What I love about this show (as exhibited in this excellent episode) is the complexity of the characterizations. As I read many of the comments, I found myself thinking that all of the criticisms were valid, and none of them were. Virtually every view of every character expressed here is tenable, because the characters and their interrelations are so detailed, nuanced, and genuinely human, with all their internal contradictions and conflicts (due not only to the writing but to the incredibly skilled acting). Viewers want to identify "bad guys" and "good guys," but, as in life, there's rarely any such thing. I'm really going to miss this show!
3
oh puleezzzze - are you kidding me? this is what the #metoo movement has become? Noah as some womans Furkat? are we watching the same show? furkat is a vile, despicable abusive. misogynist that uses women and discards them like garbage , lies about what he has done - hitting whitney, changes the facts , and its all for "his art". whitney has a half naked makeout session in a public hot tub where her inebriated father never sees her face until she shoes herself and he is to blame and sees her as prey? audrey leaves school because noah says she has no inner life, has a breakdown and its noahs fault? yes noah has been absolutely awful with his treatment of women from time to time during the show, but this is ridiculous. Sasha is everything his stepdaughter says he is and has orchestrated much of this to get everything he wants. and cares nothing for helen and her children. and now somehow Helen is out of touch and to blame. and there is no justice for Allison either. this episode made me loathe whitney even more - and for the first time when she was actually sticking up for her father at the beginning of her conversation on the plane with Audrey and not treating him like a spoiled nasty child as she has always done - so entitled always - i was like yes! and then does a 180. Awful - just awful.
16
@Lynn Brava!
3
@Lynn How is Helen to blame for Noah being a philanderer? Audrey is just an idiot, pure and simple.
3
The Affair was a groundbreaking show when first aired...as it did a wonderful job of showing 4 Adult’s POVs. An Adult show written by Adults, for Adults.
Clearly, it is a challenge for writers to keep a series fresh and interesting....and some series age better than others. Instead of experiencing this season as an immersive view, the storyline hasn’t felt compelling.
Instead, it has felt forced and contrived...a little too self-centered and focused on its own industry eg incorporating actors, Hollywood, CA fires and too many “ ripped from the headlines” issues which haven’t served the show well
Sometimes knowing when to end a show is as important as to when to green light a show.
However, these good writers have a bright future
3
Audrey works a nerve: so white, gleaming with privilege, such smooth surfaces. hard to believe that the casters didn't wish to cast/provoke more than a "right on, sister" reaction.
4
Helen to Noah for the next preview:
"I am trying to figure out if you are just stupid or evil."
A little of both and also with prior addiction issues, remember them? . But this whole Metoo thing, yes another poor plot turn, is he a jerk yes, was any of this no-consensual..I do not think so. The writer stated she wanted to sleep with him and he rejected her. Sahsa set up the novelist. Noah is at least let blatantly and obviously out of control in insecure with zero impulse control. Sasha is a more evil one with his back handed manipulations. I hope we have less than 5 min of Joannie, and PLEASE MUTE that God awful song.
7
To those who have mentioned a 'war on men' - there's no such thing. That's a conceit. There IS a reckoning going on finally. after years of male entitlement.
Also, the #MeToo movement is not a 'political' movement - it's a social awareness movement pointing out the longstanding abuse of the less powerful by the most powerful (often in a workplace situation).
12
@VonStephane Agreed, Anyone who uses the terms “war on men” or “political movement” in regards to #MeToo is telling you that they don't really understand or agree with the idea of women using their voices to protest against abuse. It’s a red flag that the commenter has a built in bias s against the movement.
People who use these terms tend to focus on the claims they think are false rather than the vast majority of stories that are valid and deserve to be heard. They also dismiss any claim that does not involve violence or rape, failing to realize that there are many other ways to intentionally traumatize women besides a violent physical attack.
The Affair is making a point about emotional abuse and the difference between how men’s feelings and egos are usually protected, while women’s feelings and egos are regarded as unimportant, thus Noah’s comment to Audrey that she has no “inner life.” Noah’s problem was that his “outer life” involved preying on younger women, or at a minimum having inappropriate relationships with them. while cheating on both of his wives. Why anyone would defend his behavior while criticizing women who say they were traumatized is a mystery,
5
@John S. Exactly. Well put. The so called War On Men was invented as a reaction to the very real 'war on women' waged by actual politicians attempting to overturn Roe v Wade and to control a women's right to choose what she does with her own body. It's a Meme Movement to encourage men to view feminists as women who somehow want to undermine men. Feminism has always only been about Equal Rights for Women - to be able to stand side by side with men in a place of equality and mutual respect.
5
It is really sad how this ones engaging series about human frailties has veered to a whole other story. It started with both Noah and Allison at a crossroads in there life’s and unfortunately entering into an affair, that had devastating lasting consequences.
Allison still reeling from her sons death she felt responsible for was vulnerable to Noah’s advances, who was suffering from a midlife crises and in the first season were root-able as a couple who fell inlove with unfortunate collateral damage.
This all changed in the season we got to see Cole’s and Helens point of view. Both characters quickly became a fan favorite!
Allison s demise was a short lived dramatic effect and the plot with Joanie in the future is just unnecessary.
I miss both Allison and Cole! They should have found there way back to each other and having to deal with the fallout from that.
This metoo story is a disservice to both women and men.
10
The Affair has always been at its best when it focuses on the Soloway family. I thought the acting was terrific
And I almost, almost felt sorry for Noah. Nah, maybe not
5
Has it been explained why Helen drinks so much wine? She seems to gulp it down in one gulp.
What college does Martin attend? No-one seems worred about him.
7
@PrairieFlax Noticed that, too. Wine for breakfast? No problem. Doesn't anybody drink water in CA?
2
@Karen G I worry about her. Those wine bottles are really big, too.
