The Morning Show Review: No One’s Gonna Harm You, Not While I’m Around (Season 1 Episode 5)

Mitch Kessler’s actions have caused a giant war, and it’s clear from The Morning Show Season 1 Episode 5, “No One’s Gonna Harm You, Not While I’m Around,” that the battles have begun to get bloody. 

It’s a brilliantly crafted episode — from the title to the chronology of events to the settings — it’s absolutely clear what has begun. 

There are not two sides here. Everyone is fighting for themselves. It’s The Hunger Games and UBA is the arena. If I were a tribute, I’d align myself with absolutely no one. So, that would make me Bradley Jackson. The problem with that is, she doesn’t know the nature of the game she’s playing. 

If she survives, it’ll be thanks to pure luck. 

Chip tries to warn her at the start of the episode. He says,

“The business of this show is a complicated world. There are rules we have to honor here. You may think you don’t have to, but you would be fucking wrong. This show, it will consume you, it will spit out your bones, and some grizzle, and your fucking spirit along with it…” 

Bradley is correct to call him out since her actions make his career the most vulnerable. But even if he isn’t at all sincere, it’s good advice. 

Bradley’s interview with Ashley is honest. She uncovers the maximum about of truth possible by getting her subject to admit that there is a coverup culture at The Morning Show that is part of the reason why Mitch was able to victimize women. 

To be clear, I’m all for exposing that whole truth. But there are other ways Bradley could’ve done it that wouldn’t jeopardize her newborn career at UBA. Then again, none of her other options would provide half as much journalistic glory. 

That brings us to the fake Times and UBA negotiations, which are fascinating to watch, especially if you consider that this entire episode is full of mini battles. 

UBA loses this particular one. It’s just rather shocking that they are given so much detailed information about the source that gave The Times their biggest weapon.

Objective reporting is essential with stories like this. But to give Janine’s name? It’s scary as a journalist to think that The Times gives UBA so much room to negotiate for their life. 

That scene, in particular, makes it clear that truth-telling is a business. Especially when all negotiating parties are men. 

But Alex Levy fights the most entertaining and intense battle of the episode with Cory Ellison. 

It’s entertaining because it’s a musical battle and I had no idea that either Billy Crudup or Jennifer Aniston had Broadway-caliber voices.  

It’s chilling for just about every other reason. Viewers and everyone in the room at the benefit know that Alex and Cory are enemies singing about protecting each other from a murderous barber who has a hand in feeding people human meat pies (The song is from Sweeney Todd).

They are the demons in the song who would kill each other and then feed the meat to someone else in a second. The irony is thick and it’s almost funny except that I have never felt as much palpable tension through my screen while watching a scripted show. It’s brilliant and unsettling. 

It’s even more uncomfortable than Mitch and Alex’s kiss. That is weird but necessary for viewers to see in order to get into Alex’s mind. 

Mitch is more than her friend. He is her partner on a deeper level than viewers could definitively say up until this point, at least if you believe Alex’s claim on the first episode that their hookups meant nothing. 

It’s downright disturbing to watch Alex laugh about Mitch being a preditor, admit to knowing about it in theory, and kiss him all in the same car ride. 

But we need to see it in order to understand Alex’s journey. When it comes to her own job, she’s cutthroat no matter what. When it comes to the allegations against Mitch, she just needs time to let the reality of all that he has done sink in.

Like she says when she asks him to take her home, reading about Mitch’s alleged behavior is what makes it start to sink in. That’s what makes all of this different than she thought. That’s what makes this real. 

She seems to be a willing participant in the kiss they share a moment prior (I’m not in the character’s head to know for sure), but it’s possible that the kiss also contributes to helping Alex see exactly what Mitch is capable of. She’s very vulnerable in that car. 

This episode is nearly perfect. The Morning Show has almost succeeded in making Mitch seem like a flawed, yet human predator on the verge of a breakdown that will perhaps be difficult yet necessary for viewers to see.

I’m willing to watch his pain and even empathize with it, while also holding him accountable for his actions. 

I’m downright unwilling to watch a pissing match between Mitch Kessler and Fred Micklen and rate it highly. Especially if that involves forcing sexual assault victims to relive their trauma or tell their stories before they’re ready. 

This show is not set in Outerspace. It’s based on real events. It’s a waste of screentime to have Mitch hunt for digressions worse than his own, taking an enemy down with him possibly at the expense of another woman’s sanity. So, I still need room to build trust in case the show does go there.  

That story does more harm than good for real women. While I’m hoping the show is more responsible than that, the last scene of the episode suggests that they are heading in a very disturbing direction. 

We need to end this review discussing Chip because he’s the anonymous source. 

It makes perfect sense when we are shown the puzzle piece. His eyes are wide open in the first scene of the series because he knows exactly what’s coming. 

Chip’s intention in leaking to Robbie before the series began was probably to save Alex’s job at Mitch’s expense, though we don’t know everything yet. 

He and Alex’s careers are now hanging by a thin thread, plus he has Bradley to deal with. So his plan hasn’t failed yet, but it’s not exactly a success. Everyone else is there with him, though. So, at least he has company. 

Robbie’s actions are harder to understand. Loyalty in friendship is necessary. But in my opinion, the angle with more depth is the one exposing the toxic culture of The Morning Show. 

All of the most powerful people behind-the-scenes on the show are men, so perhaps I shouldn’t be so perplexed. Robbie now has the heartbeat of Chip’s career in his back pocket and will pull it out when he needs to. 

In The Hunger Games on The Morning Show and in all media, unless you have someone else’s career to threaten, yours will be the next to die.  

Production Notes

• Carell proves that his character is an asset to the show in moments that are meant to evoke human understanding instead of sympathy, like during Mitch’s breakdown at The Morning Show offices. 
• Bradley’s life outside of work is so sad and interesting to learn about. It’s a relief that the show knows this and is continuing to tell this story. 
• I’m really, really, hoping that Cory helps Bradley and doesn’t take advantage of her in any way. The elevator scene at the end of the episode makes me so uneasy. Cross your fingers he reaches that low, low bar. 
• Mia’s monologue is essential in order to truly depict the complexity of sexual assault situations like this. I can sympathize with Mitch the most when Mia is telling me why she does, not when the show or Mitch or Alex is begging me to. 
• The hierarchy and battles being fought on the show are so clear when you consider who is at the bar and who is at the benefit. 
• Consider Chip’s position. He is at a bar separate bar than Claire’s birthday gang until he shows up to the benefit late. 
• His friend Robbie saves him this episode. So, he’s won his current battle for now. But he’s not safe. 
• Daniel’s fight for power and relevancy at TMS as a gay black man is the perfect D plot. 

What did you think of this episode of The Morning Show? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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The Morning Show airs Fridays on Apple TV+.

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