The Morning Show (2019) s04e06 Episode Script

There's safety in numbers.
They're rational.
They behave.
Put them in order and
you can write programs.
You can code.
But shift one element
and it all falls apart.
The AI, i-it doesn't work.
I've seen it work.
Not when it's live.
When it's live, it's erratic.
It
It's terrible with the talent models.
I don't understand.
The demo of me is fine.
AI Alex, AI Chris
they on the other hand they
sound like Hal in A Space Odyssey.
So, your program is a serial killer.
I'm sorry, I've tried everything,
but it's not gonna be ready for Paris.
Stella.
- I know.
- We spent $250 million.
I raised my hand for you.
I know.
So what do we do?
Take finger puppets to Paris?
We might have to.
That fucking Chris interview.
It's all anyone's talking about.
I thought it would kill her.
- Turns out she has nine lives.
- What she has is momentum.
She's threatening to
boycott the Olympics.
And Paris.
No promos. Nothing.
What about O24?
You mean the 300 members of press
waiting for us to fall on our faces?
Yeah, I
I don't think she's coming.
We promised Olympic talent.
We promised spectacle.
If we go out on that stage with nothing,
they'll nail us to the cross.
I'll talk to Mia.
Stella.
We need a win.
UBN research put her photo
- through facial recognition.
- Let me see.
I didn't tell them anything.
These are not her.
Great, so we're nowhere.
It's just kind of crazy to me.
She should be in some
database somewhere.
Yeah.
Um, let's go back to Cory.
- What did he have to say about her?
- Well, he doesn't know anything.
He knows less than us.
Are you sure about that? 'Cause
I mean, his fixer smeared Stockton.
You found this photo in his emails
Okay, what do you want me to say?
Can you just not film me right now?
- Okay.
- Please.
Look, I didn't wanna bring
this up, but
- What?
- Look, you and Cory have a history.
- So
- So what are you suggesting?
That I'm compromised?
Or that he's lying to me and
I can't tell the difference?
When I point-blank
asked him about Stockton,
he didn't even know he was dead.
And if you want to ask him yourself
because you don't
believe me, that's fine,
but he's never speaking to me again.
- What happened?
- It was bad.
- Wait.
- It was bad.
All right. Um
- you okay?
- Yeah, yeah. I'm-I'm okay.
- You should've seen his face.
- Mmm.
It just keeps playing in my mind.
He really trusted me, and I
And then I'm going, "Why am I
doing this in the first place?
What is the fucking point?
Am I trying to blow up my life?"
- I just I need this to mean something.
- Hmm.
We get so few chances.
I'm with you. I'm with you.
Let's-Let's find this girl.
Okay. All right, let's do it.
Do you have any ideas?
I mean, there's
I have a friend at The Times.
He tracked down some
poll workers for my doc.
- I could call him.
- How soon can you call him?
He
He's tricky.
Where is Earl?
No one's seen him. He's gone.
All right, what about Fred?
There's gotta be some
connection to Martel Chemical.
I thought you said this was the
best security firm on the planet?
They tracked down some documents.
Financials, offshore stuff.
You'll have something in a few days.
Did you see the new script pages?
Yeah, I saw 'em and they're great.
And they'd be even better if I
had an actor to say the words.
- How's our deal coming?
- I'm working on it.
They're coming for your trailer.
That a joke?
'Cause that trailer is the Alamo,
and you're Davy fuckin' Crockett.
You know Team Texas didn't
fight to the last man.
The white dudes basically
ran away from the Mexicans.
Huh. Didn't know that. And not helpful.
I got you those two tickets
to Merrily We Roll Along.
Third row, center.
Yeah, third row's too
close. I can't use 'em.
You can give 'em away or
burn 'em. I don't care.
I gotta go.
When Cory offered me Head of News,
I laughed in his face.
Legacy media,
a corporate tool of
the white center-right.
I let him pay for
lunch and I walked away.
But he came back,
like a migraine.
He said I could push the
stories I cared about.
Drag the doubters, kicking
and screaming, into the future.
He told me to burn it down.
Burn anyone who got in my way.
Talent can't have editorial
control over the news.
It runs counter to our
mission of objective reporting.
- You know that.
- Bro Hartman can say
whatever he wants, whenever he wants.
His show isn't news.
I'm sorry, it's a nonstarter.
