S02.E06: A Private Person

[Lady Calypso]

Quote

The Morning Show welcomes a new face; Bradley gets a surprise visit.

 

[funnygirl]

Episode dropped a few hours early. 

No Alex. WTF. 

I did not sign up for the Bradley and Laura show.  

I liked that there was more Mia, though. I want to see her win, too. 

 

Edited October 22, 2021 by funnygirl

[littlepaw]

This is full-on soap opera now.

I did like Daniel's reply to the clueless fill-in weather doofus about how horrible it was to be outed. His demeanor and tone of voice was perfect. 

[pennben]

Oh, FFS this show is just actively bad. And the after credit ‘behind the show snippets’ show that they think it is deep and intelligent and meaningful. Woof. A bad show thinking it’s brilliant.

PS: If this show is to go another year, please nominate Reese for an acting Emmy this year, I don’t want to see the machinations to secure that in year 3 if she doesn’t get it with all the nonsense in year 2.

I would say I won’t watch, but I won’t because I find it strangely fascinating to watch what they are delivering versus what they think they are delivering. 

PPS:  it’s mildly surprising to me that Aaron Sorkin isn’t involved in this show—-gorgeously shot, brilliant actors, seemingly smart dialogue…until you think for a second. Think, “The Newsroom”. 
 

Edited October 22, 2021 by pennben

[juno]

This show has gone full on soap opera. At some point while I was watching this I thought there is a great cast but everyone is angry or holding a grudge against eachother. The main story continues to be about recovery after a horrific scandal. At some point it would be great to move on from that but unfortunately it seems to be the structure holding this show together.

No one seems to get along so I am not cheering for any of them. There is no humanity on this show just a bunch of angry, grudge holding entitled adults insulting and trying to harm eachother. Julianna Margulies does not emanate any humanity, humour or warmth, either it is her or her character but I loathe every moment she is on screen.

There was one moment of humanity in the show between Cory and Bradley but even that came across as a love sick Cory trying to comfort Bradley a person that courts drama and grudges.

Cybill is the only one making sense, the show needs to be cleaned up and she needs people to clean it up. So far Stella and Cory are unable to do that.

[BingeyKohan]

That was a halfway decent episode for RW (which I say as someone who does not generally enjoy the way the story pendulum has swung to Bradley so much this season). I feel like Laura was giving her pretty sound advice but something about the way she bristles when she feels Bradley has cut her off makes me wonder about her true character. 

I feel pretty sure that, though improbable, we're in for an Alex/Mitch reunion episode next week set in Italy. I do want more Alex this season, but not sure if that's what I meant by that wish. Especially if it means she brings Covid back to the US? I guess that'd be one way to change the narrative around Maggie B's book.

I like Stella! Loved her part where she told Chip they did not need a guess, they needed a doctor's appraisal on Alex. 

[Snazzy Daisy]

I think Laura Peterson is actually good for Bradley Jackson because she can tone her down. Geez Bradley, do you really think people care so much about the relationship gossip? 🙄

Alex is missing? Alex is actually in Lake Como with Mitch? Not surprising…

Cybil checked-in with Stella and told her to get all her 💩 together, this is excellent! 👍🏻 I still don’t like this Stella character.

Poor Cory 💔💔💔

 

[Espy]

Laura and Bradley’s relationship has such a mother-daughter dynamic. I see what Bradley gets out of it, but what does Laura get from it? Bradley is hard work. 
I did enjoy Laura’s “Yeah, I won’t be doing that” when Mia tried to get her to wear the stupid Groucho Marx stuff. Exactly what I would’ve said lol 

I missed Alex but didn’t even notice Mitch’s absence until the episode ended.

I feel like Chip should just cut his losses, go somewhere else, and get on with his life. Seriously. 
 

[Blakeston]

I'll say one thing for Laura - anyone who tells Bradley to grow up is okay in my book. Bradley was born in 1979 or 1980. (She was 15 when she had her abortion, and it was in 1995.) She's in her forties and she acts the way she does?!?!

I was surprised to see that Daniel still works for TMS. Has everyone forgotten about his bizarre, excruciating performance? I thought the shot of Stella leaving his dressing room was a quick way to show the audience he'd been fired, without needing to spell it out. But I guess I was expecting too much of the show.

The writing for the confrontation with the brother was just off. An addict should be better at manipulation than he was. And the "you're a mediocre white man!" thing in the scene with Chip was bizarre. I think the writers just really wanted a character to say that, and didn't care about who was saying it or what scene it was in.

 

 

[CarpeFelis]

Bradley’s brother should GTFO. He has a hell of a nerve showing up on her doorstep uninvited, expecting her to basically be his rehab which is A LOT, and then getting mean.

I had a really weird thought during one of the scenes where Covid in Italy was mentioned in passing. What if the writers put Mitch there so he dies of Covid and then Paola uses that as an opportunity to leak the interview she did with him?