3
@PrairieFlax Martin is away at William and Mary
The breathtaking Aha moment for me is the Audrey+Whitney airplane scene, where Audrey argues a compelling case for the rule of male entitlement vs. female subordination, and has less to do with sex acts (consensual or not) than with business-as-usual in a world where men have (or had) much more agency and license to belittle each other, not only women. Feminism came into full force when I was in my 20s, with the advent of Ms. magazine and books written by its writers, and I was as grateful and relieved as any feminist could be. Until that time, I was made to feel that I was hyper-active, too aggressive, too bossy, too whatever. The whole “girls should be seen not heard” thing was part of my childhood but when I hit my 20s, no more! It wasn’t until my 40s and 50s, having to bargain for promotions, valuable clients and the like, that I had to revert to the nice-girl act, lest I be perceived as abrasive and not a team player. Audrey’s soliloquy should be regarded as rational and not the reaction of a “spurned” student. Solloway was ugly to her, and she turned it into a book and her own platform, as have many feminists before her and after her. More power to them.
14
Noah Sollaway is an obscure writer, he’s not exactly Matt Lauer, it strains the imagination to think that sexual harassment accusations against him would be more than one paragraph buried in the style section of Thursday’s NY Times.
10
@Bebop I think we're supposed to assume it's this big of a story bc of how big *Sasha* is, not how big Noah is. (which Noah would of course hate)
5
The whole premise of this series was sex, sex and more sex. That's why we all tuned in. The early episodes were hot with everyone getting into the act. A chance for gratuitous nudity and moral dilemmas only after the sex, sex and more sex. The writers noticed so they added sex each season. As the stars (aged) became more successful some opted out of the nudity so new characters had to be added. "Noah" never opted out so he got the bulk of the attention in the script. So now for the writers to gratuitously take there own work and "poll tested" story lines and wedge them into #metoo is farcical. Still I pay extra for Showtime so I'll finish it. What does that say about me. :!
5
@Marietta I pay extra for Showtime for The Affair and for Homeland. I pay extra for Starz for Outlander; I don't know if I paid extra for The Americans, on FX, but I would have. Once Homeland wraps, Showtime better come up with sometime spectacular, or I am done with ST.
5
@Marietta I think it says that many viewers of the show who like Noah are horndogs just like him, or maybe they are just attracted to aggressive men. When I rewatched the first couple of episodes I was surprised at how much more sex there was back in the beginning -- it was like an R-rated soap opera. Now that Noah is being called out by his own daughters for his treatment of women, we are all b being forced to look at his past in a whole new light. As we can see from many of the comments, this is making many people very uncomfortable about their own feelings towards Noah.
5
If I could describe this episode in 1 word, it would be "tiresome".
I could not even watch Audrey's facial gymnastics, and the way she spoke drove me nuts. Overacting much?
She is also the poster child for Generation Coddled, who have little to no resilience, turn legitimate criticism into a humongous (fabricated) drama that ruins people's lives, and is basically an insufferable brat. Sure, she had valid points about power dynamics, but her interaction with Noah was NOT a #MeToo.
Whitney: great actor, tiresome storyline. (I'm really glad Colin is not marrying her for a green card, and glad he finally stepped up).
The Solloway parents have serious boundary issues. It's always all about them. I thought Helen's behavior in Whitney's apartment was really narcissistic. You couldn't do this tomorrow, after Whitney got some sleep?
Trevor and Stacey get subjected to WAY too much drama and chaos because of their parents' love lives and drama and chaos.
I cannot stand Busy Phillips, and the cherry-picking-to-create-ratings behavior on her talk show. Eden ... gawd. Tiresome.
The one bright spot in this episode was Sierra and Eddie going to stay with their grandparents for as long as they want.
The preview for the next episode made me groan out loud. Seriously? Mountaineering in the LA hills to escape a wildfire? Nobody does that. I'm originally from CA, lived in Southern CA for almost 40 years, and evacuated multiple times for wildfires. C'mon, writers.
19
@FFILMSINC @Rain you two have my vote for top comments! :)
I think I'm a bit in the minority when I say that I generally like the Metoo storyline, and here's why:
One of the most interesting aspects of the show for me has been how events can change based on our perspective of them, something that the show has reinforced a lot for us as viewers (the whole conversation around who saved Stacey from choking, for example).
As the reviewer mentioned, we've seen most of the events in question from Noah's eyes. And, specifically in the case of Eden, we saw the events in question through Noah's eyes when he was WASTED out of his mind. Was he a reliable narrator? I don't think we know yet.
What we do know is that Noah, and Helen, believe that he did nothing wrong, which is why the reality that we're presented with reflects that. But think about a couple of the fights Alison and Noah got into, where from Alison's perspective Noah came off as aggressive, even violent (thinking of that fight they had when she was away at the yoga retreat, I forget which season). It is possible that from Eden's point of view, Noah did force himself on her while wasted, and that from Audrey's point of view, Noah completely crossed a line with what he said.
Which leaves me with what's interesting about this storyline: Can a man commit an assault or cross a boundary and still think, possibly legitimately, he did nothing wrong? And if so, is he worthy of redemption or should the perspective of the victims (even if they're flawed) mean more?
13
@Lyra From the beginning of The Affair, Noah has always been presented as if he "happened upon" the women and got sucked in! Both daughters presenting Noah in his true light, sums up the series with all his encounters! With 2 episodes to go, however hard the hammer comes down on him will be ok by me! He's been the deer in the headlights when all along he was a snake. Don't know if redemption is part of the picture. I have to believe Helen's character fought unsuccessfully with the script and her taking blame for this mess! They both have guilt and love for each other. Hopefully the last episode will bring distance
for these two!
@Lyra For me there are two big clues that make me believe the women more than Noah. The first is that every story we have seen from Noah's point of view shows him as a man who women throw themselves after no reason at all, and Noah as the reluctant participant in their advances. From the POV of Helen or Alison, we see a very different Noah, a man with a sometimes angry and violent temper, and someone who is aggressive with women, who are usually much younger than he is.
The pilot lays out this contrast very clearly, and so does the hurricane party scene, when Noah jumps in naked and horny into the hot tub with two young women, clearly shows him as the predator that Whitney says she saw in his eyes that night.
The second clue is that Noah lies to Helen repeatedly even as the Vanity Fair story is about to come out. He lies because he knows these stories are true and that they will make him look bad in Helen's eyes, otherwise he would have been open and honest about what was in the article instead of secretly trying to cover it up through his lawyer and agent. As the old saying goes, you're as sick as your secrets, and as Whitney just revealed, Noah has some very dark secrets that are finally coming out.