And as for a producing pod,
we don't have the money.
- And no one has cohost approval.
- Alex Levy does.
As Vice President of
Talent, not as an anchor.
That's a distinction
without a difference.
Look. I understand that the
response to her interview
has been generally positive.
Yeah, that's an understatement.
I get that you want a better deal.
And I'm open to it.
But not until the current deal is up.
Deal is up now.
Figure it out, or we're
gonna go somewhere else.
Would you give us a moment?
Take all the moments you need.
So, what?
Now you're trying to leverage me?
I'm giving you a heads-up.
That's more than you gave me.
You're not getting this
deal. I won't give it to you.
- And once Chris realizes that
- Oh, she's realizing things.
Like, you brought Cory
Ellison back in the building.
That's a hell of a move.
And then giving him money and
saying there's nothing left for us.
He's making movies. It's different.
You know, I remember
when you got this job.
You said you were gonna do
it differently, do it right.
And here you are,
surrounded by white people
and stepping on women of
color to stay in that chair.
You're not one of us.
You never were.
What did Bradley say to you?
You know I had nothing to do
with this. This is all Fred.
Mm-hmm.
Well for someone who claims they
had nothing to do with the cover-up,
- you doth protest a little too much.
- I did not cover up anything.
- I am trying to figure out what happened.
- Hmm. Uh-huh.
Or are you trying to vindicate yourself
so that you can get Bradley back?
Wow.
- Wow.
- Mmm, okay.
You tell me that's
not what you're doing.
- That's not what I'm doing.
- I don't believe you.
Bradley Jackson is dead to me.
If she was lying in a desert
and I had ten gallons of water,
I'd take a shower in front of her
before she'd get a fucking sip.
Is that clear?
Yeah, that sounds like
someone who doesn't care.
Somebody is fucking with me.
Or I'm I'm being gaslit or
whatever you want to call it.
And Alex, it is driving
me fucking crazy.
Yeah. Welcome to life as a woman.
Well, I figured there'd be more orgasms.
Ah, yes. Welcome to life as a woman.
Come on, you were
around when I was hired.
Do you remember anything?
Other than Operation Bambi?
When you and Fred tried
to get me out of here?
Yeah, yeah. That was
That was a swing and a miss.
- Big miss.
- Alex, please.
Cory, I don't remember. I
mean, it was a crazy time.
So much was happening so fast.
Bethanne left. Mitch imploded.
Oh, maybe I can pin it on him.
I do remember something.
White House Correspondents' Dinner.
A lot of network people
wheeling and dealing.
Then about a week, two weeks later,
- Fred tells us it's you.
- Uh-huh.
And I don't understand
that because I was like,
"Why is Fred making the President
of Entertainment the Head of News?"
That made absolutely no sense.
I was sure you had something on Fred.
No. I I didn't have anything
- Nothing?
- on Fred. No, just, uh He hated me.
I was just a hatchet man.
Well, speaking of memory lane.
Why are you in the building?
Still arguing over your deal points?
I'm, uh, looking for office space.
I was thinking about
posting up next to you.
Well, we've got rats in the basement.
That should be more comfortable for you.
See, this is what I miss.
The banter, the camaraderie.
We need to talk.
- Oh, okay.
- Okay.
Not you.
Even if we could make a new deal,
it's not happening by Thursday.
So, no Chris at O24. Great.
We kept an international
incident under wraps for a month,
this can't be what fucks us.
Well, can't we just cancel the
presentation? Or just push it?
We're too close to the Games.
We can't.
We need someone who can stand
up on stage with you at O24.
And be there in Paris.
Someone who can make people
forget all about Chris.
A star, you know, with a
different demographic appeal.
I agree.
And if that person existed, I'm
sure we would've asked them by now.
Oh, I did. But you didn't.
- No. No.
- Yeah.
No, really?
Are we ready?
Are we ready?
Union Square Comedy Club, it's time
for the man we're all here to see.
The man, the myth, the legend.
America's inner monologue.
Keep it going for Bro Hartman!
How we doing tonight?
I said how we doing?
Where's my Bros at?
Whoo!
Wow. A lot of couples though tonight.
It's our anniversary!
Holy shit. And you're here?
How'd that go down?
"Babe, happy anniversary.
You wanna go watch Bro's show tonight
and see if our
relationship can survive?"
