The Morning Show (2019) s03e10 Episode Script

1
["NEMESIS" PLAYING]
[MUSIC ENDS]
[GASPS]
[BREATHING SHAKILY]
[DESK OFFICER] How old was the boy?
[OFFICER 1] Just turned nine.
[DESK OFFICER] Jesus.
[DOOR OPENS]
[OFFICER 2] Is this your daddy?
And he was driving?
[CELL PHONE BUZZING]
- [SIGHING]
- [BUZZING CONTINUES]
[KNOCKING ON DOOR]
[CORY] Bradley?
Bradley!
Hey, I Listen, I completely
understand why you'd be upset with me.
- Go away.
- I've got a lot of explaining to do.
Paul was behind this.
Please just leave me alone, Cory.
Paul was behind this. Can you just
let me in so we can talk about it?
Cory, Paul knows. He fucking knows.
[EXHALES SHARPLY]
How?
How does he know? Bradley.
[CRIES] I don't know.
Go away, please. I'm being
serious. Please [SOBS]
Please, just leave me alone.
[LINE RINGING]
[BRADLEY] You've reached
Bradley Jackson. Leave a message.
- [BEEPS]
- Come on.
[SIGHS]
[GROANS]
Oh, my God.
[PAUL] Hey.
[ALEX] Hey.
I'm assuming you saw this broadcast.
[ALEX] I did. [SIGHS] I did and this
- [GROANS]
- I just saw this article on Cory.
Yeah. [SIGHS] Well, I mean,
he had to be shut down.
It's not like he could blow
up the deal, but like you said,
I'm sure he sure as shit would've tried.
You planted this article?
I gave them information.
Oh, my God, Paul. Cory is a lot
of things, but a sexual predator?
I mean, honestly, why didn't
you talk to me about this?
We don't do this.
I didn't want you to
get your hands dirty.
This is not just bad for Cory.
This is terrible for Bradley.
She just resigned.
Okay.
[SIGHS]
That article is not why
she resigned. [SIGHS]
Well, then what
Okay.
I just spoke to Gayle.
She said that she saw you go
into Bradley's dressing room
right before she went on air, so you
Just tell me what happened.
What did you say to her?
A friend of mine from the
FBI reached out to me. [SIGHS]
The Feds are considering leveling
charges against Bradley and her brother.
What? Char What char
What are you talking about?
Her brother assaulted a Capitol
Hill police officer on January 6th,
and Bradley withheld
evidence to help cover it up.
Oh, my God.
No, no, no, no, no.
Oh, my God. Oh, my
God. Why didn't you
How did you know this, and you
not talk to me about this
Alex, if this was made public,
it would be a fucking disaster.
I mean, this could feed
mistrust of the media.
This could blow back on you.
You're the one who brought her in.
Not a great look for someone who's
trying to launch something new.
Did you tell her to resign?
I told her that I would do every
single thing in my power to help.
Resigning was her idea.
And honestly, I think she felt relieved.
[SIGHING]
[STELLA] Anybody out there? Hello?
Hello?
[GAMER] Whoa, CodeQueen.
[STELLA] Hey, Mel.
It's been forever.
You haven't seen
SpaceCase around, have you?
[MEL] Uh, a couple months
ago. She was messed up though.
Some weird shit was going down.
[STELLA] What kind of weird shit?
[MEL] I don't know. You try DMing her?
I told her to go to Nevermore,
fuck up some zombies.
Yeah. Yeah, I got it. Thanks. [SIGHS]
[MEL] Sure. See you.
We're still reeling from last
night's UBA double whammy.
Top-rated evening anchor
Bradley Jackson resigned on air
citing, that old
chestnut, personal reasons.
Translation? Cory Ellison.
As that elevator photo
makes painfully clear,
UBA's CEO got way too personal
with his attractive on-air talent,
and UBA top brass dutifully announced
they've hired an independent law firm
to investigate any possible misconduct.
Y'all. Really? Let me save
you some billable hours.
New boss, same as the creepy old boss.
[CHUCKLING] So, what?
I'm gonna become an asterisk right
under Mitch Kessler's asterisk?
Not a rapist, but just bad
enough to never work again?
We're not giving credence to a tabloid
by responding to false allegations.
Are you sure?
They say every picture tells a story,
and Bradley Jackson slumped
in Cory's arms like a dead dog
tells rather a lurid
one, don't you think?
