It has been 8 years since the audience of "The Office" said goodbye to Michael; "Friends" ended 15 years ago.
In these years, apart from a few friendly guest appearances, neither Steve Carell nor Jennifer Aniston have officially starred in TV series.
So I guess this time the two sitcom benchmark figures have joined forces to return to the small screen. It is difficult to refuse Reese Witherspoon's invitation, high pay, MeToo theme, etc. The most important thing is to create a platform for Apple.
Just as "House of Cards" was the first shot for Netflix back then, as the first self-made drama launched on AppleTV+, the historical significance of "The Morning Show" is naturally extraordinary.
However, after 3 episodes, I got a dazzling media review score of 58% on Rotten Tomatoes and 60 points for MC.
I believe that viewers who have watched the first 3 episodes of the first broadcast will have their own judgments. Although the show is not perfect, it is by no means as bad as the media evaluation. Otherwise, there will be no audience rating 95% fresh, imdb8.2, so that the professional and public reputation will be polarized. There should only be one standard for viewers to watch TV, that is, whether it looks good or not. Let me, a super friend/office drama fan, comment, "The Morning Show" is of course good-looking, and it's worth blowing with eyes closed.
I really want to admit that this opening drama did not bring any pioneering flagship piloting at the level of TV creation. Comparing the TV dramas of the same period, there is no unique style, and compared to the old works of the same subject, there is no humanistic features in "60 Sunset Boulevard" or "News Room".
Although I have always admired the world created by Alan Sorkin, the characters there always exude idealism and romanticism. But there is no rule. The story of the TV station must be told in Alan Sorkin's way. "The Morning Show" obviously takes the documentary route. It is fortunate to show the real events in a dramatic and entertaining manner without distorting the characters in the play.
The MeToo movement has allowed us many times to witness the ruin of the beloved star/celebrity overnight. "The Morning Show" is based on the typical (Matt Lauer of TodayShow). At the beginning of the series, the ace anchor Mitch was accused by several female subordinates of sexual misconduct in the workplace. Subsequently, the main creator chose to background Mitch, the core actor in this plot (episodes 1-7), and start from the characters on the edge of this vortex.
When Alex, who was soaking in the rain and stepping on the mud, rushed into Mitch's house and asked him, "There are hundreds of women in line outside who are willing to suck your dick, why do you have to mess around in the stage?" Know that I am going to fall in love with this show.
For onlookers, it is always easy to chant slogans, tag and condemn, until the flames burn on themselves.
The two-person rivalry at the end of the first episode completely complicates the heroine Alex's vividness and three-dimensionality. Having worked side by side on the same stage for 15 years, does Alex really know who Mitch is? Don't know what he did in the station? Don't you know the close button under the table in his dressing room? The reason why she was angry with Mitch was far from the women who made the accusation. She blamed Mitch for being stupid of eating grass on the bottom of her body, which caused herself to be implicated. But it is obvious that there is trust between the two, and there is a past and a friendship between them, which becomes more interesting at once.
At the same time, the TV station needs to retain advertisers, the head of the news department, and the new officials to take office. Producers are caught in the middle to grind their hearts...All members are doing their best to keep their position or take advantage of the opportunity. The motivation behind everyone, of course, is for themselves. There is also Mitch, it seems that he will not easily admit it, looking forward to the follow-up.
2019.11.06
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The above is written for the first broadcast, and I am going to update my thoughts at any time according to the weekly broadcast. The following content will involve each episode [spoiler]
(ps, appletv updates an episode every Friday, the resources are equipped with official subtitles, including traditional Chinese and simplified Chinese and English, no need to wait for wild cooked meat)
[Episode 4] ended with a big blow in the face of Alex. When Mitch had an accident and left her alone in front of the stage, this time Bradley prevented her from coming to the stage. In the first three episodes, we saw that the role of Bradley was very passively involved in the change of ownership of the show. From becoming an internet celebrity, being invited as a guest to finally airing as an anchor, she was like a marionette. Alex and Cory were on the stage. But obviously, with Bradley's personality, he will never be controlled by others forever. When everyone thought that the morning show could continue without the male anchor, and even watch better, Bradley once again took the initiative in the live broadcast, which looked extremely correct and at the same time brought unpredictable consequences in the future. . Whether the high-level of the TV station has been condoning Mitch's behavior, whether the people like Alex or Chip of the program group have been aware of these questions and are once again dragged back to the center of the topic.