I hope you got a prenup.
You gotta have a prenup, right?
I mean, a set of expectations.
A code. Here's mine.
One: Always be honest with me
except about whether you had to
finish yourself off with a vibrator
while I was in the shower.
It gets better. Two:
Do not ask me about my porn. Seriously.
You will never look at
Daphne and Scooby the same.
Three:
My outlook on life is, um,
I'd like to have one.
So, no kids.
If you feel bad about
that, we can rent 'em.
Pick five TV orphans, we
can feed 'em a dollar a day,
and have all the guilt-free
sex and travel we want.
The only child you're gonna
have to clean up after is me.
Alex Levy, is that you?
Oh, wow.
Hi, Bro.
What are you doing here?
Waiting to laugh.
I think, uh
I think you're fantasizing.
Yeah. You wish you could do what I do.
Say whatever you want,
whenever you want.
But you can't.
You made it to the top.
And then you realized
it's just round after
round on the hamster wheel.
- Sorry, sorry. Jokes!
- Yeah!
Right, right. All right.
- What's up?
- What's up?
I'm hanging out in dark alleys,
questioning my life choices.
That's what's up.
- You can come inside.
- No. I gotta be quick.
What do you need?
I need a name.
Missed connection on the F train?
No, it's a source. Maybe.
I don't know who
she is, I think she's important.
I'm working on something,
and she might be an informant.
Do me a solid, shake some trees?
Hmm. Interesting.
I can try but it won't be easy.
Oh, it's never easy with
you. How much you want?
A favor for a favor.
- What kind of favor?
- An exclusive.
Breaking news kinda shit.
Layoffs are coming and
I wanna keep my job.
I mean, look, I'll do some
digging, but full disclosure,
I'm not really in the news game anymore.
Dude, you're plugged in.
Plus, you're a sneaky fucker.
- See what you can do.
- Thanks, asshole. Appreciate that.
I will.
Send me the pic.
Get out of the alley, man. It stinks.
Look out for the roaches.
Oh, God.
Hey, you know I don't
fuck groupies anymore.
Well, that's good
'cause I actually need more
than ten seconds of your time.
Really? Okay.
What does the great
Alex Levy want with me?
We want you at O24.
And we want you to come to Paris.
Hard pass.
I know that you don't wanna have
anything to do with the Olympics,
but just listen to me.
It will expand your audience.
And you can cover any event you want.
Come on. I mean, don't
you wanna sit courtside
- at the all-women's volleyball game?
- Yeah,
you know, I'm cutting an LP
with Russell Crowe this summer
and we've already got a
bunch of songs written.
Oh, shoot. Hmm. Maybe Russell
could push to September?
- Hmm. Might. Might not.
- Mm-hmm.
Guy's a loose cannon.
That's why the music works.
- I see.
- It was fun seeing you out there tonight.
- I had to step up my game.
- Oh.
So, you just made fun of me?
Come on, that's our thing.
You poke me in the
eye. I pull your hair.
And then we kiss underneath the swing.
It's my formative sexual experience.
That's what you do.
What do I do?
You dance so that you don't get hurt.
So, you tease, and you deflect,
so you don't have to
say what you really want.
Interesting.
Come on. Come to Paris.
- What'll you give me?
- What do you want?
Threesome with you and my ex-wife?
Oh, my God.
Please, hasn't that poor
woman suffered enough?
Come on, there's gotta be something.
- So
- Mm-hmm.
What do you think's
gonna happen in November?
- You mean the election?
- Mm-hmm.
Um, I'm cautiously optimistic.
That an asteroid lands on Florida?
Why are you asking?
People want fresh voices.
America likes outsiders.
I could be that.
Wha
Oh, God. Wait, a second.
I'm sorry.
You wanna go into politics?
I've got a platform.
I've got an audience.
What I need is institutional support.
I need you.
Oh.
I think you need to lay
off those Bro greens.
I wanna host the UBN
presidential debate.
You get me on stage, let the
people see that I'm serious,
that I belong up there.
You do that for me,
I'll do the Olympics for you.
I think we might need to rethink
the threesome thing.
You know, honestly
I wouldn't share you with anyone.
I'll think about it.
The debate
or the kiss?
I guess you'll just
have to wait and see.
Hmm.