Let me tell you another story, Leonard.
Bradley was piss drunk that night,
and I helped her up to her room.
We had grilled cheese,
and then she passed out while
I watched TV in the other room.
I don't remember any sexual harassment,
but I fucking remember that
grilled cheese, 'cause it was good.
So let's put out that statement
and let me get back to work.
I think it's too messy, Cory.
Between that and the outing,
I think the public would never
be able to get its head around it.
Look, just cooperate with the inquiry,
and in the meantime, for heaven's
sake, take a leave of absence.
At least until the deal's done.
You know what? Inquire away.
But I'm not going anywhere.
Brenda, if you would be so kind,
I'd like a private word with Leonard.
Of course.
Leonard.
[INHALES DEEPLY] So, what
do you want, Cory? [SIGHS]
Don't let him sell us off.
You can be the savior of legacy media.
You can be the champion
of the free press.
Just convince the shareholders
to vote no on the deal.
At least until we have
another offer in place.
What other offers?
Who else is gonna take the
company on after what you've done?
No. [STAMMERS] Let Paul Marks
sell it off, and then
we're done with it. [SIGHS]
[LINE RINGING]
- [CYBIL] Hello?
- Cybil.
- [CYBIL] Cory?
- Hi.
I think we could both use a friend.
Run it through legal.
We don't know, so we don't comment.
Sit on it until I get back to you.
Hey. Anyone heard from Bradley?
Uh, Bradley, yeah. She's not
answering her calls or emails.
Okay, maybe I should go talk to her
No, no. RJ went over there
earlier. She wouldn't let him in.
This fucking article.
I can't even believe it.
Do you think it's true?
I don't know what to think.
[SIGHS] Okay, what about the
evening news? What's the plan?
Joshua's covering.
But not permanently.
Listen, if you're gonna pick up
somebody from TMS, like Chris or Yanko,
I'd appreciate the heads-up.
It's crazy enough as it is.
You wanna sit down for a sec?
After Friday, we may not
need a permanent news anchor.
What do you mean he's breaking it
up? You gotta be fucking kidding me.
Yeah, fuck it. Let's give
Paul Marks fucking color bars.
That's right, yeah. No more
TMS. Yeah, we'll stage a walkout.
I don't know. This is a
big story, Yanko. [SCOFFS]
Chris, so what? Then we'll slip
it to YDA, and we do the walkout.
- [RENA] It's not that simple.
- This is our story to tell.
We should do the show.
We don't have enough to run anything.
Bradley was working the Hyperion
angle before she resigned.
Our whistleblower went AWOL.
Literally no one will go on the record.
Stella's right.
Trash-talking Paul Marks is not
even gonna make Twitter, so
Who cares about Paul Marks?
The 20,000 employees at UBA deserve to
know what's at stake in this board vote.
If the lights are going out, we need
to talk about what that means for them.
For us.
Yeah, we'd need something loud though.
The right guest.
Someone who has nothing to lose.
Okay.
[CORY] This is why they hate us.
Ninety million gallons of
water a year on this shit.
[REED] They let you join this place?
Oh, no, I'd never pass
the background check.
I was arrested protesting
CFCs in the '80s.
- Clothing-optional.
- [REED CHUCKLES]
But we made our point.
You see the ozone layer?
Yeah, then you're trespassing.
[CORY CHUCKLES]
And how exactly did you find me?
You're a creature of habit, Reed.
And you're toxic, Cory.
Full-on radioactive.
[CORY] That's exactly what
Paul Marks wants you to think,
because he would lose his fucking mind
if he knew what I came here to say.
[INHALES SHARPLY]
Guys, give me a minute?
- Sure.
- [PERSON] Sure.
- [SAHIL SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY]
- [PERSON] Yeah.
[SAHIL, PERSON SPEAK INDISTINCTLY]
Paul may not have the votes.
There are rumors of major
problems at Hyperion,
and our shareholders are getting jumpy.
So you're looking for another buyer?
I am looking for a loan.
You know, like that eight billion
you were gonna give me a few weeks ago.
That's the security blanket
our key investors need
to defect to our side.
Yeah, sorry, that loan's off the table.
I figured as much.
So, I'm happy to sweeten the deal.
We will give Sloan a
piece of UBA's equity.
You won't even know how
to spend that much money.
[CLICKS TONGUE] I don't know.
When someone has smallpox, I don't
really wanna share their blanket.