One more thing, Bradley did not follow the script in the interview to ask whether it was on the spot or intentionally. I personally prefer the latter. In the previous episodes, when Hannah went to the "accuser" and wanted her to come back to the show, Chip once said that she was of little value because the person's testimony was inconsistent and the credibility was not high. Presumably Bradley also discovered this when preparing interview materials, so when appearing on the show, whether it was because he had been suppressed for too long and wanted to fight back, or because his nature as an investigative reporter did not change, Bradley had the purpose of arguing in the interview. of. And the truth is really set out by her like this, and then it will be very troublesome.
Except for Cory, these things that happened before he was transferred have nothing to do with him. He can't wait for the show to be controversial and the ratings are high, and he should win. For Mitch, it may have turned out to be a good thing. Although having sex with his subordinates was confirmed, it also proved the "voluntary" non-coercion he had always emphasized. At the same time, the scandal shifted from his own business to work. Environmental issues have become a matter for the whole of Taiwan.
-----2019.11.09-----
[Episode 5] What happened is not as colorful as in the previous episode. Instead, I prefer the episode where the accumulation of emotions is greater than the content. The beginning and the end of the two paragraphs were very catchy, especially the scene where Alex and Mitch were in the car at the end, which really witnessed the moment of spark between acting and actors. The relationship between these two characters can't be more complicated. They are partners who work hand in hand to create a business, they are each other's friends in private, they are secret friends, they are the objects of mutual involvement, and they are the person who most want to see when they collapse. The tacit understanding and thoughts of more than ten years have been in the opponent's play for a few minutes.
Friends who have watched "The Office" must know that there are probably hundreds of scenes in the 1-7 seasons when Michael Scott called all the people in the office into the meeting room to listen to him. The opening of the fifth episode of The Morning Show is exactly the same. I don't know if this is the evil taste of the screenwriter who once again paid tribute to "The Office" after letting him smash the TV in the first episode. But this time I will never see Michael on Mitch again.
This ace anchor with boundless scenery can even know the name of the dog kept in the staff’s house. Even if Mitch is a bastard, he is also a kind and easy to like bastard.
It turned out that the New York Times had to publish an article to disclose more details of Mitch's alleged misconduct. He brazenly asked these former colleagues to say something for himself. Mitch's decay was due to his arrogance, and he would count on others to stand up for him. Naturally, the result in such a big environment is silence, embarrassment and desolation.
On the other side, Bradley also has an interview article about himself. The reporter of New York Magazine who appeared in this episode is obviously extraordinary. Sure enough, at the subsequent charity event, she directly stated to Alex that she would not buy that fake "feminist" account.
The sudden duet between Alex and Cory is equivalent to a big reward for bewildering behavior to me. The birthday party between Bradley and a few female colleagues was much more interesting, and a lot of information about Mitch broke out in the chat. However, I have already explained a lot of the contents of Bradley's family before, the emotionally unstable mother, the younger brother who is addicted to drugs, and now suddenly there is an alcoholic father? It feels unnecessary.
There are two important foreshadowings in this episode. One is that Chip and the editor-in-chief of the "New York Times" who first published an article to explode Mitch have had a relationship with him, and Chip once broke the news to him. Combining the previous plot shows that the relationship between Mitch and Chip is not good, and Mitch directly asked who Chip broke the Times. Although Mitch was not named in this episode of the dialogue between Chip and the editor of the Times, it is clear that the main creative intentionally made the audience think that Chip was the one who betrayed Mitch. However, there are still questions. What is Chip's motive? He can't bear Mitch fooling around or Mitch getting someone he likes? But as the executive producer of the show, it is impossible for him to think that the exposure of the incident would affect him.
In another place, Bradley saw Mitch himself for the first time, and chased into the elevator to ask who else knew. And Mitch asked, "What do you think?" It was also very interesting. In the fourth episode of the surprise interview, it can be seen that Bradley is a reporter who strives for the truth in her bones. She wants to know what happened to the TMS program group before her arrival. The Evening Times report was not only released on time, but also added the description that Fred revealed that Mitch was blasted away by security to represent the attitude of the TV station. This made Mitch even more embarrassed and angry, since you are going to kill me, then you guys don't want to live. On the one hand, seeking the truth can prove to be non-compulsive, and on the other hand, it can shift the spearhead to the top of the TV station. Instead, Mitch and Bradley's goals were the same. Therefore, to predict the future plot, these two former and current anchors will join forces.
