The Morning Show

The other Apple show I am watching (aside from “For All Mankind”) is “The Morning Show”.

Clearly based on Matt Lauer’s ouster from “Today” and all the subsequent revelations, it is entertaining, funny and thought-provoking. The latter being because it has - so far - avoided stereotypes and having characters firmly in the “good” or “bad” camps. Everything is nuanced and it’s so much better for it.

The performances are outstanding, especially Aniston and Carell. But Billy Crudup steals every scene he’s in as the network boss who you cannot tell if he’s being good or bad from one moment to the next.

The Lauer character (Carell) is especially nuanced, where they show him as both sympathetic even while he’s being unapologetic (but not in a way to forgive him for what he’s done). They also do a great job of reflecting the destruction that can occur when human relationships - consensual or otherwise - collide with corporate edicts and corporate arse-covering, and the collateral damage that ensues.

Ironically, as it’s her production, Witherspoon’s character is the shallowest of the lot. They gave her a “rough” upbringing, but otherwise she is there really as the interloper through whose eyes we get to watch all the shit going down around her.

Highly recommended.

I want to watch it. Just not quite ready to subscribe.

Haven’t yet watched today’s episode yet, but I agree that this is a really good show. I have a lot of respect for shows that look at the black and white of an issue and firmly entrench themselves in the grays.

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Episode 8 is OUTSTANDING!

Spoiler

Without introduction (but cleverly making it clear) it’s a flashback episode to the circumstances around Hannah’s quid pro quo with Mitch, the revelation of which was the bombshell ending to Ep 7.

You think you know what’s coming, but they manage still to surprise and shock you as to how it plays out. The scenes between Hannah and Mitch are taught, tense and superbly acted. I cannot stress the last part enough - they were both off-the-charts brilliant.

How it plays out in the end is an amazingly well-handled demonstration of how this can happen. They show Hannah’s fear, horror and powerlessness in the face of Mitch’s seemingly gentle advances while, at the same time, giving you a window into Mitch’s delusion that these trysts are consensual. What Gugu Mbatha-Raw (who plays Hannah) did in this scene will break your heart.

What an amazing show.

Agreed, but

Spoiler

I thought it was a bit far-fetched that Hannah could just march right into the CEO’s office to report Mitch and not successfully get stopped by someone along the way. After the realistic way that they depicted Mitch grooming her, and the way that she reacted to his deed, it seemed cheap that they would take that kind of shortcut in the plot. Seems more realistic that she would reach out to someone else (Alex, Mia, Chip) who would then take it upstairs to protect Mitch.

Picking nits, I know.

Understood about the rush to show the payoff, but I forgave them that for everything that’d gone before.

Ep 9

The finale is set up to be a shit show, after Mitch’s entitlement rant at Hannah. Assuming he does the interview with Bradley, he’s going to lose his shit on live TV and blow up in everyone’s faces.

All caught up. Really good show. Thanks for not spoiling it.

I’m also watching Truth Be Told. It’s got a great hook but it starts drifting really quickly. Where TMS has strong central theme and a broad set of characters who are all swirling around that theme, TBT has a strong central theme and a broad set of characters all swirling around, just not all around the same thing.

I’m going to stick with it (TMS and FAM season runs end this week), hoping that it tightens up. However, while both TMS and FAM had some mid-season drift, TBT was drifting almost from the start. They need to tighten it up quickly.

So… holy shit.

Ep 10? Can’t wait!

Finished Episode 10. Good ending. It kept me guessing. Still am. I think this series is Jennifer Aniston’s best work as an actor. Episode 7 and 10 most of all. Has season 2 been greenlit?

So…yeah…holy shit!

I too was kept guessing, although the warning at the start was a pretty big sign that some bad shit was going to happen.

But more than that, it was just amazing TV. Sad, shocking, hilarious, heartwarming, infuriating, triumphant and tragic.

Holy shit!

I was thinking the same thing. Has she ever been cast for a role that demanded, and allowed her to show, this kind of range?

Yes, and I think I read that many of the “launch” TV+ series (Morning Show, For All Mankind, See, maybe others) got a two-season order to ensure some critical mass beyond the first year.

My wife and I watched “Almost Famous” last night because we hadn’t see in it in a long time. I didn’t realize the Billy Crudup played the “Russell” character until my wife pointed it out. We really like “The Morning Show”, but Crudup is definitely my favorite part of it. Anybody know when Season 2 is due?

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I am a Golden God!

Don’t take drugs!