The Morning Show (2019–…): Season 1, Episode 7 - Open Waters - full transcript

I have an easy fall guy
when all this goes to shit.

Oh, we're talking about me, right?

- Chip. Mitch is here.
- Five seconds...

This is scary. I get it.

Saying things that are unpopular about
people that are unpopular in the moment.

But this is my fucking life!

Who else knew what was going on?

Who do you think?

I want a divorce.

Well, no.

Jason, I'm sorry I did that.
I'm sorry I left you at the party alo...



Breathe. Just breathe.

Look, life is messy.
Everybody's life is messy.

And I want you to know
that you can trust me.

You can tell me things,
you can be vulnerable.

It's okay.

Okay.

I am sure it has crossed your mind.

Fred's left holding the bag
and you're kicking ass,

then you could quickly
find yourself in Fred's seat.

I don't see Fred getting taken out unless
something specific comes out on him.

- Like what?
- I don't know, Chip. Like what?

You're not impartial on this subject.
You knew what Mitch was doing.

I don't ever remember you
confiding in me about Mitch.

- Asking me for help.
- Asking me for help.



I remember you being pretty capable
of taking good care of yourself.

Well, didn't I tell you?
Best falafel in all five boroughs.

I read about it on Eater.
You know about Eater, right?

- Yeah. Eater's a great website.
- Love it.

Fuck, I love Eater too.

Can we get back
to what we were talking about, please?

Yeah, please continue. It was titillating.

You were saying you
got your hands on some e-mails.

Yes. Evidence of transfers.
Payoffs. Shuttled complaints.

And I know people
who can back all this up.

- There's a former VP in HR.
- Yeah.

A producer in evening news.

Unfortunately,
nobody can tie this directly to Fred.

'Cause, you know, he's too fucking smart.

But of course
he's at the center of all this. You know.

I mean,
nobody's doing this shit in a vacuum.

Everybody's too busy
just trying to fucking survive.

Including you.

Hey, look. Just... hear me out.

Let's say that I background some
of this evidence to a reporter, you know.

I know somebody at the Times
or it could be somebody else,

or somebody young and hungry.
I don't know,

but I could allude to a larger story
about network complicity, okay.

I wouldn't give them any details,
but I'd kind of usher them towards it

and then just fucking let 'em run with it.

Let it build and build,
and it turns into a fucking runaway train.

- And then we just sit back and...
- Let that train crash into Fred.

Yes.

- Are you gonna...
- You've seen Planet Earth, right?

The nature documentary?

Documentary series, but, yeah.
It's really moving, and it's educational.

You should fucking watch it.
It's David Attenborough.

There's this category of animals,
they're called ambush predators.

And they run the gamut between starfish,

cephalopods, crustaceans,
spiders, snakes, cats even.

And ambush predators,
they wait for the prey

to come within ambush distance
before striking.

They're deliberate.
They usually remain hidden,

in camouflage right up
until the moment they strike.

But when they do strike,
it's over before it began.

And then there is pursuit predation.
It's a different strategy.

Direct. Aggressive.

But it only tends to work when
the predator is faster than the prey.

Look, I'm not an amateur, all right.
I'm faster than you think.

You're not as fast as Fred.

This is his wilderness,
and he's been running for a long time.

He is fucking fast.

You do not chase
Fred Micklen out in the open

unless you know you can take him down.

Otherwise,
he's gonna turn around, attack you,

gut you and eat your innards
in the middle of the fucking savanna.

And that's gonna hurt. A lot.

I mean, what the fuck am I supposed to do?

You wait, man. Were you listening to me?

Until the timing is right
and we have enough ammunition.

Actual airtight evidence
that links Fred to a cover-up.

Yeah. That's easy for you to say.

Fred has me fucking
trained in his rifle sights, okay?

Hey, man. I just got to point out right now
you seem really desperate,

and desperation is not a strong
position to make a big move.

Is that something else you learned
from your nature documentary?

No. That's Sun Tzu. Art of War.

Jesus. Somebody
fucking kill me right now. I just...

Look. Chippy. Come on. You're tired.

You just got back from LA.

Focus on the show.

And be patient.

Wait.

Night, Chip.

Yeah. Fuck you. Good night.

And, finally, new details have emerged

illuminating Weinstein's mind-set
in the final hours before his firing.

In an e-mail that leaked to the press,
he wrote to his friends and colleagues,

"I'm desperate for your help."

Just give me the time to have therapy.

Do not let me be fired.

