Summary
Removing the mask, The Morning Show returns to its usual self with politics and game playing.
This recap of Apple TV+s The Morning Show season 2, episode 2, “It’s Like the Flu,” contains spoilers.
Read the recap of the last episode.
The interesting aspect of season 2 of The Morning Show is this growing pandemic heading towards them, and it’s met with naivety and shrugs. While I do not engage well with the reminder that we have lost so much time due to the pandemic, it’s interesting to see that naivety in narrative form. I do wonder if The Morning Show came with plenty of re-writes due to the circumstances.
The Morning Show season 2, episode 2 recap
Episode 2 sees the post-New York City celebrations — the city is now quiet, but Bradley and Cory are still arguing. Cory makes the situation worse and reveals that Alex is back. He tries to reassure her, but she cannot help but be furious. Bradley speaks to her team and tells them she feels mistreated and she will not renegotiate — since her argument with Cory, she’s pretended to be sick for three weeks.
We finally see Mitch — he’s living life in Italy, and it seems he is enjoying a more peaceful life. A woman confronts him angrily at a cafe, knowing who he is after being embroiled in the #MeToo scandal. He’s embarrassed, but another woman defends him, claiming that she’s grandstanding for Instagram. It looks like Mitch has found himself a new friend.
Without invitation, Alex heads to the UBA building with her agent, and she chills in her new executive office. Cory meets her, and he introduces her to the new President of UBA news, Stella Bak. Cory wants her return to be more secretive and planned for PR purposes. After the impromptu meeting, Alex cannot help herself and heads to the studio. She panics as people recognize her. She ends up in Eric’s dressing room. Eric is overwhelmed by stardom and asks Alex for advice on his friendship with Bradley. Alex gets angry and tells Eric that he’s crossed boundaries. There are old wounds that she has not addressed since leaving.
Unsure of her future, Bradley rings Chip, and she learns he is happy and engaged. She tells him that Alex is coming back to the show, and she feels bad. She wants insight into what Alex is like under the surface, but Chip feels resentment for Alex. Meanwhile, with Bradley playing games, Chip is told to fire Bradley.
With a meal arranged with Alex, Bradley, and other anchors, Cory heads to Bradley’s hotel room, and he tells her that if she doesn’t join this meal, then she is sticking it to herself — he assures her that he’s trying to help. Bradley doesn’t respond nicely, so Cory simply replies, “Bye, Bradley.” He knows full well if she does not attend the meal, she’s gone.
The dinner with Alex and other staff members happens. Bradley changes her mind and turns up at the meal. We witness an extra-long awkward hug between both women like it’s a modern-day cold war.
As the meal begins, Alex underestimates how much pain she caused back when the scandal was rife; Daniel refuses to accept her apology as he feels she fucked him over. To lighten tensions, Cory tries to give a speech and celebrates the return of Bradley and Alex, but it feels desperate on his part. Privately, Alex talks to Bradley to check she is okay, but it is clear her return is not as celebrated as she would have liked. Knowing the meal is over for her, Alex announces her departure but tells everyone there is history attached to her, but she’s worked on herself. She admits she has missed the workplace.
The ending
With tensions peaking, the ending of episode 2 sees Bradley chase after Alex, and she demands that things are different this time around. She gets more agitated at Alex’s justifications to what happened before, but then Alex minimizes Bradley’s problems and tells her that “people have actual problems.” Alex continues, telling her to compete with her and not to roll over. As Alex gets in the lift, Bradley reminds her that she never spoke to Mitch after leaving, who she worked with for 15 years.
Back in Italy, Fred finds Mitch, but he is not in the mood to talk and shuts the door on him. Meanwhile, Cory has a bigger problem than the show — Hannah’s family wants to go to trial and will not accept the settlement. With the argument with Bradley in Alex’s mind, she visits Chip and asks him to come back on the show to be her producer. Chip immediately accepts the offer — his resentment against her must weigh less than his new routine job.
What did you think of The Morning Show season 2, episode 2? Comment below.
