The Morning Show (2019–…): Season 1, Episode 8 - Lonely at the Top - full transcript

Here's your coffee.

Thanks.

Two more days of being 49.

Enjoy.

Yep.

Paul, Paul, Paul, what are you doing
here in the middle of the fuckin' night?

-I don't know. Just couldn't sleep.
-I get it.

And, hey, happy early birthday
since I won't be seeing you Sunday.

Thank you,
but I'd rather forget about this one.

It's from Alex.

Same stupid song she sends me every year.



Let's do it, boss.

She is such an idiot.

I love this song.

Happy, happy birthday, baby

Although you're with somebody new

Thought I'd drop a line to say

That I wish this happy day

Would find me beside you

And Chip's wondering
if you'll reach out to J.Lo,

see if she's interested in talking
about the situation in Puerto Rico.

-Sure. Of course.
-I'll set that up this evening.

Questions for the education
reform debate Tuesday.

Wait, Tuesday?

That's the same day
as the wild card game. I'm doing that.



Yeah, that's what I thought.

I'll talk to Chip about it.

Hey, hey, hey!

-Happy birthday weekend, Big Daddy!
-Okay!

Thank you. Thank you.

-Happy birthday!
-Hi!

-Hey, happy birthday, man.
-Jake!

Man of the hour.

-Don't shortchange me there, Daniel. Hey!
-There he is!

-Man of the year.
-There you go.

-Hey!
-Happy birthday.

Thank you. What do we have?
What do we have?

"Power's yet to be restored in Puerto Rico

following the devastation
of Hurricane Maria"?

Thank you.

The perfect gift for the woman
who has everything.

How old does this make you?

Well, if this were Logan's Run,
they would've killed me 20 years ago.

Help me out?

Old enough to have seen Logan's Run.

Hey.

Hey.

Happy birthday.

Thanks, not till Sunday.

-Oh, yeah.
-But thank you.

-Happy birthday to you...
-Thank you.

You got the Hurricane Maria copy there?

-I do.
-Okay.

-See you in a bit.
-All right.

-Hey!
-Hey! It's the fuckin' birthday boy!

What's that spot?

That's just a finger smudge. My bad.

Oh, my gosh. There it is.

Wow! It's here.

Thanks, man.
Appreciate you bringing it this early.

-Hey, thanks. Wow.
-That's why they call it a crotch rocket.

Oh, my God. Mitch is gonna love this.

-Which is so lame.
-I agree.

Chip, we have a scheduling conflict here.

You have me doing
the education reform debate.

And it's the same day
as the wild card game.

-Yes, about that.
-Yes.

Mitch is gonna cover it.

What? Why?

It's not a big deal. The network
just wants to try Mitch on the playoffs.

But I do the playoffs.

Yeah, but I think they just wanna try it.

YDA's closing the gap.
They're just throwing shit at the wall,

see if they can get more eyeballs
in the morning.

You'll be back on it next year. It's fine.

Chip, people expect to see me in
the studio after the game as a tradition.

Isn't that what baseball's all about?
Tradition?

It's a museum masquerading as a sport?

Look, I'm on your side, okay? It's just...

The network gets a little nervous,
and they did a test.

What?

A test?

The network did a test?

I see. So they pay people 50 bucks to
come in for a ten-cent opinion.

Exactly.
It's stupid, and it's random, okay?

It's just that Mitch happened to
test very well.

Mitch tests really well
when he tests with me. Okay?

-I agree.
-Did they test him with Alison?

Because that's when they should've
tested him, when I was away last month.

Because this party of one,
this focus group, saw it and it sucked.

Look, they're gonna do more tests.

The cream is gonna rise to the top.
You are gonna be fine. Relax.

Oh, my God.
Chip, you used to be my producer.

Don't pull that shit on--
I am still your producer, okay?

I found you. Hello. I found you.

And now you've found your golden goose?

No, you are my golden goose.

It's just that, technically,
I have two golden geese.

But now Mitch has you and Fred
and Reid in his side pocket.

And I know what you guys do.

You hang out, you talk about girls.

You smoke cigars, you play golf.

You give Mitch more good stories,
then more people love Mitch.

The more people that love Mitch,
the better he's gonna test. Come on.

