“I’ve given my life to this place; I won’t be cancelled over this!”—Cybil

Cory Ellison (Billy Crudup) is ruthless. He doesn’t really care who he has to step over to get what he wants. And what he wants right now is control over UBA and to sell to Paul Marks (Jon Hamm) to keep funding his lofty plans.

Cybil (Holland Taylor), the Board President and legacy member of the company stands in his way. But not for long. Cory finds an e-mail among the files compromised by the hack; one he can use to his advantage. Said e-mail paints Cybil in a poor light at the expense of one of his newest stars, Chris Hunter (Nicole Beharie). But he can’t let that stop him.

This week’s third episode picks up after last week’s hack. We are given the impression it will put the focus squarely on Bradley (Reese Witherspoon) and her private life. In a bait-and-switch, she doesn’t even appear in this week’s episode.

Instead, the leaked e-mail both damages Cybil’s grip on power and deals Chris a blow. She is forced to consider her place on the show and at the network. And Cory’s meager attempts to make her feel better do little to gloss over that hurt.

Cybil tries to rally, going to Alex (Jennifer Aniston) for help. She wants a one-on-one interview on Alex Unfiltered to share her side of the story. Alex isn’t excited about the idea but eventually pitches it to Cory. He’s not excited either, but reluctantly agrees. He’s spending more of his focus getting his deal with Paul Marks back on the table.

In the meantime, the rest of the staff on The Morning Show are struggling, too. The hack has revealed insider information about staff assessments and pay that leave them feeling quite unappreciated, and rightly so. Mia (Karen Pittman) and Stella (Gretta Lee) attempt to smooth things over but it doesn’t go as planned. That leaves the ladies to drown their sorrows in solidarity.

Meanwhile Alex has a revelation. She suggests Chris should interview Cybil. Cory nearly hits the ceiling, but the ladies manage to make it happen live on The Morning Show. Chris, still hurt over what the leaks say about her and her career, doesn’t hold back. And Cybil wilts under the scrutiny.

Instead of saving her position, she assures the board votes her out. With Cybil no longer in the way, Cory heads to Paul Marks to close the deal. Turns out, all of Cory’s antics to get the way clear have turned off Marks, who kills the deal.

In the end, as per usual, all of Cory’s wins come at a cost. We’ll see how that cost deepens as the season moves forward.

Episode MVP: It can’t be anyone other than Chris Hunter who delivers the most stirring moment of the episode. Beharie has been a great addition to the series.

Matthew Fox is a graduate of the Radio, Television and Film program at Biola University, and a giant nerd. He spends his free time watching movies, TV, and obsessing about football. He is a member of the FSWA. You can find him @knighthawk7734 on Twitter and as co-host of the Fantasy Football Roundtable Podcast.