8
@Lyra Totally agree with most of your comment. Plenty of perpetrators of assault convince themselves they've done nothing wrong -- no one wants to see themselves as a perpetrator, which we can even see via Noah. What Noah did (outside of the tree incident with Alison, which definitely was aggressive and not exactly consensual - we don't ever see her POV on it so we can't know for sure, but she literally says "you don't control me" and he turns her around and starts having sex with her) isn't assault, and I think that's part of what makes the storyline interesting, is the questions it makes you ask yourself around the spectrum of harassment + violence, and what is "too much" for "redemption."
3
I enjoyed the foreboding tension in this episode and loved the unexpected Busy Phillips tidbits. But I can’t help but terribly miss the conflict between the original four characters - Alison and Coles absence leave a gaping hole in this season. I wish they would reappear in the final two episodes for real closure. Bringing back somewhat meaningless minor characters like Eden and Audrey at the very end of a five year run just seems unnecessary when the initial core group of actors were all so wonderful to begin with.
10
@Bubbles totally agree. I blame the writers for the lack of continuity. The you’re had plenty of material to work with but chose to take the easy way out for some strange reason.
4
@Bubbles Meaningless AND annoying.
4
@Bubbles I thought Busy was awful. Her exaggerated way of talking and general annoying demeanor was just an irritating distraction.
7
One last thing, when Sasha offered to help Helen with her statement, he grabs his laptop as if to type it for her, but when she is seen reading it over the phone to the publicist, it looked handwritten.
9
This episode annoyed me for the questions it raised and then dropped.
Is Noah’s past—seen by us through Noah’s eyes—more sinister than we’ve been led to believe? Has he actually abused women, or has he simply pursued sex where it was offered? As things stand, the “six accusers” appear to be exaggerating or misinterpreting, rather than accurately reporting acts by Noah.
Is Whitney an intelligent and independent woman, or a doormat and a dupe? Is her fiance's painting proof that he loves her, or is it just another manipulation? Is Whitney capable of being fair to her father, or will she be persuaded by Audrey’s bad argument that Noah deserves to be an outcast, barred by an indignant world from earning a living?
That bad argument was, essentially: ‘the fact that men DO exploit women justifies attacking a man whose offense was criticizing the work of a student (and failing to sleep with her, as she’d desired).’ That’s absurd and ugly.
Whitney’s scornful denunciation of her father was also unjustified. She says “I saw the way you look at women, like they’re prey.” But she was talking about a man at a party in a hot tub with scantily-clad women who were making out---she wasn’t talking about the way Noah interacts with colleagues or relatives or anyone else he encounters in daily life. She was taking a lustful look at a party and claiming that it characterizes and defines Noah.
That’s fundamentally unfair. Such writing is irksome.
35
@Sherrerd
Thank you for your comments. I was deeply disturbed by Audrey's logic/argument. It diminishes the very real issues and experiences of women who have been sexually harassed. Hanging your depression of many years on one man's comment about your under developed work, leaving class and inability to write for three years is so wrong. This character is deeply disturbed about the last 30 years of her life - not just one incident. And, then to have Eden outright lie about her experiences is another issue. She NEVER slept with Noah. Is this show trying to make the case that women exaggerate about their experiences? Or are they asking us to go back and review every episode so we better understand the character's interaction. Frankly, I had to go to season 2 and 3 to dig deep and watch scenes over and over again. I'm anxiously awaiting the final two episodes to discover how the writers are going to resolve this. M
21
@Sherrerd Thank you for your post! As I was reading Sean Collins' article I was wondering if I had missed a lot of bad stuff that Noah did, but your post is spot on.
Whitney's admonition to her father - that he looks at them like their prey - seemed pretty over the top, given that she was making out in a hot tub with another girl for everyone to watch. Isn't that the point of exhibitionism - the exhibitionists want others to watch?
Noah's publicist, as I recall, was the one who pursued sex with Noah, not the other way around. And Audrey's demented view on reality and justification for ruining a man's life with lies, just because her teacher said he didn't like her writing???? Isn't it a teacher's job to critique?
After the episode ended, I really expected the Me Too movement to cry foul for presenting the movement in a bad light, but it appears from many of the comments and this article, that they've found me too moments where none existed, just like Audrey and the publicist!
16
@maggie68 I, too, hope that the writers will resolve those issues; I fear they won't.
For one thing, if we are supposed to re-evaluate Noah's conduct, why wait so long after the initial encounters (with Eden and with Audrey) to bring up the topic? Why not have shown their points of view back when the incidents occurred?
1
I’m so confused about the student who wrote a memoir about “How to Break a Girl”. Learning to get by with criticism is part of going to university. How is Noah critiquing her writing interesting enough for a book deal? Cry me a river.
46
@Lambnoe Also, she admits to Whitney that she was mad that Noah did NOT want to sleep with her. I think Noah's behavior was beyond terrible man when he attacked the woman at Sasha's Halloween party but in Audrey's case, he seems to have just been in the wrong place at the wrong time!
5
Recently some here have speculated that these many seasons could turn out to be just a dream. If so then here's a theory. Back at the beginning, the Solloway family was seated together at the Lobster Roll. Noah couldn't help notice their beguiling waitress Alison Bailey. His eyes followed as she memorably bent over a table to reach for something. Unfortunately he had just taken a bite of his lobster roll and it was actually he who began choking.
Memory is a funny thing; it was little Stacey who lobbed the final successful whack on the back as Noah was on his knees grabbing at his throat. Max (remember him?) drove Noah to the hospital, forever after expecting invites to all Butler family parties.
Somewhere between choking and blacking out, Noah saw his life flashing before his eyes, but it was this harrowing life that might have been. A few hours later, weakly resting upright in bed at his in-laws' home, Bruce stopped at the doorway: "Noah, you'll never amount to anything." Noah replied, "Bruce, I think I'm okay with that."
5
@Hugo Furst
This isn't The Sopranos.
3
Correction - instead of Max, I meant to say Oscar. Bring back Oscar, along with Cherry Lockhart, to the series close.
2
Did we ever hear who the third-fourth-fifth-and sixth supposed Noah victims are? The third was evidently on the record.