I get this. I'm not an idiot.

It's not that complicated.

-I know.
-Come on.

-What?
-Makeup's ready for you.

All right. Thank you.
I'm not done with this conversation.

-Okay. Okay.
-Okay?

-Seriously?
-What?

Don't worry.

Do I look worried?

Worried. Jesus.

-Coffee for you.
-Claire, right?

-Yes.
-Okay.

-And one of these is yours.
-Yes, thank you.

-And, Lay... Layla...
-Thanks. I'll be fine with that.

Okay.

-Lindsey...
-Yes, hi.

-Take that.
-Thank you, Carla.

-And...
-It's Claire, but--

And Donny. Donny...

Oh, Donny! That's yours.

And Jared...

-Coffee.
-Thanks.

Sorry to bother you, but who is Jared?

Sorry, there are just so many names
to learn here.

I'm Jared. Head booker. Learn my name.

Sorry.

-Don't take it personally. He's just--
-An asshole?

Well, yeah.

Sorry he's your direct superior.

It's all a learning experience.

But I have my goals I'm here to achieve,

so I just figure
I'll use every part of the buffalo,

even the asshole.

-Claire?
-Yes.

Go make sure Alison's dress showed up
for the birthday segment, would you?

-Will do.
-Thank you.

Thank you for being human.

-Hey, Jared. Come here.
-Yeah.

-What's up?
-What the fuck, dude?

What do you mean "what the fuck"?
What's going on?

Why is Alex talking to Owen Gorman
for the Homeland Security story?

You asked me to find someone
to cover the confirmation hearing.

No, I asked you to find a senator
to cover the hearing.

Someone who is,
I don't know, in the actual Senate.

Here you go. Thank you.

As you know, Gorman is a member
of the House of Representatives.

We do not care about
the opinion of Florida's second district.

Gorman is great TV.

Gorman's an attention whore.

He's also an attention whore
that you book biweekly.

So from now on,
there is a moratorium on booking Gorman,

unless there's a fucking atomic bomb
in Tallahassee.

I had Reuben Bowen,
but his press secretary just pulled--

There are 14 senators in this committee.

-One of them wants to talk.
-It's late in the game.

I have some connections
in Sadie Worthington's office.

I can see if I can get her.

Yes! Fuck, yes! This--

Why did you wait until now
to share that information?

-Guys, who cares?
-I...

-Who cares? Just go. Go. Go.
-Going.

I'm gonna push the story as late as I can.

-Keep me updated.
-Okay!

Jesus. Fuck.

-She's a go-getter.
-Yeah. Gorgeous too.

You're so shallow.
Get your head out of the gutter.

I learned by watching you, Dad.

Do you ever pinch yourself because you got
me instead of Alex? I gotta be more fun.

Gee, you think?

-Good mornin'!
-Oh, well, well.

Happy 5-0, Mr. Kessler

Wow. Am I old enough for you yet?

Give it a couple of years. Nothing gets
my juices flowing like an AARP discount.

I will put it in my calendar.

Alison, wow.
That dress is something else. Really nice.

-Alex!
-Yes.

You see that dress that Alison's wearing?

That dress that was just
in my immediate eyeline? Yes, I did.

-I did see it.
-Why don't you wear any dresses like that?

-Oh, I'm sorry.
-Hey, Chip, Chip.

Can we get some dresses like that
for Alex? Is that doable?

Yeah, I'll see if I can pull some strings.

Nope. Don't pull anything, Chip.
We're good.

We are live in 30 seconds.

-You know what?
-Mm-mmm.

I would take you in that dress
over Alison any day.

Last looks.

You're so sweet.

Because if you were wearing the dress,
that would mean she's naked.

-There it is!
-Right?

We had it. First of the day, guys.

-You saw that coming.
-I did.

You knew. You knew I was gonna do that.

-I didn't wanna spoil your punch line.
-Thank you.

-Thank you for going with me.
-We are live in five, four, three...

Wow.

Good morning, everyone,
and welcome to The Morning Show.

Our top story today:

Puerto Rico continues to grapple
with the aftermath of Hurricane Maria,

as criticism escalates over
the federal response to the deadly storm.

We now go to Yanko Flores, who is
reporting live from Puerto Rico. Yanko.

