I guess I'm the one to turn out the lights here. But I choose to keep them on. I hope we all return to this recap from time to time over the years. Great reviewer; great comments. My one regret is that it took me until the final season to appreciate this little show. And now, Vikings and Homeland in their final seasons. It's been a great 20 or so years for television. I don't watch a tremendous amount of TV for various reasons, but will keep watching Outlander, and explore my new Acorn subscription. But the acting this season has really captivated me on The Affair. Noah made a great point about love being able to be passed down through generations, but I wish Alison's killer had been brought to justice. There is no age limit for justice. Thanks to everyone for being in these recaps over the years. May Noah continue to flourish.
20
@PrairieFlax .Ni, I guess it's me turning out the lights. I have very little time to watch TV, but watched The Affair since the first season, and t was my weekly escape. The next day would read the recap and comments. I miss that..
5
Sean T. Collins is a great reviewer. I hope we see more of him on these pages.
7
A month already? Hard to believe. This season of The Affair, especially the last two episodes, will stay with me for a long long time. Let's all return to this thread from time to time over the coming years and check in with each other as we re-watch the series. In the meantime, I suggest the final season of Homeland, and the next season of The Sinner. And I do wish for The Affair to return for a TV movie with an update on the characters in the years to come, perhaps with writer Stacey Solloway filling in the time between Whitney's wedding and her parents' last years.
10
I thought Noah and Alison had a baby that they conceived together? Is my memory off? If they did have a child, why was he/she not part of the finale?
11
@Debbie -- Alison became pregnant when she was with Noah, but the baby girl wasn't his; she was actually Alison's ex-husband's Cole's (due to one night stand). That baby was Joanie, who did in fact significantly appear in last couple of seasons. The parternity wasn't known until Joanie was about 2 years old.
4
@Debbie Helen stole Joanie's pacifier and had a DNA test done.
5
I had no idea how they would wrap it up, but I loved it. Helen was always great, my favorite. Loved Stoned Helen, Helping Vic Die Helen, Helping Sierra Helen. Practical and funny Helen.
Only Helen could murder Scotty and move on like it was nothing.
Because of the accident, I often thought that the series might end like Descent did: Two people sitting down with a terrible secret between them.
12
Why didn't any of these characters have pets?
8
@PrairieFlax
I was wondering that too!
4
Why didn't any of these characters have pets?
2
I loved this show. Although I am sad Allison and Cole were absent from the finale, it was a masterpiece. The song "The Whole Of The Moon" is one of my all-time favs... What a sappy but perfect end to Noah's confusing life... I took the song as a tribute to Noah's life (in addition to Allison and Helen). He lived his life 100% - not all of it right, but he lived it. AMAZING SHOW. I will miss it....
17
This episode made me so happy. Life is always changing, so remember when life is at its worst, at some point in the future it may just be the best ever. I'll miss this show.
13
I've watched the finale about 2 1/2 times so far, and will probably watch it again. It's on my DVR. And because I'm not ready to let this show go, let's enjoy the flash mob dance scene together. I love how Bruce, in another possible moment of lucidity, tried to dance along.
https://youtu.be/AqNMwl_GFzk
17
@SOJ .Thanks so much for this link. Now I can watch over and over without the DVR. Always makes me happy
4
Feeling sad that is odd, sweet little Rashomon show won't be airing new episodes. Here it is, late Sunday afternoon on the prairie, with no "The Affair" to look forward to.
12
I enjoyed the finale very much, as I did all the episodes from day one. It was so satisfying to watch such a deep introspection in the human psyche, with all the flaws and brilliant moments. Of course this could not have not possible without the exceptional talent of all the actors, who convoyed such a wide range of emotions that just made me ache for them, laugh with them, etc.
I loved in particular the long exchange of views between Helen and Noah during the last two episodes and Dominic West’s smile, a wide heartfelt smile that seemed so genuine.
I have only thanks and praise.
16
I'm astonished that people liked any of this. I was embarrassed that I kept watching, but watch I did.
1. Joanie goes to Montauk and for the most part it is uninhabited except for 3 people. Completely by chance Joanie runs into all 3. All 3 are intimately related to her and help solve her "mystery." Some coincidence!
2. In the previous episode as Noah and Helen set out on their mountain journey I immediately called out "Rattlesnake!" Twenty minutes later, the snake made its entry. Big surprise!
3. What happens with Noah's me-too? Does he get exonerated? Does he go back to jail? Did any of the show's producers care enough to resolve this? Apparently not.
4. What happens with the movie? Does Sasha get to "steal" authorship? Does the book get published at all? Is Noah now a disgrace and an outcast in the literary world? Do the producers care enough to resolve these kinda important issues? If not, it seems not too likely that N and H will live happily ever after, don't you think?
5. Did anyone notice that after her super-doctor is conveniently dispatched, one week later Helen has the good fortune to become girlfriend of the world's number 1 movie star. Wow, what luck! And then the following week become Interior Decorator to the Stars. Wow, another stroke of good fortune! Most of us are not so lucky, I guess.
26
@DanG I was waiting for Noah's lawsuit against Ben Cruz for Allison's murder after the conversation with Joanie. Even better, Noah that goes killing Ben. It would have been a great finale, the closing of the circle
11
Blown away! feeling such strong emotions; so powerful beyond words. Bravo to the best most powerful and beautiful show on TV. forever etched in my heart and sousl. thank you all
14
I thought this was a perfect series ending - all the loose ends tied up satisfactorily and Noah redeemed himself. I wasn't a fan of Season 5 - the Joanie story line was pretty weird and depressing (although Anna Paquin did look like Ruth Wilson's daughter). How could Cole have raised that horrible person? But compared to other series finales (e.g., Sopranos) where you have no clue if they are writing for a future movie deal, this one ended with a beautiful bow. And the "Whole of the Moon" and the wedding dance scene makes me smile every time I think about it.
13
@FFILMSINC I think the Allison badmouthing came from Luisa.
6
@Laura Years after the Sopranos' fade-to-black, David Chase told us, on the record, that Tony was killed by someone who was looking at him in the diner. So if there is a Sopranos reboot, it won't be with Tony - and couldn't be, since the great James Gandofini is no longer with us. But Chase did say that Tony was killed and that Chase knew it as he was writing the episode.
6
Did anyone else notice the prices written on chalkboard at the Lobster Roll? Bowl of soup $30.00!
9
@Phil Yes, people have mentioned such things in this comments section.
2
@Phil yes. It is 2050ish.
1
I don't remember if it was "The Night Of" (that last scene with the cat still gets me) or "Billions" that brought me to the NYT review page, but I'm glad for whichever one did. It's been a pleasure to read all the comments and reviews, and contribute some, too, these past couple of years. I hope to see many of you on future series sites. In the meantime, I'll remember to keep smiling and dancing on precarious cliffs.
15
@Karen G
Indeed. I enjoyed this comment section. Fun and interesting folks here. I'm a about 15 years behind Noah, so yes, I guess I will keep dancing!
8
@Charles @Karen G
Make sure you check out the recaps and comments on here for "Succession"--lots of fun and insight. Season 2 is over unfortunately but it'll be something to look forward to next summer.
4
Did anyone else wonder why Noah restored the Lobster Box to the way it appeared at the time he met Allison?
10
@Elly
Several of us have had theories. See me and Chloe, et. al below. It's basically a mystery.
6
Is that not the same Memory Motel that Mick Jaggar sang about many years ago? Hannah honey was a peachy kind of girl.
6
@Dino G Yes, the Rolling Stones stayed at Andy Warhol's compound in Montauk before the start of their 1975 U.S tour. I don't think the iconic motel hasn't been renovated in 40 years
4
@Phil
Drove by it just the other day. It's a blast from the 50's.
