'The Morning Show' finale's wonderfully tense moments highlight a side of the MeToo conversation that is often ignored
Spoilers ahead for 'The Morning Show' finale...
'The Morning Show' episode 10 hit many highs and a few of them were about conversations. Be it when Hannah Shoenfeld (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) agreed to give Bradley Jackson (Jennifer Aniston) an interview, or when Bradley meets Chip Black (Mark Duplass) afterward and the two come to blows about the urgency of the Mitch Kessler's (Steve Carrell) interview, and to ensure that it took place as soon as possible - it was all between two people. There was a passion in these conversations, heartbreak, trauma, and mental breakdown. All of it was real, and intense which made the episode so much more satisfying to watch. 'The Morning Show' spotlights that side of the MeToo conversation which has not been spoken about before. It is a show that lights up the shadows, digs deep into nuances that is mostly left hidden. Here are the top three conversations in this episode which stood out for us.
1. Hannah's interview with Bradley
She recalls how she was thrilled to be on the remote when the Las Vegas shootings had taken place. She was after all just a junior booker. She recalls feeling excited about getting to walk with Mitch Kessler in public. When Hannah couldn't forget the horror of what happened in Vegas, or when that resulted in her recalling how her mother had died, she ended up in tears. That was the point when she couldn't distract herself any further, so she wanted to leave. When Mitch hugged her, she assumed that to be an act of kindness, which is why what followed scarred her even more so.
When she has a breakdown right in front of Bradley when asked about if she sought any help, or if this incident has had an effect on her life, the barrage of her emotions is overwhelming and it is clear, that all this time Hannah has been blaming herself for what Mitch had done to her.
Her words about not being able to find the right words to say no, her confusion about how it feels to have expected to receive paternal attention from a man that she had respected, is raw. The interview digs up emotions that were buried deep in Hannah and with it came the self-doubt. Did she bring this upon herself? Did she at any point come off as being interested in Mitch? The questions that flooded her mind are finding a voice now and Bradley is the witness to how traumatized Hannah is after that encounter with Mitch.
2. Bradley's conflict with Chip
When Chip comes over to Bradley's place to discuss how they are going to manage to interview Mitch Kessler without Alex Levy's knowledge on Alex's show, things don't go as planned. Initially, Bradley thinks that she's in it with her producer Chip, but upon learning that Chip was fired, Bradley understands that Chip's intention to bring to light Fred's involvement in Mitch's sexual misconduct is fuelled by revenge more than anything. She understands that all Chip wants at this point is to get the interview done in time to debunk the internal investigation that Fred had ordered, which names Chip as the main reason why the show's work culture was toxic. He tries to convince Bradley that everyone is selfish, but Bradley has just had a heartbreaking interview with a victim.
To point out at this time that this interview is nothing more than a tool to help them, Chip especially gets on Bradley's nerves. She has a meltdown about how none of this matters to anyone, and the intensity with which she laments is what gets through to Chip. In an attempt to calm her down, he tries to hug her and the Bradley pushes him away. This is unwelcome, and she tells him that this is not going to change anything. The clarity that Bradley has at that moment, even though it is influenced by the fear of losing the one good job she has ever held is important. That readiness to stand for a cause despite personal loss, not in the hopes of glory but just because it is the right thing to do has become so foreign that Bradley comes across as someone impossible to believe in.
3. Cory Ellison warning Mitch
This is probably not as intense as the other two, but it is definitely an important scene. Mitch has so far continued to stand by his opinion that he did not abuse his power to sleep with women that he worked with. He feels that it was all consensual while not understanding the toxic workspace that his "seduction" technique cultivated over the years. Cory is all for bringing to light the reality of how Fred Micklen (Tom Irwin) was complicit in covering up Mitch's behavior, thereby enabling him further. However, he is also certain that Mitch will take the interview as an opportunity to call himself the victim. He warns Mitch that this is his last chance to confess.