I took the job
because it was impossible.
I wanted the chance to
fix something unfixable.
Show the world that I could run the
place without slitting any throats.
That I could do it differently
from Cory, from Paul.
Then little by little,
my inner straight white guy
started clawing his way out
Telling me to get it done
no matter what the cost.
I hated that guy.
So I did what he would do.
I fell into bed with the one person
who could blow up my life.
Mmm.
Why did you pick me?
Uh, we picked each other.
Infinite options,
and we chose the one with no future.
So, what does that say about us?
Well, who says there's no future?
Your wife. And the fact
that you care about her.
Okay, you wanna go?
Let's go.
Japan, right?
- Mm-hmm.
- Sure.
The oppressors of my ancestors.
All right, Naples then.
- Anywhere. I don't care.
- Hmm.
Yeah. I like Naples.
Okay, yeah. Naples.
Naples works.
Okay.
Huh. There's an 11:45
tonight out of JFK.
- Layover in Rome.
- Tonight?
I'm gonna get my passport.
And I can be ready in two hours.
Okay, let's go.
Hey. Stop, stop.
Talk to me. Please.
I have an impossible talent problem,
and fucked up AI that I've
basically staked my career on.
And I'd like to show the world that
I'm not a complete fucking fraud,
but right now that's exactly how I feel.
You don't even want it.
You said it a hundred times.
You don't belong in that office.
It's a skin for you. A mask.
- Why are you so afraid to take it off?
- I'm afraid?
- Yes, you are.
- You don't get it.
- Oh. Enlighten me.
- Forget it.
- It doesn't matter.
- I would like to know.
Do you know what I
had to do to get here?
Do you have any idea?
You don't.
You said it yourself, you married in.
And now you get to paint in your
studio and live in a town house,
fuck your wife and girlfriend,
and say, "let's run away"
whenever you feel like it.
And when I say okay, you say stop.
Stella, it's not that simple.
Celine and I, it's complicated.
- She gave up a lot for me.
- Yeah.
And right now, compared to her I'm easy.
But the second you leave
her, the second you choose me,
I become difficult. I become real.
And I'm real to you?
I'm here, work is there,
your family and friends are
somewhere else in a
box I never get to open.
And yeah, you say you want more,
but that's just an excuse so
you can blame me when you end it.
You picked me so you'd
never really have to choose.
You'd never get on that plane.
You just like the idea of it.
Don't call me.
There you go.
Have a nice life.
Fred fucking Micklen.
I close my eyes and I'm naked on stage.
It's tomorrow and I got nothing.
So we give it to him.
Give Bro the debate.
That would destroy our credibility.
It'll never get that far.
The commission will shut it down.
We pledge our support,
get him to O24 and Paris.
And blame the CPD when they say no.
Our hands stay clean.
Right.
We get Bro on board, and it
cuts off Chris's leverage.
Exactly.
- And we save our skin.
- Okay.
I'll talk to Alex.
I'll have Ben work out the deal.
Good.
Bro and Alex on stage tomorrow.
We'll burn the fucking house down.
All right, raise it up.
To the two most decorated
Morning Show EPs of all time.
Who dared to cross Alex
Levy and the UBN machine.
And good fucking riddance.
That's easy for you to
say. You're fancy and shit.
Come on, I made one movie
that eight people saw.
And I have no idea what the next one is.
You'll figure it out. You're smartish.
- You know what sucks?
- Hmm?
I kinda miss running TMS.
You don't know how good
you got it till it's gone.
Mm-hmm.
If this Chris shit doesn't work out,
- I don't know what I'm gonna do.
- Oh, come on,
you're gonna figure it out
'cause you're actually smart.
Yeah, I'm kicking myself
for bringing Bradley back.
Stella offered her an extension.
- Killed our leverage.
- I wouldn't worry about that.
The
Bradley of it all.
Yeah? Why is that?
She may not be in it for the long haul.
I think she might leave. Go back home.
Then Stella has to bend over
backwards to keep Chris on TMS.
You think?
I mean, I'm just reading
the tea leaves, you know.
But, um
look, this story that Bradley
and I are working on
- It's been hard on her.
- Mmm.
This wasn't just a catch-up, was it?
'Cause you don't do social calls
and you sure as shit
don't do them with me.
So what's up, Chip?
Mmm.
- I need some dirt.