5
@FFILMSINC
Maybe just for room #7. Ha!
3
For any of you who like me have wondered about the song that was used in The Affair finale trailer, I found this on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRSklGG6xKA
Performed and cowritten by Victoria Ward, it is called Back to You and will be released on Spotify on Friday, November 8, 2019.
4
@Lucy I could see Adele performing this.
1
I will miss this show, as well as the weekly forum here. I have been equally enthralled and exasperated by this show, which is why I kept watching it from the first episode. It has offered me a nice respite from the turmoil of politics, and it is a show about adult life; relationships, parenthood, family. All of that without the veil of melodrama (okay, there was a bit of melodrama too). The actors have been incredible. I have one gripe. Why doesn’t Helen get to survive Noah? Why does Noah get the glory at the end in that final dance on the cliff? He’s the character I thought most smarmy and undeserving. I guess that’s life. Kudos to all. I really loved this show, even Noah through it all.
8
@Notme Because The Affair was about Noah's life's journey, not Helen's,
6
@Notme I'll tell you why from my perspective. It's obvious that Noah and Helen reconciled all those years back in the motel. He outlived her because he'll continue to cherish, for the remainder of his days, what he once threw away and was fortunate enough to recapture. Some may see the scent where he is sitting at Helen's grave side as being contrived .. I see it as his enduring love for her that will never end because he knows just how precious she was.
15
@Notme I think because Noah was the character who most needed redemption, that it was a satisfying end for the audience.
7
I will really miss this series. Though i found this season disappointing, the sentimental finale left me satisfied. I have watched the flash mob scenes (and old Noah's final dance) every night since Sunday-love the song and the dance!
12
Just a fun note. I know we all found Whitney insufferable but, credit should go to Ms. Teddes for thoroughly encapsulating that character. Also, fun to watch her play along in the flash dance routine and not let her formal ballet training show everyone up. But, look closely at the first turn she performs with them, practically pirouettes her spin. Ha!
17
@Charles
For another look..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqNMwl_GFzk
2
@Charles .. Ah, yes. The head snap of a trained dancer. The joy in this scene is wonderful!
7
@Charles
And, of course, we all know it's Telles. Sorry about that.
3
I just scrolled through all the main comments (338!) to see if anyone mentioned the lines from Richard Wilbur's poem "The Writer," which served as an epigraph to the finale. They seem to have been eclipsed by the focus on "The Whole of the Moon." Without the full context of the poem, and the understanding that Wilbur is speaking silently to his teenaged daughter as she sits in her room, typing a short in fit and starts, it might seem a puzzling choice. It was to me until I realized Stacy had written "Montauk." Check out the full Wilbur poem, no matter what you think about "The Affair."
17
@M Bagg Here is a link to the poem: https://poets.org/poem/writer
10
@M Bagg
Thank you. That adds additional context and meaning to the episode.
3
What a joyous, profound wrapup to this often trying, laborious show — Helen and Noah’s honest talks, Noah’s dance and Grandad’s wise advice to Whitney — just wonderful. Completely satisfying series.
15
Note about sequence of events in Noah's life (per finale):
Noah mentioned to Joanie that he had moved to Montauk after Whitney's wedding (some 30 years ago).
Then, in a conversation between Eddie and Joanie (standing in the road after Joanie got out of car), Eddie mentions that he'd spent a great deal of time in Montauk - among other things, he worked some construction *and* helped Noah renovate the Lobster Roll after Noah bought it. So, I think Noah bought the Lobster Roll at least 15 years or so *after* Whitney's wedding. I'm guessing Helen was on board with this. At the end, Noah certainly and seemed at peace with his life and lessons learned .....
12
@Chloe
Great points. I've pondered this a bit and can't wrap my mind around Helen being a willing part of buying the Lobster Roll but, that is certainly an enigmatic possibility. I was thinking he bought it fairly recently (probably for a song as it was run down and on the way out) and that EJ came out an helped fix it up as a favor. EJ says Noah bought it rather than Noah and Helen.
5
@Charles
Interesting perspective! The facts that Noah would even buy the Lobster Roll (returning it to its former state), and Helen's involvement/thoughts (or lack thereof) are all puzzling indeed. It seems that Helen died 2 years or so prior to Noah's talk with Joanie - I can't imagine he would have purchased the Roll following Helen's death given the decline of Montauk/no gas/no visitors/customers, etc. The blackboard behind the counter advertises a "flounder dinner for $67.00" - seems like an offer from better days .. may watch the episode again (won't admit to what umpteenth time that will be-) for more clues ...
4
@Chloe I saw the scene again tonight. Noah says, "I moved back here after my oldest daughter's wedding, which was some thirty years ago now." Joanie, "That's when we left!" Noah, "I know."
1
Good show overall and I enjoyed it but disappointed in the ending. They took the easy way out. Why couldn't Helen forgive Noah for what he had done yet still decide not to reunite? It would have been much more interesting.
Maura Tierney was great throughout, as others have noted. The acting of the four main characters was terrific and really carried the show.
Perhaps I'm getting a little more "mature" in my age but I found Whitney's character insufferable. She is about the same age as my son and I kept saying to myself, "Thank God he isn't like that."
The whole story line involving Anna Paquin's character was a waste of time and in the end, it involved some really lazy writing. The epigeneticist just happened to be Vik's son? Noah lived happily ever after and now was the wise old man giving her advice in the Lobster Roll? Give me a break.
But despite my disappointment in the finale, and parts of the final season overall, the show was brilliant at times, especially during the first two seasons. I'll miss it.
17
Maura Tierney, The straw that stirred this drink. Her depiction of Helen never wavered, regardless of the material. Epic performance.
36
To watch family members brutal to one another and then act as if a hit and run....so real, so well done....maybe, inspirational. A bewildering mix of resiliency, insensitivity, denial and love.
A first in the golden age of tv......a compelling look into the future of the possible extinction of humans in the context of generational conflict.
8
Wow everybody loved it. It was a sweet sad sentimental ending. Not for this show though. Who was this Noah? I mean I guess he’s the Noah we wanted all along. The Affair was at its best unsentimental and that’s the stuff that will stay with me.
7
I am now convinced that writer/producer/director Sarah Treem is a genius.........for years I had been the one person in my family to never have cried at any movie or T.V. show........but when Anna Pacquin's character Joanie came back home and I heard the voice's of her 2 daughters saying "mommy's home" as they ran up to hug her...... tears started to flow that I could not stop......Thank you Sarah Treem.....we will see you at the Emmys.
10
@E.L. Sessom, same here. I finally watched the episode in its entirety yesterday evening while making dinner. As I rewatched that scene, I had to completely stop what I was doing as the tears started flowing. Also, as she apologized to her husband and then they embraced! Wow!
5
How did Joanie escape Ben?
4
@M He let her go, saying her miserable existence was torture enough for her.
2
@M He let her go. As Melisandre would say, "Not today." He told her her miserable life was enough for him.
2
Some people can change and also help others. Thank you so much to everyone involved in creating this great series.
8
Loved this finale - being in England it has only just aired tonight
Dance sequence perfect
But ... did anyone pick up on the fact that Helen & her mother died the sane year?!
12
@Teresa I did. I wondered if, like Debbie Reynold's death after hearing of her daughter Carrie Fisher's death, there was a similar dynamic.
11
@Teresa Many people in the comments section have mentioned it. Their theories are interesting, you should read them :)
9
Well, she will find her way. It's always a pleasure to listen a Neil Finn's song.
5
@marc Where was Neil Finn in this? This is a Waterboys/Mike Scott song.