"If the industry supports me,
that's all I need."

Wow. So interesting.

It's a real window into how he operated

and how he was
able to manipulate the people around him.

Yeah, I know. It's how the culture
of silence lasted so long.

What the fuck am I doing?

About a week ago,

you jumped into an elevator

to ask me
who else knew about what was going on.

Yes, I did that.

Well, if you really wanna know,
I can give you the whole story.

And I assure you that it is Shakespearean
in scope.

The things that went down.

Who knew. Who covered.

Well, that's a bit general.
I'm gonna need some detail.

Actually, there's something
that I want from you,

so I'm not gonna give up the goods
just yet.

What could you possibly want from me?

I want my old platform back.

To tell my story.

I want... you to interview me on the show.

Look, an interview is not gonna happen.

I will tell you that right now.

No? Why not?

The ratings would go insane.

Yeah, so would the critics.

And social media.

And public opinion
would not be in the favor of the show.

You don't strike me as the type of person
who gives a shit about public opinion.

Meeting me for 30 seconds in an elevator
qualifies you to know me somehow?

No.

But am I wrong?

Look, you're a journalist.
I am bringing you a story.

Disgraced predator going home,

talking about his reprehensible behavior.

And also, he lifts the veil

that protects
the corporate puppet masters.

Who, quite frankly,
run the whole fucking country.

I mean...

come on.

You know Alex will never go for this.

Not in a million years.
Or Chip, for that matter.

No, you're right.
Alex would not wanna do it,

for a myriad of reasons.

The main one being,
she is hardly innocent herself.

What are you saying?

She...

She wasn't blind.

And as for Chip, he's a dead man.

There is no way he survives this.

It's in the tea leaves.

Can't fuck with the tea leaves.

I know what you're doing.

Oh, really? Please.
Please tell me my motivation here.

Because everybody else
is having such a good time doing that.

You're not doing this to be altruistic,

to take down the big,
bad executives at UBA.

You're doing this
'cause you're hoping to get exonerated.

And I don't want any part of that.

Hey, Bradley.

I have proof.

And I can dig up some witnesses.

What kinda witnesses?

Off the top of my head,
I can think of one.

A woman I had relations with.

She basically used me
to get a career bump.

She doesn't hate me.

And I think I can get her to back me up.

I am offering you news.

This is an important story.

It matters.

It could change things. You know that.

What if that important story
takes down the network,

but at the same time, it takes
down the show and everybody on it?

Yeah, that could happen. That's a risk.

But you have to ask yourself,
is that a risk worth taking?

Anyway, let me know.

Soon.

Because I'm going out with this,
with or without you.

Oh, my God. Just tell me what is going on.

I know it's something horrible.

Is someone sick?

- No. No. No one is sick.
- No, no. No.

No one is sick.

Okay, Lizzy.

We love you so much.

And nothing's just gonna change.

We're a family, and we will always...

Okay. What are you saying? Just say it.

Your father and I are getting a divorce.

What?

No, no, no.

You told me you were separating
so you could work things out.

How did this happen so quickly?

That was the reason.

It was. Honey, it was.

So you lied to me?

- No.
- No.

No, we did not lie to you, honey.

And we did. We tried.

We did try.

- Did you, Mom?
- Yes.

How? When? How did you try?

- How did you ever try, Mom?
- No. Come on. Come on, Lizzy.

It's okay. It's okay.

I tried for years, honey.

I don't think you tried.
I think you pretended to try.

Our lives have always been about your job.

And you act like that's a hardship,
but you love your job. You need it.

- You need it more than you need us.
- No, no. That is not fair.

That is so untrue.

Lizzy, I love you
more than I love anything in the world.

You say you love us,
but we are never the priority.

No, Lizzy. Lizzy.
Your mother loves you very much.

Honey, I am doing the best that I can.

- I did what I had to do.
- Yeah, for you.

And we have enabled it.

Okay. So I see the therapy's kicking in.

Don't make me feel bad about therapy.

I have never had a normal family
or a normal life.

You have never been really present
for me or for Dad.

And we have been your cheerleaders
and your favorite assistants.

We have not been your priorities.

Okay.

Lizzy, Lizzy. Lizzy.

I was the one who asked for a divorce.
Okay?

If that's true, it's only because
she gave you no other choice.

Oh, God.

Would you go after her? She's very upset.

- I'm sorry.
- Oh, come on. She had to...

She had to blame someone, you know?

Yeah, all right. Lizzy.

- Jesus. God.
- Lizzy.

