Critic’s Rating: 4.7 / 5.0
4.7
When you’re the CEO, everything falls on you.
Your role is to ensure that the company’s employees perform their duties effectively and that the company culture fosters a productive work environment.
You must also keep the board happy by anticipating problems and solving them before they explode. For the most part, Stella Bak had done her job for the several years she had been at UBN.
However, the rain started beating on her somewhere when she began feeling like this was never what she actually wanted. Making some decisions requires someone with nothing to lose – not their family, reputation, or self-respect — someone like Cory.
Stella became CEO solely to prove that she could do it. And when she got to the top, it trapped her. She became beholden to outside pressure, never stopping to listen to what she truly desired.
The Morning Show Season 4 Episode 6, “If Then,” takes a different tone than other episodes in the season. It is told almost exclusively from Stella’s point of view, letting us into the mind of a woman trying to keep it together.
Still deep inside, she’s feeling destructive and has been laying the groundwork to blow up her life by sleeping with the husband of the board’s president.
Some recurring feedback I’ve been receiving from other The Morning Show fanatics is that I shouldn’t be too hard on Cory because no one in this show is black and white.
And while I’m not jumping on the ‘I love Cory’ train, this episode personifies this sentiment. For the first time since Bradley covered up for her brother after January 6, I remember how complicated life can be.
Stella Bak, the Straight White Guy
Stella climbed the ladder with the intention of kicking doors open for other women and people of color. But when she got to the top, she wore another skin: the straight white guy.
The straight white guy does not care what happens to everyone else. He serves his own interests and will stop at nothing to get what he wants, even if it means bringing the world to its knees. That’s who Stella became.
She forgot that minorities and the marginalized have one shot, and not just for themselves. This shot is for all the communities they’re part of. If Stella fails, it will take a long while before another woman becomes CEO, and even longer for an Asian woman.
She wanted to prove that she was capable, but in doing so, she became the very thing she had rallied against.
Hearing her internal monologue is heartbreaking. If you’ve been trapped in a situation, you know exactly what she is experiencing.
To the outsider – and sometimes to yourself – you should be happy. You should be waking up every morning praising all the gods in all religions for your stature in life.
And you would, if that very thing were not killing you.
The Fall from Grace
So you subconsciously begin to sabotage yourself. Perhaps by missing shifts at work, denying your partner some one-on-one time, or having sex with your boss’ husband.
You hope to cause a massive calamity that it’ll completely upend your life and take you out of this hellscape you’re living.
But when it rains, it pours – and pour it does for Stella.
Everything comes at her from all corners. AI refuses to cooperate, talent becomes a headache, and the affair turns sour.
That is a lot for one person to handle.
As someone who is mainly on the fence about AI, I’m delighted with the outcome in this instance.
The corporations that withstand the test of time are not those who spend $250 million to make copies of their performers, but those who use the technology to augment their performers’ talent.
If it fails, you lose not only money but also the trust that has been built over decades, if not centuries.
Stella’s downfall is a combination of bad luck, miscalculation, and self-sabotage. For the most part, she has no one to blame but herself.
That said, her downfall was too smooth to be organic.
Even though she tries to deny it, this has Celine written all over it. While AI can fail, regurgitating the worst thoughts in Stella’s mind repeatedly is not normal.
Celine wanted her out, and it happened. Still, maybe it was all a coincidence, and she knows how to grab an opportunity once it knocks on her door. Stranger things have happened.
What Happens Next?
UBN is left in a precarious position. They don’t have a CEO; the AI they had been banking on is an epic failure; Bro refused to be manipulated, and Mia and Chris have them where they want them.
Speaking of Bro, I’ve gained some new respect for him. I pegged him as your regular loose-mouthed podcaster, but he is actually smart and calculating. Hearing his aspirations to moderate the presidential debate proves that he’s not just a loud mouth.
This is also the first time we hear anything related to the election, something I was very excited to see tackled this season, but I guess there’s always another season since The Morning Show was renewed for Season 5
Finally, Cory goes on a mission and uncovers something peculiar. It has a profound effect on someone to realize that the confidence they’ve been projecting over the years is fake.
Cory has long believed that his intellect and charm have been key to his success in the News Business.
How debilitating must it feel to learn that he was made? Bought and paid for — an industry plant.
But even worse is that his gaining of the position was purely a calculated move on Celine’s part, and this Wolf River fiasco might fall on his shoulders.
For a moment there, I pity him. It’s never easy to see someone realize that their life, or parts of it, has been a lie.
“If Then” continues to lay the groundwork for an intense season as we bridge the gap to the season finale. With Stella out, there is a lot to be done to mitigate the consequences and get UBN back on track. Will it succeed?
Stray Thoughts
- I’m loving this new Mia. She exudes a certain confidence befitting not just the Head of News, but a whole damn CEO. Do you see the CEO Mia vision?
- I didn’t quite understand what the dynamics are between Celine and Miles. They clearly are not in deep love and use each other, but what does Miles bring to the table? Isn’t he just a kept boy, or did I miss something?
- Bro and Alex’s thing is quite cringe. They pushed it way too far with the sex jokes.
Over to you, The Morning Show fanatics. What did you think? Will UBN recover from this and the next bombshell after the Wolf River cover-up is exposed? Are you ready for the chaos?
If you crave more chaos, check out The Last Frontier on Apple TV+. It will take you for a loop.
I’m always interested in hearing your thoughts, so don’t hesitate to drop a line or two in the comments section.
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