‘The Morning Show’: Why That Jennifer Aniston/Billy Crudup Duet Was Even Creepier Than You Think

It’s been just about a week since The Morning Show Episode 5, “No One’s Gonna Harm You, Not While I’m Around” debuted on Apple TV+, and I still can’t stop thinking about how creepy Billy Crudup and Jennifer Aniston‘s mid-episode duet is. Oh, did you think it was a nice little sing-along between two platonic co-workers who wish nothing for the best for one another? Hardly. It was a declaration of war, and a brutal one at that.

Since the very first episode of The Morning Show, we’ve known that Cory Ellison (Billy Crudup) and Alex Levy (Jennifer Aniston) are at odds with one another. As the new man in charge of fictional network UBA’s News Division, Cory wants to shake things up on the in-universe Morning Show. That means upping the ante on the drama, bringing in younger, edgier voices, and phasing out Alex Levy.

In last week’s episode, Cory finally confronts Alex at a swanky party benefiting Broadway about their last tiff. Cory’s words express contrition. He notes that Alex was right to challenge him and to name Bradley Jackson (Reese Witherspoon) as her new co-host on the fly.

“That Bradley stunt was brilliant and I want us to find a way to work together,” Cory tells Alex. “I think you’re kind of a crazy genius and I like working with crazy geniuses.”

While the words are kind, Crudup’s delivery is just about unhinged. He sounds less like a normal person making amends than he does like a Batman villain monologuing to the moonlight sky. His words are conciliatory, but his face is a mask of insincerity. It’s as if Cory is toying with Alex, and not attempting to respect her.

Alex understands this. She replies, “Go fuck yourself, Cory. Save your energy for your next kill. I’m not biting.”

Cory then pretends to be upset that Alex doesn’t believe his sincerity and waltzes to the piano in the middle of the room. He then publicly insists that they share a duet: “Not While I’m Around,” from Stephen Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd.

As a hilariously eager bystander notes, Alex is the musical theater nerd, so she must join in. That’s also why Alex understands all too well that Cory is threatening her. “Not While I’m Around” is a duet between Mrs. Lovett, who has been helping her lover Sweeney Todd dispose of his murder victims by baking them into her pies, and her all-too-innocent apprentice Tobias. The young man has figured out that Sweeney Todd is dangerous and is worried about Mrs. Lovett. The two reassure each other that they’ll look out for each other, except Mrs. Lovett is lying. After this number, Mrs. Lovett kills Tobias.

Again, if you don’t know the context, the lyrics are sweet, almost romantic. So nothing about Cory’s song choice feels off-putting to the crowd, but musical theater nerd Alex is shaken by the end of the duet. It’s a fascinating metaphor for what is beginning to be Alex’s great blind spot. She can be ruthless, brilliant, and confident behind-the-scenes, but when the cameras are on and she’s thrust in the public eye, she comes to heel. She keeps up the appearances that everything is fine behind-the-scenes, or within the subtext of a song. But they’re not.

It’s a coup de grace from Cory Ellison, and a sign that Alex’s career may be in even more peril than she thinks.

The Morning Show Episode 6 debuts on Apple TV+ tomorrow, Friday, November 22nd. 

Stream The Morning Show on Apple TV+