The Morning Show Season 4 Episode 6 Review: Stella, What Did You Expect?

The Morning Show Season 4 Episode 6 ‘If Then’ focuses on everything crashing down on Stella Bak in the most predictable way possible. The hour certainly has some strong aspects — Greta Lee’s performance in particular. But it suffers from (among other season-wide issues) way, way too much explaining everything to everyone all the time. That comes mainly from a voiceover that, while admittedly lovely in some places and well narrated by Lee throughout, spoon-feeds viewers too much recap of what we already know…all while trying to fill in the gaps on plot and development the series should’ve shown us.

The other side of this problem comes in the actual conversations some of these characters have. Sure, Cory Ellison rambles and likes to hear himself talk and all, but that doesn’t mean Stella and Miles need to explain their entire history when they’re in the middle of a breakup. In fact, I’d even argue that nothing about that plot point has been particularly necessary this season at all. Stella could choose to leave it all behind, not because some guy who’s cheating on his wife with her put the idea in her head but because she just had to after, well, everything. For her. And let’s be real: There are a bazillion scandals Cory could use as his leverage to slink back into UBN. Or, better yet: Do something that isn’t the same old, same old — and have him actually earn something for once.

All things considered, The Morning Show Season 4 Episode 6 isn’t necessarily bad. It’s just that it’s yet another episode, in a long line of them, that has all the right ingredients, only to dump them all together in a lot of wrong ways.

MORE: We weren’t impressed with The Morning Show Season 4 Episode 4 either.

“…you’re not one of us. You never were.”

Somewhere, mixed up in all the mess that is The Morning Show Season 4, there actually are some plot points worth paying attention to. In Episode 6, everything Stella has done to gain and maintain power at UBN, every betrayal of both her own supposed vision and the people around her, collapses. And it’s fitting that Mia, who she promised a promotion to only to betray her — first by repeatedly making excuses and making her wait, then by outright stabbing her in the back and giving that job to a man to save her own skin — is the one to force her to see what she’s become. Lee’s performance has shown hints of that self-awareness (and self-loathing) all season, but the character has managed to keep the professional mask in place whenever she absolutely had to.

The scene where Stella and Mia have that tense standoff, with Stella leveling that deadly glare on her former coworker (maybe even could’ve been friend) and outright accusing her of trying to leverage her and Mia giving back just as good (or maybe as stone cold) as she gets, is easily one of the best parts of The Morning Show Season 4 Episode 6. Lee and Karen Pittman are fantastic. And when Mia goes in for the kill, knowing exactly where to aim to maximize Stella’s pain, there’s a real purpose and truth to the moment.

“You know, I remember when you got this job. You said you were gonna do it differently, do it right. And here you are, surrounded by white people and stepping on women of color to stay in that chair.”

Those lines are the perfect way to hurt Stella because she does feel guilty. Not only that, but it speaks to a larger issue. Out here in the real world, and in there behind the scenes of that fictional network, that’s what happens. People claim to have good intentions, and once they get a taste of power, corruption set in. They abandon their ideals and adapt, little by little, until nothing’s left. But Stella and Mia’s story isn’t just the age-old “absolute power corrupts absolutely” message — though, that’s certainly a part of it. Instead, there’s a continuation of what Mia getting passed over represents for a specific community — the lower pay, getting fired first when the times get tough, having to fight at least 10 times as hard to get a shot, and more.

Now, we have this added look, through Stella, at how members of marginalized groups sometimes think they can do the work of white supremacy, or take advantage of their proximity to whiteness, in order to get ahead. It simply doesn’t work. Sooner or later, those people — more often than not, Black women — you stepped on aren’t going to be around anymore when you need them. Not only that, but the people you tried to fit in with, or please, or whatever, will never fully accept you. And then what? As we see with Stella needing Chris Hunter for that Olympics coverage while Mia refuses to make a deal that isn’t what Chris and her deserved all along, you’re no longer on solid ground. And so, it all comes crumbling down.

The Morning Show Season 4 Episode 6 highlights all of this well enough, but it goes overboard. Not in content — by repetition. Sometimes, saying the same thing over and over serves to emphasize those points. Here, though, it does the opposite. Viewers don’t need the voiceover to tell us Stella planned to do Head of News right because Mia reminds Stella of her own intentions — and that actually makes an impact. Later, Stella’s reaction to the statistics her AI replica emotionlessly regurgitates also tells us more than enough. That’s not to say that the entire voiceover is a waste. In fact, the interaction with robot Stella is preceded by one of my absolute favorite parts of it. There are just places where it all becomes too much and actually takes away from an otherwise meaningful journey.

For me, personally, I would’ve preferred to see Stella’s decline developed a bit more. Show me stages of that “inner straight white guy…clawing his way out.” Do it as a flashback, even, if you absolutely must. (Although, uh, maybe not since this series has a history of bad flashbacks.) Throw away that absurd drama from the premiere, and maybe even put aside Bradley and Chip’s side hustle. Now, there’s time to flesh this out and give this good arc a chance to be a great one.