2
@marc
Yes. When the kids arrived to surprise their parents at the motel.
4
Sifting through all these insightful comments keeps giving me differing perspectives on the finale, which fits the premise of The Affair so well.
After two days, the line that still haunts me is the one Bruce told Whitney, "You'll have plenty of opportunities to be angry in your life and not that many in which to show love. Don't squander them."
34
@Karen G
Second favorite line, "Do you want to try this again?" "I do."
13
@Karen G .....Favorite scene...........when Whitney walks over to Helen and looks into her eyes before taking her hand to walk out to join the wedding........her smile spoke volumes.
6
@E.L. Sessom Lovely, and helped redeem Whitney's character (or lack thereof). I read two interviews by Sarah Treem, the writer and director of the episode, and she said the scene with Margaret, Helen and Whitney was difficult to do because she didn't want the characters 'moving together' until the very end. When Whitney realizes what her mother has gone through having Margaret as a mother, her heart opens some. I'd have to rewatch the scene to see if Whitney registers that before the hand holding.
6
Hiding in plain sight: Noah’s alcoholism ( Helen’s enabling). Remember his blackout earlier in season? All his narcissism, egomania,self-destructiveness drinking in all tv seasons? Maybe the writers felt it was too cliched to confront head-on, but it’s the only logical (rather than fantasy wish-fulfillment) ending.
1
@Linda Kauffman Just watched the finale last night, I really enjoyed it. One of the things I commented on though, was Helen's apparent alcoholism. She was rarely with out a glass of wine.
5
@Robyn They both drank like fishes. It did bother me some to see Stacey slugging champagne on the bench.
12
@Robyn And even Noah mentioned "you were drinking like a fish, as usual" in a previous episode.
4
I was hoping I was going to be satisfied with the ending and I was. Loved the final scene too, Noah dancing. Most loose ends tied up. Such a well written character driven show that I will miss.
To the cast/crew/ writers location scouts etc a very big THANK YOU.
20
I don't know what I'll miss more...The Affair or Sean Collin's reviews..
12
…that final shot of Noah dancing on the beach, it sure didn’t look like Montauk. Looked more like it was filmed on the central California coast because it was so dry - especially since there was meant to be so much flooding in that future. Instead it looked like one of the arid coast spots along California. (I’m nitpicking of course.)
9
@Paco Manu It looked to me like Block Island RI, which is eroding away just like in the show.
3
@Paco Manu
That is, indeed, Montauk. Today, I stood in the exact spot where Mr. West filmed that ending scene. (It's not much of a drive from my home) It's part of "Camp Hero State Park". The sign you see behind him says stay 25 feet from the edge due to the cliffs being undermined. It seems, neither of us heeded that warning.
The film crew did a great job as to the east is the lighthouse but, to the northwest the view is of the parking area, barricades, and behind it all is a very large radar complex that looks out over the ocean. During his walk, there are also concrete remnants of the defense installation it was during World War II that the editors carefully cut out or pan away from. All of this would distract from the cinematography so, you will notice during each circular pan (I'm assuming they used a drone and/or helicopter) they cut away to his feet (dancing) to avoid that. We are left with the beautiful glacial moraine topography, the ocean, the lighthouse, and memories.
15
@Charles Thank you so much for the first-hand description of what was seen and unseen!
3
My wife tells me Noah wasn't just dancing by the sea at the end he was performing the same steps he was teaching the kids for the wedding. That detail makes the scene profoundly more meaningful imo.
38
I was so moved by Noah doing that dance. His redemption may not have been truly earned, but I loved that he was recalling a moment of joy that led him back to his family. I wept.
28
Me too.
6
The funniest line of the entire series was delivered by Joanie, when she says to Noah while they are sitting in the Lobster Roll that she’s “stuck here in some sort of seafood purgatory.” That was priceless.
This finale was a perfect ending to what turned out to be an amazing show, an ocean full of joy and tears. Sometimes you have to get to the end of a journey to figure out what it was really all about. In the end, The Affair was a love story, but one like we’ve never seen before.
30
I agree the actor playing EJ certainly didn't seem 10 years younger than Paquin, that was a miscast. Didn't see an age on the actor on IMDB, but he was playing adult characters 10 years ago.
Return of Martin! I have no connection to him after all this time, not even sure if it was the same actor. That seemed a waste of airtime.
Sorry we didn't get any info on adult Trevor.
Can't believe the same double decker LIRR trains are running in 2053, especially because Montauk is such an empty wasteland. Maybe there's only one train a week in that future.
Of course Noah gets to keep his hair. I expected him to do something to alter his voice more.
6
At least they made the interior of the train appear very modern.
3
@ileen Joanie and EJ are seven years apart and seeing as Joanie is 38/39 I can see EJ being 32
4
@FFILMSINC "Perfection, his gate, carriage, vocal octave adjustment, breathing pattern and subtle cadence rhythms was a technical master class in character development".
So right. The slowed tempo, pauses mid- sentence, slowed, patient reactions, rigid, bent gait. All wonderful. I agree the tempo and voice quality changed some during the long speech with Joanie; someone with an actor's ear may be distracted. I took it to show increased energy and enthusiasm for the words.
7
I was dreading this finale - how could they possibly wrap up so many uneven story-lines? So glad I stuck it out to the end. Although I will always wonder "what if" with regard to Ruth Wilson and Jonathan Jackson, given those limitations, I thought the ending was perfect. More than a little OTT, but in a (very!) good way. The conversation between Helen and Noah in the motel room really hit home, and my life couldn't be more different than those of the characters'. That's real art, as far as I'm concerned. Brava.
10
This show achieved the impossible: They made the Long Island Rail Road look good!
9
Has no one picked up on the fact that Noah chose to play out his not-so-final years in the very same restaurant (bought it after the wedding, really?) that uprooted his entire life and the lives of countless others? Is that the "memory" in Memory Motel we are supposed to forget about? Am I missing the twist on redemption here? I kept waiting for an old Helen to step into scene as Noah's partner in the diner at the end of the world. And then I expected Noah to be reading Stacey's book in front of Alison's grave - now that would have been a twist.
4
@Jami K
I think everyone picked up on it. After watching Helen's facial reaction to Sierra's date describing his younger years spent at the restaurant, never in a million years would one expect Helen to be a partner in that. We just don't know when Noah bought the restaurant (after Helen's death?). In any event, from the restaurant to the grave to the beach, clearly Noah had a complex set of memories from the two women and a family he loved.
17
Best imperfect drama on TV.
21
@Mary Exactly!
2
@Mary .....You are so right.....I have said for years that creator/writer Sarah Treem is the most insightful thought-provoking writer to ever cross our T.V screens......even after losing 2 of her main characters she was still able to carry on to this wonderful ending......if I owned a network or a studio I would be throwing money at Sarah Treem trying to convince her to come work for me ......there is no one like her.
9
Whitney, finally happy after humiliating your dad at the wedding? Then asking the demented granddad to jump into the pool so you can escape the wedding so carefully planned by Noah? Is there any end to your self-absorption? Colin you have your work cut out for you.
Joanie hits every mark in being unlikable, a cliché, and a confused pain loving young woman? Of course she runs into Sierra’s love child and of course what follows with no questions asked? I was hoping she would go ahead with the rifle myself.
Helen, would you please, please stop talking? Did we really have to see Noah and Helen making up the way we did?
Noah thanks for the endless advice on life? I can just watch your beautiful face while you mansplain me.
We loved you Noah. Glad you lived a long life.
I’m sad to see you all go. Will miss you with all your human faults.