-And take it.
-Morning, Mitch.

It's been devastating to witness
conditions here in San Juan today.

The power lines are down.
So many homes are destroyed.

More resources from FEMA,

from the Pentagon,
are expected to arrive early next week.

But until then, the recovery efforts are--
They're proceeding slowly.

How is morale there, Yanko?

Resilient. Truly beautiful, the way that
people are hanging together here on...

la isla del encanto, the Island of
Enchantment as it is affectionately known.

They will recover,
but they could use some caring.

They've had plenty of this force of nature
that just comes through by its own will,

destroys everything and doesn't care.

You have reached the office
of Senator Sadie Worthington.

Due to high call volume, we are
currently unavailable to take your call.

Fuck.

-Hannah?
-Christine, hi.

Thanks for calling me back.

I can't get through to
Senator Worthington's office in DC--

I don't work
for Senator Worthington anymore.

Could you possibly
put me in touch with your--

You never even RSVP'd
to my baby shower.

I'm so sorry.
I'm always traveling for work.

But I do need help.

Or to my goodbye party.

I blew it.

I fuckin' blew it.

I threw myself into work,
and I didn't prioritize our friendship.

I didn't prioritize
any of my personal relationships,

which is clearly not healthy,

but I don't give myself time
to think about that.

I never asked you to put me
ahead of your work.

I only asked for a small amount of decency
from someone I considered my friend.

Listen, I know it doesn't
excuse anything, but...

living in New York by myself
without family, without support...

has been a bitch.

I moved home because I needed it too.

I've just been trying to survive,
you know? It gets scary.

You really hurt my feelings.

I am so sorry.

Really, Christine, I feel horrible.

It's okay, Hannah.
Tell me what you need.

Really?

Coming up, more of our top stories.

And later in the hour,

we sit down with the star of fall's
hottest new show

that's already setting ratings records.

Elsa Hanford from UBA's own
Late Bloomers is with us next.

-Supposed to be great.
-Yep. Oh, wait. What's that?

Yes, yes, yes. And I also hear

that it's someone's big birthday
coming up this weekend.

No, no.

-We are not going to do that, are we?
-Jesus!

Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday to you

Apparently, we are going to do that.

Yes, we are, my friend.

Stay tuned, everyone.
We will be right back.

Oh, no.

You thought someone shot you, didn't you?
'Cause I did.

And we're clear.

-Oh, God.
-Hey.

Sorry.

What bullshit has been planned
for this horrible, horrible birthday?

Just the normal love wrapped in mockery.

You know it well. A cake, possibly.

God. Fifty! Kill me!

-Yeah.
-Just kill me right now.

You make 50 look so good.

You really do. Happy birthday, honey.

I would not wanna spend it
with anyone other than you.

Thanks, honey.

-Jesus!
-God!

My God!

-Gimme that.
-I hate this.

I'm sorry. It wasn't my idea.

-I gotta get it outta there.
-Get it off of me.

-Here we go.
-Don't--

Don't-- What are you doing?
What are you doing?

I can't get it off!

No, no. Come on. Come on. No!
You can't pick up that ball.

You can't pick up that ball. No.

-Goal!
-No. He got it. He got it.

Oh, no.

Oh, no, no.

You gotta go. No, he's coming in.

He's come-- Don't do it.

Don't do it.

Mitch.

I thought you were getting ready.

Okay, guys. Guys.

We're supposed to meet Fred and Geneva
at the restaurant in less than an hour.

Like a herd of turtles. Come on. Get up.

Good boys. Thank you.

Let me see.

-Thanks, Mom.
-Napkin on your lap. Napkin on your lap.

-Here. Let me cut that for you. Come here.
-Thank you, Mom.

Can I use your fork? Thanks, honey.

There you go.

I'm sorry, Paige.

Are you kidding?

No, I'm not.

I've been thinking a lot.

Since your most recent affair broke up?

Yes.

I'm sorry.

Okay.

Paige, we've built a life together.
We have two beautiful kids.

I wanna try.

It's hard for me to believe you.

I know.

Oh, shit.

Hey, Chipper.

Don't say anything uncouth.
Paige is in the car.

-Hey, guys.
-Hi.

So sorry to bug you on a Sunday night.

