The Morning Show Season 4 Episode 1 Review: ‘My Roman Empire’

The Morning Show Season 4 Episode 1 isn’t without its good moments, even some great ones that remind us why we became interested in this series in the first place. But to say that this season premiere is actually good would be to insult readers’ intelligence almost as much as some of what happens in this hour insults viewers’. Despite having actually watched the episode, it feels absolutely insane to type this next part: ‘My Roman Empire’ begins with Stella Bak doing her best “Tim ~~Apple~~ Cook trying to sell Apple Intelligence to the plebs” impression, moves on to Alex Levy deciding to play white savior to an Iranian Olympian and her father, and brings Bradley Jackson back to UBN…with Alex being the sole voice of reason there. (Mind you, she’s only reasonable for selfish reasons…but whatever.)

But wait! There’s more. There’s also a “manosphere” type of podcast dude in there, whose lines are as cringe as they are, horribly, probably about what you’d expect from a typical podbro. Cory Ellison is trying to make a movie, which isn’t going well. But he’s nothing if not a skilled groveler, so he’ll rise to the top just like that old saying about sh** says he will. And whatever you do, don’t think about Stella with the affair, or Alex’s father being both a terrible father and a misogynist, or whatever else comes up.

No, seriously. Don’t think about any of it. Because if you do, you might have to consider how this is just another case of “terrible people being terrible while we’re supposed to swallow this forced notion of them being the ‘good’ guys.”

Don’t get me wrong — there’s fun to be had in the “terrible people being terrible” genre, and antiheroes can be fascinating. But for a series that’s also trying to comment on The Issues (yes, proper noun here!), that doesn’t work right now. Someone has to be the hero. Unfortunately, in Season 3, the only character who came close to being a perfectly imperfect hero got assassinated. The Morning Show Season 4 Episode 1 doesn’t help but, instead, glosses over the consequences for Bradley’s actions. And, in a show of just how bad everything is, viewers are told to believe that “teaching at a community college in West Virginia, while living in a decent house while crying poor” was just so very hard on her.

Infuriatingly, Bradley’s fate is, in fact, worse than the ultimate (lack of) justice in the real world — Alex Levy being the only person reminding her she did something wrong upon her return to The Morning Show and all. But maybe that’s what makes this season premiere so difficult to watch. Getting topical only works if you’re in a position to shine a light on where it all went wrong and really, truly make it clear the perspective is “we messed up.” That’s not what this premiere appears to want to do. Not to mention, we already played the 20/20 hindsight game in Season 2.

MORE: We weren’t exactly thrilled with the The Morning Show Season 3 premiere either. And no, we don’t think the Season 3 finale was entirely earned.

