Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for the Season 3 finale of The Morning Show
Season 3 ofThe Morning Showwas more akin to a crash course in U-Haul relationships than it was about the ins and outs of a newsroom — and for that, we are eternally thankful. In many ways, the relationships in this season decided the many shapes in which the newsroom (both behind-the-scenes and in front of the camera) would transform. At the same time, those relationships also decided the fate of UBA.
When done-deals become undone and then doneagainand then unravel once more in the blink of an eye, it can be tough to keep your head on straight and determine what exactly is causing all the chaos. But in Season 3 ofThe Morning Show, the answer was actually right in front of us the entire time. Perhaps it just took us all a bit longer to fully believe that the bad-guy-turned-good-guy could actually be a whole lot worse than bad. In a way, it almost seemed too easy for Paul Marks (Jon Hamm) to be the snake in the grass, which is why many of us turned toCory Ellison (Billy Crudup) to place the Season 3blame. More often than not, though, a bad vibe is a bad vibe, and Paul really ended up taking the cake on that one.
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Jon Hamm’s Character in ‘The Morning Show’ Season 3 Is the Villain
Apparently in this day and age, if you dare to spy on someone, they’ll just spy on you right back. For Paul Marks, this move was a practical no-brainer, as he put massive targets on bothBradley Jackson (Reese Witherspoon)and his girlfriend Alex Levy’s (Jennifer Aniston) backs. This was all following Bradley’s push to dig up dirt on Paul and his company, Hyperion, in a last-ditch effort to shut down the UBA merger.
Somehow using technology,Paul was able to tap into and spyon Bradley, Alex, Laura Peterson (Julianna Margulies), and Cory’s private conversations, giving him a massive leg up when it came to both protecting the skeletons in his closet and the upcoming merger with UBA. In doing so, he was able to discover (and later, use as blackmail) the fact that Bradley’s brother, Hal (Joe Tippett), assaulted a police officer on January 6 at the Capitol Building and that Bradley covered up the entire thing. Paul then decided to blackmail Bradley with that information, causing her to resign from her position on the evening news at UBA. And if that wasn’t enough, he spied on Alex’s text messages to see exactly what Bradley’s next move would be following her resignation, a misstep on his part, asAlex finally smartened up to his sly, manipulative ways.
After this revelation, Levy started toiling away behind the scenes to right her wrongs when it came to the plans she had made with Paul to dismantle UBA, sell it for its parts, and create their own network. She had to put on a good front for Paul, though, in order for him not to suspect anything was up. Luckily for us, both AnistonandAniston are pretty good actors.
Charlie Black’s Rant on ‘The Morning Show’ Turned People Against Paul Marks
The moment that really set things into motion, though, wasCharlie Black’s (Mark Duplass)guest interview onThe Morning Show, where he went on anF-bomb-fueled rant about Marks' true intention with UBA, which was to dismantle the company for its parts, effectively tearing apartThe Morning Showand other UBA broadcasts in the process. And if that wasn’t enough to sway the viewers, Charlie revealed that just about everyone who was employed at the network would likely be laid off. Thankfully, with the help of social media and other networks picking up his rant, Charlie was able to do enough damage to Paul to raise issues with the UBA board and make his merger a bit tougher to pass.
Ultimately,Alex was able to fully pull the plug on Paul’s UBA acquisition, as she double-crossed her boyfriend in a move that would unite UBA and their rival network, NBN, for a much more lucrative price. She marched her way into the board meeting right in the middle of the momentous vote and made her case, shocking just about every face in that room, including her own, too. Alex might’ve lost the first relationship that felt like home to her as a result of this action, but the new deal will mark a major turning point in her life. After all,Alex wantedmoreout of her work. She wanted a seat at the big table, and finally, with this very loud move of hers, she just might be able to pull up a chair.
‘The Morning Show’ Season 3 Sets Up an Unpredictable Future
For the first time in a long time, Jackson and Levy are looking out into uncharted waters in both of their lives. They are officially single again and are operating without the dominating force of being on television 24/7 that usually steers their lives. Weirdly, though, they both seem extremely calm about the whole thing, withBradley willingly turning herself into the FBIalongside her brother and with Alex marching forward into the new merger at UBA that could potentially shake up her entire career.
Meanwhile,Cory Ellison is facing sexual misconduct chargeswith practically open arms, finally taking the backseat in life as opposed to his usual way of charging through things. The charges are bound to throw a major wrench into the leadership situation at UBA, and that’s without even mentioning NBN’s new seat at the table when it comes to the leadership. Stella Bak (Greta Lee) might’ve thought that she had things sewn up when it came to becoming the new head of UBA, but things definitely have the potential for shifting at this point. Basically, there hasn’t been a larger shake-up since Alex threw Bradley into the spotlight back in Season 1, which means thatSeason 4 might get a little messy— and thank God for that.
The Morning Showis available to stream on Apple TV+ in the U.S.