Hmm. Your buddy, Fred, seems to
think the deal is worth the trouble.
He's advising Hyperion on the
breakup value of UBA's assets
and getting a serious
payout for his trouble.
[INHALES SHARPLY] Sounds like he's
forgetting who his friends are.
Mmm.
Well, whip some votes, Cory. [SIGHS]
And maybe I'll write you that check.
[KNOCKING]
Bradley, I am not leaving until
you open the door and I talk to you,
and I know that you're okay.
[SIGHS]
Bradley.
[SIGHS]
Oh, thank God. [SIGHS]
Can I please come in?
You have to leave your bag in the hall.
- What?
- You can't come in
unless you leave your bag in the hall.
Okay. Okay.
And that.
Okay.
[ALEX EXHALES SHARPLY]
- Okay. Come on.
- Okay.
Did you lie to the FBI?
Oh, fuck, Bradley!
I didn't have a choice. He's my brother.
Of course you did! You have a
choice. You always have a choice!
No, I fucking didn't, Alex!
He's my only family. How
could I do that to him?
Could you do that to Lizzy?
I could've helped you. I
could've helped you. We
- We could've helped you.
- Who? You-You-You and Paul?
I tried to warn you about him.
I tried t to tell you,
but you did not wanna hear it.
What the hell does Paul
have to do with any of this?
How did he know, Alex? How did he know?
You're a journalist. How the
fuck did he know about me and Hal?
There are hours Hundreds of
hours of footage of that day.
You really thought You thought
no one would figure this out?
Somebody did figure it
out. Laura figured it out.
- Okay.
- When Paul came to talk to me,
he knew that Laura had
already confronted me.
He knew exactly what she had said.
And we we were in a private
space. We were at her house.
There was nobody else there.
How did he know?
How is that possible?
How the fuck did he know what
she said? [BREATHES SHARPLY]
So you think he's surveilling you?
I think he's been surveilling me.
Ever since he found out
I was investigating him.
And I don't know if he's on my phone,
I-I don't know if he's on my computer,
but he has eyes on me. It is very clear.
Oh, that's a really big leap, Bradley.
You have to stop this sale.
You have to, Alex.
Even if you have proof,
what am I gonna do?
How do I stop this sale?
I don't know. You're fucking
smart. You're gonna figure it out.
Talk to Stella.
She-She-She started this.
She started pulling threads, and
there's something there, Alex.
There's something there.
But I-I gotta get out of here.
I gotta go to West Virginia.
I gotta get the fuck out of town.
- Slow down. Just slow down.
- I have to hide.
You can't just leave,
okay? Just slow down.
- Do you know what he said to me, Alex?
- [SIGHS] No. God, no.
He told me he would destroy her life.
He said he would ruin Laura's career.
I can't let that happen.
I won't let that happen.
[SIGHS]
[CELL PHONE BUZZES]
[ALEX SIGHS]
Ms. Levy, you ready to head
home, or should I keep driving?
Um, could you just keep driving, please?
[SIGHS] Okay.
[ELEVATOR DOORS OPEN]
- [PAUL] Hey. There you are.
- Hi.
- I was starting to get worried.
- I'm sorry.
- [GROANS] Mmm.
- [SIGHS] Mmm.
- How was your day?
- [INHALES DEEPLY] Great. You know,
a succession of lawyers like Russian
nesting dolls in Brooks Brothers suits.
[GRUNTS]
Ho-How was yours? You holding up?
I saw Bradley.
- Oh.
- [SIGHS]
How is she?
Pretty fucked up.
She did not sound like
herself. Really manic.
That's [SIGHS] grim.
Yeah.
What, um [SIGHS] What was she saying?
Nothing.
You know, it was more how
sh It's more how she sounded.
You know, I think she just knows that
there's no coming
back from what she did.
[INHALES DEEPLY] Yeah.
I just really want this
part to be over, you know?
Just so much pressure with this deal
and everybody just wanting
to, like, tear it down.
We will get through this part. [SIGHS]
And then when we are on
the other side of this,
it will be a whole lot better.
I just really wish there was
something I could do for her, you know?
Well, she's gonna have to start
doing some things for herself.
Mm-hmm. I know.
But I think there's still such
a thing as a second chance.
Sometimes. [SCOFFS]
Yeah. Well, I think she just
has to disappear, you know?
