The Morning Show season 3, episode 5 went back in time to 2020 with a flashback episode that filled in the gaps on what happened during part of the two-year time jump. The Morning Show season 2 ended just after the declaration of the COVID-19 pandemic and the new season picked up just about two years later, leaving plenty of questions unanswered until season 3, episode 5. With the time jump, The Morning Show season 3 has seen a lot of changes, but episode 5 finally showed how exactly they happened and the implications they have on the present storyline.
The Morning Show has done an entire flashback before to great effect, and season 3 shows why these episodes work so well. The Morning Show season 1, episode 8 covered Mitch’s birthday and the fallout of the 2017 Las Vegas shooting, two years before the season actually took place. These flashback episodes don’t just provide an interesting break from the present story but also answer questions for viewers by revealing shocking information that informs a character or situation. The Morning Show season 3 characters were the subject of these major reveals in episode 5, for better or worse.
8 Laura Filled In On The Morning Show While Alex Recovered From COVID-19
The Morning Show season 2 ended with Alex doing her very first Alex Unfiltered show on UBA+ shortly after being diagnosed with COVID-19. Towards the end of that season, Laura had filled in for both Bradley and Alex on The Morning Show, so it was only natural that she’d fill in for a recovering Alex during the pandemic. At first, this meant she was broadcasting remotely from Montana while Bradley sat alone at the news desk in UBA’s New York City studio, but when Bradley joined Laura, they decided to broadcast together as a couple.
This provided Bradley with the opportunity to publicly come out on her own terms, casually referring to Laura as “babe” while on air and making their cohabitation known to the world. Bradley even called herself bisexual while lounging around with Laura, proving how far she’s come in accepting her own sexuality, as she is now comfortably out in The Morning Show season 3. The episode didn’t touch on Laura leaving UBA for Your Day, America, but her filling in for Alex on The Morning Show during the pandemic could explain why she made the jump back into morning news.
7 The Morning Show Reveals Cory Dated His Real Estate Agent
At the end of The Morning Show season 2, he confessed his love for Bradley, who didn’t appear to return his feelings and was in a relationship with Laura at the time. The Morning Show season 3, episode 5 hints that something might have happened between Bradley and Cory on the night of the season 2 finale, but nothing comes out of it. Instead, the real romance for Cory occurred with a new character.
During the pandemic, Cory was looking for a house in the Hamptons that first appeared in the present-day in The Morning Show season 3, episode 4 as the location of the UBA Upfronts after-party. He ended up in a relationship with Salma, his real estate agent, marking his first proper relationship in the series. What happened between Salma and Cory following early 2021 isn’t clear, but it wouldn’t be surprising if Cory’s ego, dedication to his job, and even some lingering feelings for Bradley ended up hurting his relationship.
6 Bradley Reveals Her Mom Died During The Pandemic
While Bradley was isolating with Laura in Montana, her mom and brother, Hal, were back in West Virginia where she grew up. Bradley’s always had a complicated relationship with her family in The Morning Show, which was only exacerbated by the pandemic and their unwillingness to comply with guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Unfortunately, this led to her mother contracting COVID-19 and eventually dying while Bradley was miles away. After The Morning Show season 2 focused on the lead-up and declaration of the pandemic, Bradley’s mom is the first known character to have passed away from the virus.
Despite the complexity of their relationship, Bradley was devastated at the loss of one of the few family members she had left in The Morning Show. In the previous episode, Laura mentioned how “miserable” Bradley had been in Montana, and her mother’s death provides reasoning as to why. Bradley struggled with her grief and accepting the help she needed following her mother’s untimely passing, though she has since gone to therapy in The Morning Show season 3, which has had a positive impact in processing her emotions presently.
5 Mitch’s Documentary Is Released On UBA+
Before Mitch was killed off in The Morning Show season 2, one of his major storylines revolved around his relationship with Paola and the documentary they’d made together. In The Morning Show season 2 finale, Paola came to Cory with the footage of her final interview with Mitch where he spoke of his sexual misconduct and regrets and attempted to explain himself and change his ways. Cory was immediately interested in it, but they had to be careful in their approach given Mitch’s reputation and UBA’s involvement in enabling his behavior.
