The Morning Show (TV Series) Love Island (2023) User Reviews

Writers Strike Ep?

[chris-683-662086 · 7/10 · 7 October 2023]

Confusing at first but kind of a good reminder of how America was reshaped through the pandemic, the end of Trumps presidency and the momentous shift in polity as a result.

It's almost hard to believe what happened to the world back then, kind of surreal but it happened and this episode deftly handles how relationships were affected, the rise mental health issues and politics at large. An odd interlude but sort of a good idea and a clever way to refresh our memories of the journey the characters have been on.

I guess this episode was built out of out takes from series 2 due to the impact of the writers strike on delivery timelines.

Eh?

[zccooper · 7/10 · 11 October 2023]

At first, like so many other reviewers, I thought I'd missed a step. A flashback to Covid when Covid was touched upon in a previous season did not make sense.

However, I will defend this episode for a couple of reasons.

The Hal drama at the end is Morning Show worthy and the vehicle showing us Bradley's pandemic makes it worth the watch.

It also sneaks in characters and story arcs that may not have made it otherwise.

I do think that the writers underestimated the understanding of their audiences with this episode because it felt like an exposition dump for those who couldn't make connections between the 2nd and 3rd season.

Now since we now have SAG back we will not forgive these missteps Apple.

Pay your writers, because this episode proves how much you need them.

Bass Ackwords!

[jeff-holtorf · 5/10 · 5 October 2023]

An episode that takes us back in time, unwillingly and makes as glad we are where we are today! Talk about a trip and fall! This show has no idea what it wants to accomplish! It has gone off the rails and whatever ground they have gained in the first 4 episodes of this 3rd season, has now been buried in the trash bin! Its characters are lost, the writing is stale and lazy, and the storyline makes no sense in this midway point of the season.

If this is the way they tell the backstory of these characters, then it shows they have no path towards the future. Over dramatic acting and over the top l, far away glances and longing looks are not going to carry this over the goal line as hoped.

This. Episode. Made. NO. Sense

[Charlie_Chocolate · 4 October 2023]

This episode confused me so much. I actually thought this was an old episode from season 2 Apple TV was playing randomly. Then I thought, have they maybe accidentally published the wrong episode? Then I saw the episode title matched the IMDb title for today's episode, and I decided to sit it out... but... WTH?

All content from this episode would have been fine as content used in season 2. Or even as a total episode (although it completely lacked any build up or natural coherence across all the messy random segments) - but why suddenly dump all this chaotic context on the audience now? Why season 3, episode 5? This season takes place in a completely different moment in time. Plus, episode 4 contained storylines and a cliffhanger which didn't flow naturally into this episode at all. And all this episode's info would have been massively helpful for viewers to have had from the start, to understand what on earth was going on half the time in season 3 so far.

I love this show, but this episode seemed like someone lost it during season 2 and just found it again... The episode itself just doesn't flow at all. And all the season 3 narratives would've landed much better if the audience had actually known all this context much earlier.

Unusually poor work for a show as good as The Morning Show! Hope next episode picks up again in its normal pace / at the episode 4 cliffhanger...

Suffer through it

[trfbnrjf · 4/10 · 8 October 2023]

People are panning this one, and rightly so. Confusing, out of place, and who doesn't want more COVID storylines, ammirite?!

I wanted to go lower than four stars but even the worst episode of this series is still "ok". Man, is it tedious though.

Unfortunately they drop a couple of things that are probably important so bear with it.

Apparently the review needs to be 500 characters, so

A priest, a minister and a rabbit walk into a blood drive.

Some one asks the rabbit what they are, and the rabbit says "probably a type-O".

It's funnier said out loud but don't get too excited, it's a pretty corny joke.

Are you paying attention?

[mho-10480 · 9/10 · 7 October 2023]

For all the haters of this episode, were you paying attention the previous episodes?

This was obviously filling in all the gaps.

This is why Cory said to Bradley that she owed him for everything he had done in regards to her coverup.

Mia's boyfriend and why she got so used to sleeping at the studio.

More info about Bradley and Laura's on and off relationship.

How Cory came across Paul Marks.

I know some people hate flashbacks, but I don't mind them, as long as there is a reason for it. As they usually help continue to set the tone for the rest of the season. I always think of them like a prequel.i.e how did we get to this point?

Momentum Killer

[jameswyattranks · 4/10 · 6 October 2023]

I don't think it was written terribly, and I don't deny it connects in some ways to their present day plot but that doesn't stop it from feeling out of place. This so easily could've been the first episode of the season but I have to assume they knew people wouldn't watch the rest of the season if it were.

It was a hard watch for multiple reasons, and honestly there's not much here that couldn't have been put into a couple lines of present day dialogue. There's little extra benefit doing it this way. It's a massive momentum killer for a season that was going in an interesting direction before this. I hope next week is business as usual.

