‘The Morning Show’ Goes Full ‘Succession’ In Stomach-Churning Season 3 Scene

The Morning Show Season 3, Episode 4 featured a crucial Upfront presentation, a swanky network party at Cory’s Hamptons house, a Bradley and Laura reunion, and a Coney Island date between Alex and Paul. But at the end of the eventful hour, Stella’s storyline — which veered into stomach-churning Succession territory — was the one that lingered.

The Apple TV+ and HBO dramas both depict fictional media worlds inspired by real people, places, and events, so it’s no surprise they’ve had their fair share of comparisons over the years. And though The Morning Show isn’t as critically acclaimed as Succession, its latest episode reminds viewers that it’s perfectly capable of harnessing the same nail-biting tension and brutal displays of power.

At the top of “The Green Light,” Billy Crudup’s character Cory asks Greta Lee’s Stella if she’s ready to lock down a deal with the Ellipse boys — one that could save UBA and help everyone keep their jobs. “We don’t get our loan unless the ad boys pony up,” he says. “Now if you don’t think you can pull it off I can send Leonard.”

“Trust me, I’ve got this,” Stella says, aware from the start that she has to prove herself not only as a successful closer, but as a woman in business. She takes the two insufferable suits to a restaurant and banters as they complain about the menu and the fact that they’re not at Carbone. She ignores an inappropriate comment about their waitress and smiles when they request a massive appetizer spread, including full caviar service. Then comes the drink order. Two martinis for the boys, and a Bombay Sapphire up with a twist for her. “I like this woman,” one of the guys says. “I heard you guys could drink,” she replies, playing the game.

As the bros knock back drinks, Stella sips and does her best to sell the network, UBA+, Alex Levy, and all the drama, scandal, and mess that comes with them. She tells them to “lock this shit down” before she stops giving them “a friends and family discount,” and with a table covered in plates, the more odious of the two says he needs another drink to think it over. Stella excuses herself, and instead of using the restroom, she heads to the bar and slips her server a bill, asking that she bring her water instead of gin because the guys are “impossible to keep up with.” The woman sweetly agrees, giving a clear-headed Stella the chance to present a dazzling deal. But just as she’s about to close, her more annoying dining companion calls out her impressively high tolerance, while his pal grabs her glass, questioning how she’s been keeping up with them. Before he takes a sip of her water, she grabs the glass, citing COVID fears, but it spills in the process. Their trusty server comes to clean the table, and the episode takes a dark turn.

“No, leave it!” one of the men orders. “Maybe you can help us solve a debate. Do you think that there’s gin in there? Or is it just water? You see, I think that you two have been working us.” Tension rises and Stella says she has to get to the Hamptons, so she’d love to lock in a rate. “She licks up that drink and I’ll close at $150K per prime-time spot,” the man replies. Stella shakes her head, requesting they leave the server out of it, but he insists. She bumps the deal up to $200,000 per spot, and he accepts — but not before grabbing the bill and leaving a $20,000 tip to entice the server.

Music swells as the camera goes from Stella to the server, both in agony. “Run my card now if you want. I’m good for it, I promise,” Stella says. So the server bends down and licks the drink off the table as the horrible man smiles and says, “Aw that a girl!” His partner shakes the display off with a joke, and after a laugh, the instigator says, “We have a deal… It was a joke, she’ll be fine.” We see Greta processing the pain she caused and endured while trying to put on a face that didn’t blow the deal. But after the men leave, breaks down crying in the car before texting Cory “Ellipse is in” and throwing her phone.

Watching the storyline play out, I got a familiar feeling in my gut — the same one that crept up during brutal, disgusting, humanity-questioning scenes from the HBO drama. The Morning Show left me with the same haunting ick of Succession‘s baseball bet, or learning that Kendall once paid a homeless man to tattoo “KLR” on his head. Yes, “Boar On The Floor” was harsh, but ugly acts take on a whole new level of pain and discomfort when they involve humiliating and hurting innocent bystanders like The Morning Show‘s server. And moments that feel devoid of basic decency; fueled by power, wealth and blinding privilege, are made more complex when they highlight the deep regret of people like Stella, who tolerated the behavior out of fear but was profoundly impacted by it.

When Stella arrives at Cory’s party later that night, he greets her as “UBA’s assassin in athleisure wear” before reading the room and reminding her that she not only saved the network, but 22,000 employees’ jobs, health insurance, and homes. It helps ease the pain a bit, but Stella is clearly hardened from crossing the line, as seen when she urges Mia to run a breaking story even though a freelancer’s life is on the line.

As was often true with Succession, the already squirm-worthy reality gets even worse when Cory learns Fred is tied to the loan, he’ll have to find the capital elsewhere, and Stella’s trip to the dark side was essentially for nothing. Instead of a dramatic swelling of Succession strings, a morally defeated Stella walks out to Lizzo’s “Truth Hurts,” but the aftertaste is just as bitter.

The Morning Show is now streaming on Apple TV+. New episodes air weekly on Wednesdays.