The Morning Show Season-Finale Recap: Free Bradley Jackson

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After four seasons, Apple finally showcased its products – an iPhone and AirPods – as key players in The Morning Show. Hopefully, this signals a new marketing approach for AirPods: highlighting how effortlessly they connect with iPhones, even to the point of dramatically exposing a villain on screen with a simple tap. It’s a clever way to sell a product! While the downfall of Celine Dumont is more complex than simply switching audio devices, the show portrays it as surprisingly straightforward – and incredibly satisfying to watch.

Bradley Jackson has been held in Belarus for 28 days and is reportedly being subjected to torture – including sleep deprivation through harsh lights and loud music. Despite this, she continues to protect the identity of the person she was meeting, even though revealing their name could potentially clear her of the charges against her. She previously compromised another source, Claire, under pressure, but now she’s refusing to break. She’s a journalist, and she’s determined to protect her source, this time.

Alex and Chip, working to help Bradley Jackson, are facing a tough situation. The State Department hasn’t prioritized Bradley’s case and, after a month, still hasn’t determined if her arrest was lawful. They aren’t offering any assistance, and public attention to her story is fading. However, Bradley’s reports from her source at Martel Chemical reveal that the water contamination numbers for Wolf River don’t match the official EPA report. The issue is proving someone intentionally altered the data. They do know Cory previously had access to the original EPA report, so he might have some answers.

Dealing with Cory is difficult right now, even beyond his usual issues. He’s deeply hurting, angry, and overwhelmed with grief. He’s mourning the loss of his mother to suicide and simultaneously heartbroken over a woman he loves who is imprisoned. Because of all this, when Chip asks for Cory’s help exposing a cover-up to free Bradley, Cory refuses. Chip is surprised – he thinks this is a terrible time to hold a grudge, especially with Bradley’s life on the line, and reminds Cory that Bradley was also hurt by their falling out. But Cory feels betrayed by both Bradley and his mother and doesn’t care about anything or anyone at the moment.

After talking to Chip, Cory remembers a surprisingly honest and emotional conversation he once had with Bradley. He starts really thinking about life, love, and a secret his late mother left him – EPA reports hidden in a memory box. He compares the original report to a newer, “official” version Chip provided, and discovers the numbers have been altered to look better. This confirms Bradley’s suspicions of a cover-up, and Cory now has proof. This evidence could potentially get Bradley released from prison, but Cory is considering a deal with Celine instead. He believes she’s involved in keeping Bradley imprisoned in Belarus to silence her, and he’s offering her the EPA report in exchange for her help in freeing Bradley. If Celine and her family use their influence to get Bradley out, Cory will hand over the report for her to handle as she sees fit.

Cory is wrestling with a moral decision, but other things are happening too. Mia investigates unusual activity with Alex’s AI software and quickly finds out that Celine Dumont, the show’s villain, secretly hired a producer named Bart to alter footage of Alex speaking with an Iranian fencer. Celine created a fake video of Alex, hoping to get her fired, but that plan failed.

When Alex found out what was really going on, she angrily confronted Celine, accusing her of falsely promoting a sense of camaraderie, and immediately demanded Celine’s resignation. However, Alex was mistaken if she thought that would solve anything. Instead, Celine dropped a bombshell: she knew Alex had tried to make a deal with a Russian oligarch who is under sanctions. Celine threatened to expose Alex’s actions unless she resigned within 24 hours, which would jeopardize UBN with the FCC and ruin Alex’s career.

Even Paul Marks believes they’re trapped. They can’t let the federal authorities discover their near-deal with Ivanov that happened at the opera. Alex, desperate, turns to Cory for help taking down Celine. However, when she sees Celine casually enter Cory’s apartment, she realizes they’re having an affair, and her last hope is ruined. Her sarcastic remark, “I mean… why wouldn’t you?” as she leaves, is particularly harsh.

Alex Levy has left UBN, and she was even given a farewell segment on TMS. However, don’t assume this is the end of season four of The Morning Show. Despite Alex losing her job and Bradley being imprisoned in Belarus, there’s still one more potential move, and surprisingly, it’s suggested by Martin Levy.

Martin visits his daughter after her dramatic departure from UBN, and it seems their recent, intense fight actually brought them closer – he just wants to support her. He suspects her confession wasn’t genuine and presses her for the complete truth, which she shares. Martin then suggests Alex sue Celine and UBN for unfair dismissal. He believes this will force them to reveal crucial information during legal proceedings, potentially exposing the truth about the Wolf River story and bringing Celine down. It’s a dangerous plan – Celine’s powerful family will likely retaliate fiercely – but Alex feels it’s her only remaining option.