NOW I know why everyone hates each other

[anderbilt · 10/10 · 10 October 2023]

After the way Season 2 ended at the start of the pandemic - it was startling to leap ahead to mid 2022 and find everyone sticking knives in each other in the first episode of this season.

THIS episode provides the needed backstory on how everything fell apart with Cory and Bradley, and the choices everyone made along the way prior to the first episode of this season.

I could have just guessed at a lot of this stuff, but I appreciate the choice to let the viewer's curiosity marinate for the first half of the season. It makes the gulf between everyone deeper and more real.

Thanks for holding back this reveal until now! I can't wait to see where it's going.

Actually painful to watch

[jjblake · 1/10 · 7 October 2023]

Normally enjoy this show, but while watching this episode found myself continously checking to see how many minutes were left. My wife and I were happy when it was finally over. Would have stopped watching but didn't want to miss any important plot happenings. Could have totally skipped this episode in retrospect.

Maybe it was having to relive covid, or the over dramatization of the historical events. Or the lack of likable character storyline. Or, the normally likable characters being unlikable. Or the fact that there was really no redeemable addition to the series found in the entire episode. Did writers not have anything else to focus on? Were they already on strike? Oh, well.

Three Years Too Late

[m-rugen · 1/10 · 4 October 2023]

We didn't need this episode especially not at S3E5. Season 2 ended with the big reveal that COVID had just began. Season 3 began with, what I assume was, three years later. Now halfway through the season you give us an episode that spans the entire time between the end of season 2 and beginning of season 3? We didn't need it. You did fine by bypassing those three years to start the season. I couldn't wait for this episode to be over. I had to deal with every other show I watch between 2020 and 2022 make individual episodes about COVID, January 6th, and everything that happened in between. Certainly didn't need all three years of what happened crammed into a 55 minute episode (and barely any Alex Levy). Everything else in season 3 has been phenomenal. Can't wait to be back on track next week.

Really captured the lockdown stress

[taniasilvam · 8/10 · 12 October 2023]

Wow, this episode took me back to 2020. I remember how awful it was, learning about family or friends passing fue to COVID and not being able to visit or do anything really other than cry and wait. This episode really tackled it down very well. It was nice to get a better understanding of what happened with Laura and Bradley. They were so in love so it is heartbreaking to how things went south with them. It is honestly shocking because I also went through a similar situation during the lockdown, it just became so hard; days, weeks, months passing inside the house, just going out for the essentials. Depressing but very good episode.

This Show Occasionally Handles Nuanced Issues on Autopilot

[tylerjyounger · 4/10 · 5 October 2023]

Let me start off by stating I'm a big fan of this show. There are some things about this episode I actually really liked. Unfortunately there was a little more to dislike in this one.

We can all agree COVID was a scary time because none of us knew what was happening and although we now have hindsight, this is being told from the vantage point of being in the moment. I totally get that, but my goodness does this show like to treat every issue like it's black and white. They covered three very nuanced topics in this episode, all of which were written as if you prompted chat GPT to explain them.

There has been great writing throughout this series so I hate to be so negative. I just feel like this script could have used a little more thought in order to make a larger impact.

Breaks The Flow

[stevejbessant · 1/10 · 10 October 2023]

Time warp

I have been really enjoying the morning show.

I struggle to see the relevance of this episode. I could see how this episode would have fitted in two years ago but apart from some added and interesting extra character's insights. I would have given this a zero ( if possible) for the one fact that Mitch Kessler gets to make a brief appearance on a flashback interview seen. Maybe I am one of those people who struggled mentally during Covid so the words "too soon" come to mind. I hope that next week the show can resume "normal service" . Roll on morning show. I see series 4 looks like it's on the cards. Quit the show while it's ahead ?

A "fast forward" button filler episode

[bobetjo · 2/10 · 7 October 2023]

There were so many things wrong with this episode it is hard to know where to start. From a personal POV it was so boring I wanted to skip forward a few minutes repeatedly. So here is the review in question form.

Did this flashback give viewers a big reveal about any characters motivation or relationship? Nope. Nothing we did not know already.

Did this flashback episode provide new information a out any current plot point? Not really. Although the potential tech-bro deal origin is explained. That could have been done with the sentence "We had a beach house nearby during lock down"

Did this move any story forward? Nope again. As other reviewers have mentioned, this killed momentum.

Did it show the effects of the Covid lock down effectively? Hell no! A bit about Bradley's family but no mention of all the worries we all had at the time. Job, income, care homes. It was a really 2D Wikipedia entry episode.

Was there a missed opportunity? Hell yes! The anti-vax movement that seemed supported by some right wing media. That would have made a great story about a newsroom taking the science based view.

What a waste.