1
@Karen G Oh, wait... was it the woman at the party whose bra was taken?
1
@Karen G I’m thinking the third victim was the woman (assistant on movie set) from whom Noah swiped her bra at the Halloween party to plant in Sasha’s bedroom (totally cheesy!)
3
How could Helen have flown in a helicopter to Sasha's when the skies were full of firefighting aircraft?
7
Like a lot of details in the series, this one doesn’t make sense. Another example: Helen hasn’t worked for 10 years, her parents’ finances are in shambles, and Vik left her no money. There is simply no way she can afford to live in her LA house.
10
She has a trust fund.
5
It must be some hefty trust fund to sustain her lifestyle.
1
For the first time in a long time, the show returned to its roots of interesting personal interchanges. I found this episode to be more realistic than most of this season has been. I especially appreciated the exchange between Whitney and the airline counter employee, who exaggerated every valid, applicable, and calmly stated question or comment she made into an attack on him. The entitlement/personal offense claims that many people prioritize over doing the jobs they get paid for was presented in a real manner and it was especially great that this exchange happened between two Millennials.
15
@DCPoster
I think the airline ticket counter incident it was also intended to portray what an indignity flying has become these days.
7
I thought it was more realistic and the most unnecessary. Tiresome.
1
@Charles
Considering that Whitney is usually portrayed as an entitled brat through the perspectives of others, but is actually very timid and reserved through her own perspective, I thought that may be this was another instance of perspective change. While Whitney thought she was being respectful to the airline employee, she was actually using an entitled tone, which was why the employee was acting that way.
3
Ten years since Descent? The kids are not old enough.. And where is the other son since Season 3? Hard to imagine any kind of ending...too many storylines in play...
9
@de yep, it's only been 8 years since Descent - but the writers have made so many mistakes with ages, birthdays, timelines that this is just another to add to the list.
Martin is away at William and Mary
2
It pains me deeply to see Helen accepting blame for everyone else and not standing up for herself. This is the way that many women used to view their place in the family. The "good Mother" image was the most important thing for them to achieve. I am not sure that anything much has changed but I hope so. This show dares to reveal the deep feelings of people involved and that is why I hate to see it end.
7
@Betsy Herring I didn't like this show until season, mostly because of Helen and what I hope Joanie does with her information (hoping Alison's real cause of death comes to light with the police and Noah, who had loved Alison. Too late for Cole but Joanie can speak to his grave and to Luisa in person.)
6
Helen did the worst thing of all, allowing someone to go to prison for a crime she committed. Only the murder of Allison was worse. That’s why taking blame for smaller things is part of her makeup. It had been a huge need for the Soloways that Helen appear to be the functioning one.
4
Absolutely astounded that Whitney went to see Furkat after what happened “that night.” It only made “writing sense,” when it was tied into everything she said to her Father before she went off to gaze at the painting of herself.
The moments of the stare into her own face could be a recap all of its own. What was she thinking? How much Colin loves her? Or that she’s again an object? That there’s sorrow reflected in her eyes and the tilt of her head? Is she looking for clues to tell herself who she really is? Does she truly want to marry Colin when she’s not sure about all men, herself, marriage, the future?
Metoo as a vehicle was extremely frustrating to me in the first half of this episode. But bringing Whitney’s perspective into the larger picture, allowed me to see the circle the writers are creating.
There’s too much to say about Metoo vis-à-vis Noah. So many more interesting ways the series could have gone. But —all the deep dives into the legacy of trauma this season have been exceptional. In retrospect, it feels like that was the unseen theme since season one. Consciously or unconsciously, we are all living with the effects of our many layered pasts, both our own actions and those that went before us.
I commend both the writers and the entire cast for the one television show where I’m completely undistracted by anything else except what’s on the screen. I could watch these characters forever.
14
@Citygirl
"The moments of the stare into her own face could be a recap all of its own. "...
I thought so also. The painting, it seemed, depicted a very pretty but, conflicted Whitney.
7
@Citygirl My interpretation of Whitney staring at the painting was that this was the first time in her life that someone had looked at her the same way she sees herself.
The MeToo angle was a perfect theme for Whitney’s escape from the normalization of the the kind of behavior that abusers like Furkat (and in some ways Noah) inflict on women. The trick that misogyny plays on women is that it convinces them that they are to blame for any problem in a relationship.
The final scene with Helen saying she is to blame for Noahs #MeToo moment, and Whitney turning it around on her mother saying that Helen’s problem has been normalizing and accepting Noahs misdeeds all along, was one of the most powerful in the series. This dilemma will not be solved until until both Noah and Helen can see themselves from Whitneys point of view, and stop accepting the status quo.
11
Whitney isn’t going to be happy with her new husband either. Guy isn’t the person he purports to be.
1
First -- Thank you, recapper, for correctly employing 'gantlet' instead of the erroneous 'gauntlet' that so many, yea, even in the NYT, use in this context!
Second -- Like so man others, throughout, I have not seen Noah as a predator. An idiot, and sometimes worse than an idiot, but not a predator. A many with a very high sex drive for whatever reasons, chemical or psychological, with a White Knight syndrome.
The series would have done so much better to have NOT gone to the mother's murderer and Joanie being victimized by same, and kept with Joanie and the Soloway family navigating the climate change future. That was interesting, not this contrived meto and murder stuff.
10
@Compte Foixx
First--You can't go below Idiot on the IQ Range scale.
I don't see how Whitney saw Noah as a predator in the hot tub scene. Although we saw the scene through Noah's point of view, he looked more like a dimwitted voyeur. When Whitney turned around she would have seen a shocked Noah.
9
Also, wasn’t Noah coked out and drunk at that party? Not to mention he had just had that fight with his friend Max, who was also there. And there was the hellacious weather. And Eden’s totally aggressive behavior. How can he be held accountable for his foolishness and lust, given the overall crazy circumstances that night? Seems very unfair to me.
5
@John
That particular episode was unique in that it was the first one that WASN'T told from anyone's perspective.
Instead, there was timestamps and each of the main 4 characters were portrayed over the same day. Therefore, there was no version of truth, and what was shown was how it happened.
