It follows Mitch's co-host, Alex Levy, and a conservative reporter Bradley Jackson, who attracts the attention of the show's producers after a viral video.
The episode received positive reviews from critics, who praised the performances (particularly Crudup), character development and themes.
After Leonard (Stephen Fry) mentions problems with the board over the incoming merger, Cory (Billy Crudup) decides to leave with Bradley (Reese Witherspoon) on a trip to Connecticut, promising she will be back in time for the evening edition.
The person Cory needed to hurriedly visit in Connecticut turns out to be his mother, Martha (Lindsay Duncan), a well-connected political operative who previously worked for Geraldine Ferraro.
They have a friendly dinner until Cory reveals the purpose of the visit — to ask his mother to refrain from using her government connections to help push the merger through.
Club gave the episode a "B+" grade and wrote, "Stella, in the end, decides to come clean to Cory about her deal with Marks.
"[4] Kimberly Roots of TVLine wrote, "Bradley tags along on an unasked-for deep dive into the Ellison family dynamic in this week's The Morning Show.
"[5] Meghan O'Keefe of Decider wrote, "Mia gets a fun storyline in The Morning Show Season 3, where she's hung up on a hot war correspondent she had an ill-fated romance with during COVID.
"[6] Lacy Baugher of Telltale TV gave the episode a 4 star rating out of 5 and wrote, "The always fabulous Lindsay Duncan guest stars on The Morning Show Season 3 Episode 7, “Strict Scrutiny,” for an hour that takes a deep dive into Cory's complicated family history and somehow makes things even more awkward between him Bradley.