Billy Crudup On Losing Cory’s Mom, Lindsay Duncan

The Morning Show‘s losing streak is going three weeks strong. Episode 6 said goodbye to Greta Lee’s Stella Bak. Episode 7 saw Bel Powley’s Claire Conway taken into custody by the FBI. And now, Episode 8 is saying a painfully permanent farewell to Lindsay Duncan’s character, Martha Ellison — aka, Cory’s mom.

Spoilers for The Morning Show Season 4, Episode 8 ahead.

Viewers will recall that in Season 4, Episode 6, Cory (Billy Crudup) was shocked to find flyer for a “Death With Dignity” group his mother was considering as a result of her age and declining quality of life. Before Cory left Martha’s house, he asked for her “scout’s honor” that she wouldn’t end her life, and ever since, he’s worked to push those terrifying thoughts from his mind in an act of self-preservation. In Episode 8, “The Parent Trap,” however, he had to confront the upsetting reality head-on when his mom called to say, “I got the pill. I organized everything so you won’t have to do a thing. I’m going to end my life today. I love you.”

Looking back on the heavy emotions that this episode demanded, Crudup told Decider that Duncan’s incredible performance and their long Morning Show history were key to tapping into Cory’s vulnerable headspace.

“When you’re working with somebody that kind of caliber on something so complex — I have to say, and I hadn’t had this experience before either, the experience of doing this for so long that you build up an innate history that’s probably not fully articulated within yourself; an emotional, psychological history with these characters. Your character, and you as an actor,” the Morning Show star said over Zoom.

When Cory got the call, he was making a crucial wig choice for his upcoming movie. He begged his mother not to act until he arrived, then dropped everything and sped to her house in hopes that his charm, like always, could fix the problem at hand.

In a twist, Cory’s creative quips, signature smile, high energy, and palpable zest for life didn’t deter Martha’s decision — nor did her conviction diminish his hopeful efforts to convince her to stay with him. “Be gone when coroner arrives tonight at 9… You can be here or get the paperwork later. Either way this is what’s going to happen today,” Martha explained. As a result of the accelerated death process, Cory sped through the stages of grief right before our eyes. He refused to comprehend that he was about to lose the woman who gave him life, he cursed her for dumping this weight on him, and he desperately bargained to buy them more time, reminding her that she promised they’d go to Antarctica before she died.

In a stirring, gentle, tear-jerking performance from Duncan, Martha — sitting on a bench outside beside her son — told him, “You have to listen to me. Everything I did, I did for you. From the moment I first had you, that surge of love went straight to my bones… I had to protect you. You were, you are the greatest thing I’ve ever done. All I ever wanted was for you to succeed, to be happy.” BRB, sobbing!

As Cory saw his grand efforts start to fail, he slipped into depression, but when Martha asked to see the wig for his film, he bounced back, eagerly grasping at another opportunity to remind her there was still something in life, even something as small as his movie, to look forward to. Little did he know, when he returned to his car to grab the wig, Martha took the pill that would end it all.

In one of Crudup’s most heart wrenching, haunting performances in The Morning Show, he dimmed Cory’s grandiose personality in an instant, mid-monologue, upon realizing he lost his mother. A flood of guilt, sorrow, regret, and grief overcame him as he silently broke down in tears before sitting beside her. The next time we see him, he wakes up with his head on her shoulder in the dark to the sound of the alarm she set to warn him of the coroner’s arrival. The unconventional, albeit relatably inconceivable, loss was punch to the gut made significantly painful and real by Duncan and Crudup’s piercing performances.

“The notion of Lindsay, my mom, making a decision like that, it was very, very easy to access any kind of attachment I had,” Crudup told Decider. “In fact, I think it was harder to restrain it for me, because he hasn’t had many cathartic moments. And for somebody who’s holding so long to be given the opportunity, there were stores and stores of that.”

While Cory doesn’t necessarily reach the “acceptance” stage of grief before the end of the episode, he turns to drugs an unexpected ally to numb his pain. Having now lost the two most important women in his life — first Bradley (Reese Witherspoon), now his mom — one thing’s for sure: This isn’t the same Cory Ellison who started the series, the season, or even the episode. So we can’t wait to see what the show has in store for Crudup and his character next.

New episodes of The Morning Show Season 4 premiere Wednesdays on Apple TV.