Okay, so things really hit the fan for Cory. It turns out Celine’s husband, Miles, has been doing some soul-searching in the woods – mostly about his messed-up marriage and a serious craving for… well, let’s just say he’s been wanting a different kind of comfort food. He comes back to find evidence of Celine and Cory’s affair, and immediately confronts Cory, demanding he stay away from his wife. But that’s not even the worst of it. Miles drops a bombshell: Cory’s mother, Martha, is the one who strong-armed the EPA into covering up the truth about Wolf River! Apparently, she pulled some serious strings – trading favors with Celine to get Cory that big Head of News job in New York. She was desperate to get him back on track after seeing him struggle in LA, and she was willing to sacrifice everything – her integrity, everything – to make sure he succeeded. It’s a truly shocking reveal, and it completely shatters Cory’s perception of his own life and his mother’s motives.

Cory is falling apart, and it seems like his mother’s sudden departure might be connected to his struggles. Even as she left, she couldn’t admit what she’d done, simply leaving him with the evidence. Around the same time, Cory finds out Alex is planning a press conference to reveal Celine’s involvement and announce a lawsuit. He rushes to Alex’s home, desperately trying to convince her it’s a terrible plan, warning her that Celine will destroy her life. But Alex is determined to be honest, believing that revealing the truth might be the key to bringing Bradley home.

Okay, so in The Morning Show, they really try to drag out the suspense, making you think Cory won’t step up and do the right thing. But then you find out that during that talk, he actually admits his mom was the one who helped Celine cover up everything with Wolf River, and he’s got proof! Alex even points out, “Maybe she gave it to you so you would do what she couldn’t.” It’s a clever moment, because that’s when they start hatching a plan – it’s like everything clicks into place.

Alex and her father publicly reveal some shocking news, and Alex doesn’t hold back when speaking about Celine Dumont. Just as Martin expected, Celine is completely caught off guard and furious. She’s even more upset when she discovers that TMS – thanks to a little push from Mia – is reporting the story as breaking news, despite her earlier order to Ben to ignore it. Then, Cory makes a perfectly timed phone call to make the situation even worse. He believes Alex is willing to do anything to protect Bradley, and that’s her biggest weakness – she’s determined to bring him home. Cory relentlessly pressures Celine, telling her he’s at the press conference and will try to stop Alex. Celine explodes, vowing to ensure Bradley Jackson never returns from Belarus, and she sounds terrifyingly serious. But then she realizes Cory has put the call on speakerphone and handed the phone to Alex, who is now broadcasting her threats to the media. With no other options, Celine is forced to fly back to France on her family’s private jet and face whatever consequences her father decides upon.

It was satisfying to see Celine face consequences, but Marion Cotillard was also a joy to watch on the chaotic show, The Morning Show. Hopefully, this isn’t the end for Celine, and she’ll be back to cause trouble at UBN in her impeccable suits.

Now that Celine is no longer involved and Bradley Jackson’s story of being held captive is back in the news, Alex quickly works to get her friend released. It becomes even simpler when Paul, who still has feelings for Alex, offers his location as a base for Alex to travel to Minsk and bring Bradley home. Their reunion on the airport tarmac is emotional, with Alex explaining that Bradley’s story has been made public and had a big impact. While the future of UBN and its staff is uncertain—Mia seems determined to become CEO—one thing is clear: Bradley Jackson is finally free, truly free, and that’s great news.

In Other News

I find Paul surprisingly lovable when he’s complaining about Bradley Jackson, even saying she’s a mess while supposedly trapped in a difficult situation in Eastern Europe. I just can’t bring myself to dislike him, even when he’s constantly critical of her, especially when she’s vulnerable.

• Uh, are Mia and Ben going to fuck in Paris? I … love this.

Cory Ellison had a rough 2024, marked by a particularly bleak question – would it be worse to manipulate someone with false affection for personal gain, or to attempt suicide in their presence? Hopefully, he’s looking forward to a fresh start in the new year.

I’m not sure how Jennifer Aniston and Jon Hamm managed to make their lines – “I’ve been enough of a pain” and “Well, I’m developing a tolerance” – so romantic, but they absolutely nailed it. It was surprisingly sweet!

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2025-11-19 05:56