I’m Begging ‘The Morning Show’ To Stop Making Me Relive Traumatic 2020 Events

The Morning Show‘s Season 2 finale,”Fever,” showed the fictional Apple TV+ world on the verge of lockdown as a COVID-stricken Alex Levy (Jennifer Aniston) feared for her life. Despite all the soapy UBA drama, watching the episode in November 2021 — more than a year after experiencing real-life lockdown and those early, excruciating days of COVID unknowns — made me unexpectedly emotional. Was it too soon? Yep! Had I even begun to recover from that cursed year yet? Nope! But I survived the quick trip down nightmare lane, and ultimately thought The Morning Show captured the raw emotions of the time. Despite Season 2’s relatable on-screen depiction of the hellscape that was 2020, however, I had no desire to relive the year again. Little did I know, The Morning Show was just getting started.

Season 3, Episode 5 (titled “Love Island”) opened like any typical Morning Show installment would — with a shot of New York City. But much to my dismay a “March 2020” title card followed, bringing four dreaded words to mind: “Here we go again.”

With a jarring close-up of a Purell Hand Sanitizer bottle, the emotional roller coaster commenced as Bradley (Reese Witherspoon) frantically made her way through UBA’s halls, debriefing with Mia (Karen Pittman) on social distancing, symptomatic colleagues, and Alex’s fever breaking. She sat down in her anchor chair, said hi to Laura (Julianna Margulies) on FaceTime, and told the world that the 2020 Olympics have officially been postponed. NOOOOOOOOO! Only three minutes deep and I was squirming — but for good reason. The Morning Show was about to take my 2020 trauma to the next level with a full 50-minute episode chronicling the horrific highlights of the year, from the onset of the pandemic to the January 2021 insurrection. Perfect!

As COVID cases continued to rise in New York, Bradley headed to Montana to isolate and work remotely with Laura. Meanwhile, as a song about “doomsday” blared, Mia returned home from another discouraging workday in her N-95 mask, cleaned her hands, and settled back into her quarantine bubble with Andre (Clive Standen). At the start of the episode, characters basked in their isolation pods, spending days in bed together and delighting in the quiet time. But as months passed and seasons changed, tensions rose and conflicts emerged, mirroring the authentic emotional strain the virus took on so many real-life relationships. When Andre broke quarantine and threatened to expose Mia to outside germs, she fled the apartment and spent the night in her office. When a stir-crazy Bradley begged Laura to leave the house and go out for dinner, she declined, sparking a long-brewing fight.

In a single episode, The Morning Show tackled small details of pandemic anxiety, like returning to normal at different paces as loved ones, or the awkward “masks on or off” dance Cory and his realtor performed while house hunting. But it didn’t stop there. The episode touched on pandemic depression, frontline workers in need of PPE, and the seemingly constant state of panic and pain caused by a deluge of bad news, distance from loved ones, and a general feeling of helplessness. And in between headlines about wildfires and Ruth Bader Ginsberg dying, it also covered major tragedies of the year in a speedy, concise, eerily on-point fashion.

Bradley lost her mom to COVID and cycled through the whirlwind of emotions that followed. The world (with the Morning Show‘s spotlight on Mia) grieved, attempted to process, and protested in the wake of George Floyd’s murder. And in winter, The Morning Show sent Bradley on assignment in Washington, D.C., where she carried out award-winning coverage of the January 6, 2021 insurrection from — brace yourselves, folks — inside the U.S. Capitol! YES REALLY.

“There’s an armed militia roaming the streets of DC, waiting to overturn the election,” Cory explained, while I yelped. Did The Morning Show dare go back there? Before I could finish my thought, the show cut to a news report featuring Donald Trump’s grating voice drone on about “fair elections” and “suppressed speech.” Next thing we knew, Bradley Jackson was navigating the messy marble hallways of the Capitol, running past hateful crowds waving flags, chanting “STOP THE STEAL,” and fighting police officers. Talk about triggering.

In case that visual wasn’t painful enough, we learned the man tussling with a cop right next to Bradley’s was HER BROTHER HAL! And even worse? When she gets Hal out of there she DELETES THE FOOTAGE OF HIM before giving the Hal-free clips to UBA in exchange for the evening news anchor position. And even worse?! Cory (who we see getting a COVID vaccine, because we had to fit as many 2020 references as possible into this hour) covers for her with the FBI because he’s absolutely in love with her! AHHHH!

As far as 2020 depictions go, The Morning Show nailed it again. The sheer magnitude of real-life events, emotions, and intertwined storylines written into this Season 3 flashback episode was undeniably impressive. It brought me right back to lockdown, reminded me of realities I long to forget, and marked the passage of time in haunting ways. But I — and I’m sure a few other viewers — need a BREAK now, OK TMS?! I know this series is all about news, but for the love of Billy Crudup as Cory Ellison, please stop making me relive traumatic 2020 events in incredible detail.

Don’t get me wrong, I 1000% want to see what happens to Bradley, Hal, and the network after this damning Episode 5 reveal. I’m not done with this wild insurrection storyline yet. All I’m asking — nay, all I’m begging — is that we keep it in the present from now on, and that any future flashback episodes on the show consider omitting the worst year of many of our lives.

New episodes of The Morning Show Season 3 premiere Wednesdays on Apple TV+.