MORE: See what we thought about the scandal that took Chris Hunter off the Morning Show.

AI: Bad, even on The Morning Show

In case no one’s noticed, our tech overlords are trying to force their AI down our throats, despite generating its “knowledge”via plagiarism, slopping up search results, destroying the planet, and just not being anywhere near tested and debugged enough to be useful yet. Throw in the threat to working people as more and more corporations decide they can be more cost effective by using this garbage, and uh…the situation is not good. But they don’t care. So, it’s pretty bold storytelling for a series that exists purely because of Apple — which has its own Apple Intelligence to sell — to have an over-hyped tool absolutely destroy a major character due to its lack of, well, intelligence.

The big, dramatic scene where Stella’s own pet project exposes her in front of everyone is also very well done without all of that context. From the callback to how she’s failed at making the network more diverse, to Alex’s horrified backstage reactions, to the stark contrast between Actual Stella and Artificial Stella, there is great TV here. It’s entertaining in that chaotic, burn-it-all-down way this series has done so well ever since about the midpoint of its first season. And, I’m going to have to be a hypocrite here on my whole “too wordy and repetitive” critique of the episode and repeat that Greta Lee’s performance — especially as two different Stellas, both during the big crash and in that gutting scene in her office — is excellent. But with all of that being said, this part of The Morning Show Season 4 Episode 6 is also just rough.

The biggest issue is how the episode tells us, right from the start, that the AI is busted. “Erratic,” actually, is the word they go for. So, Stella coming up with the “bright” idea to save the day with her failed technology was always going to be a recipe for disaster. Most viewers probably could’ve figured out that the AI would cause some kind of mess no matter what, so adding the heavy and obvious foreshadowing cheapens it a little bit. I’d argue it also cheapens the earlier scene where Stella has a sort of heart-to-heart with “herself” because, at that point, it starts to look like setup only and not a true, vulnerable moment for a character who has no one real to turn to.

Also, how was Stella not smart enough to know better? (Maybe this is me, asking this question about a lot more than the AI. Who knows?) AI that’s been glitching, really??? Feeding the AI all your sarcastic smart-talk about gallows humor about the diversity issue? Come on. We had to make this character look careless at best, stupid at worst, because…???

MORE: The Morning Show also took on AI earlier this season, when Alex Levy almost lost it all because of deepfakes…but only almost.