12
Alternate ending. It is still 30 years later and Noah is presenting his daughter Stacey’s book at a bookstore reading, dedicating it to the deceased Helen. His daughter is following in his footsteps, we don’t know how Noah and Helen have ended up after Whitney’s weddings but it is not a sad lonely ending for Noah . Joanie as a mother begins to sympathizes with her deceased mother’s plight , returns. home to herhusband and together they go to the DA to have her mothers murderer arrested
8
I'm very sad that Noah ended up alone. His kids probably scattered. Helen gone. Even his nemesis Cole is gone. All alone in that abandoned town. So sad. He needs a companion.
4
1. It’s fiction! U can have any ending you prefer 2. He was hardly alone and furthermore, the fact that he was dancing meant that he was quite happy to have lived out his very senior yrs in MONTAUK! 3. As for the kids, who knows? They could be in Dublin LA or back in the apple pursuing their careers the way their talented parents did! 4. As for whatever climate disaster struck the tip of the island it’s possible that one must take a ferry to get there! Remember the tv series ends in 2050’s!!! Go figure...
6
@PrairieFlax See, I didn't get that vibe from him at all. If anything he seemed like a man at peace and who had truly made amends with everyone he hurt. His comment to Colin at the wedding about his "bad rap" and how he's done things to deserve that spoke volumes to me. I really think he was dancing the choreography from Whitney's wedding at the end, because, to him, that was the beginning of his second chance. If anything my take was that all his his kids are probably trying to get him to leave Montauk but he won't because he's happy to end his days there -- where it all went wrong and then went right again.
17
@Mary
I feel as you do. Noah was certainly no Job but, they piled the misery upon him and his family at every juncture. He could have learned from some of his mistakes and he set himself up for others. In the end, with all of the "perspectives", we'll never know the truth about Noah and his transgressions. We do have confirmation, however, of his good and loving deeds.
5
Hey, for all you complainers out there, let’s see you write a show and keep it interesting for 5 years, and have it grow and evolve into a thoughtful, introspective final season...all with a couple of key actors departing for greener pastures as the show went into that last season.
Congrats Sarah Treem and team...well done!
31
If you are a good creator and show runner, you do not need to "keep it interesting" as you already know how your story is going to develop, how long it is going to be and how it is going to end without having to make silly stuff up in the middle "to keep it interesting". Soap operas do that.
13
A lot of unanswered questions and the tug at sentimentality trivialized the ending. Why was Noah dancing when his life as an old man is desolate and without children or friends? Did the movie of his book succeed or was it a bomb? The story of his book vs. movie was a major plot device and wasn't pursued to some conclusion. Why? The oldest son didn't look like a soldier at all. And whatever happened to the black boy Cole And Noah took to college? So many characters simply disappeared! And the most glaring silliness was when Allison's daughter confronts the murderer. A cheap plot escape with him holding a paper that declares her nuts. She has an entire life that proves otherwise. In fact, I thought the entire future journey contrived and a lot of nonsense. They could have used those times to pursue all the glaring holes in the story. All this from a viewer who really liked the show!
15
@RSignore Make up whatever ending you want, its fiction!
4
@RSignore you have some great points that I didn’t even think about until you mentioned them and IMO, they are irrelevant because it seems after all the hurt, and heartache, he spent his remaining days perhaps making it up to his family for the hurt he had caused them. Just my opinión.....
7
@RSignore We don't know if he is living a desolate life by choice or happenstance. His children are now adults and have their own lives, children possibly perhaps moved to other parts of the world, etc. If it bombed or succeeded, who cares. Sasha's intent was to take full credit for the movie and last we heard, that was already a done deal. The oldest son didn't look like a soldier???? The black student entered university and his mother and Noah ended their relationship .. end of that story. Should every single character in this serious have some conclusion? How about Vik's parents .. what about Furket .. how about the French professor Noah was popping. I believe there was not really much more to conclude about their characters. I think the ruse that the older Ben created to make Joanie look like she was unstable was brilliant. Did you really want the plot to go off on some tangent where she now assembled a cast of characters who could attest to her personality as not being mentally flawed so that the police can come back and open a case that had been closed 30 years prior. the future journey was very important to conclude the very point of the story that in spite of her parents flaws, which Joanie just concluded would be her demise for the rest of her life, the older Noah said that love and goodness can prevail was well and forgiveness is always an option.
11
Cole sure got "murdered" in the final episode didn't he. Lying to Joanie about her mother!
10
@wayne griswald Yes, Allison was practically canonized as a saint to her daughter whose picture of both parents was flipped when she was basically told that her father had told a big fat lie about that saintly mother. How does finding out your father tarnished your mother, an act that screwed up your psyche "unscrew" you?
3
@Laine Andrews Good point. The only value I can think of is that it illustrates how we can't always trust one side of a story even coming from the one we trust most.
2
A hit-it-out-of-the-ballpark ending that was deeply touching. Thanks. I will so miss "The Affair."
20
I was very happy with the finale .... not every episode of every show has to be dissected to determine its critical worthiness. It was a feel-good ending to a pleasantly surprising final season.
Watching and listening to Moira Tierney talking to Noah in the motel room about her indecisiveness and other weaknesses, I couldn't help but hope that someone pays attention to this when Emmy nominations are considered.
36
Hovering over the final season of THE AFFAIR was Ruth Wilson's magnificent performance as Allison,and yet, this was in a way kept alive through the spirit of Anna Paquin's exceptionally tormented portrayal as her daughter Joanie. I kept having the feeling that Joanie's life was going to end badly, but through her powerful talks with Noah at the diner, Noah could feel the pain that filled her miserable existence; he managed to save Joanie with his very sage advice about love and pain. Noah had become the prophet of Montauk. His dancing on the top of the cliff was a very moving final image.
The central story of Noah and Helen ended as it should. Maura Tierney's performance throughout was brilliant, as she navigated the highs and lows of being a wife, mother, and daughter. This was rapturous acting at the highest level. We cannot overlook Dominic West's superb work as Noah...
I had hoped that near the end there might have been a brief unexpected encounter between Noah and Whitney( who in 2053 would have been in her early 50's) who would be visiting her mother's grave, and we would have found out (a) if she and her other siblings had been eventually told that Noah took the rap for Helen's accidental auto killing of Scotty, and (b) if Whitney's marriage had worked out and if she had children. All in all, an outstanding series filled with consistently superb performances--both major and supporting.
21
@robert I see a sequel coming!
3
@Robert, Helen told the kids that Noah took the rap for her for the hit and run.
1
I can accept that the makers of "The Affair" made a good-faith attempt to provide a satisfying finale to the show. I'm happy for those who enjoyed it.
I found my primary reaction to be annoyance. How many characters' serious issues were "resolved," in this episode, by a sentence (or so) spoken by another character? Joanie gives up her quest for justice for her mother's murder; Whitney gives up all her resentment and disgust with her father; Helen gives up her previously-expressed lack of romantic love for her ex-husband; even Margaret appears to have let go of her inveterate crabby undermining of her daughter and contempt for her husband.
I didn't believe a moment of it.
It was an attractive show to look at: lovely locations; nice costumes; great dancing. I loved the choice to have Fiona Apple sing the closing song.
But, please. Noah the passionate writer decides to spend his time running the Lobster Roll? Really? Helen happily moves in with her mother (who lives to be 100, of course)? Bruce has an out-of-the-blue "good day"--a plot development not previously established by so much as a single line of dialogue--so that he can change Whitney's viewpoint completely with his words of wisdom?
Writing that is less-than-good is often rewarded (ask Damon Lindelof); the creators of "The Affair" may well go on to be entrusted with large budgets for future projects. For fans of this show's every moment, I hope that's the case. For myself, I hope their writing gets better.
26
@Sherrerd
I was figuring out what I wanted to say about this finale, and you wrote it for me! Ditto, ditto, ditto! Thank you!
