After a really good season 3 finale, The Morning Show returned after a two-year hiatus with an episode that wastes no time pulling viewers back into its messy, fast-paced world of media, politics, and personal reckoning. Season 4 opens with plenty of intrigue, new dynamics, and just enough high-stakes drama to remind us why this Apple TV+ flagship remains such a talked-about series.
The episode opens with a discussion by Stella about the role of AI, a subtle but timely way to root the narrative in the current cultural discourse. Her musings on how artificial intelligence might reshape newsrooms feel particularly relevant, laying down a thematic thread that will likely run throughout the season. But before you know it, the first 15 minutes hook you in with Alex Levy aiding and abetting the running away of Roya - an Iranian Olympian - and her father, who want to defect. The sequence plays out like a thriller and sets UBN (formerly UBA) into a crisis as the network scrambles to handle the fallout, all while the Olympics serve as the tense and high-stakes backdrop.
This season picks up two years after the last one ended, with UBA now known as UBN. That shift alone signals the ways in which the network, like the characters, is still trying to reinvent itself. The Morning Show’s strength lies in its ability to weave together the very real challenges of modern journalism with deeply personal arcs, and this episode perfectly exemplifies that balance.
Of course, the question on many fans’ minds is: what became of Bradley Jackson after she walked into the FBI headquarters to come clean about deleting the video footage that could have gotten her brother convicted for assaulting a cop? We don’t find out until the 25th minute, and the reveal is worth the wait. Sure enough, she is doing better than can be imagined, and it makes you wonder if she was held accountable at all. The show seems to lean into the ambiguity, leaving viewers unsettled but intrigued about how her storyline will develop.
One of the most compelling developments in this opener is the revelation of Bradley’s deal with the FBI. Without giving too much away, it reframes her arc from victim to survivor while raising uncomfortable questions about accountability, privilege, and the compromises made in pursuit of redemption. It’s messy and morally gray, precisely the kind of storytelling the show thrives on.
In terms of pacing and scope, the episode strikes a careful balance between the adrenaline of the Roya subplot and the quieter, more personal beats that remind us why these characters resonate. The Olympics provide a vivid global stage, but the human conflicts - who gets protected, who gets punished, and who gets to tell the story - leave a lasting impression.
The first episode is a promising start to the new season. It re-establishes the stakes, teases complex arcs for Alex and Bradley, and reminds us why the world of UBN remains so endlessly fascinating. If this is any indication, season 4 will once again push its characters - and its audience - into uncharted territory, forcing us to question the media we consume and the people who create it.
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