- [GROANS]
- Go back to Hanover
and just hide out until
all this blows over. [SIGHS]
So are we, uh, still doing
dinner or has that ship sailed?
You know, um, I'm so tired.
The day's really caught up with me.
Do you mind if we order in?
No, it's fine. Whatever you want.
Okay. Just choose anything.
- I'm gonna, um, go change. Be right out.
- Okay.
["LAZARUS" PLAYING]
[GROANS, SIGHING]
[YANKO] I know. I get it.
I gotta see it, all right?
I know I'm the last guy on
earth who hasn't seen it
[CHRIS] It's Tom
Cruise in a fighter jet.
- I want another sequel
- [YANKO SCOFFS]
and then one after that.
I don't care how old he gets.
You can strap his
walker into the cockpit.
Yeah, right. And he'd still
make that look good, wouldn't he?
- You better believe it. [LAUGHS]
- Yeah.
And now we have a very special guest
here to discuss the imminent sale
of UBA to Hyperion CEO Paul Marks.
- [BREATHES SHAKILY] Okay. Oh, shit.
- [YANKO] Charles "Chip" Black.
Emmy winner and
[STAMMERS] Oh, there he is.
Chip, former executive
producer here at-at UBA.
- Chip, welcome to TMS.
- Hi. Hi.
Or I guess I should
say welcome back, right?
Yeah, hi hi, guys. Uh, thanks
for thanks for having me.
Yeah. No, of course. Of course.
So, Chip, you've seen this network go
through so many changes over the years.
Why do you feel compelled
to-to talk about this one today?
Uh, because three years
ago I made a huge mistake.
Um, I waited too long to
speak up about Mitch Kessler.
Um, I knew what he was doing.
I mean, I didn't Not the
Not the extent, not all of it
But, um, I had a sense
of it. [BREATHES SHAKILY]
Maybe if I had said something earlier,
uh, fewer people would have been hurt.
And, um, I really screwed that up.
[CREW] Stay on one.
[CHRIS] You've recently been
let go from your job here.
Yeah.
So why should we listen
to what you have to say?
Because this has absolutely
nothing to do with me.
This is about UBA and
people need to know
what's about to happen to this place.
- You mean the sale to Paul Marks?
- Nope. I mean the end of UBA.
Here we go.
Paul Marks is going to
dismantle this place. Literally.
If the shareholders vote
yes on the sale tomorrow,
this whole network,
it will cease to exist.
All of it, just-just-just gone.
Th-These two people,
the show, everybody here,
it's just gonna be sucked into
a giant fucking black void and
- Wow. Okay.
- Sorry, sorry.
Chip, really?
Watch the language.
I think it would help
- to make your case without having to
- [STUTTERING] You're right.
Mia, I'm sorry about that.
I will pay the 10K FCC fine.
- [CHRIS] Okay, Chip, how do you know this?
- [CREW] Take two.
You know, the rumor mill can get
pretty crazy around deals like these.
Mm-hmm. It's because it's been
confirmed by multiple sources.
That is what we do here. We fact-check.
When Yanko and Chris are telling
you guys what's happening in the world,
that's because dozens of people
people you never
see made it possible.
It's a whole process, okay?
Uh, look, there's somebody
on the national news desk
They're eating way too much
junk food, they get an alert,
it's, uh, "shots fired"
or something like that.
They call the local sheriff's
office to confirm it.
Only when it's confirmed do they put out
a news alert on a Slack channel.
This is all, like, 3:00
in the morning, by the way.
The producers, they
start writing the scripts.
Chris gets in here ridiculously early
because she needs to
review and rewrite her copy
because she cares about getting it
right. Which Twitter does not do.
And by the way, no
problem with Twitter, okay?
I-It's got its place.
But that is narrowcasting.
We need broadcasting, as-as
corporate and as compromised as it is.
We need a team of
competent people telling us
what's actually happening in the world.
I mean, this is this is it. This is
the last free campfire in America.
And if this goes out we're all gonna be
- in the fucking dark, people.
- Oh, man.
And w Sorry, I
- [CREW] Stay with Chip.
- [CHIP GROANS]
No. No. You know what, fuck that.
- [RENA SIGHS]
- I'm not sorry.
Hey, Paul, you wanna
nuke this place? Fine.
You pay the fucking FCC obscenity fines.
You are killing an 80-year-old company
that started as a radio station warning
people about the dangers of fascism.
And you do not fucking care.
So fuck you, motherfucker!
