Another week, another abortion propaganda laden episode of Apple TV+’s The Morning Show. At this point, maybe they should change their name to The Abortion Show. But hey, at least this time they included pro-lifers… as crazed psychos who assault a pro-abortion news anchor and threaten her life. Because, well, of course.
Episode 8, “DNF,” opens as anchor Chris (Nicole Beharie) arrives at work after causing a stir in the previous episode by writing “Abort the Court” in red lipstick on the mirror of a public restroom and taking a selfie as she flips the court off with the graffiti in the background. All in reaction to the Supreme Court leak of the Dobbs decision.
As she steps out of her car, she’s approached by an enraged woman who yells, “Baby killer,” while dousing her with red paint:
Crazed Pro-Lifer: Hey! Baby killer!
Mia: Well, they picked the grand jury, so I'm gonna send Yanko... Holy sh*t. Are you okay?
Chris: I guess my post hit a nerve. And I really liked this coat.
Chris is later told she won’t be reporting on the SCOTUS leak. She thinks she’s being punished for saying “what the majority of people are thinking,” but the real reason is because she’s receiving threats from violent pro-lifers and her colleagues are worried for her safety:
Layla: You were amazing this morning. Highest-rated Tuesday in two months.
Chris: I didn't love the face full of paint, but it's not gonna stop me from going on air.
Mia: About that. Um, we need to talk to you about your segments going forward, Chris.
Chris: Now that I'm a walking, talking political liability.
Layla: We may need to pull back on your SCOTUS coverage. Just for the next couple of weeks.
Chris: I'm sorry, you're doing what?
Mia: Layla, I thought we said we were gonna slow-walk this one.
Layla: There's slow-walking, and then there's sugarcoating. And it might be good to lay off your socials until this dies down.
Chris: So, I say what the majority of people are thinking, and you're punishing me for it?
Mia: No, no, no. We're not punishing you.
Layla: We can't guarantee your safety. Your physical safety.
Mia: While you were on air today, there were some additional threats.
Chris: Oh. Okay.
Layla: Right. There's someone we'd like you to meet. Preston?
Mia: Hey, Preston.
Layla: Preston's gonna be looking after you. Pick you up, take you door-to-door, anything else you need.
Preston: Nice to meet you.
Chris: You know I already have a driver.
Layla: Preston will be escorting you from the lobby to your car, from the car into your home.
Mia: Until all this blows over.
Chris: You gotta be kidding me.
You’ve gotta be kidding us! Because this portrayal of pro-lifers as dangerous maniacs threatening the lives of abortion advocates doesn’t mesh with current events whatsoever. In real life, it’s been the pro-abortion side that has made threats and committed acts of violence against churches and pro-life pregnancy resource centers because of the Dobbs decision. But Hollywood would like everyone to believe it was the other way around, hence these types of storylines projecting pro-abortion actions onto pro-lifers.
They did touch on the vandalization of churches by abortion militants later in the episode as Chris tells fellow anchor Yanko (Nestor Carbonell) about graffiti matching her own being spray painted onto the front door of St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Yanko surprisingly holds her accountable at first, but later apologizes.
Later, Alex converses with Cory (Billy Crudup) about interviewing the head of legal from Planned Parenthood (the second of four mentions of the abortion giant in this episode alone, not surprising given Planned Parenthood’s commitment to helping Hollywood writers push abortion on their shows). When Cory resists, Alex argues, “Cory, we are covering the most important story for American women in 50 years.”
He tells her he “gets it,” because, “My mother has instilled in me the belief that, uh, what a woman chooses to do with her body, that is her business.” (That’s the same mother who last week told Cory she wished she’d had the choice to abort him.)
Just before the interview, Alex gets word Planned Parenthood dropped out. Chip scrambles to offer replacements, including a woman who predicted the “whole Merrick Garland fiasco” would lead to the overturning of Roe:
Alex: Planned Parenthood dropped out? What the f*ck, Chip?
Chip: I know. I'm sorry. Linda apologized.
Alex: You were supposed to take care of NBN. I don't understand what's happening.
