I do not know if it is due to a professional deformation, but there is a special attraction in the series that immerses us fully in the ins and outs of the world of television. Because I was looking forward to season 2 from ‘The Morning Show’, which Apple TV + premieres today and had to deal with the aftermath of the explosive finale to the inaugural season.
In this way, after a tour of the New York deserted by COVID-19, the first episode takes us to the preparations for the New Year 2020. It has been several months since the scandal broke and the UBA is having a difficult time flying back with its morning magazine.
On the one hand, we see Bradley (Reese Witherspoon), rushing to advance to a better schedule; Alex (Jennifer Aniston) lives in retirement writing her memoirs; Mitch (Steve Carell) tries to lead a quiet life in Italy. Finally, Cory (Billy Crudup) will be in the middle trying to save the furniture after being reinstated as the chain’s CEO.
the elephant in the room
From the beginning, Kerry Ehrin and company talk about the elephant in the room. There’s still a lot to work out and, to a large extent, ‘The Morning Show’ season 2 is an attempt to continually put out fires while major ones emerge. In this sense, Cory is given greater prominence, who stands as the centerpiece and intermediary between the protagonists of the season.
A season that, by the way, has undergone a rewriting to include the plot of the pandemic. And, just like the first season and the #metoo, It is noted that the coronavirus part was not part of the original plans.. As said because it would be strange not to. Fortunately, they don’t give it too much weight either, at least in the first six episodes of this batch.
With this and with the debates of the electoral primaries is where it is noted that, unfortunately, Ehrin is not Robert and Michelle King and his excellent eye to treat the present in ‘The good fight‘. It seems incredible, being a series dedicated to showing the ins and outs of a news network, which they lose to one of lawyers.
Thus, beyond the main plot with the demands facing the chain When Alex Levy returns to the ring, the series stops to explore issues of sexual identity, sexism, racism and the impact it has on the networks, including a culture of cancellation through an inappropriate comment from Yanko (Néstor Carbonell).
Giving more prominence to high school
Returning to the thread, if there is something different between both seasons of ‘The Morning Show’ is that in the current one, much more importance is given to the rest of the cast. We are no longer alone in the Aniston and Witherspoon show, the rest of the presenters and collaborators of the morning news take greater prominence showing their own plans and letters.
In what they do coincide is in that taste for the slow fire in which they put all the ingredients in the pot to end up exploding everything. The problem comes, perhaps, in that there is no sensation time is spent delving into the characters. Something that is missed among so many stabs, ambitions and footsteps to get out of the pool of sharks that is the UBA.
We could say that, although the hallmarks of ‘The Morning Show’ are preserved intact, this season 2 suffers from not having such a specific focus of attention like Mitch’s abuse. Being more panoramic, so to speak, causes a certain lack of direction around what this season wants to tell.
But overall, season 2 expand the world of the series to offer good television in every episode. Although it does not manage to be as compact as it should be, it does provide us with a large dose of intensity and good performance.