Having re-watched the episode, Eden was clearly the instigator in any romantic actions and talked about the available room for them to go and (presumably) have sex. Noah, heavily under the influence of drugs and alcohol instead went swimming and, ultimately got in the hot tub where he saw Whitney and the other girl.
I think this column, and the current story on the show, are both absurd. I saw the episodes in question. They did not portray Noah as raping anyone. They did not portray him as pressuring any woman to have sexual contact she didn't want. They portrayed him as a philanderer and adulterer, which cost him his marriage. On top of that, he went to prison for a death he didn't cause in an attempt to atone for the unhappiness he did cause his family. Enough, already. It leaves a bad taste in my mouth to see his efforts to get his career back ruined because of things he either didn't do at all, or already paid for.
45
@Mrsfenwick Don't forget that most of Noah's story has been told from only his point of view. That doesn't mean it's truth. In the early seasons of the show, the story was told from two people's point of view in the same episode, and was predicated on people seeing situations differently. It's moved away from that, but we should not forget about that.
8
@Mrsfenwick >> when in a drunken haze he came within a hair’s breadth of putting the moves on her in a hot tub. “You didn’t recognize me, but I saw the way you look at women,” she hisses. “Like they’re prey.”<<
I don't remember it that way at all. I'd have to go back (but I doubt I will) and see that hot tub scene again but Noah didn't do anything but look on with amazement at two young girls kissing 30 feet away from him. But he never moved in that direction and he clearly didn't know it was his daughter. Typical of Whitney, she doesn't see her role in this at all.
Noah is a bizarre character, but the way the show is written, he is getting a lot of action from the opposite sex, but I didn't see him pressuring anyone into doing so. He's a lot of things, but save for that idiotic move at the Sasha party, I don't see him as anyone particularly worthy of public scorn in the me too sense.
12
Agree. This season has finally dropped into the worst soap opera - badly written,
Absurd situations. I do feel sorry for Noah & the metoo spin is so ginned up it’s ridiculous. Sets real concern for #metoo trauma back in a bad way ...
3
"Noah’s career is going up in flames, just like parts of California..."
And, one hopes, the futures of anyone involved in writing this ghastly dog's breakfast of a show -- at least this year.
My wife and I watch it to laugh at how ludicrous it has become. At that, it doesn't disappoint, though a couple more scenes of Montauk as a dystopian wilderness out of an Al Gore acid trip a mere 30 years from now would have helped.
Still, the didactic hectoring over the terrible way men behave added a tiresome layer that mitigated the "so Bad It's Good" aspect of the show.
12
Sorry, but I Love this show! I thought tonight’s episode was superb. Just shows, there’s lots of different points of view!
8
I’ve decided to view this show as tragicomedy par excellence, but for the dystopian storyline of Joanie. The actress who played the talk show host nailed it, voice and all. And no matter what one thinks of the writing at times and the plot twists, the acting is excellent, including the scene on the plane between Whitney and Noah’s ex-student. Also, it’s ridiculous to accept Noah as an acceptable teacher. Lots of writers-in-residence are not pedagogically skilled, and the plot line where he dates his principal while “mentoring” her son was insane.
Maura Tierney deserves an Emmy.
11
@Auntie social But Noah taught high school for how many years before he became a successful writer? Surely he had some pedagogical skill. He was harsh with Audrey, the student, because he found her tiresome and not terribly talented. Reminded me of many a cruel professor in college - both male and female.
2
I agree with many of these comments -- hey, I've stuck with the show all five seasons because much of it rings true, in actual adultspeak (not to be confused with healthy maturity) -- but they also make me think back on the character of Noah Solloway when we were first introduced to him, goggled in the swimming pool.
Up to that point he was supposed to have been a good father, faithful husband, struggling writer, married to an entitled rich woman, right? Only in the last 10 years (= 5 seasons) did he 'descend' into this narcissistic/egotistic persona, which may have been simmering inside. Is it not possible that he is now allowed, in the final two episodes, an opportunity for redemption -- a turning aside from 10 years of self-imposed lunacy?
17
@Demetroula We learned in the last episode that Noah was the same womanizing horn dog with a bad reputation back in his college days. Until now we only known Noah from his time of his affair with Alison forward, but apparently he was never a perfect man at all. He even says so to Helen when he thanks her for being a good mother, saying she raised a good family in spite of being married to him.
Noahs other problem may be sex addiction. If you rewatch the first episode you will see what a horny guy he is, first with Helen in bed, flirting wit Alison on the beach, then wanting to see and then jump in Alisons outdoor shower, watching Alison having rough sex on her car with Cole, and finally pleasuring himself at home while thinking of Alison in the shower, and refusing to let Helen come into the shower with him lest she discover what he was up to in there.
Noah has likely been a sex addict all his life, which may be what Helen was attracted to in the first place, and also why they had four children (and Joanie makes five.) My guess is that if he survives the fires, rehab is in his future.
4
@John S. Joanie isn't his.
7
@John S. I don't buy that sex addition baloney.
5
I could never accept the human authenticity of the Helen and Noah characters after she seemed to so blithely accept his going to prison for a crime she committed. The interactions between those 2 characters that followed that plot point seemed false and hollow to me.
6
@Katrina Chicago He actually did it for Allison, not Helen Allison pushed Scotty in front of the car and he saw her.
I can't recall if Helen knows this. Dumb plot, they should have just called the police.
7
@de @karina chicago Correct @de, and I remember the interactions between Helen and Noah as being painful to watch when he was in prison and again afterward. Helen was bending over backwards to thank him and help him. She mistakenly thought of it as an act of love for her. I think it was his father's funeral where he finally lashed out at her her and said he didn't love her.
2
@Mary... Many also seem to forget that Noah was badly addicted to Vicodan during much of this time. Yet another portly addressed storyline, did he just go to France and recover with no help? Vik would not prescribe for him and he was hallucinating. It almost broke Vik and Helen up.
2
I really don't understand how Whitney can say that she believes all of the accusers when Audrey admitted to her face that Noah never slept with her or harassed her.
44
Because that’s not the point. She didn’t accuse him of any sexual impropriety. The whole point to the conversation on the plane, as well explained by the reviewer, is how Noah’s attitude toward her had such an effect on her life. And the daughter could relate to what she was saying.