- Oh, okay.
Something I can trade, okay?
And I figured, what,
you got about as much loyalty
to that fucking place as I do.
- Right?
- Mm-hmm.
And maybe I can make it work for you.
Hmm.
Maybe there's some information
that you'd like to get out there.
I can be your messenger.
Give you plausible deniability.
Yeah.
I might know a thing or two.
Well, I'm all ears.
There's a network inside our brains.
Electrochemical signals
that organize our memories.
You could convert that
network into numbers,
and you could turn it into code.
You could make a copy of your brain.
And just delete the
memories you didn't want.
Because there are parts of
yourself you'd like to forget.
But somehow
they always show up
like a ghost in the machine.
Am I a good CEO?
I think so.
But, you know, I'm a little biased.
What makes me good?
You've cut costs.
You've increased revenue.
UBN stock is up 6% since you took over.
- So, money.
- Is there another metric?
What about company culture?
Opening doors for
underrepresented groups.
- Like the Iranian fencer?
- No. Like our employees.
The demographic shifts at UBN
have been the same for
the past five years.
So, Mia's right.
I am Cory 2.0.
I'm not an ally.
Do you think you're an ally?
I made an Asian woman lick
up a martini to close a deal.
So, no.
I guess not.
I'm racist and sexist.
And I stepped on people who look
like me to get to where I am.
If you didn't do that, would
you have gotten the CEO job?
Of course not.
Because equality doesn't matter.
Fairness doesn't matter.
It doesn't make the stock move.
Which is why it's only a matter of time
before I get fired and
replaced with a white guy,
because at least he plays golf.
You suck at golf.
I fucking know that.
Am I in love with Miles?
I don't know.
I've never been in love, so I can't say.
I would need more data.
What would happen if I quit?
A new CEO would be installed
as your replacement.
They would determine the
direction of the company.
And I'd have to pick a direction.
West to Tokyo. East to Naples.
You get used to being looked at.
Thought of in a certain way.
Smart, hard-working, steady.
Someone who does the job
without expecting credit,
who will shrink herself when asked.
Who won't cause any trouble.
Be who they want you to be
until you can't.
Until you break.
That's what happened working with Paul.
He hurt me.
So I hurt myself.
My mom came to the hospital
and willed me back to life.
My father never showed up.
I imagined him, disappointed
"She couldn't even do that right."
Hi.
Any word from Bro?
He'll be here.
It just feels so wrong.
Fucking him over like this, you know?
Is this, like, really who we wanna be?
He'll be fine. Guys like him always are.
Okay. Um, I'm going to go
say hi to Kara really quick.
- I'll be right back.
- Okay.
It's funny.
I'm sorry?
How we need him.
I feel so close to you.
Do you?
You have no idea.
How's your movie? I heard
it wasn't going well.
Who said that?
People talk. You know how they are.
Well, you can tell them not to worry.
I'm about to sign a deal with UBN.
I'll have a whole slate of movies.
In Los Angeles?
Wherever the writers dream, Ma.
As long as there's a tax break.
You know, I was, uh, actually
thinking about my time in LA
and my old life there.
If you can call it a life.
It was brutal, the way
that studio fired you.
But, hey, I bounced
back. I got Head of News.
Funny, I never wondered how I got
the job because, you know, I'm me.
But it is a bit curious
'cause I was a scripted guy.
You were a rising star at the company.
Mmm. Depends on who you ask.
Mom.
Do you remember this?
Yeah. The White House
Correspondents' Dinner.
Uh, UBA had a table.
And NBN. Eagle News
And what were you doing there?
- I was invited. I'm always invited.
- Uh-huh.
I'm sure I expected you to be there.
You were probably in LA, on a bender.
Oh, right. Yeah.
I was so high I forgot about the
White House Correspondents' Dinner.
Did you say something to Fred
Micklen to help me get my job?
You're being ridiculous.
Am I?
Yes.
It was a party. I go to parties.
Come on, Mom. What were you doing there?
The same thing everyone
was doing. Glad-handing.
You said something to Fred
Micklen. Can you please
You are such a shitty liar,
Mom. You always have been.
Just tell me what you fucking said.
Cory, enough.
Look what you made me do.
I'll get a paper towel. Hold on.
Mom, you're out of almost everything.
I thought the housekeeper
was buying your groceries.