[camom]

I enjoyed the first season, but this season is losing me.  I've come to dislike pretty much every self-centered egomaniacal character.  I keep wondering why anyone would willingly stay in a job there; I guess they thrive on negative pressure.  Surprisingly, the one character I like better this season is Mitch.  He has shown some growth and understanding and genuinely feels bad about Hannah.  Everyone else just cares about themselves.

[SoWindsor]

Didn’t like this at all. Feels very different than season 1 and not in a good way. I canceled my subscription to Apple TV.

[Sweet-tea]

The show is already struggling, and Alex’s absence made it worse. JA’s performance is one of the few bright spots this season. I wonder if she had to be off for some reason and they just wrote it into the script. 

Edited October 23, 2021 by Sweet-tea

[Blakeston]

5 hours ago, Sweet-tea said:

The show is already struggling, and Alex’s absence made it worse. JA’s performance is one of the few bright spots this season. I wonder if she had to be off for some reason and they just wrote it into the script. 

Maybe she was writing in "back pain" after hearing those stupid rumors that she was shacking up with David Schwimmer? 😆

Can someone who's more familiar with TV news than me explain what Chip's job is? Last season he was the producer of the show, but now he's Alex's producer. He seems more like her errand boy than anything else, but there has to be more to it than that.

[lovinbob]

I find it very hard to believe that in 2020, a story about two TV news personalities would trump whatever salacious shit Fred had on Hannah, a woman who died by overdose after being involved in a front page harassment scandal. 

I also wish they were more straightforward about Bradley’s family. For some reason I don’t buy that her brother is using again—it seems like Bradley would have been able to recognize it. There’s more there than meets the eye but it’s frustrating because whatever mystery is there, they don’t seem to be executing it well. 

[TimWil]

On 10/22/2021 at 2:18 AM, pennben said:

Oh, FFS this show is just actively bad. And the after credit ‘behind the show snippets’ show that they think it is deep and intelligent and meaningful. Woof. A bad show thinking it’s brilliant.

 

It’s genuinely wince inducing to listen to the producers toss out platitudes like “Karen Pittman plays Mia with such magnificence that we can SEE her pain, SEE her complexity, SEE her struggle.”

Karen Pittman is very good in the role but the only thing we’re seeing her struggle with is how the f**k to make a relatively fleshed out human being emerge from a bad script. Mia is actually far from a complex character although Pittman makes a valiant attempt to make that possible.

I think Mitch will fall ill and die from Covid and as a result Maggie’s book will be shelved (pardon my pun), paving the way for Alex to return to TMS.

I did enjoy Yanko’s crack about people thinking he wears eye make-up off camera. I remember first seeing Nestor Carbonell on 24 and wondering why he seemed to be wearing very distinctive eyeliner. It was distracting.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited October 24, 2021 by TimWil

[tvfanatic13]

I am really struggling with this season. I think foe me the main difference with season 1 was that I binged it in a couple of sittings. This show is better with no breaks in between episodes. 

[TV Diva Queen]

who was that woman yelling at Chip in Alex's apartment?  and WTF Chip - shave (or at least clean up your messy stubble), put on a decent outfit and stop walking around like someone stole your dog.  Geez

[desertflower]

These people are all so miserable! Why Chip wants to work there again is beyond me. It’s going to be really sad if he loses his nice fiancée because of all the time he gives to this job that sucks the life out of everyone. Hopefully all the side characters working in the crew are leading happy and productive lives; someone on this show deserves to have a little peace! 

[BusyOctober]

So, is the rest of this season going to be an hour’s worth of egomaniacs sitting in very dark rooms complaining that being wealthy/famous/ successful is “soooo hard, you guys!!”? Because if so,  I don’t know if it’s going to make it it to another season.  I may not make it through this season.  I’m trying to stick it out to see Mitch’s outcome, but damn Show, it’s getting more difficult every week.

[BingeyKohan]

Like the above poster, I have to wonder what the rest of the season can even deliver at this point. We sort of know or heavily suspect at this point that

Spoiler

the next episode brings Alex and Mitch together in Italy and I think takes place entirely there (no check-ins with the rest of the cast in New York)

Then if it's a 10-episode season there are 4 episodes for Maggie Brenner's book to come out, for the Hannah lawsuit to play out, for Alex to return (again) or not, for Alex and Bradley to maybe have a scene or two together, for Laura to reveal herself to be nefarious (or not), and for Covid to take over the world - a scenario in which these characters are no longer interacting in person anyway because they would have sorted out some kind of individual in-home remote filming situation, which obviously wouldn't make for great tv. I can't say any of that intrigues me particularly.

Spoiler

I remember reading in a review of the season that one character gets sick and "bravely" rallies to appear on a UBA broadcast, though they have to film from their home ... I have to suspect this is Alex, having contracted Covid in Italy, and perhaps self-servingly she'll be glad to have had Covid to bury the headlines coming from Maggie's book. That's just a guess. 

 

[mbgriffith1]

This was a terrible episode, but perhaps the most unrealistic part was pretending that JM/Laura Peterson would ever be a morning show host.  She has the charisma of a (really boring) door knob.

