Survivors on Screen #4: The Morning Show
An interview with WGA-nominated writer of The Morning Show, Ali Griffin Vingiano
Thank you for reading Beyond Survival, a publication about life after trauma. This is the fourth installment of Survivors on Screen, a series about how sexual violence is portrayed in TV and film. Please be aware that some readers might find it triggering and that there are spoilers ahead. Here are the earlier posts in this series: the introduction, ‘Promising Young Woman’, ‘Unbelievable’ and ‘The Assistant’.
Today, I’m speaking with WGA-nominated writer and on set producer of The Morning Show, Ali Griffin Vingiano about the show’s first season which was written in response to the #MeToo movement. The Morning Show is set behind the scenes at a popular American television show, reeling from the sudden dismissal of co-anchor Mitch Kessler (Steve Carrell) who is fired for sexual misconduct. His co-anchor Alex Levy (Jennifer Anison) announces the sudden departure live on air, and later ambushes the network forcing them to hire a small town reporter, Bradley Jackson (Reese Witherspoon) as her co-host.
Ali was an on-set producer and writer on the show, co-writing one of my favourite episodes of the season, which is called ‘Play the Queen’. In it, Hannah (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) plays a young staffer who confronts Mitch and tries to explain how being assaulted has impacted her. He, like predators always do, denies that he’s done anything wrong and berates her for being naive and “playing the victim”. Hannah later agrees to share her story with Bradley, asking only that her identity not be revealed. In her final scene, Hannah disappears into a foggy street and is found dead from an overdose the following morning. Her death spurs the two co-hosts to reveal the toxic culture which has allowed sexual abuse to fester at the company before they are dramatically taken off the air.
I spoke with Ali about her experience working on the show, and how she thinks about telling stories about sexual harm.
Show notes:
‘When I Saw Him Again’ - Ali’s short film about sexual assault. (Have a look at the feedback she got from survivors too!)
Scene from Season 1, Episode 9 ‘Play the Queen’, co-written by Ali Vingiano and Erica Lipez.
In a beautifully crafted scene, Hannah meets Mitch outside his apartment. Mitch is asking Hannah to corroborate that a more senior executive was aware of Mitch’s sexual misconduct and covered it up. This scene depicts how Hannah’s trauma collides with Mitch’s denial. He tries to twist her words, minimising and denying the harm she has suffered. Victims' stories are taken from them all the time. But Hannah has an opportunity to confront the man who raped her and say: this was wrong.
The scene works, at least in part, because we think of Steve Carell as a funny, likable guy. In a previous edition, I wrote about how Emerald Fennell cast attractive young men that audiences are predisposed to like as the predators in Promising Young Women. In this case, Steve Carell plays a sly, narcissistic predator. He doesn’t look like a villain. He’s charming. He’s popular. And ultimately, he is very, very dangerous.
Scene from Season 1, Episode 10 ‘The Interview’, written by Kerry Ehrin.
In a scene described by Gugu Mbatha-Raw as a “beautifully nuanced meltdown”, Hannah describes what happened on that night with Mitch. She is forced to stop denying the harm she’s experienced and face her pain. I remember watching that episode for the first time, back in 2019. As soon as it was over, I looked up the script and read the scene again and again. To me, it captured something so true. We watch Hannah fight the truth until she’s forced to face the harm inflicted on her.
As I mention in the video, quoting Mbatha-Raw, the fact that “Hannah's pain was allowed to smolder undetected, isn't a flaw of the show, it's a flaw of the world.” For most of the story, Hannah has been in the background but she has been suffering deeply. “I don't think she's ever really vocalized the experience to anyone. She hasn't been to therapy. She's not that close to her family. This is the first time that she's reliving it and actually in that process, it becomes real to her. She's been in denial of it for so long."
Scene from Season 1, Episode 3 ‘Chaos is the New Cocaine’, written by Erica Lipez.
The last scene we discussed was a brutal conversation between two sexual predators, Mitch and Dick Lundry, a Harvey Weinstein-type (Martin Short.) This scene works because it highlights the delusion that exists among predators.
A short extract:
Mitch: Well, the first wave was... really bad. And then the guys accused in the second wave was just different, and I don't think we should be scared to talk about it.
Dick: Spell it out for me, won't you, Mitch?
Mitch: Well, you are actually a predator. And people are gonna want you to own that.
Dick: As opposed to…What are you exactly, Mitch?”
It’s a chilling exchange in which the predator’s own words prove almost more damning than anything else. Here are some interesting reflections on shooting the scene from Martin Short.
Huge thanks to
for generously sharing her time and experience with me. Her newsletter is about the messy experience of being human and she hosts a thriving community for creatives invested in their work and wellbeing. It’s one of my favourite newsletters. Here’s a good place to start if you’re new to her work:
Bibliography:
Watch a recap of Season 1 of The Morning Show in two minutes.
The scripts referenced above are:
Season 1, Episode 3 ‘Chaos is the New Cocaine’ (written by Erica Lipez)
Season 1, Episode 9 ‘Play the Queen’ (co-written by Ali Griffin Vingiano and Erica Lipez)
Season 1, Episode 10 ‘The Interview’ (written by Kerry Ehrin)
Don’t Call That ‘Morning Show’ Cliffhanger A Cheap Plot Twist - an interview with Gugu Mbahta-Raw.
How Martin Short Channeled a MeToo Monster on The Morning Show
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✍️ Beyond Survival is written by me, Clare Egan, an award-winning writer and journalist. You can read more about me here, or look at some pretty pictures over here. 👋 Click reply to say hello anytime. Thank you for being here!
Really enjoyed this interview, Clare. Thanks for linking to "When I Saw Him Again." I just watched it and it moved me deeply. I obviously can't say that I've experienced the horror that the protagonist goes through, but I've been in the boyfriend's position and recognize the emotional truth that runs through the entire film. The whole thing is so well done, Ali.