- What's this?
- Leave it alone. It's nothing.
An assisted suicide clinic
in Zurich is nothing?
Don't be so dramatic.
It's just something I was looking into.
Hey, Mom.
If you are afraid of living
alone, I can hire someone.
- If this is a money thing
- Cory.
I'm coming to terms with my age.
Everyone I know is thinking about this.
Well, can you stop?
You got a long way to go.
You're fucking indestructible.
All right. If you say so.
Sorry I yelled at you in there.
Should I cook something?
You look a little thin.
Thanks. No, I gotta
get back to the city.
- Are you sure?
- Yeah.
Don't kill yourself when I leave. Okay?
Okay.
Scout's honor?
Scout's honor.
I'll call you.
Cory?
I didn't say much to
Fred at that dinner.
But your friend Celine did.
I believe they came to some agreement.
Just don't fucking do this. Don't
fucking do this, please, Bro.
Those are two completely
separate issues.
We Just listen to me, please.
- Just listen
- Alex, I'm sorry.
- I'm not gonna fuck Chris over.
- Okay.
So you're gonna fuck me
over and hang me out to dry
because all of a sudden you
grew a fucking conscience?
Wait. You know I don't
need this place, right?
All right. Yes. It's your world.
We're so grateful to be in it.
You've made that very, very clear.
- Okay, Alex.
- What? It's your thing.
It's your very cool,
macho, asshole thing.
It's very original, by the way.
Tell me I'm gonna get the debate.
Tell me you're actually
gonna push for me
and not let the commission
turn me down to cover your ass.
That's what I thought.
Bye, Alex.
He's not coming.
We're screwed.
My God, that two-faced little shit.
Fuck it. I'll just do
the talent segment myself.
Okay. But we have 300 reporters out
there expecting something seismic.
We promised them a major surprise guest.
Well, what are we gonna do?
Unless you close Chris's
deal in two fucking seconds
and we teleport her over here,
I don't know what to tell you.
I have an idea.
So talk to us about leadership.
Obviously the women in the
C-suite, a majority female board
It's unconventional.
Well, actually,
we are a coven of witches.
Yes. We cast spells
against the men who wrong us.
Straight outta Salem.
No.
We knew we'd have a target on our backs.
So when we first got
together, and we sat down,
we asked ourselves the question,
"What's the future of event television?"
We wanted something undeniable.
So Olympics was always part of the plan?
Yeah, the Games bring people
together more than anything else.
Even French people are excited.
And that's not easy to pull off.
But seriously, Kara,
it was important to land
the premier global event for
the premier global network.
So speaking of the Olympics,
I know some folks expected to
see Chris Hunter here today.
Anything you'd like to share?
We love Chris, obviously.
She has the full support of the network.
She's taking some time away,
but we fully expect her
to be back for the Games.
So she's not your big
surprise guest we were promised?
- No. But I do have something for you, Kara.
- Okay.
Something we're featuring at the
Olympics and with UBN moving forward.
This is our live, fully interactive AI.
Yes.
So, soon, every piece of
UBN talent will have one.
Alex. Chris. Bro Hartman.
They'll deliver news and entertainment
tailored to your individual taste,
in your native language.
And you'll be able to
communicate with them
from the comfort of your own home.
But for now, you'll
have to settle for me.
Hi, Stella.
- Hi, Stella.
- Oh!
So, what can you do for us?
I'll do what I've been
doing the past year.
Lower operating costs, increase
audience retention and engagement
- Ms. Levy?
- Yeah.
- Three minutes.
- Thank you.
Pick your favorite events,
and I'll queue them up
for you in a daily digest.
Tell me who you're rooting for,
and I'll get you
behind-the-scenes coverage.
Obviously my favorite
athlete is Simone Biles.
How original. Who's the AI here?
Okay, you're going with
basic bitch AI then.
Are you going to roll this out for
Paris? Or use it in the newsroom?
Well, why don't we ask her?
What do you think, Stella? How
will you be useful in the newsroom?
I can fact check, I can
research, I can write copy.
- Also, I know 100 different languages
- A question.
Actually, I'm asking the questions
but if it's a good one, go for it, dude.
- Yeah. Go ahead.
- No, no, no. No, no, no.
Is this a talent replacement tool
or just a way to keep them in line?