9
@Sherrerd The "good day' is something all people living with a family member with dementia is always hopeful for. It happens, with lessening frequency as the condition worsens, but good days can and do happen, even near the end. It wasn't expanded on in the story (prior to the wedding) but those familiar with dementia / Alzheimer's know.
15
So agree.
2
I seem to be in the minority of viewers eveywhere who found this series ender to be equal in excellence to the Six Feet Under finale. It had some good moments, but I wouldn’t hold it to that standard.
Having been there from S1E1, I have never watched a single
episode this entire final season without feeling the absence
of the Alison/Cole characters as if they were beloved
deceased relatives. Moot of course whatever the reasons for their departure, financial or otherwise I feel like the series suffered a lot for it losing half of the core cast and wasting time on uninteresting characters and tedious minor plot points that went nowhere week after week.
I had hoped to see if it wasn’t mentioned in the entire episode at least a footnote or shot of police finally walking Ben out in handcuffs. This could have been done in a very short shot in the closing music montage, justice for Alison would have been served and it and would have closed that chapter for longtime viewers.
Ben got away with the murder of our protagonist and provided the impetus for the Joanie character arc and outside of a few scenes it was disregarded and yes, they had the Noah/Joanie dialogue at the Lobster Roll but in my opinion it didn’t make up for it.
17
@Erin I hope this makes Ruth Wilson so furious that she breaks whatever embargo she's under, and tells us why she was really gone from the series.
8
Yes I agree that that scene with Ben as you described it would have brought closure for the Allison story... and I think many have expressed their frustration over the many initial characters that got stranded in the fog of time and never heard from again... but at the end and from the beginning it was the NOAH AND HELEN and their MONTAUK story we were made privy to, and seriously you were not supposed to take off w those the writers chose to leave behind...i for one wanted the story to stay in Paris! But then what about Noah’s American relationships w his growing family? I also would have been perfectly happy to see him settle down with the school principal, but honestly her saga always threatened to overwhelm Noahs’! So there we go...
3
This was not Ruth Wilson's first rodeo. She has been around Brtish t.v. for a while working on some very good shows so she probabaly can easily figure out when it is time to go.
3
I loved the season and show finale. I lost it when Noah danced on the bluff. Beautifully done! Bravo to all involved.
26
From Descent to Ascent. I noticed the episode ends with Noah climbing up a cliff, he makes an ascent above the ocean and dances. Contrasts nicely with his bestselling novel about his affair, titled “Descent”. Great finale.
57
I loved the ending. It is so hard to do one well. These writers and Vince Gilligan know how to do it right. The craziness of the season made total sense in 90 min. Well done. Great review.
I agree about Bruce!
20
Was Noah's purchase of The Lobster Roll a form of atonement - or was moving to Montauk a reliving of some of the happiest days of his life (although he hated being there in S1 E). Reminded me of what happened to the Jeremy Irons character at the end of the film "Damage" (1992), who also retreated to a somewhat solitary existence.
David Chase eventually came clean about what happened to Tony Soprano after that diner scene and fade to black. i hope Sarah Treem will one day tell us what happened in the in-between years.
Unrelated: I saw The Waterboys in Boston in mid-September this year. "The Whole of the Moon" sounded as fresh this year as it did decades ago. The great Mike Scott on electric piano. (He also gave us a treat by making "Fisherman's Blues" the second song in the set.)
7
I was disappointed with the final episode. The entire season wasn't up to par, realistic wise. (Although Helen's scenes are always wonderful to watch. Ms Tierney is in fact, the only reason I continued to watch The Affair).
The final actions of the characters felt forced and plotted. In the moments that the audience were to feel joyful, like the flash mob dance or the kids happily huddled outside the hotel room while Helen and Noah had sex, didn't play out as such. It was a bit too, neat and scripted.
Adding the story line of Joanie to the season was a mistake. The center of the story was always Helen, Noah, Alison and Cole. In the final season, the show should have been about Noah and Helen and their dysfunctional, co-dependent, love-hate relationship. After all, Helen and Noah were the reason most of us tuned in each week.
17
@Valerie I thought it was very charming that Stacey could gulp down a bottle of wine like that, just like her mother. And weren't you happy one of the children inherited Noah's gift? Maura Tierney is good whatever she's in. She was also great with facial expressions and eye expressions in ER.
14
Not true for me at all. It was Noah and Allison for me. Liked Helen but she was lost to me when she hit somebody and let Noah got to prison. A horrible act only topped by Ben’s murdering of Allison.
3
@lellingw I believe that Noah took
the rap to make amends for leaving Helen and it would permit her to keep raising the children
6
Thank you Sean for these recaps. You're a far more patient and understanding observer of these insufferable characters and their perpetuating struggles with guilt, shame and misery. And I hung in there through all 5 seasons! It's embarrassing, my bad.;) Maybe because I actually spent my youth in Montauk with a divorced parent.
I always thought the reaching story arc was Helen and Noah and should end there. They were, after all, a nuclear family torn asunder. The writers took a half decade to circumnavigate the globe with some pretty ridiculous plot twists to arrive at a conclusion for whom many are familiar: We are indeed the sum total of our parts. Easy enough to ignore! But who doesn't want to see Humpty Dumpty put back together again.
7
@DavonaD minus the Joanie to the future parts (too much for me). Perhaps, viewers see a lot of their own lives, mistakes from their lives to the point where one can relate to what has actually happened or can happen when an affair happens in that real life. I agree knowing the ending now, quite honestly there were many characters that were irrelevant. I think Allison and her whining, self destructive, misery over stayed it’s welcome. Getting back to the main characters and repairing that family could have done without creepy Sasha whacko weirdo (my gosh where did they even find that dude, maybe he was part of the crew because his acting sucked to me).
However, I respect your opinion, great comment and subject matter.
8
Funniest line in the episode goes to Joanie, who talks about a "seafood purgatory."
12
@PrairieFlax Agreed! What a great phrase.
4
It’s so hard to write a series finally, and I think Treem really did a phenomenal job. I’ll miss this show and the characters who inhabited its world. Noah got it right in the penultimate episode, “Motion is life.” Just keep moving forward and time really will make everything look small. Well done everyone, and thanks for the entertainment.
21
Since Helen and her mother died in the same year, I was thinking the opposite, maybe Helen was slowly dying of cancer and her mother held on, as stubborn as she was, to care for her and then died once Helen passed.
7
@Lbell I too thought Margaret held on to live for her daughter - but then could not bear to live in a world without Helen. Happens in many families.
5
I think they both died in the SuperHurricane of 2051. Climate change did them in.
1
@Lobelia hell yeah, you are right. Since Joanie quit growing those hydro strawberries, were all going to die much earlier than anticipated. Jesus!!
3
The climate catastrophe made the end sadder in many ways.
9
I will say that I was quite pleased with the finale simply because it tied up almost everything nicely (although there are still some loose ends), but this was overall a terrible show. The only thing that initially drew me was the different POVs and like the author here, was fascinated by all of the subtle changes from different viewpoints, but they have strayed far from that original setup and it’s just become a cheesy mess. Sure, they tackled PTSD, but they got it all wrong, so what does that count for? The EMDR representation was so lazy and wrong it was shameful. The dialogue was regularly terrible and a lot of very pointless, filler storylines. They also didn’t need to play the same cheesy song six times in the finale. I give the finale a B just for tying up loose ends and the overall series a D
8
@Owen I felt the same way.
4
Whelp, I'm not ashamed to admit I cried buckets. This was a fantastic episode and a really satisfying ending to an amazing series.
Having loved both The Affair and In Treatment, I can't wait to see what Sarah Treem comes up with next!