-----2019.11.16-----
[Episode 6] The structure is very similar to that of Episode 4. Sure enough, as long as the main creator focuses on the relationship between the two heroines, Mitch will not appear. I always mistakenly thought that Cory was just transferred to be in charge of the news department. It turned out that he was the CEO of the TV station, and it was interesting to develop the pilot section. Alex collapsed in the show. I think it's a bit exaggerated. The audience knew from the beginning that her marriage was just acting externally. Did she really think she could live like this for a lifetime? And keep her daughter in the dark? The relationship between parents is so long away that the child may not be aware of it. The daughter seems to be at the age of college, can she still accept the divorce? But this paragraph also explains why Alex and Mitch can become good friends. They have the same values in terms of work and news, as well as life and family.
In the last scene, Bradley received an air message from Mitch, which confirmed my prediction in the previous episode. Unexpectedly, Chip also wanted to pull Fred off the horse. The motive of the role of Chip is a bit strange. He spent most of the time playing with the mud. Now suddenly he has selected the team, ready to shoot? I don't really like this kind of trend, and I overthrew the root of all evil to a high-level figure. The most interesting foreshadowing of this episode is the supporting role, the person in charge of guest outreach. This episode reveals her habit of taking drugs and accidentally discovered the personal relationship between the weather forecaster and the assistant. Guess there will be articles in her next part.
-----2019.11.23-----
[Episode 7] Obviously more exciting than last week. Until now, the notorious Mitch has started to fight back, while the others have suffered a nervous breakdown one by one. First, Chip did not listen to Cory's advice. Not only could he not help breaking the news to the magazine reporter during the interview, he also fired a male employee for a joke, which in turn caused another Mia, who has been suffering, to be emotional. When it broke out, her improper relationship with Mitch was an open secret in the show. Although Mia was counted as a victim, she was burdened by various rumors and rumors. The weight she indirectly caused her colleagues to be fired was equivalent to the last straw that overwhelmed her.
The divorce of female stars is really a big PR drama. It's best if the other party cheats first, find a young and beautiful one, domestic violence is better but... it's really ironic. Alex swearing at his daughter should symbolize the state of many two-generation relationships. Both sides feel that they are the victims. The child lacks care and normal family warmth, and despise what the parents do. The parents feel that they have raised an ungrateful white-eyed wolf.
In addition, I really hope that Mindy Kaling and Steve can play a rivalry. In this episode, she appears again to dig out that black boy to pass her own show, but she still didn’t succeed. For the time being, she can’t understand the purpose of this line. It's just right for the TMS program group to worry about internal and external troubles.
The conversation between Mitch and Bradley was the foreshadowing at the beginning, and at the end we also knew why there was a description of Hannah taking drugs in the last assembly. I really didn't expect that this person who has been running outreach and outside the core members will become a key person instead. On the other hand, is the personal relationship between the weather forecaster and the assistant really the one that she stabbed HR? I am suspicious. I always feel that the creator is reluctant to give a particularly clear answer to emphasize that the truth is sometimes not as simple as it appears on the surface, and the world is not black and white. Next week, episode 8 finally arrives at my most anticipated flashback episode. The timeline will return to two years ago. I believe many questions can be answered. I wish you all a happy Thanksgiving drama chasing!
-----2019.11.28-----
[Episode 8] is the best and hardest episode so far. To be honest, when I watched the first 7 episodes, I was more for the actors than for the drama itself. Until today's episode, until the second half of the episode, I finally became 100% in the drama. Finally, there was a feeling of "shit just got real" as if someone had been punched in the chest.
The various results depicted in episodes 1-7 are given reasons in this episode.
Back in time to 2017, there have been many major events that have taken place this year, and they have been affected to this day. For example, Lin/Zheng was elected as the chief executive of a certain region and Brexit (appeared in the background TV in this episode in turn). For the TMS program group, recent research and testing showed that it was getting harder and harder for Alex to win the support of the audience, and the station began to intentionally reduce her appearance time. At the same time, we see that Mitch is still the favorite of the program group, a pillar held in the hands of senior management, and a male anchor who has become more popular as people grow older.
