The Affair Season 3, Episode 9 – Let’s Discuss!!!

I apologize for passing on last week. I didn’t even know where to begin or end. Alison becoming a grief counselor was the end of the line. But I’m back this week to discuss episode 9 (only because Vic is back 😍 ).

PART ONE: HELEN

OMMMMMM

After Helen’s awful night with Noah and Vic walking out, Helen swoops up the kids and heads to her parents house in Montauk to take refuge. However, what seemed like a great idea at first turns into a domino effect of one bad event after the next. Helen settles into her room (we haven’t seen this room since season 1!), finds a badly photoshopped picture of her & Noah from college and walks downstairs to find Margaret meditating on the kitchen floor.

WHAT? I think meditating is an amazing idea and everyone should partake. HOWEVER, on the kitchen floor next to your husband drinking a gin and tonic?

The Butler’s repeatedly ask about Vic, Bruce claiming Vic has a “specific type of class” because he discreetly paid for their dinner bill before the check arrived at the table (I have to agree with Bruce on that one).  Helen turns a deaf ear and pours herself a glass of wine IN A JUICE GLASS? Helen cannot handle one more second of their prying and blurts out Vic left her. The Butler’s, having just turned over a new leaf, try to console Helen by hugging it out and admitting it’s their fault. They claim they failed her as parents. They are about thirty years too late.

WIDESPREAD PANIC

Helen grabs the kids and bolts to lunch at “Lockhart’s Lobster Roll” (obviously). I would definitely choose to take my kids to the restaurant co-owned by the woman who partially wrecked my marriage and whose brother I accidentally killed in a car accident. Sounds like the best idea ever.  Helen notices Cole’s mom is now in the baking business selling homemade pies. She buys three out of guilt and heads home to listen to a love parade about Vic. Stacey (who I thought was maybe seven last season is now eleven this season) belts out “Vic’s mad because Mom let Dad back in the house” and all hell breaks loose. The kids start screaming, Bruce chimes in about Noah being a criminal, Stacey loses it and begins to cry which leads to Helen dropping the bomb that she killed Scotty Lockhart. Margaret and Bruce freak out and drag Helen to the Panic Room. This is what my panic room would look like:

aka: The Wine Cellar  (you could leave me there for a year)

Who the hell has a panic room? Bruce does make one valid point to Helen when they are arguing, which is “It would be truly selfish if you confessed. How much trauma do you think those kids can take? They’ve already seen their father go to prison. Do you really want them to see their mother behind bars?” Yes, confessing would turn everyone’s lives into even more disarray.

Helen escapes and locks her parents in their own Panic Room. I am not sure why the panic room locks from the OUTSIDE?? Does that make sense? She drives to Cherry’s house debates whether or not to go in and confess. Thankfully she doesn’t. Instead Helen drives to the local bar that was shown from Alison’s POV in episode 8.

TROUBLE ME

Hello Alison. Where have you been these past two seasons? THIS is who Noah fell for, right? Confident, sexy. Hell, she even orders two Jameson’s on the rocks. yeehaw girl. BRING HER BACK.

They have a mature, enlightening, HONEST discussion about Noah, the affair, and Scotty’s death as Trouble Me (10,000 Maniacs) is playing in the background. An interesting choice of song.  A song about trusting a friend to be there for you when you need them the most.

“Trouble me, disturb me with all your cares and you worries.
Trouble me on the days when you feel spent.
Why let your shoulders bend underneath this burden when my back is sturdy and strong?
Trouble me. “

It’s a tense scene but a few lines worth noting that ring true from Alison, ” And everyone, you, me, Noah… we can only control our own choices… nobody else’s. We can’t save each other. We can only save ourselves.” In that moment, Helen decides to give it all up. Only Alison already knows that Helen killed Scotty. But in a contrasting view from last week, Alison admits to pushing Scotty. Helen feels ever so foolish. A light goes on in her head, Noah didn’t admit to killing Scotty to protect Helen, he confessed to protect Alison. Yes, Helen how short-sighted you have been!!!

YOU ARE THE BEST THING

In an effort to save the best thing she has lost, Helen confronts Vic at the hospital to reveal the truth – she’s a “coward.” Vic is ice-cold (can you blame him?) and he must go remove a gall bladder. At this point I am rooting for her to bring it!  She needs him back in her bed ASAP (with the cactus)! He listens to her explain that she let Noah back into her life out of guilt rather than still being in love with him (hmmm, true?). After a long 20 seconds, he says he will find her after work. BIG SIGH OF RELIEF. He IS the best thing…sing it Ray. (p.s. — do you think Helen’s parents are still locked in the Panic Room?)

 

PART TWO: NOAH

What a Long Strange Trip it’s Been

Noah takes a trip to Pennsylvania to, once and for all, confront his demon – Gunther. He stalks Gunther’s wife and follows her home. Noah knocks on the door and their disabled (possibly autistic?) child answers it. I know the writers were trying to get a point across but this seemed a little over the top (you think?). Noah asks to see Gunther, to which the child’s mom appears. Both mom and boy freak out, understandably. Gunther is a way different person than the one Noah has painted us this entire season. He is soft-spoken and gentle. A nice man who is comforting his disabled son and wife who’s on edge that a stranger followed her home.

Noah is bewildered and taken aback when Gunther asks Noah how he can help. Noah fires back, “WHY have you been following me? Why did you try to hit me with your car? Why are you after me?” Gunther has no clue what Noah is talking about. Noah has really lost his marbles. He even pulls a knife on Gunther but thankfully Gunther is stronger than him and puts Noah in a headlock to calm him down.

Noah runs off, hops on a train back to LIVINGSTON, in a cold sweat. The last (LET’S HOPE) of his flashbacks soar through his head and we learn all of Noah’s memories were just an illusion. Gunther did not torment him in prison, Gunther did not break his shoulder, Gunther did not steal his manuscript. The manuscript Noah finds in his apartment is just a few measly pages. Far different from the 200 page manuscript Gunther reads in Noah’s jail cell. We discover that it was Noah’s father chasing Noah to the water after he realized Noah had helped his mother kill herself . And finally it is revealed (as I and many of you guessed all along) Noah stabbed himself.

This Sunday is the Finale!!! It is also my birthday. Therefore, I may or may not be watching it Sunday night BUT I promise a recap in your inbox some time next week!!!
THOUGHTS?
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