Funny, when Joanie went into the Lobster Roll, I thought the white-haired man was that red-headed guy we all loved to hate in the early seasons. However, as soon as he spoke, I knew it was Noah. I *love* that he stayed in Montauk with Helen for the rest of his life. I missed that "Montauk" was written by Stacey -- love that. Broke my heart to see Helen's grave -- I think I cried the most just over that -- and that Noah was alone ... but, he has his kids, and possibly some grandkids as well as even great-grandkids.
I also loved that he was reading to Helen at her grave ... just like Alison was reading to Gabriel at his grave in the series opener.
Kudos to the commenters who pegged EJ as Vik and Sierra's son!
42
Kudos to you for recalling Allison reading to Gabriel at his grave. I cried again. Beautiful storytelling,
17
@Rain Yeah, I though it might have been Oscar, too.
For me, a satisfying conclusion. I found the series most engaging when it presented two characters from their individual points of view. It almost went off the rails for me in Season 3. Of course, Noah faced challenges after being released from prison. But instead we got interminable episodes involving the corrections officer (Brendan Frasier) and the French professor (Irène Jacob).
4
Great recap but I object to the categorization of The Waterboys as an Irish band. Mike Scott, the main songwriter and only constant member over the years, has lived in Dublin for many years but he is undeniably Scottish.
6
Brilliant finale (and series) on so many levels. But did anyone else notice just how bad Anna Paquin’s America accent was?? Ouch.
7
@Paco Manu Joanie story line was my least favorite. Her character was the least likable as well.
12
@Paco Manu The one line her accent was very noticeable was when she asked Noah, "So, tell me how I get back home." I'm sure I missed others.
@Geraldine Conrad I agree, for such a strange actress, I kept expecting Stookie Stackhouse to get vampire bill out of the coffin!! It was a little too late for her and she should have passed on the role. As far as Alyson and Cole, was over them. Noah told it all best at the end.
Alison deserved better and Noah got it too good.
5
@ro
You can never explain love, or justify it, or rationalize it.
When I recntly recommended the Series to my daughter-in-law it came out sounding like a somewhat trashy novel. . The Affair was my favorite tv series in the past several years and after reading this article I now know why. Sorry to see it end
6
I will really miss this show. The ending knocked me out; between the flash dance - wait, flash mob (that exchange was perfect) and the beautiful inspiring song, I was toast in spite of myself. This episode was beautifully crafted as a well-deserved love letter to the entire series.
I am in awe of Sarah Treem and all the writers. To pull off such a feat over so many years is incredible and must be an amazing experience. "In Treatment" was also one of the all-time best written and most compelling series ever.
It was believable that Noah and Helen would end up together. Helen continuing to love Noah in spite of herself made complete sense to me. There are many exes who would do anything for each other. Bottom line, Helen knew who Noah was at his core.
Big gaps: the Lockharts disappeared; they were the soul of Montauk, and so was Oscar. Alison and Cole were part of the Fab Four the show revolved around; Janelle's story, poised to intersect with Noah's troubles; the aftermath of the #MeToo accusations, Sasha's story and reaction to Helen leaving him for Noah.
It was funny that Helen's mother made it to 100 years old and died the same year as Helen; so Helen had her "terrible" mother around for life. In the bridal scene, Whitney was accusing her mother of being impossible in the same exact way Helen always refers to her own mother (definitely a mothers/daughters thing).
Dominic West and Maura Tierney are amazing actors; the whole cast is. Bravo to "The Affair."
30
@Hugo Furst
An uncle once removed died fairly young at 73. His father was still around and died just weeks later at 97. Losing a son even at that age was unbearable.
1
An extremely satisfying ending. Alas, "The Affair" has ended. The Waterboys, "The Whole of the Moon" was the perfect touch, had me fighting back the tears.
So long Solloways. See you at the Lobster Roll in the sky.
15
The finale was great on many levels but it was always about Helen and Noah, who finally figured out how to be with each other in the end. When he talks to Joanie in the Lobster Roll, he tells her that you can always run away and reinvent yourself but it's better to be with someone who knows every inch of you. I could not agree more. There will always be struggles with any couple because none of us is perfect. Dominic West's Noah and Maura Tierney's Helen were such flawed and wonderful characters supported by so many others. The changing POV writing/directing style of Treem and Levi was unique and just made The Affair even more interesting. Just so excellent on many levels and I agree that the final scene as Noah dances alone to the Whole of the Moon (this version by Fiona Apple) with the lighthouse in the background on Montauk was the perfect ending after visiting the graves. Life marches on. We grow old if we are lucky and live with our memories - the good and the bad.
19
@Sherri Maddick EXCELLENT COMMENT!! Excellent.
2
Great finale! After watching every episode from the beginning, it was believable that Noah and Helen, the brilliant Maura Tierney, would have that great scene together in the motel room analyzing their history, and realizing that through it all that there was still love, even as friends, between them. The older Noah, kudos to Dominic West's acting. setting the record straight to Joanie about her parents and how her mother, Allison, overcame the loss of her young son and became a strong person, but Cole, her father, never changed, was believable and touching as well. And watching the extremely dysfunctional Solloway family enjoying each other for once was fun. I loved the dancing Noah on a cliff over looking Montauk after his daily cemetery visits to his beloved wife's grave, Helen. Very satisfying ending.
14
@rex It occurs to me that Noah "saved" Joanie from herself, just as years before he'd tried to save her mother. Very satisfying, indeed.
8
the finale stuck the landing in a way few series have. even if i retreat to season one, and noah and allison's unabashed longing for each other, i always saw this as the noah and helen show. helen was noah's true north, the one who always believed in him, until she didn't, and then she realized she still did. their passion was sweet, and having whitney, who regards both of them as supremely awful in different ways, discover them in flagrante was a comic gem.
i did wonder about helen and her mother's dying in the same year, though. car crash? and margaret made it to 100! that's a lot of nagging....
13
For a show that dealt with such weighty topics, I really appreciated the humor in this episode. Loved the opening scene with Noah as choreographer ('Ride the tractor!' 'Kick the puppy!') and his reference to a Flash Dance (corrected by Stacie as Flash Mob). Really heart warming and had me laughing out loud. It was a good start.
Reflecting on the episode, I think it was appealing in the way that Little Miss Sunshine was. It said that said it's ok to love flawed people.
Beautiful.
20
@FFILMSINC
"Who is really Normal and Not flawed once you get to
know them"..
Well put, indeed! And what an uninteresting storyline it would be with all those "normal" characters.
2
May I take liberty to offer a present-day connection here, yes, with our presidential elections coming up, on the final show's ultimate focus on forgiveness, and how to get there? Marianne Williamson's career has been sharing the virtues of A Course in Miracles, for which millions love her for it - myself included. She's the only candidate talking outside the norm, going deep, looking for understanding for cause and effect, offering solutions - I can't help but see the corollaries with this amazing television show. If this series touched you, I sense her campaign will also. And the upcoming election, and it's myriad consequences for our lives, isn't that something that we're all 'writing'?
5
I just said good-bye to the best TV and DVR company ever.
2
While mourning the end of The Affair I must say the final episode was completely fulfilling. Everything great TV can be at its very best.
33
The show pulled off a good series finale and ended with Fiona Apple's version of "The Whole of The Moon". That song was the best part of the finale.
It was nice that the loose ends of the show were tied up and a time line provided, which is something most series cannot do for some reason.
8
Thanks. The episode was great and this review is great, too.
7
A great finale. This has been one of the best written series that I have seen. As another post stated, I would have also liked to have seen more of Cole and Louisa, but, it is what it is. Thanks for five seasons of top notch entertainment.