To say that the mid-life crisis started after half a hundred years, I am afraid that it is a bit late. Although Mitch's 50th birthday is very lively, it is estimated that it is no different from the previous 40th and 45th birthdays.
As usual, the wife's presence is nothing more than a cup of brewed coffee when she wakes up at 3:30 in the middle of the night.
As usual, the first birthday greeting from Alex, who was on the same schedule, was the first to be received.
As usual, openly joked with male colleagues and flirting with female colleagues.
As usual, pretend to be pleasantly surprised when opening the door to the birthday party.
As usual, it was too late to catch up, and I had to rush to the place where the news happened.
As usual, I ended an extramarital affair and found that a nice girl appeared next to him...
Hannah is a character who has chosen to experience workplace sexual assault from the victim's perspective from beginning to end. In the early stage, we learned that Hannah is a strong working ability, a person with great pressure in New York, and a small and transparent existence in the TMS program group, but Mitch, the most important star in the whole group, noticed her and gave her soaring. Have the opportunity to chat with her, and send encouragement and comfort in her most lonely and fragile moment.
The scene in the hotel has been paused several times, and I can't bear to watch it. There are almost no lines and no soundtrack in this scene. The director very cleverly focused only on the woman's reaction. Just like restoring a crime scene, the impact is very strong. We saw that Hannah was in shock, almost frozen. In the first second, he was still a life mentor, but in the next second, he stretched out his hand. He couldn't react at all, didn't dare to react, and finally didn't dare to resist.
From the previous episodes, we know that Mitch has never felt that he has any compelling elements. From the previous episode, he doesn't even think that Hannah hates him, so he was embarrassed to run to Hannah and want her to testify for himself. The female colleague followed herself back to the hotel room to watch a movie in the middle of the night, and took the initiative to hug after parting, which became a hint that she wanted to sleep with her.
Mitch here may represent the upper-level figures in many workplaces and organizations. I think they are like emperors in new clothes. Every time you use your power to persecute, you mistakenly think that the other party is “to be ashamed”. In fact, you do evil without knowing it, you don’t admit it when you know it, you don’t admit it when you know it, and you don’t repent if you are wrong.
In fact, I still don't understand why the main creator has to wait until the eighth episode to explain the plot in the form of flashback. I can't help wondering if the narratives in the order of time will improve the early word-of-mouth.
In any case, now I finally clarify the cause and effect. In addition to the actors, I especially want to praise the director Michelle Maclaren and the screenwriter of this episode. The flashback episode is actually not easy to shoot, because the audience already knows what the plot is going to be, it is difficult to leave in suspense, but the rhythm of this episode, several slow motions, close-ups of characters, angles and some details are very good.
For example, Mitch works as the co-pilot every day, indicating that he usually does get along with the security guard and the driver as friends, and there is no celebrity. Corresponding to episode 5, he returned to the program group. He naively hoped that these colleagues and friends would stand up and speak for him.
Mitch can easily transfer away from Mia and promote Hannah, which shows that although Chip is a producer, in fact, he has less right to speak than Mitch.
The state of work between Mitch and Alex is also dominated by Mitch. Alex relies on Mitch mentally and needs Mtich to cheer her up. This also explains why the first few episodes had such a big impact on Alex.
This episode allows us to see the working atmosphere before the metoo era from all aspects. Mitch's self-confidence and arrogance not only come from his own personality, but also from the long-term environment and the indulgence of people around him.
The title of this episode is "Lonely at the Top". It's a bit cold in the heights. It's just after his 50th birthday, Mitch's situation.
Mitch's loneliness has always been beyond words. In the first episode, Alex came in the rain. He held Alex and refused to let go. In this episode, he didn't sleep for two days and wanted to take Alex to drink. Apart from each other, he and Alex only have family and colleagues, and there is no other person to communicate with. He and Alex regard work as life and live life as work.
However, movies can be handed down to the world, and news fragments will not be watched a second time by people. So on her 50th birthday, Mitch lamented that he had devoted half of his life to the news industry in exchange for the billboards on the buildings, and he couldn't keep the "legacy".
In the first seven episodes, Mitch has very few scenes and is a backgrounded male protagonist. This episode allows us to see a perpetrator with extraordinary charm, enthusiasm for work, no celebrity, and affinity. This also explains why the female subordinates do not feel insecure or dislike him before the violation occurs. Together, even willing to be alone with him. I admire the creator for not portraying him as a heinous negative model, but an interpretation of a representative figure close to reality and deep.
