huh.
- Listen, I just, I mean, you Alex and I, we came up together.
You know, I mean, I'm her guy.
I was her personal producer.
That has to mean something.
You know, maybe I can talk to her, or try and convince her.
I just Okay, but just so you have all the facts, I'm not the only one who has a meeting on the books with Marlon Tate.
- Yeah? - Hey, kiddo.
Our timeline has moved up.
And I don't want to pressure you, but I'm gonna need you to go on the record and back me up.
Sooner rather than later.
Meet me outside your apartment.
Text me your address.
Hey.
Thank you so much for coming.
Appreciate it.
This feels a little like Deep Throat though.
You wanna come in? It's warm.
I got a bar full of booze.
If you need me to corroborate the story, fine, I'll do it, as long as my name isn't on it.
But I don't remember things the way you do.
Okay.
Well, just come on in.
Have a drink.
We could talk it through.
Make sure that you're happy with the statement.
But what you want me to say, that's not what it was for me.
Not what what was for you? I didn't use you for a promotion.
You used me.
I thought you really believed in me.
That-That you were mentoring me.
I-I looked up to you.
Okay, okay.
Okay, I see.
Are you drunk? I'm fine.
Okay.
I'm I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings, Hannah.
I really am.
And I'm sorry that you feel that I didn't value getting to know you in that way.
No, no.
That's not what I'm I tried to leave.
Oh Don't.
- I was young and ambitious, - No, no, no, no, no.
and I admired you as a journalist, as a boss.
And then suddenly one day you decided to start paying attention to me, which made me feel like maybe I was really good at my job.
I I didn't go to your room because I wanted That didn't even cross my mind as a possibility.
But once we were there I It happened so fast, I-I froze.
Did you freeze or did you try to leave? Which one was that? - I didn't know - No, no, no, no, no! You can't blame me for things that you regret in your past.
You're a strong woman.
You are empowered.
When Mitch Kessler decides he's having sex with you, - you feel pretty fucking powerless.
- Jesus Christ! Stop it, stop! All right, you know what? If you don't want to help me, fine.
I'm a big boy, I can handle it.
But don't act like a fucking victim because it's advantageous in this exact second! That tactic seems to be spreadin' like fucking wildfire tonight! I'm not looking for anything.
I don't want anything.
No, you just want me to feel like a piece of shit.
No, I just want you to understand how it might have felt for me.
We were getting to know each other, Hannah.
I didn't lure you up there.
I didn't coerce you.
I didn't trick you.
We went up there, and it fuckin' happened.
You're an adult.
You could have said something.
Hey, you're a smart woman, aren't you? From what I can tell you're you're pretty intelligent.
And a smart woman knows what it means when the lead anchor, who makes 20 fuckin' million dollars a year, is hanging out with the assistant booker.
A smart woman doesn't think, ''Oh, he's invited me up to his hotel room because he wants a new best friend".
You're a booker.
You charm people into being on the show.
You seduce them.
You know what? You can't be mad because you got seduced.
I don't know why I came here.
You know what? I'll-I'll corroborate your story.
I I just wanna remain anonymous.
And I want you to leave me alone.
Yeah, I'm fine with that.
Hey, Chip.
What's up? Uh, how's it going? Um I was I was just calling to, uh, check in.
And, you know, when we talked earlier, um, it seemed like something was weighing on you a little bit, so, you know.
Maybe it's a producer's sixth sense or I don't know, might be bullshit.
But, um are you good? Are we good? Yes, we're good.
We're Yes.
I was Just been I was in a weird mood this morning.
I didn't sleep well at all.
All right, yeah.
If that's all it is, yeah.
Yeah, no, no, that's all it is.
Are we good? Come on, Alex.
You know we're always good.
Okay, good night.
Good night.