More on The Morning Show Season 4 Episode 1

The way to not get me excited about a TV show is to include a bunch of AI slop. Regardless of where the season goes, that’s still a giant NO from me.
“The problem is they watch it in their own language and not on UBN.” Ah, yes. That’s a “problem” when viewers are watching an international event that’s supposed to bring people together across all cultures and whatnot. So true.
What are we doing here?
If Alex is the alleged protagonist, having her be the one to be all condescending “no, no, no” about replacing workers with AI…was a choice.
A lot of The Morning Show Season 4 Episode 1, especially the first half, was a CHOICE.
“Really.” Shari Belafonte with the line delivery of all line deliveries.
“The future sucks.” You have no idea.
See how the white woman flirts with the podbro when he talks like ChatGPT and mocks the idea of consent? Clearly part of the 53%.
Anyway. That “horse dancing” and “thing with the ribbon” both have people who could break him in half without breaking a sweat so.
“Please, God, do not let this man spread his seed. Do you believe this guy?” “I mean, 50 million other people do. Get used to it. He’s here to stay.” “Like a hemorrhoid?” Relevant.
“I think he’s kinda funny.” “That explains so much.” So real for this, too.
He can’t even pronounce guillotine. Also doesn’t seem to realize that Alex, as the wealthy “ruler” at this company, would be a guillotine victim.
“F— off, bro.” Every so often, Alex Levy speaks sense.
“Orange smoke? What, did they make Trump the Pope?” The First Amendment of the United States Constitution guarantees me the right to say: No. Worse.
Narrator: The Chip mention did, in fact, trigger her.
I…am not the right person to speak on whether or not the Roya Nazeri storyline perpetuates harmful stereotypes. What I can say is Alex Levy is not anybody’s savior, and we’re at a point in this series where even the things she probably actually does for selfless reasons still feel selfish. I think she seriously feels for that girl and wants to help her. (Only a soulless ghoul wouldn’t help someone trying to free an oppressive regime.) But, somehow, everything always winds up being all about Alex. It’s toxic.
Even so, despite the completely bizarre scenario the scene precedes — car chase and crash, like a big ol’ action epic and all! — Ava Lalezarzadeh is fantastic here. There’s this huge amount of emotion, but she plays it in such an understated and controlled way. She brings this bittersweet, almost dreamlike quality to Roya’s answer to Alex’s question about what the sport gives her. And it just works. It’s exactly the type of moment I’ll (probably grudgingly) keep coming back to hope to see.
Can’t figure out if Alex brought up Narges Mohammadi (who is, in fact, a real person) foolishly? Or because she actually knew it would cause a commotion so she could slip away. She’s just calculating enough I might assume the latter, but there are enough goofs in this Season 4 premiere, I genuinely don’t know. Like, we saw Alex’s reaction to the note before she even opened and read it? Ok then. The chase? The crash? The slow-mo as the car drives away (though, Lalezarzadeh is fabulous in that shot, too)? Too. Much.
Oh, hey! It’s Drag Race France: All Stars guest judge Marion Cotillard!
I’m so very confused about the Celine/Stella conversation, though. Did anyone think this was a way to endear us to the either of these people?
“We are the home of the Olympics. We’re f—ing Switzerland. We don’t take sides.” Just say you’re cowards and go.
“It’s elevated.” Cory Ellison thinks he’s RuPaul now. Confirmed.
Chris’ photoshoot is giving Simone Biles. Not mad about it.
Justice for Mia. Karen Pittman is phenomenal in the scene the character confronts Stella about her “feminist utopia where women lift each other up.” It’s one of those places where The Morning Show starts to actually make a statement…and then, frustratingly, abandon that clear-eyed view at the first opportunity.
“They make America feel better about their deeply ingrained fear of Black women…”
(I swear I’m not going to make weird Drag Race references all the time, but: The Marie Antoinette mention had me praying Michelle Visage doesn’t watch this show.)
Anyway, I don’t love (I hate) Mia and Stella being the two characters having this whole exchange about Bradley.
“Because she’s a woman who refuses to be defined by the f—d up men in her past…” The problem isn’t the men. It’s that she obstructed justice to protect her insurrectionist brother. Sure, by the end of the premiere, we find out that Mia and Stella never learned the full story. That…makes this slightly better? But it’s still…ugh. Viewers know what happened, even if these two don’t. So, it still just…is not pleasant to watch.
“I do think the tide is turning with the Jan. 6 stuff.” And then, Stella goes on and on about an important demo, and how the center “shifted,” and blahblahblah. The “shift” is because of cowards and CEOs only worried about “demo” and making cash. So, congrats on being true to life there, I guess.
…again: Is there anybody this series wants us to root for? Seems like no.
“In a world of conspiracy theories, where algorithms just tell us what we wanna hear, how do you get anyone to listen?” Probably by starting with telling the truth instead of whitewashing everything. IDK.
“You know what they say: Those who can, do. And those who can’t, try to convince twenty-somethings that our institutions aren’t fundamentally corrupt and irredeemable.” An actual slap in the face to educators to have her punishment be that her last resort, fall from grace, option is teaching.
Also: How is she going to explain to youths that the system isn’t corrupt, when her freedom is the product of that corruption?
“Two months in Yemen, then Gaza.” I guess…this is what they came up with for including more current events in the series without upsetting anyone? Just name drop some places?
“Well, that would be deja vu…you’re not serious.” You can totally see the second it dawns on her that Mia’s really asking her to come back.
“Cory’s gone. Laura’s gone.” And I guess that’s all we’re getting on that. Probably for the best.
“I thought I was your biggest secret.” “You’re my biggest mistake.”
“People have been silenced.” “Threatened.” You ain’t seen nothin’ yet.
“Find out. You’re the journalist.” Ok. Kinda lived for this.
The “THREATS V. FREE SPEECH” topic is…eerily timely.
I really want to feel for Alex in that scene with her dad — and I do. He is awful — but, again, this is someone who is…also awful. No matter how strong Jennifer Aniston’s performance is here (it is), it’s just difficult to root for the character.
“I was in the running years ago, but of course, they hired a woman.” And a woman couldn’t possibly measure up to you and your manly-man brain, huh?
Well. At least we get to see Bradley having to ask permission to go back to her old job and getting a stern talking-to from the FBI dude. It’s not good enough, considering. But it’s something.
“I don’t mean to be rude, but is there any way that you could shut the f**k up.” Big fan of this Doug guy.
“Bradley Jackson? Jesus. People don’t even F—ing remember her. You know, it was two years ago. That is a millennium in entertainment years. It would take a team of archaeologists to find her career. So, unless she’s dating Taylor Swift or discovered that she’s a minor Kardashian, the world does not. Give a F—!” “Wow. She really got to you, huh?” Again: Really love this Doug guy, not a fan of Cory (ever). And um. Considering how grossly obsessed with her he was (is), I guess the “no one cares” line is fitting. As in, so true since he’s No One.
The “hey, you” and “so, you’re not seeing anybody either” could’ve been romantic. These two basically deserve each other in their horribleness at this point, anyway.
See also: “It’s moving a little bit fast, but it feels right.”
“You crossed a line.” “How many lines have you crossed, Alex?” Yeah…
Deja vu indeed. Right back in the same place again, huh.
One of the best moments of The Morning Show Season 4 Episode 1: Cory getting that phone call from Alex. And I’m saying that because Billy Crudup was excellent there, all frozen shock-horror WTF. Totally not saying it because it’s the end.
(Ok. Maybe not just saying it because it’s the end of the premiere.)