The feverish sequel to the 2019 TV hit with Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon is about #MeToo and covid, the search for identity and a toxic past.
After a sensational and extremely frank appeal to the audience at the end of the first season, TV hosts Alex Leavey (Aniston) and Bradley Jackson (Witherspoon) decided to split up - the burden of messengers of long-overdue changes for both turned out to be emotionally exorbitant. In a new segment, the heroines are trying to rebuild themselves and the TV channel for which they worked. The unfamiliar (at that time) virus from Wuhan, the publication of a book about Alex's defamatory past and the disgraced host Mitch Kessler (Steve Carell), hiding in Italy, add to the big problems.
Distilled recognizable chaos - this is how The Morning Show recreates itself: an unstable, naively honest project about the #MeToo era, launched most obviously in 2017 with the Weinstein case. In Russia, the institution of reputation remains a mythical concept, yet another frightening fairy tale "from behind the hill", developed in a chemical laboratory for the purpose of mass destruction. In most countries, sexual discrimination in the workplace is punishable by law, officials are resigning, and a separate percentage of conservatives are expectedly grinning their teeth about going too far. What are the feelings of those who went into battle consciously, made a face that seemed to be ready for empathy, but suddenly realized that they were not well adapted to the consequences of what had happened?
“Show”, despite the seriousness of the declared topic and deliberately entertaining discussion of it, surprisingly still does not slip into resonance and mentoring. On the contrary, he shows restraint in demonstrating the annoying dichotomy and the notorious entanglement of human souls. None of the characters has time to develop an extremely supportive attitude towards themselves, but at the same time, each of them deserves at least a couple of minutes (at most - all ten hours of the series), so that if not listen, then mentally pat on the shoulder and mutter to them: “ You are all dead, and so am I. " The Morning Show is a privileged white mess, as was HBO's recent White Lotus. With the difference that in Hawaii, antiheroes have not yet come to self-consciousness, but here, on the contrary, they have long professed woke culture (increased attention to issues of racial, sexual and social justice - ed.), But they still constantly measure the average temperature in studios, suffering from a lack of understanding in which direction to go.
The scandal that happened in the UBA television company, Alex decides to wait it out in his country house, away from New York. Her plans no longer include stress and getting up at five in the morning, but there is room for another memoir, which will accurately describe what is happening from her position, without intrusion and speculation. Her colleague Bradley continued to work after the revolution, but did not receive the expected coup, or at least a promotion, so she celebrates New Year's Eve in Times Square, smiling sweetly at everyone. Her ambitions and patience will very soon have to leave the zone of comfortable negotiations immediately after the announcement of the growing coronavirus and the tricky plans of the head of the television network, Corey Allison (enchanting Billy Crudup).
Mitch, a former presenter accused of the harassment and further death of TV worker Hannah, hides in an epidemic-torn Italy, where he finds support in the person of local journalist Paola (unexpected Valeria Golino). Despite the difference in location, the mistakes made do not think about letting the characters go (see Mitch's hilarious and at the same time frightening dialogue with the belligerent champion of feminism). Not a single good morning will fix the broken TV authorities and the lives they have ruined, but “Show” is still trying to call to responsibility even in the next world, turning into a high-budget, not entirely helpless, and most importantly, working version of the “Understand. Forgive. "
The move with covid heat and ignorance of the future saves the series from the possible curse of the sequels, taxiing out onto independently conquered soil. Alex bounces off the walls even more often, this time leaving only a sore back from the former confidence. Bradley puts himself and his conservative roots to the test by entering into a romantic relationship with Laura Peterson (Julianne Margulis), Alex's temporary replacement. Corey is preparing to launch the UBA stream service and is at risk of plummeting at the start due to the impending pandemic (the never-realized Quibi comes to mind, which died less than a year after the start of work). All of them are slaves of their own long-established coordinate system, panicking and trying to decipher themselves, while simultaneously delivering information to the viewers of the show.
Striking with her range Aniston - an actress who has not acted in films for a long time and is still perceived by the majority as Rachel from Friends, bites into the material here with equally brilliant tragedy and comedic timing. Left alone, Alex seems to be in serious danger of falling into depression, but at some point, thanks to the support of the faithful producer Chip (Mark Duplass / film-person>), she realizes that for all her controversy and past suppression of violence, she is ready hold on to the end, whether they forgive her or not.
Almost on an equal footing with her is Witherspoon, whose unexpected metamorphosis and same-sex relationship with Laura is performed delicately and convincingly, with a passing heap of tormenting doubts. Finally, Krudap, who eats up space and makes Corey almost the main type of current television in the field of today's honorable toxic-fragile masculinity: an odious one, who believes in a common cause, but does not trust others and is afraid to admit his own conflicting feelings.
Continuing to watch The Morning Show after a literally collapsed world can seem tiresome, uneven, and pointless. Nevertheless, almost in a niche genre of moral dilemmas, the series stands out, is able to grab both attention and emotional movements, finally, knocking with shouts of "Fire" when everything is really on fire, and for a long time.
This article was sponsored by Daniela Chicos
Comments