"Love the Questions" is an episode of The Morning Show that teeters on the edge of overloading, not quite too much to follow but objectively too much, akin to an amalgamation of intricate threads that feel fleeting and underdeveloped. Season 4 has yet to dive into this level of complexity, with the earlier episodes predominantly focused on arranging the key players, teasing old and new relationships, and nurturing the core dynamics. Episode 4 decides to weave these ongoing storylines through a real-time newsroom emergency, pushing them to the margins and diluting the impact of certain pivotal moments.
However, the trade-off is that the live newsroom drama is genuinely compelling, bringing together a plethora of familiar faces in the same room simultaneously. There's a strong likelihood that everything will play out more dramatically in the aftermath of this episode, with personal subplots consolidating into coherent arcs. But it means bracing for an hour that's almost overwhelmingly frenetic, not just in the intended ways.
While some of it is undoubtedly intentional, UBN and The Morning Show are in complete disarray following Mia's sudden departure, making it even less convenient than usual that a breaking news story grips the nation. A passenger plane traveling from JFK to LAX experiences an in-flight emergency that could be a technical failure or terrorism; either way, it demands immediate attention as it unfolds. But with a skeleton crew in the newsroom, Yanko planning to propose to Ariana on-air, and Alex and Bradley grappling with their own personal issues, it's a less-than-ideal set of circumstances.
Alex's problems once again revolve around her father. After her reluctant interview with Justice, her publication is running a salacious story alleging he plagiarized ideas for his first book from a young doctoral student he was mentoring at the time. Martin blames Alex for this, even though he initially asked her to do the interview and expects her to resolve it. Justice is playing hardball, though, and will only retract the accusatory portion of the feature if Alex can obtain a scoop from inside UBN.
Meanwhile, Bradley is still searching for the Wolf River depositions, which seem to have gone missing. While trying to keep Cory off her for a few minutes, she confides in Chip that they need to track down the lawyer who handled the depositions. Chip does so, but only to uncover more bad news—his name was Kenneth Stockton, who committed suicide after being relentlessly smeared by Eagle News. Bradley must trace whoever leaked the information about Stockton to the conservative network, but Ashley will only release it if Bradley gives her something in return. Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on your perspective), Alex interrupts Bradley and Chip as they're conspiring, so she's roped into the investigation. While she berates Bradley over tea, Yanko overhears Claire Conway's name in the conversation.
This is where the drama of the flight emergency truly takes center stage in "The Morning Show" Season 4, Episode 4. The episode is a masterclass in the intricacies of journalism, as it beautifully balances the technical aspects of verifying information with the emotional turmoil of personal lives.
With Alex and Bradley reunited through Bradley's earpiece and subtle signals, the show creates a chaotic approximation of the challenging and delicate process of reporting the news. A supposed expert makes a claim on-air that the footage is doctored, and relevant talking heads are vetted and interviewed on the fly. The plane's emergency landing is broadcast live, all while personal issues hover over the characters as they try to adapt to the situation.
In the aftermath, Yanko's proposal, which he still desired even after a potential air disaster, gets derailed. Ariana had figured it out anyway, but Yanko delays it to "do it properly," which means trying to reconnect with Claire now that he knows she's in town. Meanwhile, Alex gives Bradley two weeks to find something verifiable on the chemical company story, which means giving Ashley at Eagle News what she wants. Bradley gives her a file on Extinction Revolt, which she claims UBN is deliberately burying, in exchange for the information she needs. Alex tells her dad that she won't risk her career for his reputation, which he doesn't take well, naturally.
But let's talk about Cory, who floats through "Love the Questions" like a ghost before turning everything upside down in multiple ways. Initially, he tries to pitch his big plans for the network to Celine, but she has a scheme of her own. She wants to be CEO and is willing to give Cory $200 million if he helps her by revealing what he's leveraging with Stella. If he shares, Celine can oust Stella and give herself a clear run to the top, and Cory gets his movie funded. It seems like a win-win, but Cory is reluctant to sell Stella down the river, at least initially.
However, after running into Chip, he changes his mind and returns to drop the bombshell that Stella and Miles are having an affair. Marion Cotillard is brilliant in these few seconds, as the pain of the revelation creeps into her face and then escapes again once Cory has departed in a stream of tears. It's not exactly a win-win after all.
But Cory's involvement doesn't end there. Ashley's document proves that the smears were orchestrated by Cory's fixer, Earl, presumably at his instruction. It was Cory who had been brought in to kill the story, so he's at the heart of the scandal—and just as Bradley was getting used to being intimate with him again.
