(Warning: Spoilers ahead.)
If you asked me at the start of The Morning Show’s fourth season who is more likely to become a snitch between anchors Bradley Jackson (Reese Witherspoon) and Yanko Flores (Nestor Carbonell), I would’ve put all my money on the latter. It turns out it isn’t wise to place a bet on a show with this many wild twists and turns. Yanko does the right thing and doesn’t put himself first; the same cannot be said for Bradley.
Skeletons continue to fall out of the UBN staff closets. Former teammates are making accusations about doping, estranged parents are back on the scene, and an elaborate cover-up at UBA (now UBN) is the center of attention.
Ex-employee Claire Conway (Bel Powley) is the source of the corporate conspiracy Bradley is working on, but that is not all. Claire is also the financier of the Extinction Revolt climate activist group, wanted in connection with a deadly gas rig explosion. She is also Yanko’s “one who got away.” Nobody does overlapping personal and professional entanglements quite like the staff at this network.
Even in the chaos, there is space to revisit this Season 1 romance, a reminder of how good Carbonell and Powley are on screen together. The Lost and Shōgun actor lights up when I bring up this dynamic between Claire and Yanko, as well as the chance to show that Yanko contains multitudes —and so do his relationships.
“It was a dream to play that storyline and to get to work with Bel again, who is always extraordinary,” Carbonell tells The Daily Beast’s Obsessed. “And to try and execute what [showrunner] Charlotte [Stoudt] was trying to convey, this notion of which is a better kind of love?
By now, viewers know the Apple TV drama never does anything by halves. The same goes for Yanko, who was ready to propose live on air to his girlfriend Ariana (Ashley Reyes) with confetti canons, doves, and an unironic rendition of Rick Astley’s “Never Gonna Give You Up.”
It wasn’t the bonkers live-on-air near aviation disaster that stopped Yanko from popping the question—though that killed the mood. Instead, it is the mere mention of his ex being back on the scene that prompted Yanko to rethink the grand gesture. Instead of celebrating with Ariana, Yanko can’t stop thinking about Claire (who he hasn’t seen since just after Mitch Kessler drove off a cliff in Italy).
In the present, Yanko has still not gotten down on one knee. A surprise visit from Claire in her hour of need, with the FBI on her tail, cranks up the drama and indecision. Time is of the essence, and circumstances force the TMS anchor to choose between running away with Claire or making it work with Ariana.
Circumstances are far from ideal, what with Claire hiding from the law. However, Yanko’s apartment-turned-safehouse is an opportunity to consider a future together. Or, if Yanko’s current relationship is worth fighting for.
“Is [the better kind of love] one that’s built strictly on passion, or one built on more pragmatism?” says Carbonell. “That’s the age-old question, and that was fun to execute.” There are no easy answers. Claire and Yanko’s connection is immediate when they reunite, but Yanko also radiates joy when he talks about Ariana, and that glow doesn’t diminish when Claire is within reach.
Yanko tends to be comic relief. He is the guy who cannot read a room, is perpetually scared of being canceled (and has been), and centers himself during any crisis. Even when he isn’t in an episode, Yanko’s doofus status is loud and clear. But Claire’s return breaks down the self-absorbed barriers. It is a storyline that gives Emmy-winning actor Carbonell meaty material depicting Yanko at his most selfless, serious, and sweet.
So much has happened since the first season, but the connection between Claire and Yanko immediately clicks back into place thanks to Carbonell and Powley’s chemistry. “We do tackle a lot of issues, but it’s really the bigger themes of life [that are appealing],” says Carbonell.
At first, I wondered whether TMS was cleaning house. First, Stella (Greta Lee) departed on a one-way ticket to Italy. Was Yanko about to make a run with Claire to a country that doesn’t extradite to the US? After all, Yanko is the one who suggests going on the lam rather than turning herself in (the option that Bradley favors). Not only that, but Claire asks Yanko to leave with her so they can embrace a second act as a couple.
Given that Yanko is seemingly seriously contemplating this plan, what happens next is a surprise. Instead of breaking up with Ariana, Yanko proposes on the sidewalk in front of her gym. It isn’t as lavish as his original plan, but it underscores the sincerity of the moment. “That’s a real tribute to the nuance of the writing and the humanity,” says Carbonell. “It’s a joy to get to work on all of these scripts and the great, layered material.”
Everyone on this show lives in the gray areas. Bradley makes a decision based on self-preservation during the climactic twist: Claire is led away in handcuffs moments before she is scheduled to go live on TMS with evidence that Extinction Revolt is being framed. Yanko is understandably furious that Bradley told the feds where Claire was.
Sure, Bradley cares about the investigative work she is doing. However, her begrudging motivation to turn Claire in stems from her own crimes (doctoring January 6th footage), and an FBI agent threatens her freedom. Yanko, who knows none of this, tells Bradley he will never sit next to her on TMS again.
Most viewers are not looking down the barrel of an FBI arrest. Still, there is a relatability to Yanko’s romantic dilemma and his new feud; Yanko’s reaction to Bradley’s betrayal is precisely the kind of messy workplace drama that makes The Morning Show tick.
“We hope that people see themselves in these characters. I hope that people identify themes,” says Carbonell. “With Yanko being in this [scenario], I feel—I hope— that’s what the appeal is.”
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