Yeah, and on my birthday, asshole.

Oh, shit. I'm an asshole.

I am so sorry, but I swear
this will just take one second.

Look, pain in the ass, we gotta move up
the attorney general interviews.

I really wanna get you
this research in copy

so you're not flying blind for tomorrow.

-Yeah?
-Fine. Just send it to the house.

The restaurant's right by the studio.

We could just stop by in,
like, five minutes and pick it up.

That would be great.
You sure you don't mind?

No, it's fine. Right, Mitch?

Yeah.

Yeah, sure, we'll be late for our dinner,
but that's fine.

Okay.

I will leave it with security.
Have a good night.

It'll just take a second.

-Hey, Jim.
-Hey, Mitch. What are you doing here?

Chip said he had some papers for me.

He didn't leave anything with me.

But I can look around and see if he left
them with Pat before I got here.

Is Chip here?

Yeah. Looks like he's in the studio.
You have to go through the control room.

They're buffing the floors
outside the greenroom.

-Okay, thank you.
-You're welcome.

"Buffing the floors."

-Surprise!
-Surprise!

Oh, my God!

Oh, God. Were you surprised?

So fucking surprised.

Well, buckle up, mister.
This is gonna get better.

Here we go. Come on.

-Look at that!
-I know.

When did you do this?

Oh, you know,
all the spare time that I have.

Oh, my God!

What the fuck?

-No, no.
-You're in heaven.

-You're in heaven. Come on. Look.
-Oh, yes.

Look.

Sit, sit, sit.

Sit, sit.

Let the party begin!

Ladies!

-When you hear the alarm go ding-a-ling
-So early

-All tune in to watch the morning king
-Oh, great one

-When ratings come YDA stands not a chance
-Those losers

Mitch Kessler turns 50 tonight

Privilege can't change him
He's always one of us

Hold on now

Speaks truth to power
Brings down the treasonous

Mitch Kessler?

He's a millionaire
But he'd do it all for free

Mitch Kessler turns 50 tonight

No, no, no.

Oh, hello!

Joan of Arc made just 19
Buddy Holly, 22

Old JC was 33
When we bid him adieu

Which brings us to the thing we ask for

-This an interview
-You're a dead man.

If only the good die young, old man
What does that say for you?

No, stop it! Hang on. Stop it.
Stop it. Stop the music. Enough.

Can you hear me?

Are you able to walk to your seat?

Don't do this. Please don't do this.

This man has a very delicate prostate.
So this is a long journey for him.

Ooh. Oh, boy.

Wait a minute, girls
No one likes a bitch

So just pump the brakes

And let's give praise to Mitch

But then, on second thought
The girls might know you best

This asshole turns 50 tonight

He fawns on preening stars
And throws them all softballs

Thinks his jokes deserve a curtain call
They don't...

Fifty tonight

Mitch Kessler turns 50 tonight

Happy birthday, baby boy.

Oh, my God. You are insane.

Thank you.

Let's do it again!

Hey.

More please, sir.

This is where he breaks it
before he rides it.

-That fits like a glove.
-Yeah. That's it.

-I like it.
-I wanna try this.

-Oh, no.
-Don't do-- No.

-Ready?
-Okay.

-God-- Put your leg over the back of it.
-No, no, no.

I wanna-- I'm doing sidesaddle.

Fred, why hasn't Dick done a show
for the network?

I'm sorry. You might have him
confused with some other Dick Lundy

who would deign
to do broadcast television.

This guy is a filmmaker, damn it.
He wears berets.

We should send Dick
to meet with Cory Ellison.

Yeah, do a little spin-off
of Late Bloomers.

After all,
it is the number one show in America.

All the bus stops say so.
It's gotta be true.

That's the middle-aged lesbian show?

The major hit "middle-age lesbian show."

Listen, I gotta hand it to the guy.

Only Cory would have taken that pitch,
let alone put it on the air.

Jesus. And in his first
development season? It's ballsy.

The guy takes chances.

-Yeah.
-Now, he's a little... unusual.

-He's weird.
-He does take chances.

Well, that's why he's the president
of entertainment and not news.

I don't know, Reid.
You might have to take some big swings.

Your Day, America's nipping at our heels.

