The Morning Show’s ‘We Want to Defect’ Note Meaning Has Real-Life Connections

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The fourth season of *The Morning Show* started with a compelling story involving an athlete seeking asylum, political conflicts, and a desperate plea for help. Interestingly, the central letter in the episode – “We want to defect” – is inspired by real events. The Apple TV+ drama has always drawn from real-world issues, like its exploration of the ‘Me Too’ movement in Season 1 and the influence of money on the media in Season 3.

Season 4 of The Morning Show began by addressing current events, specifically the situation of people from other countries seeking refuge in the United States, often to request asylum.

Even though Season 3 saw a slight decrease in viewers, *The Morning Show* remains a flagship series for Apple TV+. The show, which stars Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, Billy Crudup, and a talented ensemble cast, offers a behind-the-scenes look at the lives of those who work on a popular New York City morning news program.

The Morning Show’s ‘We Want To Defect’ Real-World Connections Explained

The letter Alex receives in the season four premiere of *The Morning Show* is compelling television – it’s what motivates Jennifer Aniston’s character to investigate a plea for help. Importantly, this storyline is inspired by real-life events and a very serious situation.

I was completely hooked from the very first episode of Season 4! It opens with Jennifer Aniston, playing Alex Levy, interviewing Roya Nazeri, this incredible athlete from Iran, before the Olympics. It’s during the interview that things get really intense. Roya’s father actually passes Alex a note – and it just said, in big letters, “We want to defect.” It was such a shocking moment, and immediately grabbed my attention!

Surprised by the athlete’s comment, Alex quickly changed the subject with a political question, effectively ending the interview and hoping to give the Olympian some time to compose herself. Meanwhile, Roya and her father seized the opportunity to escape, narrowly avoiding capture in a thrilling car chase that was made possible when Alex triggered the building’s fire alarm.

Alex, a journalist covering the pre-Olympic events, is instructed to avoid discussing political matters with the athletes. However, she defies these orders and turns to her father, a law professor played by Jeremy Irons, for advice.

I was so frustrated when he just told her it was impossible! But she wasn’t giving up, and honestly, her determination really struck a chord with me – especially as a longtime viewer of *The Morning Show*. It’s clear that moment is going to fuel a lot of what happens with her character for the rest of the season, and I’m completely invested in seeing where it goes.

This scene wasn’t completely made up. Like many parts of *The Morning Show*’s story, the “We want to defect” letter was inspired by real events.

Over the years, dozens of athletes, specifically from Iran, have defected to the United States. 

People often defect-publicly leave their country-to show their disapproval of their government’s policies or actions. In Iran, we’ve seen an increase in high-profile defections since the early 1980s, when the country became the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Since the revolution, Iran has been ruled by a totalitarian government. International organizations like the United Nations General Assembly and the Human Rights Commission have criticized Iran for its mistreatment of citizens, including the use of unlawful state actions and the execution of political prisoners (according to Al Jazeera).

As a result, many well-known Iranian athletes, celebrities, and diplomats have openly left the country to protest the current government and seek freedom.

Recently, 21-year-old Kimia Alizadeh, an Olympic medalist from Iran, left her home country. She won a bronze medal in taekwondo at the 2016 Rio Olympics and defected in 2020.

In an Instagram post reported by CNN, Alizadeh explained her decision to leave Iran, stating she was “one of the millions of women in Iran who have been manipulated and mistreated for years.”

Alizadeh, who previously won a medal for Iran and was the country’s first female Olympic medalist, recently became a Bulgarian citizen. She then competed for Bulgaria at the 2024 Summer Olympics and earned a bronze medal.

Several other prominent Iranians have also left the country, including Olympic judoka Saeid Mollaei, diplomat Mohammad Reza Heydari, and singer Marzieh.

The storylines in these accounts served as the basis for the Iranian fencing team plot in Season 4 of *The Morning Show*, and the request for asylum made by Roya Nazeri, played by Ava Lalezarzadeh.

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2025-09-18 21:36