Great time to give us some back story and fill in the blanks

[jmwarren-35056 · 10/10 · 7 January 2024]

The tantalising morsels of stories peppered throughout the first few episodes made me wonder what had happened when they had skipped such a large chunk of time.

This episode was so hard hitting and emotionally loaded and everything just fell into place. I really renewed the vigour I felt from the first few seasons.

Also the character building just keeps continuing throughout as the show rolls through the seasons, they're really becoming fully rounded with fleshed out backgrounds

I love that they also finally cover the shared trauma that we all faced, including the awful impacts on our families and loved ones.

I found out something about my remote

[markflorida-86467 · 1/10 · 11 October 2023]

It has a fast forward button. A whole episode about Covid three years too late. Terrible. Just didn't gel with the season storyline. Felt indulgent. Maybe this has something to do with the writers' strike. It just didn't make any sense. My other guess is that maybe they filmed a bunch of this years ago and felt that they needed to make some money off of what they filmed. It's so surprising given the attention this show usually pays to the overall storyline. Oh well. I'm glad this wasn't the season finale. And more happy, again, that I could hit fast forward and still understand the narrative like a daytime soap.

Episode 305

[bobcobb301 · 9 October 2023]

The show has gotten absurdly political each and every episode this year when that was not the case in the first two seasons, but we can sort of move past it. They told some pretty good stories here and looking back we all have to shake our heads at how some of us responded to the COVID absurdity, and how some of us still are with backhanded comments from people like Laura.

But it was entertaining and the over the top and that is why we watch this show. I am frankly surprised by the low scores from fans for this episode, I am just going to guess that it is mostly from political opposition to their point of view.

Love is in the air

[moviesfilmsreviewsinc · 10/10 · 22 December 2023]

The Morning Show Season 3 Episode 5, "Love Island," marks the halfway point of the season, providing a flashback hour to relive traumatic events from the first year of the pandemic. The show also fills in on big character development moments, such as Bradley and Laura's breakup, Mia's boyfriend Andre, and Bradley taking over the evening news chair. While this would have added context earlier in the season, it's still a fun watch for fans. The Morning Show, despite being an expensive soap opera, often resorts to cosplaying as a serious drama that grapples with real-life issues. This is evident in "Love Island," which takes viewers back to March 2020, revolving around various events such as PPE shortages, George Floyd's murder, protests, and the January 6th insurrection. The show's speed run through major tragedies is not well-suited for a coherent narrative. However, there are some excellent moments, such as Bradley doing her own hair and makeup before anchoring TMS on the day the 2020 Olympics are canceled, and Cory and his realtor navigating the awkward "how to handle masks" question, where hand sanitizer is ubiquitous. Overall, the show's lack of nuance and coherent storytelling makes it difficult to watch. The season of "The Office" revolves around the uncertainty of what to do, where to stand, quarantining, and when it's okay to see loved ones. The show features a lot of material, including a nightmarish rewind where Bradley flees to Montana with Laura, who was her secret girlfriend at the time. They live in a remote Montana cabin where they broadcast a television show together. Bradley finally refers to Laura as "Babe" on-air, and the pair seem happy. However, they soon find themselves in isolation and struggle with the resentment of Laura's implication that her family is uneducated. The show is surprisingly realistic but also clashes with the rest of the season. Reese Witherspoon finally gets some material to work with after being largely absent. Bradley's mother dies of COVID-19, causing a strained relationship between her and Laura. Laura feels guilty for not returning home when her brother Hal informed her. The two fights escalate, with Bradley insinuating Laura's happiness, while Laura argues that Bradley knew her mother was terrible. Bradley's misery affects TMS ratings, leading Stella to send her to cover the election in Washington, D. C., which leads her to the U. S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. The Morning Show effectively blends real and fictional footage to create an on-the-ground perspective of the riot, capturing an on-the-ground perspective that is both horrifying and overly dramatic. The show's fallout from this event is so over the top that it is unclear how it navigates the rest of the season. During the riot, Bradley discovers her brother Hal is among the insurrectionists and captures footage of him beating up a Capitol police officer. She cannot bring herself to turn him in, choosing to cover for him and delete the footage of him committing a crime. Despite this, she leverages her January 6 coverage to land the evening news anchor job she always wanted. An FBI subpoena forces her to tell Cory the truth about everything to ask him to help her get out of it. The show's portrayal of Bradley as a crusading justice warrior who believes in journalism's power to change lives and find the truth raises questions about her character's future.

Loss of Momentum & Continuity

[wwwilki · 4/10 · 4 October 2023]

Such a disappointing episode. Why did they flashback to COVID? I actually thought I had started the wrong episode when I opened the AppleTV app.

