“You can be the savior of legacy media, just convince the shareholders to vote against the deal.”—Cory

It all comes to a head this week as we get the finale of season three of The Morning Show. It’s been an uneven season to be sure, but the last few episodes have brought the action and excitement. We’ve also seen Paul Marks (Jon Hamm) morph from potential UBA savior to villain. But will his plan succeed?

Cory (Billy Crudup) spent most of the season desperate to close the deal with Paul Marks. Now, he’s it’s biggest opponent. He partners with Cybil (Holland Taylor) trying to find capital to whip shareholders votes to oppose the deal. He’s also doing with while battling charges that threaten his career and his future.

Cory thinks he has won but at the 11th hour, Paul Marks turns the tables. Cory is left to ponder his future, which leads to a strikingly honest phone call to his mother. Cory isn’t a perfect person—far from it—but in the end it was interesting to see him fight for what is right, even if it might cost him everything.

Bradley (Reese Witherspoon), meanwhile, is in hiding. She agrees to see Alex (Jennifer Aniston), but only if she leaves everything outside. Bradley shares the truth of what Paul said, and the truth of who he is. Bradley suggests Paul is spying on her, using that as leverage. She begs Alex to use her influence to nix the deal.

Alex doesn’t want to believe it. She wants Paul to be the partner she’s longed for, but she has to be sure. She plants a seed, and when Paul bites, Alex realizes Bradley was telling the truth. Paul is hiding who he really is and how he really operates. Alex wrestles with how to move forward.

But everyone is fighting. On The Morning Show, they book Chip (Mark Duplass), who gives a stirring speech that reminds people of Network. He urges the shareholders to do the right thing and reject the Paul Marks deal. Will it be enough?

It comes back to Alex. She goes to see Laura (Juliana Margulies), not to save Bradley’s relationship but to share the truth and save UBA. At the board meeting, as everyone is prepared to celebrate the Paul Marks deal, Alex offers a counterproposal. She presents a merger with NBN instead.

Paul is rightly confused. As Alex leads him away, Stella (Gretta Lee) and Kate (Natalie Morales) are waiting to let him know they have what they need to expose his troubles with Hyperion. Alex tells Paul he can withdraw from the deal and come clean to NASA, taking his chances, or he can be exposed by UBA news. It ends not only the deal but their romance.

We flash forward two weeks. UBA is moving toward a merger and uncertainty. Alex is alone again, but excited to on building a new brand. Stella is helping get UBA to the merger but planning to move on. Chris (Nicole Beharie) is still weighing a move back to sports. The deal is over, but UBA might not be the same.

Bradley gives a candid interview that seems to nix the claims that Cory was a predator. Will he keep a job in the merger? That remains unclear but is reputation will be saved.

Bradley herself is also ready to take ownership. She and Hal (Joe Tippett) head into the FBI to confess. And that’s how we leave season three.

The merger is over. Paul Marks has been beaten but this felt more like the end of the series than the end of a chapter. How did you feel about season three? Do you want to see the show move forward? Feel free to offer a shout out in the comments.

Episode MVP: In the end, Alex did the right thing for UBA and her friends. It was a bittersweet ending for her character, but it made for a stirring end to the season.

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.