Oh, shit!

Okay.

Shit.

"I did abuse the power I had as president.

Or, not fulfill
the totality of the oath of office."

That's the second thing.

And thirdly,

"I put the American people
through two years of needless agony,

and I apologize for that."

And I say
that you explained your motives...

You don't think I still look puffy?

You think I would let you
go out there looking puffy?

Okay, easy.

I guess I just feel it.

- Thank you.
- You got it.

Hey.

- Yeah?
- Hey there. I was...

Good morning.

Just wanted to say hello.

Yeah.

So glad we're out of those fires.

Yeah. Sure.

I mean, if I had to spend
another night at the Safari Inn,

I think I might've... I might've just died.

So how are you doing?

Well, I had to tell Lizzy last night.

Actually Jason and I.

We told her.

I'm so sorry.

Yeah.

But hopefully
it was like ripping off a Band-Aid?

Ripped.

Quick and painful.

Do you ever just not know who you are...

or what you want?

All of a sudden
you just don't feel anything?

Some of that. Yeah.

I don't like it.

Is there anything I can do to be helpful?

Yes. Could you please get the team
photo shoot taken off the schedule?

For later today?

I beg of you.
The idea of fake smiling right now...

I know what you mean.

Why do I feel like
I'm having yearbook anxiety?

Because you're about to have your face
plastered all over New York City.

- Oh, God.
- On buses, on buildings.

I've never seen myself on a building.

Yeah.

Why is that necessary?

Well,

because they have to erase Mitch Kessler
from everyone's memory.

Like he was never here.

Do you miss him?

I do.

Have you...
tried to talk to him since he was fired?

I've reached out to him once or twice.

He thought hiring you was batshit crazy.

Well, he's not wrong about that.

Yeah. Mitch has a way
of not being wrong a lot.

The fucker.

Well, I guess the show has to go on.

- Yes, it does.
- I will see you in the big teacup.

I'll see you there.

Hey, thanks for checking in on me.

Yeah.

Now, folks, if you're like me,

you used to dream of a day when robots
are part of our everyday lives.

So, we are pushing
the bird flu scare to the D block.

CDC hasn't even officially responded,
so I don't know,

fuck them and fuck the birds.

But now we have a gap in the C block.

Gotta fill it quickly.
I'm open to ideas. Go.

Bradley's pre-tape
with the high school lacrosse coach

who doped up his players
is in the can for tomorrow.

It's a really strong interview.
She holds his feet to the fire.

It's juicy, but does it really
have the impact of the bird flu?

It's provocative.
It's about power, manipulation.

It has national resonance.

What about the EPA's
new report on climate change?

We already cut that segment.

- Are we reconsidering?
- The report's dry.

- There's nothing revelatory in it.
- Fact that the human race is going

to burst into flames in 20 years
feels like a pretty big story.

Really? Twenty years?
I guess I missed that section.

- Maybe you read between the lines.
- It's not there.

All right. Enough. Enough.

Let's pull up Bradley's interview.

Mia's right.
It's strong. The story's blowing up.

Just one last thing,
the climate change report is actual news.

Whoa. Let it go, Nicky.

It's connected to the fires
we just spent half of the week covering.

Stop pushing. Chip is your boss.

Well, he's yours too,
so pull your lips off his ass.

Everybody already knows
that's your specialty.

Yes. Well, I will be sending
well-wishes to the whole family.

Yes, we are. We are.

And also,
we have exciting news in the world...

Sorry, that was... I'm sorry, Mia.

It's okay. Let's move on.

Frank Marklan's explosive new book,

Five Days in October, was released today.

We're not moving on.

Pack up your stuff. You're done.

- What?
- Chip.

Get the fuck out of my control room.

Here in the studio
to discuss the controversial details

he's alleging in the book.

I am so excited for that interview,
Bradley.

Thank you, Alex.

And now on to a big story
from Washington that has inter...

Great. This is...

Congress has been working on
a foreign aid package to help the victims.

Awesome.

I'm being punished for saying to her face
what every single person here

has been already saying
behind her back for 18 months?

- Really fucking great!
- Get the fuck out!

Thank you.

With the president's veto, Congress
would be sent back to square one...

Stand by for live feed.

Okay. Come on. Nothing to see here.

Got a show to do. Let's get back to work.

Chief Washington correspondent,
Andrea Lasson, has more on this story...

And take it live feed.

- You have to hire him back!
- Are you fucking kidding me right now?

Do you think you're helping me?
Because you're not!