[Carolina Girl]

I was trying to find out what the viewership numbers were compared to last year.  

I've had a few friends who couldn't wait for Season 2 tell me they've already tapped out.  

[Sweet-tea]

On 10/26/2021 at 4:19 PM, mbgriffith1 said:

This was a terrible episode, but perhaps the most unrealistic part was pretending that JM/Laura Peterson would ever be a morning show host.  She has the charisma of a (really boring) door knob.

I didn’t think of this until you said it, but I agree. Her tone of voice is kind of flat and lacking emotion. That combined with her frozen face makes her come across as robotic. 

Is Cory in love with Bradley? I can’t figure out where they’re going with the storyline. 

Edited October 28, 2021 by Sweet-tea

[Trillium]

2 hours ago, Sweet-tea said:

I didn’t think of this until you said it, but I agree. Her tone of voice is kind of flat and lacking emotion. That combined with her frozen face makes her come across as robotic. 

Is Cory in love with Bradley? I can’t figure out where they’re going with the storyline. 

Considering they are trying to base her character (I think) on Rachel Maddow, Laura isn’t working for me at all. Rachel has a personality, Laura doesn’t. 
 

Since I have to pay for Apple TV so I can rewatch Ted Lasso, I’ll stick with it, if only for the train-wreckiness of it. Unlike that show, which most of the characters are working on becoming the best versions of themselves, here you have characters racing to win a “who’s the shittiest” prize. 

[pennben]

What??!! They are basing her on Rachel Maddow?  No, just no.  If that was goal, they failed. Rachel has charisma & smarts& an ability to weave a story. I see nothing at all in this character. 

[Espy]

Oh. I thought Laura was supposed to be a Diane Sawyer type but Rachel Maddox makes sort of sense, they just haven’t cast or written the character well. 

[pennben]

No, Maddow doesn’t make sense. Unless one thinks it makes sense because the character is gay & so is Maddow & ignore that Maddow isn’t morning show person & isn’t a generation earlier  & just everything else about everything. Lord. This show. 

[Trillium]

10 hours ago, pennben said:

No, Maddow doesn’t make sense. Unless one thinks it makes sense because the character is gay & so is Maddow & ignore that Maddow isn’t morning show person & isn’t a generation earlier  & just everything else about everything. Lord. This show. 

I could be wrong but it was more the Laura Peterson 365 show on their “sister” news staton lead me to believe they were going for a Maddow type (sans the morning show background) character. Whatever it is, they are failing hard. 

[Ms Blue Jay]

On 10/26/2021 at 5:19 PM, mbgriffith1 said:

This was a terrible episode, but perhaps the most unrealistic part was pretending that JM/Laura Peterson would ever be a morning show host.  She has the charisma of a (really boring) door knob.

SO true

On 10/28/2021 at 7:29 AM, Sweet-tea said:

I didn’t think of this until you said it, but I agree. Her tone of voice is kind of flat and lacking emotion. That combined with her frozen face makes her come across as robotic. 

Yes and she also seems very smug and "superior".

[wendyg]

Julianna Margulies was I thought perfectly cast in THE GOOD WIFE, where the character was so restrained and repressed. But she's utterly miscast in this. It's not just her character seems blank; she and Reese Witherspoon have no chemistry whatsoever.

[juno]

Never mind

Edited November 7, 2021 by juno

[Pop Tart]

This episode did get super-soapy and clearly I’m In the minority, but I’m still really enjoying the show and have been engrossed with each episode. 

I like Laura with Bradley. I didn’t expect it at all, but I like the way Bradley is with Laura. And I’m loving the general messiness of everyone else. And all the power plays and subtext in every interaction. I totally believe that people in this kind of high-powered, public facing business would be competitive and jealous and petty and dramatic and small…

I admit it… it’s working for me.

[mostlylurking]

On 10/24/2021 at 3:35 PM, TimWil said:

did enjoy Yanko’s crack about people thinking he wears eye make-up off camera. I remember first seeing Nestor Carbonell on 24 and wondering why he seemed to be wearing very distinctive eyeliner. It was distracting.

He was also on Lost and I thought the same thing!

On 10/25/2021 at 2:37 PM, desertflower said:

Why Chip wants to work there again is beyond me. It’s going to be really sad if he loses his nice fiancée because of all the time he gives to this job that sucks the life out of everyone.

I know, Chip is such a sad sack. And his unkempt appearance just makes it worse. Hair a mess, looks like he hasn’t had a decent nights sleep in years, rumpled clothes. I’m not a fan. 

 

On 10/29/2021 at 10:27 PM, Espy said:

Oh. I thought Laura was supposed to be a Diane Sawyer type but Rachel Maddox makes sort of sense, they just haven’t cast or written the character well. 

Basing the character on a Diane Sawyer-type reporter makes more sense to me. She’s more reserved and their personalities match more. Rachel Maddow is charismatic, super smart and funny. I don’t see that in Laura. 

[Anela]

The first season was definitely better.  
Cory outed her, out of jealousy and spite.  What a dick.