Okay. I'll start by adding lesbians.

Good call.
I'm gonna go check on the real cake.

Good talking to you, Chip.

How much did the Ducati cost us?

Not that much really.
I mean, it's a custom job. Ninety K or so.

It hardly seems enough given how much
money he's made for the network.

-Yeah.
-I'm glad to see him so happy.

We're lucky to have him.
He just gets better with age.

Yeah.

Have you seen the last numbers on Alex?

Yeah. I can accept the scores
on trustworthiness.

In this climate,
every journalist has taken a hit,

but her authenticity
and relatability numbers?

-Yeah.
-Shit.

-Yeah.
-When did that fucking happen?

People just see her as
rich and powerful now.

A "girl next door" was always her magic.

Yeah. Breaks my heart.

It never would occur to me,
when I hired her,

that I might still be around to
put her out to pasture.

Come on. We're not there yet.
We can still reinvent her a little.

Yeah. Yeah. Course. Sure.

We give it time. Let's see what happens.

Time is cruel,
and youth is wasted on the young.

Excuse me, Yanko.

I just wanted to introduce myself.
I'm Claire. I'm the new PA.

-Hey. Nice to meet you. Hi.
-Hey. Nice to meet you.

Well, welcome. Welcome to the show.

It's quite a baptism into this world.

Yeah, and I plan to christen myself
in gin and tonics.

-Nice.
-By the way,

I really enjoyed your piece
on Puerto Rico.

It was incredibly moving.
You're very good.

And I can tell that doing the weather
actually means something to you,

which is unusual. And nice.

Well, thank you, Claire.

You have a great deal of depth, don't you?

No. No. I'm actually incredibly shallow.

Well, I'll be the judge of that.

-Enjoy the party.
-Yeah. You too.

-Here's some people. Hello, everyone.
-Oh, hey. Hi.

-How are you?
-I know, I know. Don't make a big deal.

Oh, hey. Hey.
Nice job getting that senator Friday.

Oh, yeah. Wow. How'd you know?

Well, I kinda know everything that goes on
around this place.

I know that Jared-- Where is he?

Jared is lazy and complacent,
and you did the right thing speaking up.

You know what you did?
You made the show better on Friday.

Categorically better.

So, thank you for your efforts,
and keep up the good work.

Thank you so much.

Mitch Kessler, we are lucky to have you.

I am so lucky to have you.
Happy birthday, honey.

Get up here and make some wishes.

You've got about 50 of them.

Happy birthday to you

-Here you go.
-Oh, my gosh.

Happy birthday to you

Happy birthday, dear Mitch

Happy birthday to you

I'm very, very fortunate to have friends
like this and like this in my life.

And as the last candle burns out,

I say thank you so much for coming
and for being my friends. Thank you.

Cheers.

For he's a jolly good fellow
For he's a jolly good fellow

For he's a jolly good fellow

Which nobody can deny

Nobody can deny

I can't believe you.
You put together that whole thing.

I picked the song, I wrote the lyrics,
I auditioned the dancers.

Oh, that's it. That's it.
It all makes sense now.

No. Stop it. Stop it.
I did it because I love you, Mitch.

-I do.
-Oh, God.

It just so happens that loving you
comes with certain fringe benefits.

There are some people out there
who would vehemently disagree with you.

Oh, fuck 'em! You know?

One of the great things of getting old.

You can just say,
"Fuck 'em, fuck it, fuck off."

And be at peace with it.
You've nothing left to prove.

You've carved out your place in the world,

and no one and nobody can take that away.

Yeah, I get that I've accomplished a lot,

but it just doesn't feel like
it really matters. You know?

I mean, this is all fun,
but is that all there is?

I've let down people I love.
Maybe that's my legacy.

At the end, maybe that's it.

Please. Please, please.

Look, I don't know what you've done,

and you certainly don't have to tell me,
but, trust me,

they're gonna get over it.

They will.

Although Penny...

Penny never got over it.

What did you do?

I married Rita.

-And that was a big success, wasn't it?
-Yeah.

Jesus Christ.
How do I even have any money at all?

I don't know.

You know what? Here's the thing.

You are Mitch Kessler.

That matters. Don't forget that.

Doesn't really feel like it matters.

