Apple TV+’s drama The Morning Show is only five episodes into its latest season, but it’s still managed to shove a ton of liberal propaganda down viewers’ throats.
In the latest episode, they went back in time to revisit Covid, the BLM riots and the January 6 insurrection to mock southern conservatives. They also made the preposterous claim that “upwards of a billion people will die in our lifetime due to the effects of man-made climate destruction.”
Since the current season began, there have been hints that news anchor Bradley (Reese Witherspoon) and UBA network president Cory (Billy Crudup) have some sort of secret which Cory has been holding over Bradley’s head. So, the writers brought us back to 2020 for episode 5, “Love Island,” to slowly reveal the secret.
Bradley is holed up in a cabin with fellow anchor and romantic partner Laura (Julianna Margulies) during the pandemic. Bradley is from the south, which the show continually portrays as a negative. Her father hit and killed a child while drunk driving with Bradley in the car when she was young, and her mother and brother are both drug addicts, though her brother is currently clean.
It’s obvious we’re to presume they’re conservative, because the writers use typical conservative stereotypes to describe them. Bradley’s mother is still attending church despite the lockdown, and her brother won’t wear a mask at Costco:
Laura: How's he doing?
Bradley: Seems like he's doing pretty good. My mom is still going to church, and he's not wearing a mask at Costco.
Laura: Our education system is broken.
Bradley: You know Hal and I went to the same schools.
Laura: Yeah, but only one of you learned about science.
Bradley: That's my family.
Laura: I'm sorry. I didn't mean it. It was a joke. Really.
Bradley: No, I know you don't like where I'm from, but I have a lot of that world in me, and I need you to understand or attempt to understand, if you're gonna love me.
Laura: I'm judgy.
Bradley: A little bit.
Laura: Or I'm doing the mommy thing, which is awful. It's probably about my own childhood. Or maybe I'm just an a**hоlе. But yes, I want to try.
Bradley: Hold on. Is this compassionate engagement around our traumas? Is this an adult conversation?
Laura: Definitely a lesbian conversation.
Yes, what trauma poor Bradley must have endured having to grow up in the evil south and still carry “that world” around in her. #eyeroll
Meanwhile, news producer Mia (Karen Pittman) wonders if “this country will ever change” after watching the BLM protests:
Andre: Hey, Fancy Face. Was just gonna run the shower. You wanna jump in with me? What's wrong?
Mia: André, do you think this country will ever change? Because I spent my day arguing over what protest footage our middle-class, mostly white audience would be willing to watch without changing the channel.
Andre: Then air it all. Let 'em squirm.
Mia: Okay. Yeah. I can't.
Andre: Why not? The only way change happens is when people see it for themselves.
Seriously? The vast majority of this country agreed that what happened to George Floyd was wrong. To act like white people didn’t care is revisionist history.
Back at the news station, Cory converses with news president Stella (Greta Lee) about his hope that former President Donald Trump will have to be forcibly removed from the White House because it will be good for ratings:
Cory: Oh, you know what? Maybe he'll refuse to leave the White House, and the Secret Service boys will have to drag him out by his tiny little feet 'cause people would watch that.
Stella: Wait. Come on. You don't really think that they're gonna...
Cory: Oh, that there's an armed militia that's roving the streets of DC ready to overturn the election? Do you have Internet?
Stella: I should call Bradley.
Cory: Oh, yeah. How is she doing?
Stella: She says she's fine, but I don't know. And I'm starting to worry that I shouldn't have sent her there.
After finding out her mother died from COVID (of course), Bradley and Laura break up and Bradley is sent to the Capitol to cover the protests there. She ends up in the middle of the chaos inside and gets separated from her crew, at which point she begins filming with her phone.
The show plays Trump’s words ominously over the footage. As Bradley films an altercation between an officer and a protestor, she realizes the protestor is her brother Hal (Joe Tippett) when his mask comes off:
Trump: We don't have free and fair elections. And you know what else? We don't have a free and fair press. Our media is not free. It's not fair. It suppresses thought, it suppresses speech, and it's become the enemy of the people. It's become the enemy of the people. It's the biggest problem we have in this country.
Bradley: Yeah, I'm inside. I don't know, I got separated from my crew. I'm just gonna...I have to go. I'm gonna film by myself.
Trump: And we're gonna have to fight much harder, because you're sworn to uphold our constitution. Now it is up to Congress to confront this egregious assault on our democracy. And after this...
Protestors: Stop the steal!
Trump: We're stopping the steal! We're taking it back! We're going to walk down...
Protestors: USA! USA!
Trump: We're going to walk down…we're going to walk down to the Capitol. And we're going to cheer on our brave senators. And we're probably not going to be cheering so much for some of them. Because you'll never take back our country with weakness. You have to show strength, and you have to be strong.
Bradley decides to cover for him and deletes the footage. After the FBI subpoenas the footage in hopes of identifying who assaulted the officer, Bradley comes clean to Cory and admits she deleted that portion. She fears the FBI will notice, so Cory offers to deny their request in the name of “journalistic independence,” which is the secret he’s been keeping for her.
Lastly, the show managed to fit in the wild claim that “upwards of a billion people will die in our lifetime due to the effects of man-made climate destruction":
Reporter: CEO pay is 278 times higher than the average worker.
Paul: Did you have a question or are you asking me to comment on the general state of the American economy?
Reporter: I'm asking if you think that's ethical.
Paul: Well, upwards of a billion people will die in our lifetime due to the effects of man-made climate destruction. Do you think that's ethical?
Reporter: That's a separate issue.
Paul: I think it's the only issue, and it's something I'm actively working on. So, a billion people are gonna die, but you want to b*tch about my paycheck?
Reporter: The richest 1% emit twice as much CO2 as the bottom 50% of the world.
Paul: Well, I'd say you're missing the forest for the trees, but I don't think you'd appreciate the irony of that statement. But congratulations, you know a fact. I think we’re done here.
Classist much? What’s ironic is that Hollywood is filled with rich celebrities. If they really believe in their anti-capitalist rhetoric, which ones are going to give up all the luxuries and high salaries they enjoy? I think we all know the answer to that. (Upwards of none.)
