The Morning Show Season 4 Ending Explained

A UBN without star journalist Alex Levy? That’s what “The Morning Show” might look like in the forthcoming fifth season, thanks to the events of Wednesday’s Season 4 finale.

In a moment, we’ll want to know what you thought of the Apple TV series’ wrap-up. But first, a quick recap of Episode 10, “Knowing Violation.”

It’s Day 28 of Bradley’s imprisonment in Belarus, and no one has been able to talk to or see her since she was nabbed at the airport. Her days are spent in a dirty-looking cell, where her captors use bright lights and blaring heavy metal music to keep her from sleeping. Every once in a while, the torturous conditions ease up, and she’s questioned about whom she was planning to meet in the country. Bradley’s certainly the worse for wear, but she’s not completely gone: When the guard passes her a pencil and paper on which to write the person’s name, she scrawls “F**k you.”

Back in New York, the Environmental Protection Agency granted Chip’s Freedom of Information Act request and sent him the Wolf River report… only the numbers on the official document don’t match up with the internal document Bradley & Co. got their hands on earlier this season. If Chip and Alex can prove that Bradley was right about an EPA cover-up, they reason, maybe the news value of that story can push federal officials to do something about bringing Bradley home.

But who can help the journos nail it down? Enter Cory, who tells Chip he doesn’t know anything and can’t help. But we know that he’s thinking about Bradley, particularly about an evening when they were naked in his bed and discussing the night he told her he loved her way back in Season 2. “You scared the s**t out of me that night,” she whispers, admitting that she’s afraid of ruining everything between the two of them. He admits the same. It’s a sweet, quiet moment between two deeply not-OK people.

Chip’s visit shakes something loose in Cory: After he goes to Central Park and sits on a rock with some turtles for a while (please note: this is not an exaggeration or euphemism — that’s exactly what he does), he fishes the papers his mom left him out of his dad’s jacket. Then he asks Celine if she had anything to do with Bradley’s disappearance; she maintains ignorance, but says she’ll help. “I know you feel alone,” she says as she cradles him close, “but I’m here. I’m with you.”

Over at the network, Ben tasks Mia with investigating an unauthorized access of the AI system right before Alex’s kerfuffle with the Iranian fencer and her father. (Side note: Mia doesn’t work there anymore, right? She works for Chris? Why is she in the building all the time, and why is she taking any direction from Ben? If there’s a scene I missed, please shout it out in the comments.) Mia uncovers that a crew member accessed the system to mess with Alex’s AI, and when she promises to keep his name out of it, he confesses that Celine asked him to do so.

A phone call later, Alex bursts into Celine’s office and accuses her of making the deep fake in an effort to end Alex’s career at the network. Celine is unbothered: She counters that she knows about Alex’s visit to the opera/doing business with a Russian oligarch, which put UBN at legal risk. So she gives Alex 24 hours to resign, or she’ll go to the feds with what she knows.

After a frantic check-in with Paul (“You stopped me; I’m pretty sure you can shut her down,” he says, which is supportive in the weirdest way possible — also, this is something we’re just joking about now?), Alex runs to Cory’s to ask him to give up some dirt on Celine… then Celine walks in the door. Alex, who didn’t realize that her old boss and her new boss were sleeping together, shakes her head in disbelief as she walks out. (Side note: I loved Jennifer Aniston’s line reading on, “Of course. I mean, why wouldn’t you?”)

Next thing we know, Alex is sitting on the “Morning Show” couch, telling Chris and Yanko that she’s been thinking about leaving the network for a while but is finally pulling the trigger. It’s a huge lie, of course — and when Martin unexpectedly shows up at his daughter’s place later, he’s aware something is up. “I know the hallmarks of a forced confession,” he tells her, suddenly much more respectful of her work and the imminent loss of it.

Meanwhile, an angry Miles bangs on Cory’s door; he knows that Cory and Celine are together, kinda, and he’s angry about it. Not sure you’ve got a lot of ground to stand on, my guy, but you’re going to further the plot, so I will allow it. Miles takes great glee in informing Cory that he’s “the fall guy” Celine intends to throw to the wolves if/when things go south at UBN. What’s more: Cory’s mom, Martha, wasn’t a whistleblower — “She was part of it. She brokered the deal with Celine,” Miles says, sneering. Martha buried the original report and paid friends at the EPA to doctor the results, and Cory only got his original job at the network because his mom intervened when he was spiraling in Los Angeles. “Stay away from my f**king wife,” Miles says as he storms out, leaving a flabbergasted Cory in his wake.

Back at the penthouse, Martin has an idea: Alex should break her non-disclosure agreement and sue Celine and UBN for wrongful termination, and in the process perhaps some information will slip out that they can use to pursue the EPA story and leverage Bradley’s release. Chip thinks it’s a “suicide mission,” but buckle up, Chippie: Alex is calling a press conference for the next day! Cory speeds to stop his former anchor from going public, but she says she doesn’t care about the fallout.

So Mia is in the control room during UBA’s morning broadcast when Alex and her father take to the podium at the courthouse downtown; soon, Mia has shamed Ben into airing the footage live, despite Celine’s protests. As Alex goes on about how she was forced out of the company, Cory calls Celine to let her know that he’s at the courthouse. “Tell her if she doesn’t stop, Bradley will never come back home!” Celine shouts into her cell, but stops when she hears the echo of her own words: Cory has handed his iPhone over to Alex, who is playing Celine’s rant into the microphone so everyone can hear. I think producer Rena sums it up best in the control room when she utters: “Oh f**k.”

In a flashback to Alex’s lobby earlier that morning, we see Cory tell Alex that he thinks his mom might’ve killed herself because “she just couldn’t face me.” Alex assures him that’s not the case, then they collude to bring down Celine. Speaking of which: Celine tries to run from the building, but she’s stopped by Ben and some security guards. La vie, it is not so belle.

So Celine’s brother rounds her up and flies her home, where she expects her father to grind her into the ground. UBN’s board of trustees will choose an interim CEO; is it just us, or does Mia — who spends a moment musing in Celine’s old office — have designs on the role? And Alex has a brief-yet-meaningful moment with Paul (yep, they’re still super into each other) before she takes his jet to Minsk and has a tearful reunion with Bradley on the tarmac. As they hug and Bradley sobs, Alex says, “Let’s get you home,” and the ladies board the plane as the episode goes to black.

Now it’s your turn. Do we think Alex and/or Bradley will be back at UBN in Season 5? Grade “The Morning Show” finale — and Season 4 as a whole — via the posts below. Then hit the comments with all of your thoughts!