You know, you do all of this stuff,

you achieve all of these things,
and then, at the end of the day,

you're just looking at it
through a car window as you drive by.

Just doesn't fill you up.

You have your films.

Oh, please.

Dick Lundy films will be around forever.

I am ephemeral.
Nobody re-watches the news,

unless it's a plane flying into a building
or assassination or something.

Thank God those things
don't happen very often.

But...

nobody re-watches
"Fall Fashion Trends 2006."

So you say. Where do you think
I got the idea for this outfit?

Well, I have had too much to drink.

So you're heading out?

Nah. I have to be here
in a couple of hours.

I'll sleep when I'm dead.

Fuck it.

Fuck it!

That's my boy.

-Chip.
-I'm up. What happened?

There's a shooting in Las Vegas,
happening as we speak.

Oh, fu-- Holy fuck. Okay, I got it.

It's active.
Outside a concert near Mandalay Bay.

The police have been dispatched
to the hotel.

Wait, someone's
firing into a fucking concert?

Rena, get in here.

I mean-- Is it still active?
How many are dead? Jesus Christ.

It's not clear.

Someone is saying that there
are multiple shooters in multiple hotels.

I saw that, but it's unconfirmed.

Let's get-- Let's get somebody from LA
to cover it right now.

-Go get Mitch and Alex and tell 'em we--
-Mitch is still here.

Get him! Make sure he gets on a plane
as soon as fucking possible.

-Got it!
-I'll call Reid, get the jet approved.

Get Mitch and Alex on that plane
fucking five minutes ago.

Copy.

Oh, Mitch. Good, you're ready.

Car is waiting outside, and
Alex is already on her way to the airport.

We're sending Alex too?
You think that's necessary?

I mean, this is huge. We're doing the
whole show from there, so I need you both.

Okay. If that's your call, Captain.

Chip, I can't get ahold of Jared.
I'm still trying--

You know what? Fuck Jared. He's slipping.

Send that junior booker, Hannah.
She's excellent.

Yeah, that's a good idea.

-Let's find Hannah, and find Mia for me.
-Okay.

Hey, I've been meaning
to talk to you about Mia.

I think maybe you should take her off
my team, put her on Alex's team.

It's just kind of uncomfortable right now.

She's great,
but it's not a good situation.

Mitch wants to move you off his team.

Why?

I think it's just too awkward.

He's punishing me for breaking things off.

-No, he is not.
-Yeah, he is. Come on.

Do not take this personally, okay?

Things got messy, okay?

It's nobody's fault, but he does have
a right to say who he wants on his team.

And I'm sorry. It's--

Where you gonna put me?

-On Alex's team.
-Oh, my God.

It's gonna be best, all things considered.
I'll speak with her about it.

So I'm not going to Vegas?

No.

You get to stay back here with me.

Listen. I really need
your help on this one.

Okay, boss.

I'll get on social,
figure out everything I can.

Shit.

It's gonna be a block of rooms.
Fifteen people.

At least two suites,
as close to the scene as possible.

-You're looking for me?
-Yeah.

You're going to Vegas to do the booking.

-Me?
-Yeah, you're leaving now.

What about Jared?

Mitch wants you. So...

Congrats.
Now get the fuck out of here. Please.

Thank you.

All units, we have shots fired
at the Route 91 Harvest Festival.

Shots are coming from the higher floors.

Details are extremely limited at this
time, but here's what we do know.

There is one, possibly two shooters

that began opening fire from
the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino...

-Oh, my God.
-...on one of the top floors.

They're firing into
the Route 91 Harvest Festival.

We'll feed you updates as we get 'em.

-Concert performer Jason Aldean...
-Okay.

-...had just taken the stage.
-All right. Let's go.

The concertgoers
thought they were hearing fireworks.

Sick.

Why do people keep doing this?

I wish I knew.

It's just so overwhelming.

-You can't cry right now.
-I know. I know.

-Think of something else.
-Okay, okay.

-Do Kegels.
-Oh, God.

-Okay. We're live in five...
-I'm sorry.

...four, three...

We're coming to you from Las Vegas,

where over 50 people are confirmed dead
and hundreds injured

in what will go down as the deadliest
mass shooting in US history.

