The Morning Show “Confirmations” Spoilers Ahead
Where “La Amara Vita” gave Alex Levy the closure she had been desperately needing, The Morning Show “Confirmations” explores the aftermath while the TMS staff wait for two trustworthy sources to confirm whether Mitch Kesler has passed or not. The episode is full of some of the most mesmerizing performances from every actor, showcasing that so much of this show’s strength comes from the acute embodiment of emotions that are often extremely hard to convey.
Achingly slow at times while simultaneously one of the most fast-paced episodes throughout the entirety of the series, “Confirmations” is the kind of hour that makes you feel one too many things at the same time.
The Morning Show “Confirmations”—The Truth
It’s true. Mitch Kessler did, in fact, die that night. The second concrete source of confirmation comes from Alex Levy herself after trying to grapple with the reality that she was just with him, and the phone call she just made marked the kind of closure she never wanted to get. How do you grieve someone you once cared for who’s done terrible things that have brought trauma to the world?
As Bradley states during the Breaking News segment: “In his personal life and behind the scenes on this show, he leaves a more tarnished legacy. Transition for society is rarely easy. Reconciling who we were with who we are with who we want to be is challenging. Figuring out what from the past we need to remember to forgive, to learn from, or to ignore is impossible to do elegantly. People from this workplace suffered from Mitch’s inability to do any of that. And for that…many are still paying the price.”
The details that make up this episode are harrowing—I found myself constantly holding my breath, not in mourning during this segment, but as a reaction to watching everyone else’s responses to the shadow that had yet again fallen over them. Each person has a right to how they deal with the grieving process, but what’s so encompassing about the episode is how effortlessly it allows characters to take a cold, hard look at life.
And Jennifer Aniston continues to outdo herself week after week. The whirlwind of emotions she brought to life from the moment she cried upon seeing Chip to the silent grief she worked through in the car was nothing short of brilliant.
The Morning Show “Confirmations” makes a clear show of defining legacy when it maps out the truth. The truth isn’t sugar coated. Mitch Kessler isn’t made to be a hero—the world isn’t given a moment to suddenly forget what he has done, but contrary to Bradley thinking it is impossible to convey the truth elegantly, somehow the show achieves it. The breaking news segment isn’t vicious or cruel, it’s the truth. And sometimes, the truth alone is enough.
Because the truth sometimes can be utter chaos, and I suppose, what the episode does best is it shines a light on the heart. In an episode where human beings are veered toward trusting their instincts, the blurred line between selfishness and self-care is on full display.
Broadcast is complicated, and no matter how complex the truth is, TMS did an elegant job of showcasing what matters in journalism. The news cannot and should not be made public without the person’s immediate family knowing first. Thus, the show’s means of making that a top priority is easy to admire.
(I will also never be over the detail that Mitch Kessler’s wife was Miss Honey from Matilda. It makes her reaction to the truth of Alex’s relationship with Mitch that much darker.)
To Let Go, To Hold On
The Morning Show continues to highlight an intriguing form of adoration between Bradley and Laura that brings complexities to life in the best way. Since the moment they met, and the moment where their agency was stolen in “A Private Person,” Laura has continued to be the gold standard of the very words Bradley spoke by showcasing what complexities look like in the face of a woman who’s grown.
The bold, unabashed commitment to therapy is worth mentioning. (Seriously, we could do a whole article on this brilliant addition alone.) Laura has had a complicated life, but at the end of the day, she chose to get help. Human beings are not designed be alone—we need other people. We need love and companionship. We need people in our corner to help us through, and sometimes, the best thing a loved one can do is to remind you that getting help is normal. Reese Witherspoon and Julianna Margulies continue to astound me in the conveyed softness that’s so gorgeously representative of healthy communication.
Bradley Jackson has been through too much and all at once, and I hope the series allows her to take Laura’s advice because therapy will be good for her. Therapy will help her find the means to carry on because a broken person cannot be another person’s strength. There are professionals for a reason, and I appreciate that the episode clarifies this detail that a single person cannot carry the total weight of darkness alone. In the same way that it wasn’t up to Alex to tell Mitch how to be better, it isn’t up to Bradley to be her brother’s savior.
How could she be? How could a single human being be another person’s savior? I’m one to romanticize specific terms, but carefully considering what words mean is vital—to say that Laura was Bradley’s anchor at that moment doesn’t equate to Laura being a forever type of crutch.
The Morning Show “Confirmations” gives us a real glimpse into the complexities of relationships and what that means in the face of darkness. Laura can hold Bradley through the pain, and she can reassure her of the fact that she is far from crazy, but a cold, hard look at life means transparency comes front and center. A cold, hard look at life means that sometimes, a person needs to work towards fighting darkness because it isn’t something that can merely be kissed away.
How Far?
Will there ever come a day where it’ll be too far for Chip to go for Alex? How far and wide does loyalty extend in the face of such unbearable frustration? The engulfing fears? The betrayal? How profoundly do you have to love someone to always show up for them even when they neglect and leave you in the dark? I don’t know if we’ll ever stop asking this question because, at this point, it seems as though the limit does not exist. Is it just for the sake of the job, or is he that loyal to her?
The sigh of relief when he sees her come out of the plane has haunted me for weeks now because up until that very moment, this man has clearly not experienced something as terrifying.
Is he ever going to get to a place where he…gives up? Will he ever stop showing up for her, or will that fight actually have ramifications in the end? Is this love or loyalty, and what limits are there for someone willing to cross through fires for another person? The Morning Show “Confirmations” puts Chip through a wringer, but something tells me this man would travel through hell and back if it meant protecting Alex Levy. He would pass through hell and back solely to ensure that she was safe and protected. Complicated no less, someone get both of them in therapy. If there is anything this episode proves, it’s that they are both in dire need of it.
The episode brings front and center a cold, hard look into the different ways which people navigate through moments of darkness. It’s an episode where every actor’s expressiveness is telling the audience something even while they aren’t the sole focus of the scene. It’s masterful in writing, directing, and performances—without question, the strongest episode of the season.
What are your thoughts on The Morning Show’s “Confirmations?” Let us know in the comments below.