God, Mia, this is not just about you.
I'm sorry...

You just made everything worse!

What the fuck do you want from me?

I did not fuck Mitch!

I did not make that terrible decision!

I'm the one who's fucking
paying for it every day!

Look, I can't...

I wasn't perfect. I know that.
But I can't fucking fix it all.

That's all I'm ever going to be
to everyone here, isn't it?

Come on, Mia. I'm just at the end
of my rope. I'm sorry. I didn't...

- I have to get back to work.
- I'm sorry. Fuck.

Oh, shit.

Oh, shit.

Weather is up after tape.

Over large portions of the...

- Something you need?
- Look at your e-mail.

- What?
- Did you get an e-mail?

- I get a lot of e-mails.
- Do it!

Okay.

Shit.

HR. They want to speak to me.
Did you get the same thing?

- Do they know?
- Maybe someone saw us. Someone told them.

I feel like my body is going into shock.

I feel weak. And clammy. What do we do?

Don't vomit.
Just drink a little orange juice.

Yanko, I'm terrified.

Okay. Okay. Give me this.

Okay. Okay. Just listen to me, all right?

We just... We go to HR together,
and we just tell them that we're dating.

And that they should put that
on the record. We get ahead of it.

Or I have another idea.
We go to HR, and we deny, deny.

- No, it's not gonna work.
- It worked for Clinton.

Clinton was impeached, okay?

It's right.
Clinton was impeached. I'd forgotten.

- Thank you for the research.
- Back in 60 seconds. Throwing to Yanko.

You got it. Thank you.

I love you.

And I hate every moment
that I have to hide it.

I wanna take you to dinner
at a nice restaurant,

where we can order steak and drink wine,

and I can hold your hand and kiss you.

Make really bad jokes.

Will you go with me?

- Yanko.
- Now is the time.

I'll meet you in HR.

After the photo shoot.

I can't wait.

And we're back in...

five, four, three...

Thank you, Andrea. Great reporting.
That was fascinating.

Bradley was a bit of an unknown quantity
on the national stage,

but she came to us with
an extensive body of work and experience.

So, any hiccups we had with her
as coanchor were really because we...

I mean, let's face it,

I was slow to tailor
the show to the talent, you know.

It's like we were forcing
Steph Curry to play in the paint.

Which is just bad coaching, you know.

When you got a player like Bradley,

you hand her the ball
beyond the three-point line

and you just give her the green light.

Now's really the fun part
where we get to sit back

and really, you know,
watch her do what she does.

Okay. Great. That should do it.

- That's it?
- Mm-hmm. That's it.

With that basketball analogy,

this profile
is practically gonna write itself.

You didn't ask me about Mitch
or any of that stuff.

I don't have time for boilerplate denials.

I've got what I need.

You think you've got it.

Is that right?

Well, I'm not writing that story anyway.

Which, seems to me, should come
as a major relief to you, Chip.

Maggie, Maggie, Maggie.

Can you do me a favor?

Can you fucking trust me
for a second here, please?

What?

Look, I'm trying to... I can tell you...

I can share with you some things,

point you toward things

that incriminate the network
to the highest level.

Primarily, the highest fucking level.

Obviously this would have to be
on deep, deep fucking background.

And if you're interested, I'd want you to
get back to me sooner rather than later.

Do I understand what you're saying to me?

Yes, you understand.

This isn't like you.

You have the reputation as a good soldier.

Yeah.
Well, this good soldier's not really...

Not really sure what
he's protecting anymore, you know.

What's making you feel bold?

What if it was 15 years of complicity?

No. Sorry.

You don't grow a conscience overnight.

Not when you're in charge
of the jewel asset

of a multibillion-dollar corporation.

You grow a conscience...

when someone from that corporation
gives you permission to have one.

Maggie,
I'm offering you a really good story here.

And I'm looking for the better one.

Okay.

Let's both think about it,
and I'll call you.

Cory, my office is going to reach out
to yours about setting a meeting.

Okay.

Fun. Who with?

No. Don't tell me. I like to be surprised.

It's with Marlon Tate.

Potential EP candidate
for The Morning Show.

Chip finally had that heart attack?

Damn it. Condolences.

The internal investigation
will wrap up soon.

We don't know what will be in the report,

and we need
to be ready with contingencies.

Marlon's good. I've known him for years.

Came up in evening news,
but he gets the morning audience.

Thank you for the recommendation, Fred.

It's not a recommendation.

Marlon's the guy.