Fuck you and the fucking
rocket you rode in on.
Which, by the way, looks like
a giant fucking metal dick!
Former Morning Show producer
Charles Black broke the Internet,
not to mention major news,
when he announced live on-air
that billionaire Paul
Marks plans to liquidate UBA
following Friday's
shareholder vote on the sale.
And in an age where there's literally
a new billionaire every single day,
Black's R-rated, populist rant struck
a nerve across the political spectrum.
Woke cheerleader, AOC, tweeted
that Black was, quote, "baller."
And even Senator Ted Cruz called for
Congress to investigate Marks' bid
for the legacy media giant.
A little Howard Beale goes a long way.
Who knew Chip Black's
f-bombs would save the day?
[CYBIL] Two major shareholders
called me an hour ago.
They said the payout wasn't
worth all the bad press.
They're voting no.
[SIGHS] I used to
hate no. Now I love it!
[CYBIL] Yeah. Mercedes is
still on the fence though.
She's concerned about the financial
implications of rejecting Paul's bid.
Tell her we just shook down my
favorite golf buddy for eight billion.
So Reed came through?
What did you promise him?
Well, let's just say you
might have to sell a Picasso.
- Cory
- [CORY] Cybil, this is fun.
We're gonna kill a billionaire.
[CYBIL] Yeah, I'm hanging up now.
[AMANDA] Board members
are starting to turn.
Paul, this is happening.
We're losing votes.
Cory fucking Ellison.
[CORY] Compile the
paperwork for the loan.
Don't even touch a UBA computer.
No emails, no pdfs.
This has to be analog.
Then deliver it to my hotel.
Reed and I are meeting tonight.
Got it.
After that, you and I, we
don't talk until after the vote.
No calls. Nothing.
And we keep playing dead.
I want Paul Marks to
fall off his fucking chair
when I walk into that
boardroom on Friday.
Ah. [SIGHS] Thank you.
Sure.
So have you, um, talked to her?
No, not since her
little on-air spectacle.
She's so full of shit.
Oof.
[STAMMERS] If she asked you to
come here to talk to me, I
Mmm, she didn't.
But she did tell me about, um,
January 6th and Hal. All of it.
- Wow. So now she's coming clean?
- [INHALES DEEPLY]
She feels really awful.
[SIGHS]
You know, Bradley is, um, a stranger.
I see that now.
I never knew her. Not really.
I just wanted to.
Ugh. This is all just
fucked up. [CHUCKLES]
It's all such a mess.
This isn't just about Bradley, is it?
- Well [SIGHS]
- I mean, I-I saw
- Chip's rant.
- Oh.
So, what, is this about
Paul? Or selling UBA?
I-It's
Listen, if he had bought NBN,
I'm sure he'd probably be
doing the same thing to us.
I mean, you're in the middle
of the ocean treading water
and some guy comes in a lifeboat.
What are you gonna do? Turn him away?
I know.
Okay, I That's actually what
I'm here to talk to you about.
Okay.
But I'm gonna need something
a little stronger than this.
I'll take that drink
that you offered, please.
- Thank you. [SIGHS]
- Coming up.
Good to see you again, Mr. Ellison.
We missed you during the pandemic.
- [CHUCKLES]
- Right this way.
The last civilized spot in Manhattan.
Thanks for arranging
this on such short notice.
We'll make sure you're not disturbed.
Would you like a menu?
We're serving till 11:00.
[PAUL] That won't be necessary.
Don't think this meeting's
gonna take very long.
[MAÎTRE D'] Can I bring
either of you gentlemen a drink?
Talisker neat.
Uh [STAMMERS]
yeah. Uh, make it two.
Huh.
So, was it Earl?
Gambling debts.
Everybody leaves some
kind of stain. [SIGHS]
And, um, Reed?
I'm guessing you whispered sweet
nothings about asteroid rights
Reed realized that the profit
potential in aerospace far outstripped
whatever Sloan could
make in legacy media.
Ad astra per aspera.
To infinity and beyond.
Or whatever other bullshit
helps you sleep at night.
- Thanks.
- This isn't personal, Cory.
I'm gonna have to
disagree with you there
because everything is personal.
And every so-called business
decision, it lands on a human being.
And in this case, there's
22,000 of them all
Okay. Okay, let's not
get so high-and-mighty.
Maybe you protected
Bradley from the FBI,
but you were also
very willing to exploit
her personal life when it suited you.
