‘The Morning Show’ Episode 6 Recap: A Private Person

Alex was absent from episode six, “A Private Person,” which put a great deal of focus on Bradley (Reese Witherspoon). Bradley has always been cast in the shadow of Alex, since she wasn’t a name before TMS. Unfortunately for Bradley, she is forced into the spotlight in a big way when a tabloid leaks her relationship with Laura (Julianna Margulies), which Bradley is not ready to confront outside the confines of private life. Laura is openly gay and tries to encourage – if not force – Bradley into accepting who she is, but Bradley’s not ready for the reactions that may come her way. On top of everything else, Bradley’s brother decides to show up unannounced, which is a completely different layer of stress.

In some ways, episode six is the most dramatically fulfilling episode of The Morning Show, so far this season, but it’s more than fair that some may find it to be exploitive.  Bradley being forced to acknowledge her relationship with Laura is more about the incendiary nature of tabloids than anything else, but discussions of when people “should” feel comfortable coming out may cause so unpleasant feelings for some viewers. But, that’s what The Morning Show has made its name on: taking big, important, personal or headline-grabbing topics and spinning them into a nighttime soap opera.