I hear you, Fred.

And as head of the news division,
I'll take it under advisement.

Is there something
you'd like to say to me?

Yes.

- Are you happy, Fred?
- 'Scuse me?

Are you like a happy person in life?

I know you have a wife,
a couple houses and a network,

but you don't seem very fulfilled
by any of it.

I honestly
don't think I've ever seen you smile

for more than a second or two in a row.

Which is too bad,
because smiling, it's fun to smile.

It feels good.

You should spend
more time doing things that you enjoy.

Maybe you'll have more time
to do that soon. I sure hope so.

It's just some personal advice.
Take it or leave it.

I thought I'd share...

before you find yourself
left with nothing but a permanent frown.

Let me know how it goes with Marlon.

Okay. So, unfortunately,
this is not the best time to get divorced.

Are you suggesting that there
is a good time to get divorced?

Well, if someone
has been the victim of abuse,

filing for divorce
is perceived to be empowering.

It's someone taking back
the reins on their own life.

- Is there anything there?
- Abuse?

Nope. No abuse. Bummer.

Yeah, cross that off.

Oh, my gosh.
Are you really kidding me with this?

It's a marriage. Marriages end.
I mean, my God.

Especially celebrity marriages,
they should be measured in dog years.

Jason and I would be celebrating
140 years.

Success.

That's not how people are gonna see it.

First of all, they're gonna wonder
if you were having an affair with Mitch.

- And if you did, that's okay.
- Okay.

You just... should tell us.

- It's better to get ahead of these things.
- Right.

Either way, people are definitely
going to notice that Mitch's wife

filed for divorce
right before your divorce was announced.

And then there's the matter
of which of you files for the divorce.

If you file, people will think
that it makes you look heartless.

If Jason files, people will think
that he caught you with another man.

Either that or he just couldn't put up
with a high-maintenance celebrity anymore,

which makes you read pathetic.

Unless of course, Jason was cheating
on you with, let's say, a younger woman.

That plays well.

People will look at you with pity.

But it's pity mixed with sympathy,

so definitely let us know about that.

Daniel, your show is a fucking car crash.

Even I'm watching.
I mean, Alex crying over that fucking dog.

Who would turn away?
But it's not gonna last.

Look, you're on the winning team for now.

But the real beauty
about being on the number-two show

is that they will spend whatever it takes
on talent to get them to number one.

The remuneration at UBA is not my problem.

What is your problem?

Because my problem is UBA
parading around a couple of white women

to show how progressive the network is
for having two female coanchors

while the brown people
are left to make sure

that the trains
of their dresses don't touch the ground.

I would be outraged.

This is the thing that outrages me.

TMS pulled me from a job
which I actually liked,

wooed me based on my political acumen,

promised me a space
to do what I love to do.

Instead,
they have me doing the fucking Twist.

So while, once again,
my ego loves that you're interested in me,

my fear is that YDA
would just be a lateral move

to a longer version of The Twist.

I want to do the news.

I want people to be excited about it.

And I want that to be enough.

See? This is why I want you on YDA.

Daniel, you are a beautiful, deep-feeling,
boring man who loves hard news.

- I'm not kidding.
- Neither am I.

Okay, people watch YDA because it's fun.

It's light, it's poppy.
And Jimmy and I, we have that covered.

Hell, I enjoy interviewing the surviving
members of the Bay City Rollers.

But we are never going
to beat TMS by being fun.

We need boring. We need gravitas.

We need political credibility.

And you have that coming out the wazoo.

TMS is vulnerable right now.

There are people there that I care about,

people that would be hurt if I jump.

Alison, Yanko...

Yes. I know. Your lovely friends
at the Minority Report.

- Low blow.
- Accurate.

Still. It's not easy.

Well, the TMS family is broken,

and it never really included anyone
whose name wasn't Mitch or Alex.

And, you know, if you've
seen it on WebMD or something.

As soon as possible,
but tell them I don't wanna know.

- All right.
- Thank you.

Where's the rest of the family?

I don't know.
Maybe they're walking the dog.

Funny kind of family.

Yep. Dysfunctional.

Just like a real family.

All right. I'm back.

All here.

Let's capture this happy shit.

- Can I talk to you for a second?
- Yeah.

Yeah.

So, apparently I have to announce
my divorce on the show sometime next week.

- Gosh. I'm sorry.
- That's okay.

I just wanted to give you the heads-up.
So, be prepared for some awkward airtime.

Well, awkward airtime is my specialty.