9
Thanks Sean, for the great recap. It is jarring that the finale was all about Noah and Helen, when Noah and Alison ruled the first season -- but Alison did get some attention in the finale. Wish there had been more on what happened with Cole, Ben and Louisa. But so it goes.
7
I agree that I am, like Sean, in a forgiving mood. Overall I really enjoyed the finale - especially the wedding and Whitney being called out by her siblings! I did, however, have issue with a few things:
1. EJ would be a good 10 years younger than Joannie. Possible, I guess, but it felt like a cheap writing trick.
2. When Joannie was telling Noah what Cole had told her about Alison it did not ring true to me. First, because Cole was always very protective of Joannie when it came to Alison and second, because Cole didn't even fully believe Alison committed suicide so why would he tell her that Alison chose to leave her? It all seem far too harsh to have come from the Cole we knew. and
3. I wonder how Helen felt when Noah bought the Lobster Roll and transformed it back (from the seafood franchise, remember?) to how it looked when their worlds were completely rocked and her life ruined?? Hmmm.
4. In the vein of cheap writing tricks, I was sort of hoping Noah was going to shuffle off to find Ben and shoot him dead.
19
@Mary
Re: #2, above, I had the same reaction. Despite his bitterness about Alison's relationship with Ben, Cole still loved her, and it rang false that he would have spoken so poorly about her to Joanie.
13
@JR
I know, it was kind of disturbing what she said Cole said to her. I got the impression though that Joanie was a very bitter person and I agree that Cole would not have been so critical of Allison to her. I recall her driving away with him as a young child and Cole spoke very lovingly about Allison. I do think some children who are very young when they lose their parents - no matter what the reason - suffer abandonment issues and this is just what Joanie's point of view was.
One thing that was puzzling was that if Cole was buried in that graveyard on Montauk, wouldn't Joanie have come to the funeral or burial and wouldn't she have met Noah and Eddie, etc. I may have missed an explanation. Montauk seems to have been one small town at that point with few people.
13
@Mary Me too!!! When Noah left the cemetery and went through the woods- I also thought he was going to confront Ben. I’m sorry we didn’t get a brief glimpse of what happened to the middle aged Solloway children.
8
Crikey. A show that can make even Anna Pacquin repulsive certainly is one for the record book.
Ending valedictory shots of a man who ravaged his way through the lives of others isn't what I'd call a feel-good moment.
But I'll say this. As a guide for expectant parents on what never, ever to do to your own children at any stage of life, it's a top-ten.
3
@SCA
... Or, I would argue, as a mediation on transformation, forgiveness, and loyalty.
14
What an incredible ending! The series started with Helen and Noah, and it ended with Helen and Noah. It really always was their story. After a lot of mistakes, a lot of hurt, and so many twists and turns, they found their way back to each other, and I couldn't have been happier to see it. Such a powerful showing of devotion, redemption, forgiveness, and love in this episode - all things that have been at the heart of this show all along, and now laid bare without any influence of perception (the segments weren't called "Part 1," "Part 2," etc. this week, and with the exception of some clothing differences, we didn't get opposing points of view). This finale was perfection, from the writing, the acting, the music, to the setting in Montauk. Noah dancing on the cliff overlooking the ocean as the camera pulled back and he became lost in the landscape, while that amazing song played was just breathtaking. I'm so sad that this incredible show is leaving us.
16
i'm not picky, like some of the reviewers here. i enjoyed the wrap up.
ps old makeup never looks good, but getting older never "looks good," but i think he carried it well.
pps you cannot say anything negative about fiona apple. that's a sin.
4
The finale was just ok for me. A few too many nice and tidied up ends. Sometimes I felt the show jumped the shark: -EJ, Sierra's son, hooks up with Joanie
-Noah buys the Loster Pot restaurant
-Ben goes free, even though we know he murdered Allison
I'm glad Noah and Helen realized they belonged together. I totally hated the Joanie storyline (no offense to Anna Pacquin).
8
@Jewels the Joanie storyline was unbearable and terrible.
20
Mr Collins, thanks so much for your thoughtful recaps, which rightly interpreted the drama without your personal opinion. And many thanks to Sarah Treem, who makes self-reflection and self-realization entertaining.
12
I was waiting for Helen to finally come clean to the children about Noah taking the rap and going to jail for her....as this was essential lie of the series. If revealed it would have added another layer of complexity to Helen's character and story line.
Fiona Apple's theme song was and is a masterful work of lyricism and music. Always mysterious and compelling. Her powerful rendition of The Whole of the Moon was a perfect musical ending
to the series.
18
@Philly girl TOTALLY agree!! My husband and I waited for this reveal in the last season but it never happened. That said, perhaps it's incidental to the central themes of the story that love and humans are messy and acceptance/forgiveness of self and others are keys to a happy life.
7
@SpinMom "...love and humans are messy and acceptance/forgiveness of self and others are keys to a happy life."
You said it. So hard to do, and so very, very true.
1
@Philly girl
This is from a recap of an episode in 2017 from another publication. I did read where she confessed to her family.
"While her parents pass judgment and Helen fires back at them, Martin notices that Stacey is in tears, which halts the argument. "I'm sorry, Mommy. I'm sorry," Stacey says. "No, I am," Helen says. "You didn't do anything wrong. And neither did your dad."
"It was me. I hit Scotty Lockhart. I was driving. It was an accident. I don't know what I was thinking. I'm sorry I lied, but I can't keep lying. I'm sorry. I need you all to know," Helen says, stunning the table. "And I need the Lockharts to know. I mean, his poor mother. ... I have to tell her."
10
Excellent finale - The complicated threads were all woven
together to make a wonderful tapestry of hope, caring,
redemption and forgiveness illuminate the future.
The music, the acting, the philosophical storyline were
all superb and made my heart sing. A little optimistic
and a lot wise. Noah's wedding dance will live on for
always and ever as a sign of live and love.
12
@Larrie Majors It takes a really good actor, someone who can really BE in their character, to make that dancing scene of Noah's not look ridiculous. West is an amazing actor, though. It was so great to see him again after The Wire. He deserves an Emmy for the last episode alone.
25
@Susan So true. It's difficult to character age one's voice and body. I thought West did a fabulous job with his stiffly bent frame and gravelly voice. Everything from the way he tilted his neck down to the way he slowly cleaned the table spoke of age. His joy at being able to impart wisdom to Joanie was palpable. My favorite line: "Even the big things seem small with the passage of time."
5
@Susan So true. It's difficult to character age one's voice and body. I thought West did a fabulous job with his stiffly bent frame and gravelly voice. Everything from the way he tilted his neck down to the way he slowly cleaned the table spoke of age. His joy at being able to impart wisdom to Joanie was palpable. My favorite line: "Even the big things seem small with the passage of time."
West was so convincing, I feared for his safety dancing that close to the cliffs.
3
Best finale since Six FeetUnder. Dominic West deserves an Emmy for this year, and in particular the finale.
Positive for the last show, I will never have to listen or fast forward Fiona Apple’s theme, Container. Her voice with The Whole of the Moon was superb.
30
@Pris -- agree completely re Six Feet Under. It's the only series finale I periodically rewatch, as I just love the scene where Peter Krause is standing behind Lauren Ambrose while she's taking the picture of the family. Told my sister who I watching this finale with, that it was one that I was going to watch again. That scene between Noah and Helen, when Helen walks to the motel and tells him that she loves him ....
6
@Pris I totally thought of Six Feet Under afterward. Agree.
5
@Pris Thought the same. And it was even more poignant than Six Feet Under. As if 30 years of my life had just been taken away in a few minutes.
