The Morning Show Review: The Pendulum Swings (Season 1 Episode 6)

The latest episode is aptly titled because the power on The Morning Show Season 1 Episode 6, “The Pendulum Swings,” is definitely swinging in different directions than it has been. 

Alex Levy is losing power, but she’s still one of the most compelling characters to watch on the episode. 

Before we go into too much, let me just say that California the wildfires are serious tragedies that I take seriously, and seeing them on-screen puts that into perspective, especially with relatives now living in L.A. 

But The Morning Show is about the people bringing the news to the country and how they do that, not the events themselves. 

That said, the segment about rescuing animals is the perfect way to frame so much of what’s going on with everyone. 

Bradley is pushing for more serious storytelling and the battle of animal rescuing versus exposing the fact that people hire private firefighters to save their homes is the perfect way to set up Chip and Cory’s grab for power against Fred. 

The rescuer talking about not breaking up the dog families is also a clever way to trigger Alex about her newly pending divorce. 

Jennifer Aniston is brilliant throughout the entire breakdown. It’s hard to watch, but that’s because it’s real and physical. In our lives, we don’t usually accompany breakdowns with monologues. 

It might be gross, but it’s also just reality that when we’re actually breaking down, sometimes we puke and cry and need someone to hold our hair out of the way and physically hold us — even if it is our biggest enemy. 

The truce at the end is also really well done. When we’re desperate for someone to like us, sometimes we offer too much information. It’s very surprising that Bradley is the one who cracks and tells Alex her father killed someone while drunk. 

I’d think she would have her guard up and planted with Alex when it comes to something like that, even while extending an olive branch. 

Viewers that are just waiting for the olive branch to break are valid. 

Alex is still Alex. Bradley should be very careful giving her any fuel for the fire burning against her that’s pretty big already. Excuse the extended metaphor, but it’s true. 

Alex is human, but she’ll be as manipulative as ever when she recovers. 

Remember, she has no interest in going to L.A. to cover the fires until it’s a way to stall Jason (who is totally justified in reaching his breaking point, by the way) before telling Lizzy about what’s happening. 

Aniston is definitely shining in this role. I’m only quick to caution everyone else because I want to like Alex so much it scares me.

Reese Witherspoon is also great. But even though she’s constantly pushing back against fluffy news and not apologetic about it, she’s still the fish out of water.

She’s supposed to be more likable, so perhaps her scenes are not as intense and it’s easier to overlook her performance as a little bit more expected. 

That’s true especially while she’s in her element working and not worrying about Hal, her mother, or her father. 

It’s not exactly a surprise that Chip is setting up a plan to grab more power and slowly realizing he needs Bradley by his side. It’s still going to be entertaining to watch that unfold. 

It’s exhausting to think about because if they do get the power they want, they’re going to be the ones who need to watch their backs. 

We aren’t there yet. So, it will just be fun to watch the journey. Especially because I’m very uncertain who is going to survive. 

Production Notes 

• Hannah’s drug problem is so much to pile on to what’s already happening. But the show is doing a good job giving everyone a backstory early and making sure their actions make sense as a result. 
• Yanko and Claire is still the weakest storyline. I understand why it’s important, but as of now the show could survive without it. 
• Claire as Bradley’s assistant will be interesting to watch. 
• I like Cory when he likes someone. It’s fascinating to watch him with Bradley. But he’s still unsettling in the best way. 
• Chip and Mark Duplass are the best cursers I’ve ever seen/talked to. It’s very satisfying, actually.
• There’s nothing to criticize about the pacing/direction. Being that it’s the first season, it’s safe to give the show room to grow with a rating until you know what its best is. 

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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