Last night, a gunman opened fire
from the window of a guest room

at the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino
into a sea of concertgoers

at the Route 91 Harvest Festival.

A motive has yet to be determined.

As a city and a nation mourn
in the wake of this horrific tragedy,

we will be with you to try to make sense
of an act that cannot be made sense of.

Yes, okay. Of course.

All right, see you soon.

-Hey, Greg.
-Yeah.

I'm gonna meet a girl
whose friend was killed last night.

She thinks she might be willing
to go on the show tomorrow.

Good work, Hannah.

Okay.

Do you think we're dead inside?

I think we're in an induced coma.

How long can we keep doing this?

It's just not natural
to face this kind of pain...

this often... on this level.

Yeah, I don't know. It's awful.

But it might be
the most natural thing there is.

Pain is the most innate part
of the human experience I can think of.

It's very depressing.

It's funny, because, really, the unnatural
part is having this much money.

Part of being this successful is having
enough money to not have to see the pain.

That's why everybody wants to live
in these really nice,

upscale, safe neighborhoods.

So they don't have to
see the realities of life.

The world is unfair and sad.

It's ugly.

And we hide from it in our wealth.

But then the way you and I make our money,

is we put ourselves right in the middle
of everybody else's pain.

But here we are,

with no escape hatch
on this very lucrative,

highly visible hamster wheel from hell.

I don't know how I would do all of this
every day if I didn't have you.

I really don't.

Well, Alex...

you are my best friend,
and all bullshit aside,

you're like a part of me.

You always will be.

Me too, honey.

Okay. We should get back to the hotel.

No. No, no. Don't go.

There's a bar somewhere
with our name on it, calling to us.

We should go drinking.

You have barely slept in 48 hours.

It's time to put you to bed.

-I know. You're right.
-I know.

-You're always right.
-Yeah.

Will you always tell me what to do?

I can do that.

-Hey, man. What's up?
-Hey.

Hey. Hiya.

How you doing?

Oh, I'm fine.

Really?

You shouldn't be.
There's nothing fine about this.

Let's walk back to the hotel.

This is tough. This one especially.

You know, you can't beat yourself up
over not being a robot.

Sometimes you just have to
feel sad as shit and live with it.

Okay then. I'm sad as shit.

That-a-girl.

I don't think I've ever learned
so much in a single day.

Yeah, you're a sponge, aren't you?

You just absorb stuff.
Absorb all sorts of information.

That's what makes you smart.

And you really care about your job.
That's why I wanted you to be here.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Chip, this doesn't make any sense.

I was just with him.
He didn't mention a word about this.

Does he honestly think I'm--

No, I'm not--
I'm not taking Mitch's hand-me-downs.

Alex, Mia is not a hand-me-down.

So, he's not comfortable with her
on his team?

Well, I'm not comfortable with her
on my team. You know what?

He can shit where he eats
all that he wants,

but I am not his fucking trash can.

Okay. Hold on. Okay. Mitch has done
really, really well with Mia on his team.

And maybe with her on your team, you know,
she might help you--

Are you really trying to tell me that
Mia on my team will help me test better?

No, Alex, all I am saying is you--

No, that's it. I'm done.

I'm hanging up on you. I'm over this.

Alex-- Come on.

Fuck.

Great.

You know what I think about
when I'm sad as shit...

-What?
-...and trying not to kill myself?

Stupid things.

Like this one time, I was younger
than you, just getting started.

KQWK in Sacramento,

ten minutes before 6:00,
the anchor's appendix burst.

That's-- No. That's not--
That's not the funny part.

So, none of the fill-ins were available,
so they came to me.

Now, I assure you,
I was way, way down on their list.

I bet that they went to the janitor
before they came to me.

They asked him, he turned it down,

and then they came knocking
on Mitch Kessler's door.

And I was scared shitless.

My shit had left town on a bus.

But I just figured, you know, I want this.

This is my opportunity to show the people
who make the decisions

that I got the goods.

So, I gathered myself,

I put on my very finest tie,

and I went and I assumed my place
at the anchor desk.

And then I passed out.

And I went right over
the back of the chair.

And I woke up in an ambulance.

The EMTs told me that I kept throwing
to them for sports and weather.

Twenty-seven stitches. Look at that.
Right there.