10
@Richard
By the end of the episode it seemed, I think, that Whitney's biggest concern is that she feels there is something wrong with her (and the way she has conducted her life) and it is all her father's fault because he left them. In the end, both she and Audrey, frankly, some some serious personal issues which is essentially the crafted storyline coincidence. Whitney has always been an irresponsible, spoiled brat who could find it convenient to dump that on to her father (one whom, ironically, did the spoiling) and I suspect Audrey has her own story as well. Neither handles either criticism or rational expectations well. She is simply angry at herself as well as her father. I think she will change as the conspiracy surrounding Noah unravels. I don't know about Audrey except to say her epiphany might be when she realizes Noah, being so harsh, might actually have made her into a more forceful and effective writer, albeit possibly misdirected.
8
The war on men continues with Noah tied to the stake. Noah seems more clueless than predatory, especially compared to other men in the series.
Furkat is chillingly awful to anyone who has daughters. Whitney is the daughter you hope to never have to try to help as she stumbles from one bad relationship to another. But that started way back in season 2 when she acted out with the Lockhart brother. Eighteen years with Helen’s awful parents might have affected her outlook on life. Where was Helen in protecting her daughter from that?
The Affair jumps right into the latest war of the sexes. Lessons learned: Professors cannot criticize a student’s work because they are responsible for that student’s mental health indefinitely.
Don’t dare refuse an offer of sex from a woman as she will come after you years later with a new story line. Beware the clingy and flirtatious woman.
It reinforces very old fashioned views of the sexes. Women are not responsible for their actions however proactive they are or were. Men are the new women whose reputations can be sullied by the slightest hint of gossip. Good on the Affair for this new twist.
And in true life fashion, the truly awful are excused. I’m looking at you Helen’s father, Furkat, Sasha Mann, and Whitney’s fiancé.
49
@Anne GREAT comment, totally agree, especially about the "war on men." It was really a cheap shot for the writers to resort to political correctness instead of character building in this final season.
I went back and reviewed episodes from the first two seasons that originally got me hooked on the series even though it kind of turned into a train wreck.
If they had persevered with the characters they developed, I think it would be a more satisfying ending to the show.
18
@Patty Villanova More to come, I think there will be a bit of rehabilitation of Noah in coming episodes, in the showtime photos of 10 and 11 he is prominently portrayed, he goes back to Nanutuck. He may save lives in the fire, we will have to see.
4
@Anne Whitney's fiance was unlike any of the other grownup in last night's episode. He was supportive and loving and told Whitney he was marrying for her, not the green card. He made a portrait of Whitney that was truly stunning and captured the true, inner Whitney. Why do you place in the same category as Furkat and Sascha?
26
I think the only way for Helen to show her kids that their dad/her ex-husband is not the worthless-selfish jerk they perceive him to be is to tell them what he did on her behalf, on THEIR behalf - which is to take the rap for her crime and to go to the joint for it.
49
@AMF She did tell them. She told them at her parents' house …. confessed to her parents. No one has ever made mention of it again.
4
Just a reminder. The New York Times published a story on August 18, 2018 on Asia Argento's settlement for having sexually assaulted a minor in 2013. She later went on to have an affair with Weinstein after he assaulted her.
As Sasha rightly demonstrated, some people will go to any lengths to get some kind of fame.
6
Very disappointed this went into #Metoo territory. The whole idea of #Metoo is to get real victims the voice and power they deserve. Neither Eden nor Audrey deserve untruthful gains.
The only episode of non-consensual sex I recall in the varied seasons was the one with Alison against a tree. Noah's libido has gotten himself in a world of trouble throughout, but calling a student's writing 'undeveloped' is not fodder for ruination. And in my opinion, neither is a reciprocal kiss.
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@Karen G
I think Arthur Miller wrote a play about the #MeToo movement?
4
@John Title, please? I'd like to look that up!
2
@Karen G
Yes, a lot of drinking and very bad behavior by many irresponsible and self absorbed individuals. The writers, it seems, have taken few prisoners.
3
This episode was a big disappointment after last week restoring some faith in this season. Why make this series turn into a #MeToo tale? That's not the reason I've tuned in to this drama since the very start.
While Audrey made some good points in her conversation with Whitney, Audrey is trading on Noah's fame to get her book some attention since she was now revealing who the person in her book was.
Also the fiance suddenly turning out to be a good guy and not what Whitney thought was a bit lame.
The biggest question could be, how can a man who was supposed to be a happily married father and dutiful teacher for 18 years suddenly take this downward spiral and act out? Stealing a hapless girl's brassiere and leaving her in the bushes really isn't the Noah we knew in earlier seasons. And definitely not the Noah who is trying to redeem himself now.
What will happen with the Janelle story? That will be interesting.
Everything in the entire show is mainly excellent, especially the acting, but I wish the show had stayed with the main characters.
13
@Hugo Furst I was wondering about Janelle also. There was the boss/employee dynamic which she actually commented on.
And Colin's painting, just look like he touched up a large photograph with dabs of paint.
6
@Lorenzo You may be on to something about the painting! Maybe it was kept handy in the closet for just such emergencies. !!
1
I thought the painting was beautiful!
8
This is one of the best episodes yet because it ties together all of the themes and storylines into one neat package, and the message is this: everyone’s point of view matters, but to deny anyone else’s truth while living in your own little bubble is the height of privilege, power, and dishonesty.
The MeToo storyline is simply a plot device to finally expose Noah’s true character. Noah’s secrets needed to be exposed for us all to see whose point of view was most accurate and whose was the most self-serving. While Noah is no Harvey Weinstein or Bill Cosby, he is somewhere on the spectrum near Tiger Woods and Charlie Rose, men who used their power and privilege in ways that made women feel victimized.
This is literally Noah Solloway’s moment of truth. His family knew he was a philanderer who had betrayed them, what they didn't know about was the secret life of debauchery at the expense of various women. What his family also didn't know until now is that Noah is a compulsive liar, and he has been lying to them all along.