I ask because I heard Chris Hunter
is being denied contract parity
with white anchors at UBN.
And that's why she's threatening
to sit out the Olympics,
and why she's boycotted today's event.
Well That's Actually
Chris is great. We love Chris.
But we all know DEI is dead.
- Oh, my God.
- Also, it doesn't work.
Maybe it never worked,
and we were all just too afraid
of the backlash to say it.
- Fuck.
- It's okay,
- this is just an hallucination.
- Stella.
I need to clarify that, of course,
diversity is important to us at UBN
You mean we value diversity when
we need the Black anchor to save the day
after an Iranian athlete
defects on your watch.
What defection? And does the IOC know?
Stella. Turn it off.
What the fuck?
Then again, I'm racist and sexist.
And I stepped over people who
look like me to get to where I am.
- So what do I know?
- Stella.
- I'm racist and sexist.
- Turn it off.
Am I a bad person?
Can a bad person be in love?
- Turn it off.
- I look at Miles, and I can't decide.
Are you talking about Celine's husband?
I'm fine. It's fine. Nope.
She did it on her own.
Call an emergency board meeting.
Things are moving quickly.
We need to get ahead of this.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
Let's go.
Let's get on that plane.
Okay?
And in five, four, three
Breaking news regarding our own network.
UBN CEO Stella Bak has
resigned, effective immediately.
In an email to staffers,
she said, quote,
"I have cherished my
five years at this company
and am proud of what we accomplished.
But given recent events,
my continued presence
will only be a distraction,
and I feel it's best to step aside.
I'm grateful to the thousands
of dedicated employees at UBN
who made my time here so meaningful."
Joining the company as
Head of News in 2019,
Bak quickly rose to the
position of CEO in 2022.
She made modernizing
the newsroom a priority,
investing heavily in new technology.
However, her attempts to roll out that
technology before the Paris Olympics
ultimately proved unsuccessful.
- Bak was the youngest female CEO of color
-
-
- in the history of the Fortune 500,
successfully navigating
the merger between UBA
- and NBN.
-
- A role model for so many
-
-
- she was a pioneering figure
- and her legacy will be felt
-
long after her departure.
UBN will begin the search
for a permanent replacement.
In the interim,
UBN board president, Celine Dumont,
will take over as acting CEO.
I felt it. Walking
out of that place forever.
For the first time in so long,
I felt free.
Cory.
How you holding up? That
was quite the firework show.
And we all got burned.
Well, you wanted her
out, so now she's gone.
Strange, yes?
To get what you want.
It never feels like
you thought it would.
You knew the AI was
gonna fail, didn't you?
No. I had nothing to do with it.
Stella imploded all on her own.
Well, it's always nice
when you can get someone else to
do your dirty work for you, right?
Like when you paid Fred
Micklen to hire the Head of News
to bury a story about a
toxic chemical company.
My only question is why?
What do you want, Cory?
Where do you wanna be,
the future or the past?
You can't have it both ways.
I wanna talk to physical
production about the movie,
get it back up and running.
Good.
I can't wait to see the first cut.
Sorry.
Could you push the button?
Oh, yeah.
Make me a drink.
I wish it wasn't
Stella, but I understand.
I know you think I don't, but I do.
I felt it too.
Once.
Wanting something
Wanting something else.
Something
easier.
- When?
- Before we got married.
There was another man.
A better match for me,
but he didn't have your vision
your force of will.
I love you.
Even when it hurts me.
I can't stop loving you.
I accept the costs.
I accept my family's judgements.
I did it for you, and I'd
do it again a thousand times.
Now you have to choose
like I did.
There she is.
Okay.
Oh, my God.
Mia, you're stronger than I am.
You were always stronger.
You've seen the worst of this place,
and you never lost sight of who you are.
You never give up.
And people listen to you.
You're a leader.
So you have to keep fighting.
Fighting for the things we
wanted. For the world we imagined.
After I'm gone, there's gonna be chaos.
A power void.
A chance to come back and move up.
I hope you take it.
Final boarding for Italia
Air flight 518 to Naples.
Please proceed to your gate immediately.
This is the last and final boarding call
for Italia Air flight 518 to Naples.
Please proceed to the gate immediately.
Welcome aboard, Ms. Bak.
Buon viaggio.
Flight 470 to Mexico City