So maybe you're not the poster boy
for feminism that you think you are.
Didn't leak that article
to protect Hannah Shoenfeld.
You leaked it because you couldn't stand
the idea of Bradley with Laura Peterson.
So at least, for fuck's
sake, be honest with yourself.
Now, you never assaulted anyone.
So tomorrow, after the vote closes,
I'm perfectly happy to [INHALES
DEEPLY] make the [SIGHS]
investigation into these
Vault allegations go away.
Along with any talk of FBI subpoenas.
And, uh, I'm guessing in this
scenario I give up my golden parachute?
You wanna leave with dignity?
- How's $10 million sound? Parting gift.
- [SIGHS]
I'll just need an NDA.
Right.
Guessing the kind where I can't
even say your name to my goldfish.
Where we pretend in
perpetuity that you aren't
the steaming rocket bitch
shitbag that you are.
Goddamn, Alex really does
have the worst taste in men.
Cory, I am offering you a lifeline.
- Take the money.
- [SIGHS]
I would rather do time with the fucking
Oath Keepers than take a penny from you.
[CLICKS TONGUE] Lost
my appetite. [SIGHS]
[SIGHS]
[SIGHS]
[SIGHS]
[CORY] So the board meeting is tomorrow.
And the remaining shareholders who
haven't weighed in are gonna vote yes.
And by noon, Paul will
have control of UBA
and he will take it
apart piece by piece.
Eighty years of history.
But more stuff is going
to come out about me.
And it is gonna make
me look like a monster.
Some of it will be true.
Some of it won't be. Doesn't matter.
He's gonna try to bury me.
[STAMMERS, SIGHS]
[CHUCKLES] Maybe I should
have listened to you.
Ah. Maybe I deserve it.
Maybe I lost myself
in chasing all of this.
Anyway, I just wanted
you to hear it from me.
"Don't flinch." It's what
you always taught me, right?
Gotta face things head-on,
see 'em for what they are.
[INHALES DEEPLY]
[SIGHS]
Night, Mom.
[CELL PHONE BUZZES]
[GROANS] What's going on?
- Is the world ending?
- Mmm, not yet.
- [BREATHES DEEPLY]
- It's all good.
You getting any sleep?
Not really. Such a big day tomorrow.
Hmm. I'm glad you're gonna be there.
[KISSES]
[GROANS]
[BREATHING DEEPLY]
[LEONARD] So, the great
day is finally upon us.
[SIGHS] 11:40.
There's still a few
votes coming through,
but frankly, at this
point, it's a formality.
Congratulations, Paul. At
noon we'll make it official.
- Thank you, appreciate the support.
- Where's-Where's Alex?
Uh, she should be on her way.
[ELEVATOR DINGS]
Hey. There you are.
Hi, here I am.
- Are you okay?
- Yeah.
Just processing everything that's about
to happen, how we got here. [CHUCKLES]
Just really hope it was all worth it.
It will be. In 15 minutes,
this will all be behind us.
Mmm.
Okay, gentlemen. Here we are.
[LEONARD] Ah, Alex.
Hello. Good to see you.
Leonard.
Well, we're close to the finish line and
we couldn't have got there without you.
Hmm. Excuse me.
Uh, Paul, before I forget, um
[EXHALES DEEPLY]
While we have a few minutes,
I have an idea I'd like
to run by everybody.
[PAUL] Oh, uh, maybe we save the
brainstorming for another day?
Let's just get this done.
I have an alternative
to Hyperion's offer.
- [BOARD MEMBER] What is going on?
- Excuse me?
[BOARD MEMBERS MURMURING]
I've been consulting with NBN,
their CEO Elena Daniels,
Laura Peterson at YDA.
And we have drafted a few deal points
for a merger between NBN and UBA.
I have a prospectus that I would like to
share so you could all see the numbers.
Would you please pass those down
there, please? Thank you so much.
And I'm very aware that
this is last minute.
Alex, I simply don't understand.
I don't think anyone here does.
I believe you have a
fiduciary responsibility
to entertain any offers that
may match or exceed Hyperion's.
Very well.
[PAGES TURNING]
A merger of equals.
That's what we're proposing.
Two entities coming together,
greater than the sum of their parts.
NBN and UBA will combine
resources to reduce costs,
ad sales, tech support,
accounting, even programming.
It's a chance to start over.
To do things right for once.
A true partnership.
