“Stella, c’mon, you’re gonna be fine. Once the deal goes through, you’re going to have more resources than you know what to do with.”—Cory

Well, if you’ve wanted to see some fireworks this season on The Morning Show, episode nine gave you what you longed for all year. We got plenty of fireworks as things end in a really bad place for many of our heroes. Let’s dive in.

As we begin, Alex (Jennifer Aniston) is struggling with the idea of breaking up UBA. Paul (Jon Hamm) gives her some reassurance. After all, he needs to do this to save his flagging Hyperion deal. He’s also nervous that Bradley (Reese Witherspoon) might find some dirt and out the difficulties that threaten his company.

In response, Paul and Amanda (Tig Notaro) are digging for dirt—specifically on Cory (Billy Crudup) but also on anyone that will give them leverage. More on that in a bit.

Elsewhere, Chris (Nicole Beharie) continues to weigh her options. One of those options is a return to sports. It could be a chance to be clear of the controversy and move her career forward. But will she take it?

Laura (Juliana Margulies) continues to dig into Bradley. Finally, she confronts Bradley. When she gets the truth, it fractures their relationship. Laura promises not to turn Bradley and Cory in, but she ends their romance. Bradley is crushed, but it’s just the beginning of her issues.

Earlier, Alex was confronted with how much Bradley had supported her when Maggie Brenner (Marcia Gay Harden) returned. Maggie is covering the UBA merger and sniffing for a scoop, but Alex quickly evades the question. It does prompt some guilt over potentially leaving Bradley behind.

Alex goes to talk with Bradley, asking her to leave UBA to form a new thing. When Bradley isn’t so sure, and questions whether Paul has noble intentions, it creates a rift. It pushes Alex toward Paul, and she tells him she’s on board with breaking up the company. But not everyone is on board.

Cybil (Holland Taylor) is back! She’s been buying up shares, hoping to collect enough votes to block the merger. She goes to see Cory, who at first is amused. But when Cybil tells him Paul plans to gut the network, Cory’s day starts to spiral. It’s not a great time for him.

That becomes especially true as Paul puts his endgame in motion, using the information he’s gathered. First, that means going to Bradley. Turns out Paul knows about the cover up and uses that knowledge as leverage to keep her in line. But it doesn’t work like he’d hoped. Instead, Bradley, racked with guilt over Laura, gives a live, on-air resignation.

As Cory is reeling from this revelation, trying to discover what’s happening, a story breaks that accuses him of grooming Bradley. That comes just as he gets word security is on the way up to escort him out of the building. That’s how we end this firecracker of an episode. It’s going to be a fun finale.

Episode MVP: Bradley. She hasn’t always done what is right, but it took guts to walk away at the end of the episode.

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.