Noah lies to Helen four or five times in the very first scene alone when she is questioning him about whether the Vanity Fair piece is a #MeToo article. Later, she asks him, “how hard is it to just tell the truth?” For Noah, it seems impossible, because lying protects his ego as well as his power and privilege in the world. This is the power that Audrey is talking about, the kind of power most women are denied by the very men who victimize them.
20
@John S. "...everyone’s point of view matters, but to deny anyone else’s truth while living in your own little bubble is the height of privilege, power, and dishonesty." YES. So well said. The show has always been structured around point of view, "he said/she said," so to me the MeToo storyline seems like a quite natural progression.
8
@Kim Exactly. The whole structure of the show has been mainly to contrast a male point of view against a female point of view, which never seem to match up on minor details, and often are wildly different on the major details too.
While Noah may not be the perfect #MeToo candidate, he is the perfect subject for a discussion of power and privilege. His continual denials to Helen about his own past behavior prove how wrong he knows he was in those situations which he now claims were innocent and consensual.
Did you catch Noah’s reluctant admission about how he had once punched out a Williams College student during his book tour? His excuse was that the student wasn't even a kid because he was 22!
Noah’s biggest problem is is lack of self-awareness and honesty and his constant denials of the validity of everyone else’s point of view. Now that he has to confront Whitney’s point of view, we will see if he is capable or growing up or not.
4
@John S. How did Tiger Woods get brought into this? I know there was the neighbor who has after the fact come forward with comments, but those were a bit dubious and self serving.
2
It's official. Furkat and Sascha are the biggest a-holes of the entire series. Even given Bad Scotty and opportunistic Audrey. May their career go down the drain, forgotten in the annals and history of the arts. And what Furkat did to Whitney in the gallery (filming her live without her consent) was a rape in itself.
23
@PrairieFlax
They are evil. Just a thought though, I've been to exhibits where, because of the position of cameras, one becomes part of the "art" or exhibit. There is no expectation of not being filmed in a public place. In fact, it's completely common everywhere now. It is just unfortunate that Whitney fell for it that evening (as he could have flicked on the switch for any other girl had she not shown up) just like her falling for his invite (again, ugh) to the apartment before her flight. Whitney is, herself, very troubled and has reason to be worried about being just like her mom. Unfortunately, I think, it is Sasha she should blame, not her dad as it is his (Sasha's story) that is beginning to fall apart. If she is smart, she will not pursue grievance against Furkat as Audrey has her father. It's time for her to grow up and move on. She is better than that.
4
I understand the symmetry of having Noah brought down by women he treated as objects but it doesn't feel particularly satisfying when the women are meretricious and banal, and Noah can't stop lying to himself or shooting himself in the foot. All these characters, except for Helen and her children, seem unworthy of our attention, which is not much of a reward for five years of diligent viewing.
17
I've been hate-watching this season, but honestly felt this was the best episode of the entire series. I've long been disgusted with the show's rationalizations of Noah's vile behavior and horrified by the show's depiction of Allison as an unstable home wrecker. I hoped that the writers would eventually face how toxic, how destructive Noah actually is - and they finally have. After so many years of "the male vs. the female perspective," it was refreshing to hear two women debate #metoo - as it should be. We men need to shut up and listen - and learn.
14
@Chiedu
Arthur Miller wrote a play about the #MeToo movement, you should read it sometime.
3
@John
What play is that?
@Euphemia Thompson
The Crucible
4
This episode was terrific and very smart pointing out the moral dilemmas in "Me too." We have two women ginned up by the idea of Me too and seeing a profit in the future making accusations that they had no perception of at all when the incidents occured. In my over 40 years of working I have been witness to countless times of women pursuing attractive men in the workplace. Through some sort of brainwashing by Me too I can see them picturing themselves exploited at some point. Not buying. (I am female)
I am guessing before the series ends Helen will need to reveal to her children the enormous sacrifice that Noah made for her. Hopefully this will be a game changer.
25
@CLSW2000 writes: "I am guessing before the series ends Helen will need to reveal to her children the enormous sacrifice that Noah made for her. Hopefully this will be a game changer."
------
I agree that this revelation is looming.
Helen's vociferous defense of her ex, at Whitney's apartment, took place after Noah reminded her in the car of what he had sacrificed for her. She very likely has lingering feelings for Noah, but now her guilt is also kicking in. Thinking that he owed her for walking out on the family is not cutting it anymore.
Helen's transformation over the course of the series may culminate in her taking responsibility for Scotty's death, at least among her loved ones. If the news travels beyond that, however, she could face legal consequences.
10
@CLSW2000 In season 3, episode 9, Helen did tell the kids (except Whitney, who was in Paris) that she was driving. It was when she took them to the Hamptons. After she confessed, her parents tried to drag her out of the room, and then (I think) she locked her parents in their own "safe room". Also, just an aside, I realize their son Martin is no longer an important character on the show, but wasn't it even worth a mention by either of them that they should try to call him and check in on him?
13
@CLSW2000 Doesn't look like much of Helen from the photos in 10 and 11 on showtime site. A lot at Nanutuck of Noah walking. Also Joanie holding a shotgun.
2
I had high hopes for this episode when it began which were soon dashed when I realized that this was going to be yet another cop-out for the writers who feel it's easier to get on some political bandwagon rather than put together a meaningful ending for the series they created.
First of all, let's get one thing straight-Noah Solloway is no Harvey Weinstein. It's really worthwhile to go back and look at the first couple of seasons where this whole thing started and look at some of the first episodes.
Noah was a NYC school teacher with a rich wife and a second rate writer, helped no doubt by his successful father-in-law. When we first meet him, he's experiencing some kind of mid life crisis with an extra dose of testosterone that gets him in a whole lot of trouble and destroys his family. If there is one character in this show who is powerless it is Noah who was as much a victim of his own uncontrollable lust and urges as anyone.
Furthermore, as if the politics wasn't enough, loyal views have had to suffer through hours of obnoxiousness from Whitney, the other Solloway kids and assorted characters with only the slightest connection to the story line.
I really wish the writers had gone back to basics and ended the series more faithfully to its beginning.
22
@Patty Villanova Uhm, men and women alone have lust and can control it without indulging it. Noah had choices. But he is no Harvey Weinstein indeed, and he did go to jail for Helen (who he MADE drive the car that night! Neither of them should have been driving!)