Alex, I'd like a word.
I'll give you all a
second to look this over.
What the fuck is that all about?
This is insane. What are you
- Not here.
- [STAMMERS] What is this? Some kind of stunt?
This is not a stunt.
- What are you doing?
- Not here.
I have the votes.
Don't you realize there's literally
nothing you can do at this point?
Hi, Paul.
- Okay. [SIGHS] I'm not doing this.
- [KATE SIGHS]
We know you told Kate to cut the
transmission on the rocket launch
to hide the fact that your
navigation system malfunctioned.
You buried the results.
You used a hack at UBA
to cover your tracks.
Super convenient timing.
So you think I hacked you? Okay, Stella.
[KATE] You have been reporting
fake data to NASA for months.
And when I told you a longer
space flight could be lethal,
you fired me.
You had us behind schedule
and hemorrhaging cash.
That's why you were let go,
because you were bad at your job.
No. No, you fired me because you
didn't wanna hear the truth, Paul.
And then when I tried
to blow the whistle,
you shut me down and you threatened me
and everyone else who would speak up.
No, you were shut down
because you signed an NDA
- which you have now clearly violated.
- Well, I have proof. [SIGHS]
I have emails, I have files, I
have videos, I have everything.
Alex, what do you want? What?
What do you want?
[SIGHS]
Alex, can you please just tell me
what the fuck this is all about?
God. Do I really have to
spell this out for you?
Yes! Please.
[SCOFFS] You surveilled Bradley,
then blackmailed her into resigning.
You silenced a journalist.
- I'm a journalist.
- You want this vote not to happen?
I can go right back
in that conference room
and delay it until we
can figure this out.
"We"? We can figure this
out? We can figure this out?
You did this. You did all of this.
I can't I can't come back from this.
I did this to protect you.
To protect us, everything
we have been working towards.
[SNIFFLES]
Just walk away from UBA right now.
And make it right with
the people you hurt.
Come clean to NASA [SIGHS]
or we'll run the
story and end Hyperion.
[SIGHS]
[SCOFFS]
Tell Leonard I'm
pulling out of the deal.
You'll hear from my lawyers.
[SNIFFLES]
[BREATHING SHAKILY]
["FALLIN'" PLAYING]
- Come on, I've got it.
- [CHRIS] Okay.
- Not bad. Whoo!
- Whoo! Oh.
[SONG CONTINUES]
- [CHRIS] Wow.
- [YANKO SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY]
You got this
Ooh! [GIGGLES]
[YANKO] I mean, come on.
I mean, not not bad for a
couple of desk jockeys, all right.
I mean, I gotta work on my moves
but next time we're gonna Naatu
Naatu all over this place. We are.
We'll be right back. You were great.
- [NEWSPEOPLE CHATTERING]
- [CHUCKLES]
- They are so good together.
- So good. I know.
I'm doing everything I can
to talk Chris out of leaving.
Oh, well. I don't blame her. I
mean, the writing is on the wall.
This merger goes through,
there's not gonna be two CEOs,
two evening anchors, two Morning Shows.
There's gonna be layoffs
and buyouts and
Okay.
You're not thinking about
going anywhere, are you?
Uh, I would love a trip to Bali.
But [SIGHS] not until
I know my team is protected
and the changes that we
talked about are real.
They are real.
I'm gonna make them real, Mia.
It's happening, I can see it.
No more corporate bullshit.
Someone with an actual fresh
take sitting in the big office.
Like you?
[BOTH CHUCKLE]
[INTERVIEWER] Can you talk about
your time at the Archer Gray?
Mr. Ellison put you up
there. Is that correct?
Uh, yes. I mean, I don't
know if he did or the show.
I'm not sure.
Did it make you uncomfortable?
Being so close to Mr. Ellison?
- No.
- Did you ever feel unsafe?
No.
[INTERVIEWER] But he was around, right?
I mean, the hotel staff told us
he spent a lot of time with you.
Late night phone calls,
visited you in your room.
Did you ever sense he
had feelings for you?
Saw you as more than a colleague?
There was one night. [SIGHS]
[STAMMERS] One night when
He told me he loved me.
How did you respond?
I left. I went to Montana, and
I stayed there for a long time.
[INTERVIEWER] Because you were afraid?
Yes, I w I was afraid.
Of retaliation if you
didn't return his feelings?
No. No, I was afraid because
he saw me for who I really was.
Everything about me.