Chip: I tried. Everybody's going after the same interview subjects. I mean, it's brutal out there. But look, I got some alts, okay? What about Tara Spitz?
Alex: The rep from Missouri?
Chip: Yeah. State's got a trigger ban.
Alex: No, no. She's an opportunist, and all she cares about is airtime for her reelection campaign.
Chip: Okay, there's James Scanlon, constitutional professor from Princeton.
Alex: Okay. Interesting idea about an interview about women's bodies. Let's try to book a woman, please.
Chip: Fine. Jess Bennett, okay? She's a cofounder of that online magazine The Break. They just broke that huge story about Rebekah Mercer backstabbing the CEO of Parler. I mean, it's...
Alex: Come on, Chip. This is about overturning Roe, the legacy of the court. The Break is glorified gossip.
Chip: Respectfully, she's gonna have a take. She did a post during the whole Merrick Garland fiasco predicting that that could lead to the end of Roe. She was the first one to call it.
Alex: Okay. All right, that's interesting.
Chip: She can kind of read the tea leaves on this stuff, okay? Plus, it won't be the same, like, you know, center-left, institutional apologist bullshit that everybody else is gonna run.
Alex: God. I prepped for Planned Parenthood.
Chip: I know, I know. But look, we got an hour until we shoot, okay? I've read a ton of the stuff. I got you. Wear an earpiece. It's gonna be fine.
Alex: All right, fine. Fine. Just get me everything you have on her.
Chip: All right. I'm on it.
The interview devolves into Alex’s private life since the public became aware of her fling with Elon Musk-like figure Paul (Jon Hamm) who is buying out the network:
Alex: This week's Supreme Court leak raised a number of issues. Among them, the issue of minority rule. In theory, democracy is one person, one vote. But in the case of the Supreme Court, nine un-elected individuals control deeply private aspects of American life. Jess, you wrote a piece, back in 2016, predicting that Roe would be overturned way before anybody else saw this coming.
Jess: Well, I just looked at the clues, and I did the math.
Alex: And it would seem like this ruling could also threaten other liberties, such as gay marriage, for example.
Jess: Absolutely. This is really just the beginning. And there is no doubt that these nine un-elected individuals have disproportionate power. Though, I would argue that when we're talking about minority rule, the real problem that we're facing is from billionaires and dark money. I mean, in terms of social control, these people have this outsized influence in media that frankly scares the sh*t out of me. I think the fourth estate is in serious trouble.
Chip: Ask about Bezos.
Alex: Is the fourth estate in trouble? I mean, Jeff Bezos bought The Washington Post, and by all accounts, he's stayed hands-off.
Jess: Sure, for now. But Wall Street has made these guys impossibly rich, and the bull market's about to jump off a cliff. So, what happens when the music stops?
Alex: Okay. Um, going back to the Supreme Court...
Jess: Right. Populated by judges who are selected by politicians who are controlled by lobbyists who are funded by billionaires. It's a direct line. You can't talk about these things inside of a vacuum. And what happens when the infrastructure of public discourse is owned by private enterprises? Take UBA for example. Paul Marks hasn't even bought this place yet...
Alex: Jess, we're talking about Roe.
Jess: No, we're talking about unchecked power.
Alex: I'm talking about how women confront power in the era of minority rule.
Jess: I'm sorry. But if a reporter hooks up with a billionaire who is buying her media company, people are going to ask questions. Like, "Is she actually capable of speaking truth to power?"
Alex: You know that I'm not the news this week. Nor is UBA or Paul Marks. We're here to talk about millions of women who are losing control over their bodies.
This isn’t about women controlling their bodies. It’s about women wanting to control the bodies of their pre-born children. The target in every abortion is the defenseless baby’s body, not the mother’s.
It’s also interesting to see such newfound concern for how our democracy works. Suddenly, the system that’s been in place for hundreds of years, including the Supreme Court, is now a problem because the decision didn’t go their way. Sorry, but you can’t change the rules of the game once it’s over just because you lost.
At least in real life you can’t.
