After four seasons of buildup, Bradley Jackson and Cory Ellison finally acted on their feelings in The Morning Show Season 4, Episode 3, “Tipping Point.” The long-awaited moment occurred when Bradley visited Cory’s apartment, leading to a romantic hookup that surprised even the stars of the show. Series star and executive producer Reese Witherspoon said she was surprised when she read the script, thinking, “Oh, we are going there.” Here is why the show’s boss and actors say the reunion finally happened now.
The Build-Up to the Hookup
The reunion was set in motion when Cory Ellison, now working in Los Angeles as a film producer, texted Bradley Jackson to meet up while he was in New York. He was in town trying to secure a new production deal with the UBN network. Their meeting at his rental apartment started with awkward pleasantries and a glass of wine.
Their conversation covered heavy topics. Cory wanted to know if Bradley had told the federal investigators about his knowledge of her deleting the January 6 footage involving her brother. She assured him she had kept his name out of it. He also asked if she would be comfortable with him working at UBN again, given their complicated history.
The mood shifted as Bradley reassured him. She slowly walked toward him as he stood across the room, and she initiated a kiss. The episode concludes with a scene of the two in bed together, naked and smiling, holding hands post-sex.
Why the Romance Happened Now
According to the show’s cast and creator, several factors made this the right time for Bradley and Cory’s relationship to move forward.
Billy Crudup, the actor who plays Cory, explained that a major impediment to their relationship was their professional dynamic. “They no longer work together, and that was a major impediment to any kind of pursuit of their mutual affection,” he said. He also noted that their timing had never aligned before, joking that “they just couldn’t coordinate when they wanted to get together.”
Charlotte Stoudt, the showrunner for The Morning Show, agreed with this assessment. She highlighted that both characters are now “outsiders.” Cory is no longer the CEO and is back to being a hustler, while Bradley has also been away from the network for a couple of years. Stoudt said, “They meet in a very vulnerable place, and that allows them to move forward emotionally in a way that was impossible before.”
Crudup also pointed out that a bit of trust had been renewed between them after it was damaged at the end of the previous season. “Confirmation that they had mutual affection and some mutual trust left the door open for whatever a night of Twister or whatever you do,” he added.
Reese Witherspoon spoke about the powerful, if complicated, connection between the two characters. “They just keep being attracted to each other and pulled together,” she said in an interview. “They have this connection. They can’t seem to be done with each other.” Her co-star, Jennifer Aniston, who plays Alex Levy, simply stated, “They love each other.”
A Complicated Connection
While the moment was romantic, the show suggests that Bradley’s motives might not be entirely pure. At the time of their hookup, Bradley is deeply involved in an investigation with Chip into a network cover-up of an environmental incident involving a company called Wolf River.
During the episode, Bradley begins to suspect that Cory might know something about UBA’s cover-up of this story. This casts a shadow over her romantic actions. Reese Witherspoon hinted at this complexity, noting, “Of course, in true Morning Show style, we finally get this moment between Cory and Bradley. But Bradley’s really, behind the scenes, taking advantage of him.”
Witherspoon also admitted that the characters’ dynamic is hard to pin down. “I think it’s so interesting, too, their dynamic. I can’t even make heads or tails of it sometimes, why they’re so enmeshed. And they kind of antagonize each other.”
Fan and Critic Reactions
The moment, while long-awaited by some fans, has been met with mixed reactions. Some viewers on platforms like Reddit have expressed that they never saw their dynamic as primarily romantic, feeling that Bradley had more chemistry with her former girlfriend, Laura Peterson.
One review described the scene as feeling forced, noting that the conversation leading up to the kiss “lacked any heat” and that the shift from friends to lovers was rapid and unsatisfying. The same review pointed out that their post-sex body language, with a significant space between them in bed, suggested emotional distance despite the physical intimacy.
For other fans, however, the moment was a payoff they had been waiting for since Season 1. Actor Billy Crudup said his own reaction to reading the script mirrored that of dedicated fans. “I remember reading it and going, ‘OH!’ I reacted like fans of Cory and Bradley did,” he said.
Other Major Events in Episode 3
The romantic reunion was just one of several major developments in the eventful episode.
- Mia’s Departure: After being repeatedly promised a promotion, producer Mia Jordan finally interviewed for the Head of News position. However, network politics led to her being passed over for Ben, a candidate favored by board president Celine Dumont. A betrayed and hurt Mia quit her job on the spot. Actress Karen Pittman said of her character’s decision, “She’s coming back for blood!”
- Alex and Paul’s Tension: Alex Levy was forced to apologize to a major oil executive after her climate protest coverage threatened network advertising. At the event, she ran into her ex, Paul Marks, who is now dating a new woman. Their emotional confrontation revealed that Alex is still not over their relationship that ended two years prior.
- The Network Cover-Up: Bradley and Chip’s investigation advanced as they tracked down their anonymous source, Claire Conway, a character from Season 1. Claire pointed them to a former network news head, who secretly gave Chip a clue to look in the UBA archives for “Wolf River depositions” from October 2018.
The episode sets the stage for more drama, leaving viewers to wonder if Bradley and Cory’s new relationship can survive the pressures of the ongoing investigation and the chaotic environment of the news network.
Also Read: The Morning Show Season 4 Episode 3: Release Time and What to Expect