More The Morning Show Season 4 Episode 6 reactions

“There’s safety in numbers. They are rational; they behave.” As a dedicated math geek, yep.
“Put them in order, and you can write programs. You can code. But shift one element…and it all falls apart.” And here, we have them telling us the entire plot before the episode even has a chance to begin. Not to mention, I’m again going to need to ask how Stella wasn’t smart enough to know better than to say all those things to it.
“So, your program is a serial killer.” This just gave me a theory about an upcoming horror sequel that, uh, I really hope I’m wrong about.
That deep, pained sigh after Celine leaves, though.
“So, what are you suggesting? That I’m compromised? Or that he’s lying to me and I can’t tell the difference?” What if I told you it’s both.
“It was bad.” Me at that whole “relationship.”
“You know, Team Texas didn’t fight to the last man. The white dudes basically ran away from the Mexicans.”
“But he came back, like a migraine.” Cory Ellison, Human Migraine has a nice ring to it.
“…and then, giving him money and saying there’s nothing left for us?” That head tilt and tone of voice is a dare without actually being threatening, and that makes it more intimidating than an actual dare could ever be.
Again with a tiny, yet incredibly meaningful reaction from Lee there when her “negotiations” with Mia fall apart. Just that minuscule amount of sadness.
“Mmm-hm. Well, for someone who claims they had nothing to do with the cover-up, you doth protest a little too much.”
“Bradley Jackson is dead to me. If she was lying in a desert and I had ten gallons of water, I’d take a shower in front of her before she’d get a f***ing sip. Is that clear?”
Jennifer Aniston’s delivery on the two “welcome to life as a woman” lines is the best. Totally dismissive the first time, way more amused after Cory mentions the lack of, uh, climax. Usually, when the series goes super performative with Alex the Feminist (or whatever), I’m like “lol ok.” But this bit works.
Can see why Cory was President of Entertainment when watching him and Stella snipe at each other is so entertaining.
“Oh, I did. But you didn’t.” Poor Alex. That second “no” is, like, pleading.
“Alex Levy, is that you?” “Hi, Bro.” “What are you doing here?” “Waiting to laugh.” And, of course, Bro’s Bros all crack up at that because 1) they’re mean and like insults, even if it’s against their own. And 2) it’s actually funny because of the way Alex just…does not care. She’s not even trying to get a laugh. She is not amused, at all, by these disgusting jokes and isn’t going to make any effort to react. (What I’m saying here is, Aniston is kind of naturally, effortlessly good at the whole comedy thing. Brand new information, I’m sure.)
“I think you’re fantasizing. Yeah. You wish you could do what I do. Say whatever you want, whenever you want. But you can’t. You made it to the top. And then you realized, it’s just round after round on the hamster wheel.” Heartbreaking: The worst person you know just made a great point.
“Dude, you’re plugged in. Plus, you’re a sneaky f**ker. See what you can do.” “Thanks, a**hole. I appreciate that.” Does he think he’s talking to Cory? Now, he’s the sneaky MF.
“You dance…so that you don’t get hurt. So, you…tease and you deflect so you don’t have to say what you really want.” I love the little hand motion on the “tease” part.
This is…there’s chemistry? I hate to say it. (Because, uh, gross.)
“I wanted the chance to fix something unfixable. Show the world that I could run the place without slitting any throats.”
“I have an impossible talent problem and a fu**ed up AI that I’ve basically staked my career on. And I’d like to show the world that I’m not a complete f—ing fraud, but right now that’s exactly how I feel.” Wait until she sees how that thing stakes her career, right through the heart.
…but, again, that’s too much foreshadowing.
“And right now, compared to her, I’m easy. But the second you leave her, the second you choose me, I become difficult. I become real.” Narrator: She was correct.
Meanwhile, I wish I could care about Stella allegedly being in love with this dude. First, it’s she was “undeniable.” Then, it’s whatever with the voiceover about it all being about her inner white dude. And here, there’s whatever this is…meh.
Nice view through that window to see Mia and Chip’s conversation.
The way she shuffles back on that couch and sits up straighter on the “oh, ok” after Chip says he needs dirt, though.
“…and just delete the memories you didn’t want. Because there are parts of yourself you’d like to forget. But somehow, they always show up.” See, now this part of the voiceover is golden. So is the shot of Stella, just utterly defeated and isolated, that accompanies it.
“Do you think you’re an ally?” “I made an Asian woman lick up a martini to close a deal. So no. I guess not. I’m racist and sexist, and I stepped on people who look like me to get to where I am.” Hm. Yeah. Stella did, in fact, force Erica to lick up her drink.
“Of course not. Because equality doesn’t matter. Fairness doesn’t matter. It doesn’t make the stock move. Which is why it’s only a matter of time before I get fired and replaced with a white guy, because at least he plays golf.” Wait until you see 2025, kiddo.
“You get used to being looked at. Thought of in a certain way. Smart, hardworking, steady. Someone who does the job without expecting credit, who will shrink herself when asked. Who won’t cause any trouble. Be who they want you to be. Until you can’t, until you break.” Relatable.
My God, the anguish in Lee’s voice when she reads the part about Stella’s dad not showing up.
Don’t really need Alex’s handwringing over double-crossing “Bro” or Stella telling us the obvious about how he’ll be fine, though.
“Funny, I never wondered how I got the job because, you know, I’m me. But…it is a bit curious. Cause I was a scripted guy.” First of all, glad this man remains self aware when it comes to his ego. Second, that bitter laugh…
But was this really the episode to do this in? This very unhealthy relationship deserves time to really breathe and develop past the first time we met Cory’s mom. Otherwise, given the toxic dynamics there, it does both the characters and viewers a disservice to just use this as a convenient way to move Bradley’s side investigation along.
This is super heavy stuff to just use as an aside, to the point of being harmful, is all I’m saying.
Bro, of all people, not wanting to F Chris over…sure.
“Well, actually, we are a coven of witches.” “Yes. We cast spells against the men who wrong us.” If only.
“Obviously, my favorite athlete is Simone Biles.” “How original. Who’s the AI here?” “Okay, you’re going with basic b**ch AI then.”
“You mean, we value diversity when we need the Black anchor to save the day after an Iranian athlete defects on your watch.” There it is. What a da**ing indictment of society.
That look Celine gives Stella after the cat’s out of the bag.
It’s the wordless conversation that Stella and Mia have there at the very end that killed me, though.
The two different corridors and two different walks: Art.
“To get what you want, it never feels like you thought it would.” At least they didn’t do this as a voiceover when we saw Mia crying as she reads that letter at the end.
I love how Marion Cotillard plays the big Celine/Cory scene. No sign of guilt, no remorse, no fear. She’s just intrigued, wonders how much he knows, how he knows it, and — above all — what he wants to keep quiet.
Meanwhile, I simply do not care about this bad marriage.
The overdone amount of recapping/explaining in The Morning Show Season 4 Episode 6 makes at least a little bit of sense when we realize it’s all a letter to Mia. Even so, I still think it would work better as just the more emotional/less factual/previously unknown parts. Viewers are smart enough to fill in the gaps of what else Stella might’ve wanted to tell her, is all.
A keeper, for sure: “After I’m gone, there’s gonna be chaos. A power void, a chance to come back and move up. I hope you take it.”
Once again: Greta Lee.
But it’s still possible to pull that kind of performance out of a woman without doing…this to the character. This series seems to be, uh, not great on relationships in general.
Did anyone think Miles was going to show up? No, we did not. (Or at least we should not have, especially given how much this episode told on itself for other big moments, like the AI implosion.)