One of my favorite scenes in this episode is the conversation between Mitch and Alex while covering the casino shooting. Alex can't stand the pain of reporting tragedies every day. Mitch said that the world is so unfair and so ugly. The most abnormal thing is that having so much money can still be so painful. People want to succeed and want to be rich in order to escape the sufferings of the world and obtain a comfortable life. And you and I make money by facing the suffering of other people.
This is the price and fate that Mitch is telling Alex that as a journalist, he can't escape his life.
-----2019.12.6----
First of all, I have to congratulate the crew and several actors again. I am very proud of Apple. This week I won 6 Golden Globe and SAG nominations. I hope that Amy will also have good results next year~
[Episode 9] Nakedly showed how realistic and cruel the workplace world is. The colleague friendship established in the work can’t help being tested, even if the partnerships like Alex and Mitch or Chip have been together for more than ten years, when they come to their own interests, there is no such thing as a compromise for the other party, and even go to death or death. The situation.
Now Mitch is a person who can no longer be lost, dragging Fred into the water, shifting the target, and alleviating himself are his final counterattack.
Since Chip's previous revelations had been horrified, Cory used Bradley's mouth to shoot Fred.
As smart as Alex, he naturally knows that if Mitch is shown on the show, he will inevitably become a victim. Going to Fred is the next step and a logical step. Even if Fred wanted to fire himself early in the morning, even if Fred still pretended to say that he hadn't used Mitch for a long time.
no way. The enemy of the enemy is the friend.
To eliminate the negative influence of Mitch, the TV station will have to find someone to come out sooner or later. In fact, Fred does not need to persuade too much. Alex also knows that Chip is the most suitable candidate to be launched as a program executive producer.
As a result, this has formed the opposite camp of Bradley+Cory+Chip and Alex+Fred with different motives. And Mitch, as the "saving game", became a pawn on the board without knowing it. In fact, no one cares about his life and death, a scumbag who has been stamped.
The scene where Alex visited Mitch's bachelor apartment really made me sweat.
Knowing that his weight is not enough to make Mitch relentlessly give up on the show, Alex resorted to a killer trick. Next, I will get a divorce and become the focus of the media. I have a lot of opportunities to tell stories. Any overnight experience running on location can make me your victim.
Mitch's surprise was beyond words, but now that life has been ruined, if Alex really staged such a show for himself, it would make the situation worse, what else could be done. His wry smile only felt sad, and Alex didn't care. She could even cooperate and benefit from Fred, whom she despised the most, and even Chip could abandon it, and there were no more methods that could not be used.
From the first episode, we know the fact that Mitch and Alex had a relationship. The eighth episode can also see the subtle working status of the two, and the friendship between the partners for many years on and off stage is also true. Therefore, the more such deep and complicated feelings are at the moment of tearing the face, the more decisive and more chilling.
Regardless of whether Mitch and Alex are frustrated with Peter, they probably can't compare to Hannah. She reported the relationship between Yanko and Claire to HR, so she would not be appreciated. Finally, I had the courage to confront Mitch with what happened that year, and then caught up with Mitch's just being slapped by Alex, resentment broke out. The final confrontation between him and Hannah revealed his truest thoughts. In fact, the reason why Mitch can still hold on to the present and think about counterattack is because he has not admitted his mistakes so hard, he always feels that other people are trying to benefit from him, and he always feels that he is the victim of a misjudgment.
There is still the last episode left. From this episode, Mitch is bound to expose Fred on the show, and Alex will start to protect Qiang Mingzhe. In order to achieve the goal, everyone in this vortex has no lower limit. No matter what the result is, I can't see any winners.
-----2019.12.13----
[Episode 10] This ending is not disappointing, but most of the plot is expected, and there is no particularly amazing place like the first two episodes. With the exception of Claire sending coffee to Bradley at the beginning, this long shot of everyone preparing for the show is more interesting.
Then there is the composition of the final scene. Under the reflection of the desktop, Mitch seemed to be in a cage. Alex's rebellion, Chip's betrayal, and finally Hannah's destiny, may finally make him realize his fault.
In short, as an audience, I also received what the main creator wanted to convey. Learn to say no, dare to speak up.
2019.12.20.
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