The controversial subject meant that Stella was reluctant to release it, especially because it was coinciding with the coverage of protests following the murder of George Floyd. However, needing subscribers, the documentary was streamed on UBA+ in The Morning Show season 3. There was no real mention of how subscribers and the public felt about the documentary and Mitch, but a scene between Mia and Andre suggested that it didn’t exactly make people feel any more sympathy for the disgraced former The Morning Show anchor.
4 Mia & Andre Were On Bad Terms When He Left On Assignment
The Morning Show season 3, episode 5 also provided more information on Mia’s relationship with Andre. Initially, they appeared extremely happy and were even living together. Sadly, things took a turn for the worse after a conversation about Mitch following the UBA+ documentary and discussions about covering the Black Lives Matter protests. Mia tried to explain to Andre why she stayed at UBA despite all the network had put her through, particularly as a Black woman, but he didn’t seem to understand.
After Andre visited multiple bars during the earlier stages of the pandemic and came home drunk, Mia started sleeping at the office. Before they could properly make up, he was called away on assignment, only letting her know over the phone and not giving her a chance to really say goodbye to him. Things seem to be better between them in The Morning Show season 3’s present timeline, but Andre’s life being at risk in Ukraine might threaten to hurt their relationship once again.
3 The Morning Show Confirms Why Bradley & Laura Broke Up
The Morning Show season 3 premiere revealed that Bradley and Laura had broken up during the time jump, but hadn’t provided a true reason as to why. The couple already had the struggle of trying to build a relationship together while isolating during a time of great turmoil, but Bradley’s mom dying further exposed a strain that was already there. Bradley and Laura come from very different backgrounds and Bradley had expressed a feeling of being judged by Laura, which the older woman said she’d work on. Heartbreakingly, the death of Bradley’s mother left Bradley with a lot of anger that she took out on her girlfriend.
This culminated in a nasty argument between the couple where Bradley accused Laura of being an “elitist” who didn’t really like her and was only with her to feel better about being a “snob.” She even went as far as to blame Laura for not doing a good job of keeping in touch with her mother before her death. Laura called Bradley out for being hypocritical as Bradley had hated her mother and was the first person to let everyone know.
Bradley and Laura’s fight in The Morning Show season 3, episode 5 didn’t immediately end their relationship, but it was a representation of everything that had. When Bradley got the opportunity to film for UBA on location and left Montana, she told Laura that it might not have been the right time for them, making it clear that she wasn’t returning. Bradley and Laura might get back together in The Morning Show season 3, but there’s still a lot they’ll need to work through if they want their relationship to survive a second time around.
2 The Morning Show Season 3 Episode 5 Reveals Cory & Bradley’s Secret
Cory and Bradley have been hiding something in The Morning Show season 3, and episode 5 finally revealed what and why. On January 6, Bradley was inside the Capitol when it was attacked and had been able to obtain some undercover footage. While doing this, she caught her brother assaulting a police officer on camera. Afterward, Hal told Bradley he didn’t know things would get violent, and he’d just been trying to see her again as he knew she’d be there. He also told her that his girlfriend was pregnant with his child, which led to Bradley deleting the footage with Hal in it, effectively covering up his crime.
Bradley’s coverage provided a unique, inside look into the Capitol attack that she leveraged to get the anchor position on UBA Evening News. This also led to the FBI subpoenaing her footage to help find who assaulted the officer inside the Capitol. However, Bradley had already deleted it to help Hal, which she knew would become evident if they saw where the cameras cut out. Not knowing what to do, she went to Cory, who reluctantly helped her, knowing it would hurt UBA’s image if the truth came out following Bradley’s promotion. Still, future episodes of The Morning Showthreaten to expose this secret with some serious consequences attached.
1 Cory Reveals He Met Paul Marks During The Pandemic
Throughout The Morning Show season 2, Cory was repeatedly warned that UBA+ was a bad idea financially, and the pandemic just further hurt its chances of success. The financial burden of the streaming service left UBA with a great deal of debt, and Salma suggested Cory talk to one of the many billionaires who now lived by him since his move to the Hamptons, including Paul Marks. At the end of The Morning Show season 3, episode 5, a conversation between Paul and Cory seemed promising for a future friendship and partnership that can hopefully continue now that Alex may have saved his deal with UBA.