But thank you for the heads-up.

Yeah. And obviously this stays between us.

- Of course.
- Okay. Thank you.

I just have to be
so careful about what I say.

I mean, I just met with this PR woman
who scared the crap out of me.

Reminded me that I'm walking
into this land mine of speculation and...

about my marriage and my sanity and...

Mitch.

Fuck, I don't know, you and me.

Maybe you and I are in love.

God, that would be preferable.

Well, that all sounds brutal.
I'm here if you need anything.

Okay?

Wait.

Actually.

Maybe we could work on something together?

For your divorce announcement?

Yeah. I mean, you're sitting right there

- when I have to do it.
- Right.

You know,
we could make it into a dialogue.

And since your specialty seems to be...

being human.

Couldn't hurt.

I mean, we could workshop it
over dinner tonight at my apartment.

- That would be great.
- Yeah?

No. Yeah. I would love that.

I'll bring some food.

You don't have to do that.
I have it covered.

- Okay.
- Okay, ladies.

- Yeah.
- You look beautiful. And you're ready.

So, what do you say we do this?

All right.

- Let's go be a family.
- Oh, God.

- Pictures.
- Okay, guys. Come on.

- Here we go.
- Happy. Happiness.

Happy family. Good. One, two, three.

Good. Big smiles.

Tilt your hips
towards me a tiny bit. Good.

- That looks good. Right there. Freeze.
- Serious or smiling?

That's nice.
Right there. That's a good shot.

One, two, three.
Good. Chins up a little bit.

Shift a little bit this way
so you can lean in.

Good. Good. Smile. Great. Good idea.

- Beautiful.
- Everybody knows this is my wrong side...

There is no wrong side for you. Stop it.

- I had caffeine.
- Thank you.

Good. Bradley, chin up a little bit?

One, two, three. Good. Big smiles.
There we go.

You know, Nicky was just making a joke.

He's a good kid.

Shouldn't have his life ruined
over making a joke.

- I mean, he apologized.
- I didn't fire him. Chip fired him.

If you say so.

Bart, drop it.

Yeah. I'll drop it.

Some other people
are never gonna drop it though.

Hi, everyone.

Can I have your attention, please?

It's Mia Jordan here.

- Can I have everyone's attention?
- What is that?

Hi.

I'm the scorned, oversensitive woman

- who screwed the lead anchor...
- Oh, fuck.

To help her career.

And got him fired

when he didn't want to leave his wife.

And now I'm out for blood.

So, everybody with a dick
better be careful

'cause she hates dicks now.

Dicks, beware!

Don't leave your home at night
without an escort,

because the vengeful,
slutty, feminist bitch,

Mia Jordan, is out there somewhere.

Well, should we do something here?

No, no, we should let her speak.
Let her speak.

- Look, Mia, I'm sorry.
- You can shut the fuck up, Bart.

Okay, everyone, I got it.

I'm well aware
of what everyone is saying about me.

And now apparently,

I personally got Nicky fired,
and I leaked about Mitch to the Times,

and I'm sure I'm also the Zodiac Killer,

and I probably assassinated
Archduke Franz Ferdinand.

I mean, this fucking list goes on.

And I could deny a lot of that.

Most of it is lies.

Bullshit gossip. But I am just so...

fucking tired.

I don't have the energy to deny it.

What's the point, anyway?

Everybody's already decided
what they believe.

Some of you hate me, some of you pity me,

some of you think I'm a victim,

some of you think I'm a slut.

Everybody's got their fucking opinions,
and you know what?

Have 'em.

I just wanna move on with my fucking life.

Mia, if you wanna just put the mike...

Chip, I'm almost done here, unless you
wanna join in, make this a dialogue here.

Okay, go ahead.

We're all human.

We all have regrets.

No matter which side
of that Me Too line you fall on,

we are all just people
who wanna do our jobs,

do good work.

So, that's what I'm gonna focus on.

My work.

'Cause I'd like to be known in this world

for something other than
fucking Mitch Kessler,

and I think I deserve that opportunity.

All right, everybody. Let's...

Let's take that good advice and...

and get back to work.

Mia. Hey.

Bradley.

God, I should've told you.
I wanted to be your producer.

- I didn't want you to think less of me...
- Please. I don't.

I don't.

And I'm so glad you did that just now.

I'm just so sorry that
you've had to deal with this by yourself.

Thank you.

Okay, so... Look,
we got to prep a show for tomorrow.

- Okay.
- Meet you in your office in ten?