-Oh, my God.
-Yep.

I am very happy
that I don't have Daniel's hair.

You...

You didn't fall out of a chair.
You're doing great.

I know that this is a really dark day
to associate with your big break,

but that's the gig.

Sometimes it's strange, sometimes
downright awful, but you're doing it.

And you are helping to bring the news
to the world,

and you should be proud of that.

-Thank you.
-Oh, yeah. I'm a font of wisdom.

I appreciate the pep talk.

Yuck. Thank you. Thank you.

Actually, when I'm really depressed,

there is one thing that I do have
in my arsenal.

Why don't you
improve your lie a little, sir?

Yes, yes. Winter rules. Right.

I can't believe you've never seen this.

Double farts!

-Fore!
-Fine shot.

I shoulda yelled "two."

-Wow. Is it really that bad?
-Why don't you walk this off, sir?

-You hate it.
-I'm sorry.

Hey, what do you got in here? Rocks?

Are you kidding? When I was your age,
I would lug 50 pounds of ice up five--

It's just... I'm not an expert
at shoving it down just yet. I'm sorry.

-I'll try--
-No, no, no.

You're probably healthier than I am.

Maybe I'm just tired,
and it's catching up with me.

Yeah.

I should go.

I know you have to be up early,
'cause I do too.

No, it's okay.

Thanks.

You smell good.

I like you.

I like you too.

This isn't what
I expected when I came up here.

I know.

It's a nice surprise though, isn't it?

You know?

Hey.

It's okay. Just wanna feel good.

You're so beautiful.

It's okay.

-Push that story in.
-Yes, sir.

-Yeah, everything's up and ready.
-Right.

-Ready to go.
-Yeah.

We just need to come up with...

No, that's exactly what he said.

So we're just gonna put that up front now.

We're turning to something
a little bit more...

Hannah.

Hannah.

Here are the Springsteen tickets

that Jared needed
for the mother of the septuplets.

-Oh, right. Yeah.
-Yeah.

I'll get those to him.

Hey.

How was Vegas?

-It was really sad.
-Yeah.

-Hey, Mitch. Welcome back.
-Thank you.

Hey, Hannah.

Hey. You can't go in there right now.

I work downstairs. I need to speak to you.

-I'm sorry. I told her--
-No, it's fine, James. Give us a moment.

I just got back from Las Vegas
with The Morning Show.

What is it, dear?

Mitch Kessler invited me to his room
to watch a movie, and he wound up--

He...

He wound up--

He...

You don't have to say it.

You don't have to say anything.

What's your name?

I'm Han-- I'm Hannah Shoenfeld.
I'm a junior booker.

Hannah Shoenfeld.

I've heard about you.
I hear you're doing some great work.

Hannah Shoenfeld,

I heard head booker...

might be in your future.

So...

So this is how it happens?

Absolutely. People do fantastic work,
and they get promoted.

That is absolutely how it happens.

So...

I'm head booker now?

Yes.

Okay.

The Times article details shocking
allegations against Weinstein

from eight different women,

ranging from workplace harassment
to sexual abuse,

including unwanted physical contact,

promises of career advancement
in exchange for sexual favors,

and claims that the Hollywood mogul
threatened retaliation

if his sexual advances were rejected.

The story also alleges that Weinstein

has been paying off his accusers
for over three decades...

Wow, what a creep.

...including actor Rose McGowan.

In 1997, the Scream star reportedly
received a $100,000...

I'm gonna finish our pretape
for tomorrow.

-Okay.
-...during the Sundance Film Festival.

Harvey Weinstein now intends to sue
the New York Times for defamation,

-allegedly for $50 million.
-What a pig.

A spokeswoman for the Times
states that Mr. Weinstein and his lawyer

have confirmed
the essential points of the story

and that Mr. Weinstein
has not pointed to any errors

or challenged any facts in the story.

This comes after
the Oscar-winning producer

first issued an attempted
conciliatory statement saying,

"He came of age in the '60s and '70s

when all the rules about behavior
at workplaces were different.

That was the culture then."

Weinstein went on to say
he's brought on therapists

and plans to take a leave of absence
from his company

and plans to take a leave of absence
from his company

and deal with his issues head-on.