Whitney has evolved more than the lot of the rest of the adults.
8
@Patty Villanova Where exactly is the Other son?
1
Happy to see Priya in her grandson's life. Feeling much better about Eddie's future.
The Noah as predator storyline is hard to process, but perhaps that's consistent with the experience of any family member of someone accused of wrongdoing. He did go to prison for a crime he didn't commit. He is not a straight-up villain. But one can have good traits, love his children, and also be a predator.
And it's very true that Noah looked at his own daughter 'like prey' in the hot tub all those years ago before realizing who she was. Six women is a lot. In any case, it's hard to watch his kids go through this. Especially Whitney. It seems to be what Helen is feeling, too.
The interview that Eden Ellery gave to the Busy Phillips character was frustrating. I find it hard to believe that a victim of harassment would criticize the ex-wife of her accused predator.
If women are going to be truly equal and not exist at the behest of men, it's time they stopped working against one another as women. There is nothing to be gained by dismissing women for "being of a different generation," for being "a lot older," and for staying at home to take care of their children, when all Helen did was defend her children and their need for privacy.
28
@Stephanie Innes
Maura Tierney's face as Helen watched the Eden interview was a master class in heartbreaking subtlety.
30
I’m not sure that ‘predator’ describes Noah. “Boorish, insensitive, unthinking, self-centered” seems closest to the mark. Saying to Audrey Nelson in that writing class that she had no inner life just because her writing was not up to snuff was an awful act, especially since it sent her into a years-long tailspin, but can we really call it predation?
Similarly, deserting Erica the script girl after starting sex so he could go plant her underwear was monumentally insensitive, but it was not assault.
What I find disturbing is the narrative that the story was set in motion by Sasha Mann so he could take Noah’s writing credit (though I suspect his motivation was deeper, having to do with making sure Helen would never go back to Noah). To imply that MeToo could be a matter of a powerful man using women’s grievances to destroy another man is in my opinion demeaning and belittling to the real women who have suffered and fought and struggled.
35
@Stephanie Innes "If women are going to be truly equal and not exist at the behest of men, it's time they stopped working against one another as women." EXACTLY!! thank you.
3
I think it’s hilarious and oh so telling that the negative responses in these comments are from men (as I write, there are 6 responses up) versus more positive reactions from women. I thought this episode was a work of high art, particularly the airplane conversation. Whitney’s increasing comprehension of Farkat’s motivations is a joy to watch. I’m so glad the fiancé story line turned good for her—did not see that one coming.
26
@Betty However you can't know for sure what people's genders are from their comment names.
7
@Betty I hope Whitney and Colin end up moving back to Colin's Ireland, to get away from all the Solloway nonsense. Whitney can open her own gallery there, or teach art history at Trinity College.
4
@Betty Whitney’s story ends with her gazing at a portrait of herself, entranced. Is she entranced with her fiane’s talent or with herself? The conversation with Audrey awakened Whiteny’s dormant ambition, and turned off the empathy she had toward her parents. She is a Solloway, demonstrating the negtive characteristics of both parents, and starting at a much earlier age.
2
After watching this episode, the depth of Noah’s self destruction is particularly mind blowing. Somehow, I am still very concerned and agitated about the final outcome for this tragic character.
21
This week’s summary was far better than the disastrous episode, which was little more than an extended discussion of the moral dilemmas of the #MeToo movement. That is a worthy topic but as handled here, bad drama. The characters did little more than speechify. Just dreadful. And to add fuel to this awful conflagration, the writers throw in California wildfires, perhaps laying the groundwork for Noah’s demise? Some say the world will end in ice (in this show, water), some in fire, to paraphrase Frost. Alison died in the water, and Noah may die in a fire. Whatever happens, this series has already crashed and burned for me.
12
@Mark Siegel OK I
The speechifying was dreadful. I got my hopes up when Whitney confronted Audrey on the plane, but what a letdown it turned out to be. Audrey had a legitimate point about men's power in the world, but her defense of her accusations came down to this: Noah criticized her writing, which she herself admitted was not very good at the time. He didn't sleep with her, although she said that she wanted him to. Whatever else Noah might have done, his only sin in this particular case was being blunt about the quality of Audrey's work. She alone is responsible for the decisions she made after that.
73
@JR " I got my hopes up when Whitney confronted Audrey on the plane, but what a letdown it turned out to be.""
I felt EXACTLY the same.
I thought something clever was about to happen when Whitney decided to approach her, like she was somehow was going to save the situation. Wow what a disappointment. I really didn't get Whitney in this episode. She seems sensitive and smart, but suddenly she irrationally put aside the fact that Audrey really did accuse Noah out of spite, not out or real trauma.
36
@JR Thank you! I thought I was the only one!
8
SPOILER ALERT ...
You can see who's starring in the final two episodes on IMDB.
9
@FFILMSINC
I find it intensifies the anticipation.
1
@John
I looked at the casts of these episodes, but can’t really conclude much. It’s sure to drive me crazy, though.
The Mazel tov was hilarious. But Furkat was really awful denying that he hit Whitney. As for her flight with Audrey, I think Audrey was really overstating her "relationship" with Noah. She was his student and he criticized her writing, but he never hit on her or worse. At Juliette's dinner party she was pretty strident and militant but I think her accusations are overblown.
When Helen was being diverted on the LA street, I can't believe the cop didn't mention that there was a fire. And if the smoke was so thick at the end of her segment, they wouldn't let people drive in it.
Sasha is "damnatio memoriae" Noah from the movie.
11
@Lorenzo Furkat's pronunciation of "Mazel Tov" was THE most hilarious thing in the episode.
2
I thought this was extremely well-done, and takes you through and makes you believe yourself all the well-worn tropes against women who speak up. And that it fits well with Helen's character (and, yeah, probably the theory that they're going to get back together) that she would be defensive of Noah. I do wish they would leave the Eden story at what actually happened between them -- possible coercion, but not sex -- because it'd help make the point that ANY of that is wrong, and doesn't have to be actual sex for it to be. But I hope they wrap this up in a fulfilling way. Whitney and Joanie seem to be the characters destined to break the cycles of what their parents went through - here's hoping.
22