Yeah. Sounds great.

Now, Claire,

Mr. Flores has stated that he'd like to go
on public record about this relationship.

Well, he spoke,

but we'd both like to
go on record publicly,

but ideally confidentially,
if that's an option.

Well, what I need to better understand
is how this relationship began.

Did you initiate an intimate relationship?

No, I did not.
No. And I never would've thought of that.

No, we became friends, you know?

Claire would...
She'd come in with her research,

and she was willing to listen and
genuinely engage with my work.

Which is not always the case.

People rely on the weather,

but they have a problem
taking it seriously.

Not Claire.

His brain is just really fucking sexy.

It didn't seem like a crime to
transition that feeling into actual sex.

I never said it was a crime.

I'm merely asking how
your first sexual encounter came about.

"Merely asking." That's a very polite way

to ask something that's
really none of your business.

No. I was the one who stopped the kiss.

Look, of course I worried
that it was inappropriate.

I was in deep denial
about my own feelings.

I was. She was completely unfazed.

I mean, she told me that she liked me,

and that she liked me for a while.

And I was knocked back by that.

Yes, we had sex that night.

Yes, it was at Yanko's apartment.

But only because
he's the one who knows how to cook,

and I like a good fucking paella.

Then I asked her to dinner,

and we both just thought
it was smarter to keep it private.

Look, I hit on him. I'm the creep here.

I never said either of you were creeps.

But that's the implication, isn't it?

That he has to have been
tricking me into liking him

because of the very nature
of his professional position of power.

We've thought many, many times
about coming forward and...

And yet only when summoned
did you actually come...

Right. And you could
choose to indict us for that.

And you could choose
to compare the nature of our relationship

with the despicable acts
committed by Mitch Kessler.

You have to understand something, Sheila.

That was the very fear
that motivated us to stay silent.

Has Mr. Flores ever asked you
to do things you're uncomfortable with?

No.

Never?

Well, I suppose he asked me to come here,
and now I feel uncomfortable.

Look, the work you do
here in this room is noble.

Okay? And I appreciate
all of the tough questions, I do.

But Claire and I hope that
we can represent a new way to navigate

this kind of a workplace relationship.

Would you consider
your relationship with Mr. Flores serious?

Why is that relevant?

Because it's our job to examine

whether the two of you working
in the same environment is sustainable.

- Are you saying I could be fired?
- Well, it's just...

But you're not going
to fire the fucking weatherman.

Claire, I'm not saying that
anything's gonna happen to anyone.

I really don't want to be here.
This was a mistake.

Do you need a minute?

No, I need to get out
of this fucking room.

Claire, it's our responsibility
to ask these questions.

And I feel like
I'm still entitled to a shred of privacy.

You chose to come here.

I didn't choose anything.

Claire?

What?

Do you need help
getting out of this relationship?

Oh, my God.

- Oh, my God. You okay?
- I'm not sure.

- What can they do? What can...
- Yanko! Careful.

- I know.
- People.

I know, I know.
I'm just... I'm so relieved.

I think we might be okay.

How was it for you?

- Hard to describe in a...
- Hi.

Good night, Yanko.

Hey. I will get you that research
on the Holmes interview in an hour or so.

- Is that okay?
- Yeah, yeah.

- Good night, Claire.
- Good night.

- Hey.
- Hey.

- How are you?
- Yeah, I'm fine.

Sorry, I'm just thinking about rain,
you know?

It's likely to rain tomorrow,
so opt for rain boots.

Noted. Hey, is Claire all right?

Yeah, yeah, I think she's okay.

- All right.
- Yeah. She's incredibly talented. Yeah.

I'm really glad you saw that
and gave her an opportunity.

- Hey.
- Hey. Fancy meeting you here.

What are the odds?

It's okay. Don't be embarrassed

that you were waiting
by the elevator for an hour

hoping you would
catch me leaving the office.

You're funny.

It's sort of silly
we're going back to the same place.

It's like we live in the same dorm
or something.

I got a crazy idea.

Why don't we tell our cars to fuck off
and walk back to the hotel?

Why are we being driven?

We're in New York fucking City.
Let's go get in it.

Wow. Someone in this building
wants to get into the actual street?

- Yeah.
- Let's do it.

Oh, yeah.

So, it must've been nice to be at home
last week. Sleep in your own bed?

Nah, I spent most of the time
in a screening room watching pilots.

Oh. Anything good?

You know, a month ago or so
I might've said yes,

but I had this very funny realization

while I was sitting there watching
this expensive and amazing fiction...

