WARNING! This article contains SPOILERS for The Morning Show season 3 finale.
Summary
- The Morning Show season 3 finale wraps up major storylines and sets up potential new stories for season 4, promising big changes for UBA and its employees.
- Alex's personal growth is showcased as she chooses to prioritize journalistic integrity and save UBA, leading to a merger with a rival network and the downfall of Paul Marks.
- Bradley's decision to turn herself in to the FBI sets up a new beginning for her in The Morning Show season 4, potentially separate from UBA/NBN, while Cory's refusal of Paul's payout offer leaves his future uncertain.
The Morning Show season 4 up with a number of potential stories to explore.
The Morning Show season 3 cast has been putting in stellar performances across all 10 episodes, and for some, the finale might have been the last time viewers will see their characters. The breakdown of the Paul Marks deal, the shifts in UBA leadership, and the uncertainty about what’s next for multiple characters promise big changes in The Morning Show season 4. In just under an hour, The Morning Show season 3 finale managed to cover almost every major plot introduced in the previous episodes while leaving just enough unfinished business to keep the story going in season 4.
The Morning Show Season 3 Episode 9 Recap: 10 Biggest Story Reveals
The penultimate episode of The Morning Show season 3 was jampacked to prepare viewers for a shocking, intense season finale.
UBA’s New Deal & Merger With NBN Explained
Alex & Laura team up to save UBA's network with a major merger
There were plenty of stories spinning around each other in The Morning Show season 3 finale, but the main focus was on the shareholders’ vote that would make or break the Paul Marks deal. In the past few episodes, characters have been shifting between ing and being firmly against the deal after discovering Paul’s plan for UBA in The Morning Show, but only a few truly had the power to take the tech titan down. Cory, Stella, Bradley, and Chip were already working against him, but without having Alex on their side, they could have never been able to stop the deal.
Throughout The Morning Show season 3 finale, Alex was faced with some tough decisions. She could either side with Bradley, her former co-anchor and occasional frenemy, or Paul, her newfound love who was ruthless to others but had displayed nothing but love for her. Ultimately, Alex realized that upholding journalistic integrity and saving UBA was far more important than being powerful alongside Paul, proving her personal growth in The Morning Show.
To pull off this coup, she turned to an unlikely partner in Laura. Together, along with The Morning Show season 3 finale, Alex was able to propose a merger with their rival network at a price point that Paul couldn’t match. Knowing he was being cornered and perhaps out of some semblance of love and respect for Alex, he rescinded his offer. The details of the UBA/NBN merger have yet to be revealed, but it won’t be without some cuts and changes, especially behind the camera, which will likely be a focus of The Morning Show season 4.
What Bradley Turning Herself In Means For The Morning Show Season 4
Bradley & Hal Turn Each Other In To The HBI
The big cliffhanger at the end of The Morning Show season 3 saw Bradley and Hal finally turning themselves in to the FBI. With the most important people in their life already aware of Bradley and Cory’s secret in The Morning Show season 3–including Alex who escorted them to the federal building–it was time for Bradley to take ownership of her actions. This frees Bradley from having to live in fear of her secret being revealed, but it also opens her up to consequences that could be detrimental to not just her career but her life.
Bradley ended The Morning Show season 3 without a job, having quit the evening news position in episode 9. This means that she might start The Morning Show season 4 separate from UBA/NBN, putting her right back to where she started in season 1. Whatever happens with Bradley, it will be interesting to see her redemption arc, and The Morning Show has proven that practically anything’s possible with Alex Levy’s .
Why Cory Turned Down Paul's Payout In The Morning Show Season 3's Ending
Cory refused to sign Paul's NDA
Cory is another character whose future was left up in the air at the end of The Morning Show season 3, largely because he turned down Paul’s payout offer. Cory desperately tried to get back the massive loan he’d initially secured earlier in the season and stop the deal, but Paul put an end to those efforts as well. He offered Cory a $10 million payout, much less than the $119.2 million Fred received after The Morning Show season 1 finale, but it would have required Cory to sign an NDA.
The Morning Show Season 3: Who Fred Is & Why He Crashes Cory’s Party
After being absent for the first few episodes of The Morning Show season 3, Fred made a shocking and unwelcome return at Cory’s party in episode 4.
