The Morning Show Recap: Parenting Techniques For Dummies

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It’s surprisingly common for adult children, even those in their 50s, to still be deeply affected by their parents. It’s not just a problem for young people. It’s unfortunate that Alex and Cory are currently feuding, because they both have parents with serious emotional issues, and they’d likely find common ground discussing their experiences – especially after everything that happened in ‘The Parent Trap’.

Cory experiences a deeply traumatic event when his mother attempts suicide before his eyes, but honestly, Alex has an even worse day. Already strained in her relationship with her father, Martin, Alex receives a late-night call informing her that he’s been arrested for public intoxication and vandalism – specifically, urinating on a statue of Paul Revere. She brings him home to sober up, but he disappears by morning, and a video of the incident quickly goes viral. This adds immense stress to an already difficult day, as Alex is scheduled to meet with the White House press team to discuss a potential meeting with President Biden. Her father’s behavior creates chaos just when she needs to be focused and professional.

Martin Levy continues to cause trouble, and it doesn’t look like it will stop anytime soon. He showed up at Alex’s office demanding an interview to address accusations of plagiarism and an embarrassing public incident. He believes his reputation is suffering because people aren’t thinking critically, and also because of his daughter’s fame. He insists Alex is to blame for his problems and expects her to fix them, but she refuses. While this feels like the right decision, it leads to unexpected issues. Alex’s meeting with White House officials seems to be going well, although the timeline they give her—likely the first two weeks of July—reminds her of difficult times in 2024. She’s momentarily hopeful about a big career win, but that feeling quickly vanishes when she sees her father as a guest on Bro Hartman’s podcast.

Martin Levy unexpectedly showed up at Bro’s studio and launched into a tirade about people unfairly criticizing older men, arguing they should be appreciated instead. Bro reluctantly agreed to let him on the show, especially after discovering he was Alex’s father. While still upset that Alex had cut off contact with him – and visibly uncomfortable remembering their intimate past – he didn’t realize how much trouble this appearance would cause. Alex forcefully removed Martin from the studio, but not before he made a snide remark about her dating choices. The damage, however, was already done. Shortly after, Alex received a call from the White House informing her the interview was cancelled due to the fallout with her father. His comments on Bro’s podcast were seen as damaging to the White House’s efforts to combat ageism. Alex, initially appearing furious enough to break her car window, instead calmly but intensely confronted him, explaining he had ruined weeks of negotiation.

Martin is unable to move past their issues, and he accompanies Alex back to her apartment where they finally have a long-overdue, emotional confrontation. Frankly, Martin behaves poorly. He criticizes Alex for not taking responsibility, while simultaneously blaming her for his own shortcomings. This leads Alex to express her lifelong struggle to meet his expectations, feeling she never quite measured up. To make matters worse, he insults her intelligence – a particularly hurtful blow coming from her father and only parent, even if delivered with a sophisticated tone.

The argument takes a painful turn when Martin reveals the truth to Alex for the first time. He explains that after Alex was born, her mother struggled with severe, unrecognized postpartum depression. Despite his efforts to help, her condition worsened, and she eventually left. Martin admits he never wanted children and cherished his life with his wife, leading him to blame Alex for the loss of his happiness. He cruelly tells her that his wife left him “with this messy child I didn’t want,” a deeply hurtful statement. Alex is stunned to realize her lifelong issues with her father stem from his resentment towards her. It becomes clear that this animosity will never change. While Alex isn’t perfect, she doesn’t deserve such pain. Heartbroken, she asks him why he couldn’t love her and points out that she is the legacy he constantly worries about. He remains silent and walks away, leaving a wound that feels irreparable.

So, Cory was intensely focused on picking a wig for his lead actress, treating it like a monumental decision. Then, he got a call from his mother saying she’d changed her plans for ending her life – instead of going to Switzerland, she was going to do it at home. It’s a terrible situation, and I’m still grappling with whether it was kinder to keep Cory in the dark and deny him a final goodbye, or to tell him and risk him witnessing her suicide. We see it play out, and it’s heartbreaking.

When Cory arrived at his mother’s house, he found a wig in his car and immediately tried to talk her out of whatever she was planning. But his mother, Mama Ellison, was showing signs of dementia and insisted on making her own decisions while she still could. Cory, who always felt like a child around her, pleaded with her to reconsider. She told him he was her proudest achievement, then seemed on the verge of revealing a big secret, but stopped herself. Instead, she asked him to bring in the wig. While he was getting it, she took a pill. She died peacefully as Cory excitedly began pitching his new movie idea – about a former prosecutor with a point to prove and an attractive client – which, all things considered, wasn’t a bad way to go. She’d carefully planned everything to minimize Cory’s worries, even setting an alarm to remind him about the coroner’s arrival and to ensure he left before anyone came, avoiding potential legal issues.

After spending hours grieving by his mother’s body, Cory does what feels inevitable and goes on a reckless night out with Celine Dumont, fueled by cocaine. They dance and lose themselves in the moment, and Cory surprisingly spends a lot of time reminiscing about the Columbia House CD club, seemingly longing for the stability of his childhood and the feeling that his parents would always be there for him. If up until now, Cory has been managing his grief, it’s clear things are about to escalate dramatically.

In Other News

Apparently, Bradley Jackson was sent on a covert mission to find the person who leaked information about Wolf River, and now she could be held in a Belarusian prison. Honestly, The Morning Show feels like a completely random and unpredictable story at this point.

Celine’s brother shows up right after the drama surrounding her wedding, immediately criticizing her and delivering a message from their father: he wants her to end things with Miles and come home. Celine tries to explain that if she maintains control of UBN as both CEO and board president, they’ll have incredible influence over public opinion. To illustrate her point, she uses Bro Hartman, who’s publicly promoting France’s struggling efforts to clean the Seine River before the Olympics – a project her brother is leading. Celine argues that if Bro, with his massive social media following, declares the water clean, people will believe it. This persuasive tactic almost wins over the Dumont family, though they still strongly urge Celine to break up with Miles.

I’m really curious to see how things play out now that a friend is running for Senate in New Jersey and Celine has pledged her support.

What line from Cory’s movie do you think he liked the most? Sadly, we never actually heard him say it! What’s your best guess?

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2025-11-05 11:55