- Yeah.
- Which is truth is stranger than fiction.

- I mean, the shows were... They were fine.
- Yeah.

Some of them were pretty good, actually.

But it's just not the same as the truth.
Real life.

I'm into that shit right now, Bradley.
Thanks a lot.

I like the truth.

Although it's bit me in the ass
more times than I can count,

but I do like it.

Hey. Let's do something stupid.

You wanna do something stupid?

- Depends on what you mean by stupid.
- Here's what I'm thinking.

We hustle up to Central Park
and find that fucking carousel.

No, no, no. We'll go for a carriage ride.

It'll be really politically incorrect
and stupidly fun.

As much as, in general, I love stupid fun,

I... I kinda just need
to figure some stuff out right now.

- All right.
- But can I get a rain check?

Well, it's a limited-time-only offer.

Shut up. No, it's not.

- Hi, honey.
- What are you doing here?

I come bearing pizza.

I already ate.

Honey, I really want to talk to you.

Samantha is here.

Hey, I was just gonna
run over to the library.

Hi, Sam. How are you, honey?

Hi, Alex. I'm fine.

Come in, I guess.

I should've told you that I was coming.

Yeah, maybe.

What?

Wow. Okay.

I'm sorry I broke your heart.

I'm so sorry.

Why is this happening now?

Does it have something
to do with all this Mitch stuff?

No. Of course not.

Really?

Because you've been
melting down ever since he left,

doing all this crazy stuff.

"Melting down"?

Is that how you characterize
what I've been going through?

Announcing Bradley Jackson
out of nowhere like that?

The whole Page Six thing with you
wandering through the halls at work.

Lizzy. How do you read Page Six
and believe it?

Okay. Lizzy...

I know this hurts.

It doesn't hurt you. You don't care.

What?

Dad loves you so much.
He does everything for you.

Why isn't he good enough?

Honey, this... This has nothing to do
with your father not being good enough.

He's smart. He's handsome. He's funny.

He's a respected professor at NYU.

He's written best-selling books
on world economics, for fuck's sake.

I know all of that, honey.
I know all of it.

Then how can you be so selfish?

Oh, Lizzy. Honey.
The thing is you're only seeing this

from the part that you can see,
and that's as it should be.

But 25 years is a really long time.

We were two completely different people
when we met.

And we just...

I just don't feel the same way anymore.

And I haven't for years.

And I have tried, baby. I've tried.

And I can't tell you how lonely I've been.

And I know this makes you angry and hurt.

But I just want you to try to see
that there is a bigger picture here.

Well, I can't right now, Mom.
I'm too fucking hurt and angry.

Okay. No, honey, let's just...
Please, come on.

We've always been there for each other.
Always.

You're my baby.
Let's just not do this right now.

You need to leave.

I can't even believe
what you're doing now.

What am... What am I doing?

I'm not going
to take care of you right now.

Okay. Okay. Then I will leave.

Great. Go share it with America.
They'll take care of you.

Well, fuck you, kid. Fuck you!

Did you really just say that?

Yeah, I did. I just said, "Fuck you."

And, I mean, how fucking dare you.

After all that I have done
and all that I have given to you.

My life. My love. My body.

I broke my fucking vagina
with that big, fucking head of yours.

And I had to be surgically
sewn back together.

I bet you didn't know that, did you?

Oh, and effing just staying
with your father

after all these years of him driving me
insane with his condescending "my loves."

He talked to me like I was a fucking
five-year-old, and I am sick of it.

I am sick of it.

I want happiness. I earned happiness.

I'm a human being, Lizzy.

And you know what else?

Don't you dare bitch
at me about my career,

little Miss I'm-So-Progressive.

Yes, I worked my ass off
to get where I am.

And I wanted it.

I wanted to be something.
I wanted to mean something in this world.

I didn't know that was a fucking crime.

Life isn't perfect, okay, baby?

We don't get everything we want.

You're young, you know?
Go make the life that you want,

and you see how fucking easy it is.

And stop bitching
and complaining and blaming me.

And you get your own fucking pizza.

This is my pizza.
I'm taking my pizza. I earned this shit.

- Fuck you, Mom.
- Oh, fuck you, kid.

Hello?

It's Bradley Jackson.

If you can find somebody
to corroborate your story,

I might be interested.

Okay.

Hey, kiddo.

Mitch. What are you doing here?

Well, you got something out of me.

And now it's time
for you to repay the favor.