Not willing to play Paul’s game, Cory decided he would rather go down fighting. Fortunately, Alex, Laura, and Elena had come up with the merger plan. However, if that trio is holding the power in The Morning Show season 4, it can be assumed that they won’t be extending job offers to Cory anytime soon. Cory turning down Paul’s offer wasn’t necessarily a selfless move, but it did expand the lengths he is willing to go to do what he thinks is right.
What Happened With The Morning Show Season 3's Romances
Is Bradley In Love With Laura Or Cory?
The Morning Show season 3 finale featured a big curveball towards the end when it suggested that Bradley might currently be or has previously been in love with Cory. The Vault article that accused Cory of grooming Bradley led to an internal investigation regarding his behavior, in which Bradley had to be interviewed. During her interview, she itted that she was scared when Cory confessed his love for her in The Morning Show season 2 finale because he truly saw her, and she didn’t know if she could be with someone like that.
This was a problem that often came up in her relationship with Laura, as Bradley assumed that she was always judging her and her past. In a conversation with Alex in The Morning Show season 3 finale, Laura itted that Bradley feels like a stranger to her, someone she never really knew but had always wanted to. Bradley ended the season single and with more to focus on than her constant relationship drama, but The Morning Show season 4 leaves things open to be with either Cory or Laura or perhaps even introduce a new love interest to start fresh again.
The Morning Show EP Weighs In On Fate Of Bradley & Laura's Relationship: "Impossible To Extinguish"
Exclusive: The Morning Show executive producer Michael Ellenberg discusses Bradley and Laura's relationship, and the ongoing spark between them.
Alex & Paul's Breakup Explained
Alex and Paul’s relationship in The Morning Show season 3 was an absolute whirlwind, moving at such a fast pace that they were bound to crash eventually. Though there was clearly love between them, Bradley was right when she suggested that Alex didn’t even really know Paul, and not just because he was hiding secrets from her. In some ways, they were kindred spirits, but where Alex might put up a front as an ice queen, Paul’s heartlessness took things to a place she wasn’t willing to go.
After Alex discovered Paul was surveilling and threatening Bradley in The Morning Show season 3 finale, she knew she could no longer be with him. Alex has been betrayed by men she loved in the past, most notably Mitch, so Paul turning out to be no better was a devastating blow for her. After she ruined his deal, Paul went back to Texas to work on his Hyperion project, leaving Alex to be alone once again. Paul and Alex’s breakup might have been messy and painful, but it was necessary to open a newly-evolved Alex up to greater things in The Morning Show season 4.
Jon Hamm & Jennifer Aniston Fix A Decade Of Rom-Com Failures
The Morning Show season 3 introduces a new romance between Jon Hamm and Jennifer Aniston that fixes a decade of lackluster romantic comedies.
The Morning Show Season 3's Ending Sets Up Several Character Exits In Season 4
Paul, Christina, Cory, and Chip have uncertain futures
With one season of The Morning Show ending and another one in development, there are certain to be some changes, which could include character exits. Thus far, The Morning Show has implemented time jumps between seasons. This leads to at least one character leaving completely each season, such as Daniel, with even more returning only in much smaller roles, such as Fred and Claire. The Morning Show season 3 opened the door for multiple characters to walk out and potentially never return.
The most obvious of these characters is Paul and his assistant Amanda. Now that he’s headed to Texas and both his relationship with Alex and the deal with UBA have ended, Paul has no reason to be involved in The Morning Show season 4. Additionally, Chip played an important part in the finale, but he still doesn’t have a job at UBA since Alex fired him in The Morning Show season 3, episode 8. On the other hand, Christina is still employed at The Morning Show, but she’s also still looking to leave. With the UBA/NBN merger, there will also be less room for anchor spots.
Cory’s employment is uncertain in The Morning Show, as he was under investigation at the time of the finale, but even if he is approved to return to UBA, it doesn’t necessarily mean he will be as CEO. It seems unlikely that The Morning Show will ever go on without Cory, but there’s still a slight chance that he won’t return in season 4, especially with all the bridges he burned in season 3. The Morning Show season 4 has a chance to shake things up in a big way and character exits are the easiest way to do that.