And I was afraid I could never
be with someone like that.
[DOOR OPENS]
[SIGHS]
[DOOR OPENS]
- Hey.
- God, who scheduled these
sessions back-to-back and side by side?
I don't know. I already talked to them.
I'm just waiting to see
if they need anything else.
Oh, gotcha.
Well, sorry that they
dragged you back in here.
Hey, how was it being home?
Oh, uh, it was good. It was
good to see Hal, you know.
So, um, I did some pretty awful things.
And some of them I did to you.
It wasn't okay. Any of it.
No, it's not.
But I think I know why you did them.
But it's not all right.
I know.
But don't worry, I I think
you'll be fine. [CHUCKLES]
Well, I'm still the architect
of the biggest failed deal
of the 21st century, so
Biggest failed deal so far.
Hey, that's the spirit.
[CHUCKLES]
Will you stay at UBA or UBNBA
or whatever they're calling it?
Oh, I don't know. I guess
we'll see how things shake out.
[CHUCKLES]
[INHALES DEEPLY]
Uh
[INHALES SHARPLY]
[SIGHS] See you when I see you?
Yeah.
- [SIGHS]
- Cory.
Yeah?
Bradley, we're ready for you.
Oh, I'll be just a minute.
[DOOR CLOSES]
I'll miss you.
[SOFTLY] You too.
[SNIFFLES]
["WITH THE OLD BREED" PLAYING]
Little chilly tonight, huh?
Thanks for packing me up.
Yes, of course. I think, um,
that was everything, but
please look around if
I'm sure you got it all.
So you're, um, gonna go to Texas?
Yeah. Not sure how it's gonna play out.
[STAMMERS] NASA seems to be
stepping back for the time being.
And [SIGHS]
most likely have to sell off
a majority share in my company,
if there's a company to still sell.
[SIGHS]
[INHALES SHARPLY]
You know, I've been
playing it back in my head.
Everything that went down.
I made some, um, mistakes.
More than mistakes.
Yeah, I know.
[SNIFFLES] Oh, God, I
so I wanted a partner.
You had one.
[SIGHS] One I could trust. [SNIFFLES]
Mmm. [SIGHS]
Alex, I
[SNIFFLES, WHIMPERS, SIGHS]
[PAUL SIGHS]
God, I wish we'd taken that
helicopter anywhere else.
[SIGHS, CHUCKLES]
I know.
But we didn't. So [BREATHES SHAKILY]
[SIGHS]
[SNIFFLING]
[ALEX BREATHES SHAKILY, SIGHS]
[BREATHES SHAKILY, CRIES] Shoot.
[SNIFFLES]
[SIGHS]
[ALEX] Remaking this place. Just,
doing it without you feels wrong.
[BRADLEY] Hey. You can. This is
what you've always advocated for.
You're gonna have a real
voice in this new company.
Careful what you fight for.
- [CHUCKLES] Like
- [SIGHS]
- When you dragged me into UBA?
- [CHUCKLES]
God, what would I have
done if you didn't come in
- and take the doors off the hinges?
- [CHUCKLES]
Honestly, I would've been still
fighting with that fucker, Fred.
- [CHUCKLES]
- Cybil. Geez. Maggie.
I'd still be doing [CHUCKLES]
one-man-band reporting
in God knows where, wondering
if that's all there was.
- [CHUCKLES] Oh. [SIGHS]
- [CHUCKLES]
Hey, I I wanted to, um I
just wanted to say, about Paul
Oh, please. Honey, I'm so okay. Really.
He helped me let go of a lot of stuff.
- Then no regrets.
- No. No regrets.
[SIGHS] Okay.
Okay, honey. You're just
gonna breathe now, okay?
Yeah, I'm trying. I just don't
know how this is gonna go.
[ALEX] You're doing the right
thing. You're doing the only thing.
Hey, I'll I'll be right there.
[SIGHS]
Okay, I better go
before I change my mind.
I'm here for you if you need
anything. Anything at all.
- And you're gonna be okay.
- I don't know.
Yes. [SNIFFLES] You are.
[WHIMPERS] Okay.
- [SNIFFLES] You got this.
- [STAMMERS] Yeah, okay.
- Breathe.
- Okay.
- Okay. Go on.
- [BREATHES SHAKILY]
["THREE LITTLE BIRDS" PLAYING]
[MOUTHS WORD] Bye.
[SONG CONTINUES]