I had anxiously been waiting to see where the great story that was playing out was heading next only to be let down and trying to understand why this complete change of course was necessary and/or relevant. Totally lost story momentum. What I love about TMS is the anticipation & continuation of what the next episode will bring. After watching this episode I can easily wait until next week. Fortunately, this had been the only episode that didn't meet the mark.

Wife and I really liked the first season... but now

[notatwork · 1/10 · 2 November 2023]

This episode really epitomizes some subtle preachy and incorrect statements. Poor writing for sure since we know so much about what is implicated in this episode. As time passes this episode (and season) will not age well. We held on to a yearly subscription for Apple TV+ mainly for this show, and now this show irritates us ... where part way through an episode we're picking up our phones. I'll probably just let my subscription run out.

This episode isn't disappointing, it's reckless ... again, especially with all the evidence that has come out around COVID, Jan 6th and so much else. This is definitely the episode that stops entertaining and starts supporting propaganda. Gross.

Umm...what?

[kundun92 · 1/10 · 6 October 2023]

Umm...what did I just turn on? I was browsing through all my streaming platforms trying to find something to watch, and I remembered that there was a new episode of this show. I was hyped!

Hell yes, I thought. I turn it on. Watch the recap and it starts. 30 seconds in, I'm thinking I chose the wrong episode. I return to the season menu and I scroll through the seasons and episodes and choose episode 5, "Love Island". I watch the recap and it starts again, and Im thinking I chose the wrong episode again. The apple app on my tv tends to not select my most recent watched.

So I repeat the process and that is how I ended up here, just to make sure I wasn't going insane. To my relief I wasn't the only one to feel this way, and this IS the current episode. However this is a 3 y/o recap that sets the viewer adrift, and has not much relevance at this point in our lives. So, umm...WHAT?

Misplaced

[greg-beaulieu · 3/10 · 7 October 2023]

Like @Charlie_Chocolate and others, my first reaction to this was that it was misplaced in the running order, and maybe it was for some unknown reason. It (with some editing and small tweaks) have made a reasonable S3E1, but to land in the middle of S3 makes little sense. I wonder what happened.

It's a real shame, because if you stretch credibility a bit (like the Bradley last-minute space shot) I've enjoyed this season so far. Although new episodes get released on Wednesday, I hold them to watch late on Friday night as has been my routine since S1. It's a bit of a tradition in my house to let it roll around 11PM on Friday, sitting in a darkened room with my cat to keep me company and a single malt scotch at hand. It's one of my favorite nights when a new episode becomes available because the show is just so much fun to watch, starting with the opening with the battling balls and the great theme song. Even with the overly large cast that's hard to keep track of and the breakneck pace of things happening, it's great fun, and such a treat for the eyes thanks to the tremendous production values.

So, to have this one land with a thud was disappointing. Too bad, because things were going so well...

Rehashing Pain: A Step Backwards in a Post-COVID World

[electricshaka · 1/10 · 5 October 2023]

Just as we've begun to see the light at the end of the COVID tunnel, this TV episode does a disservice by dragging us back into its darkest depths. At a time when many are striving to move forward, this episode feels glaringly out of touch and insensitive. The world has witnessed enough grief and uncertainty during the pandemic, and yet this episode decides to rehash the trauma of COVID, particularly honing in on the theme of death. While it's important to remember and reflect upon our shared history, exploiting such raw emotions for mere entertainment feels both unnecessary and tone-deaf. Moreover, the narrative lacked the nuance and sensitivity required to tackle such a weighty subject. It's disappointing to see a show capitalize on collective pain and anguish for the sake of drama, rather than offering a fresh perspective or a healing message. This episode, in its attempt to be relevant, ended up being a missed opportunity to truly resonate with viewers in a post-COVID world. We deserve better.

Worst episode

[klwally · 1/10 · 25 October 2023]

The last episode ended on such a high and anticipation. This one goes back to the pandemic and frankly is just a pandering and preaching hour that I wish I had back.

First it did not push the narrative forward. Secondly the political viewpoint was just so over the top preachy it wasn't even entertaining anymore.

Also the filler for the photo journalist - yeah it's retcon and we all know what's probably going to happen to him now.

Cory again comes out looking good in this - he's actually not the bad guy everyone wants him to be. He takes care of everyone and fixes what he has to.

Meanwhile keep preaching to us....

Very Confused!

[alicia_brown-33608 · 3/10 · 6 October 2023]

SPOLIERS......

Was this episode supposed to be earlier in the season? Why did we go back to when Cory bought the house that we had already seen him have a party in? And back to when Cory met Paul Marks and pitch the network, back to when Andre hadn't yet left for his international assignment and Bradley and Laura were still together and then break up? What was the point of going back and reliving the whole Covid, storming of the Capital etc. When it appears we were past that in the current timeline? I'm so confused? I stopped the episode a number of times to make sure I wasn't watching an old episode that I'd accidentally missed.