3
Noah and Helen getting back together is the inevitable ending (wait, that is what happened, right?). An ending majority of the audience wanted.
4
@Bogey Yogi
Interestingly (according to a piece in Newsweek), Sarah Treem said she resisted the reconciliation ending for a long time because it seemed sentimental. But she took her own preferences out of the equation and had to concede that this was where Noah's and Helen's character arcs were headed all along.
13
@JR Good for her. I agree -- the storyline was excellent. I originally did not want Helen and Noah to get back together ... and the way Sarah Treem did it was absolutely masterful.
6
Was the Finale of The Affair sponsored by Procter and Gamble, the manufacturer of Pringles?
6
@wayne griswald that was a totally bizarre product placement. Of course there was also the Veuve Clicquot snd Moet.
5
Notice how both Noah and Helen walked from the wedding to the motel (which didn't seem to be all that close)? "Montauk...wedding... no way are we getting near a car."
13
PS. how did Joanie escape the compound?
3
I loved the last 2 episodes of this final season. I was relieved by the resolution of the ultimate question posed by this series: “how long must we punish those who hurt us the most?” or as some see it, “are we required to ever forgive those who hurt us the most?” I was pleased that a lucid and thoughtful Bruce emerged from the fog to provide young Whitney with beautiful insight in response. We can choose to never forgive. However, we will have many opportunities to experience anger in our lives and far fewer to experience love. When we are young, we assume the opportunities for love and human connection will continue to flow generously but as the lucid Bruce cautioned, “be careful about squandering the opportunities for love” (by which he meant, all forms of love including romantic love, familial love & friendship- for which the show provided numerous examples of the most unlikely connections). I also loved the conversations between mature Noah & Helen about their relationship and marriage. Helen was right that over time, a type of codependency does form but as they mutually agreed, that kind of human connection is not a sickness and no one outside of the relationship has the standing to judge it. Everything doesn’t have to make sense or be fair. In the end, we die so we are only hurting ourselves when we refuse to forgive or live by the rules & expectations someone else sets for us.
16
@Lynn Lawson PF course TV is not real life but it has parallels. The problem with forgiving is you may forgive but you can't forget and the emotions change with hurt and you can somewhat control your thoughts but you have little control over emotions.
1
And they all lived happily ever after. Great.
5
A devoted watcher, I am now seeing for the first time this chat space which is unfortunate as I would have liked to read comments all along. Allison,Helen, Luisa, Sienna and Whitney and Cole's mother were such strong and complex female characters. Helen and Allison held such pain and confusion in their performances that it was mostly riveting to watch their bodies hold the tension. I felt Joanie less so.
Noah looked too old in the finale -more like a healthy 100 than an ailing 80- that was off putting as well as the story line that he would buy the Lobster Roll....it was a big disappointment to not have Helen in the last acts and not too believable that she would not live beyond 79 or demise before Noah - I think the wedding was a distraction and unnecessary once we had seen the tension about the planning of the wedding and enough was said about it - But in the end I agree with many comments here and think the strongest finale moment was Noah's speech about love to Joanie - it was slightly treacly but reminded me of the sonnets from the portugese - love does this and not that and through a life over decades all is forgiveness in the end
11
@M
"treacly"
Never heard of this word before this weekend and then I read it twice.
2
@M I actually thought the old age makeup resonated for Noah. He did seem 'crinkly and creaky' for an 80-year-old, but years of drinking and stress ages folks.
Also noted that Helen and her mom died the same year, leaving us to wonder if the burden of caring for her mom contributed to Helen's demise.
Loved, loved, loved the smiles from Noah. It appears he found peace within and without.
11
So his dead girlfriend's daughter and his son by another girlfriend?? An epigeneticist?!? The only thing they missed was somebody coming back from death. You would think a show created and written by a woman would do better than the old, tired "Women forgiving the sinners because he is a goid guy after all" A narcissist and his co-dependent long suffering wife together again is as sad as it can get for women.
2
@Rosie Epigenetics is a legitimate area of genetics and is not some science fiction topic. I am a biologist and the example of inherited trauma or the cherry blossom experiments actually explained epigenetic inheritance quite well, although I know of no research to indicate there is any evidence for these particular things being inherited epigenetically.
8
@Rosie EJ wasn't Noah's son. He's Sierra's and Vik's son.
10
@Rosie RJ is Vik and Sierra's son, not Sierra and Noah's son.
5
Whatever happened to Noah’s writing career? I was surprised that this wasn’t explained.
8
He was living off royalties AND MAYBE A 🎥 ??? I’mo now he was always married to a woman of means OR DID U MISS THAT? Who cares what boots she was wearing... MONTAUK is relatively small where the key diners are... try camping there it’s still like the 60׳s
1
@Ruth Village,nyc According to Margaret, she and Bruce were broke because Bruce's AD caused him to give away their money?? Or make bad investments?? But they still had that monstrosity of a house. But they had to sell it before Montauk succumbed to climate change destruction to make $$ on it.
3
I'm glad the review mentioned John Doman in the Odds & Ends. He was a Marine in Vietnam and came to acting in his forties. He did a good job of being a 'normally insufferable' foil and irritant through the series run. It was nice to see the character have the lucid moment so he could enjoy the dance with his granddaughter at the wedding.
27
@Rauol
And then tank in the pool!
3
@Rauol Bruce apparently took his Aricept just in time to be lucid for Whitney's regret about Noah not being there and her request.
3
I was not a fan of the show but my spouse was and so watched every show. The last season was the best. The finale was the best series finale I have ever seen.
14
Well it seems bashing series finales is de rigueur these days but fortunately " Affair " lived up to the oceanic ebbs and flows of it's characters ( even those absent ) quite believably . Yes the music was great , the arcs of it's characters were tied up in somewhat pretty little bows but the real ending the ending that awaits all of us was spread out on the half shell for all of us to contemplate. We live. We die . We make mistakes. None of us are immune to this and the human frailties we succumb to and how we deal with them are as old as time and happen no matter where or how we live. In a time when tribalism rocks the internet and the world the "Affair" shows us the great equalizer is eternity. Be careful what you allow to define you.. time has a way of running out before you can change your own narrative.
45
I'd like to give a shout out to some of the comic moments in the finale that slipped by seamlessly -- how cool that the writers never lost sight of how humor adds depth to life experiences.
--Seeing Bruce tied to a chair during the wedding ceremony and Helen's look that said "Seriously??" at her Mother not once, but twice.
--Trevors matter-of fact remark to Noah after letting him know he doesn't hate him" "Nice Talk".
--EJ's recap of their familial connection to Joanie and his rueful "So you did see that movie".
--Margaret's "Gotcha" kiss to Helen
I'm really going to miss this show. Outstanding writing and performances for 5 years kept me hooked. Love the finale.
And does anybody know what song ended the penultimate episode as Noah sits beside Helen's hospital bed ?
38
@Karen The song at the end of Ep. 510 is an Arthur Russell composition, "Close My Eyes," performed by an artist from Austin, Tx. named Redding Hunter. Originally appeared on an Arthur Russell tribute album.
3
@Karen
Close My Eyes by Redding Hunter
2
@Charles Thank you !
1
I'll attempt to speak for all of us, thank you Sean.
16
The movie referenced was Casablanca.
6
I loved the finale and i will miss this show. It was all about Helen and Noah for me and I’m glad the story ended so beautifully. Bravo to the writers and the cast.
28
I hated this show for so long - then loved it immediately in it last season. Best series finale since Battlestar Galactica: Reimagined Series and Six Feet Under. Captain Adama talking to the grave of Rosalind. Claire surrounded by photos she took of her loved ones. Noah at Helen and Butler family graves, talking to Helen. I surmise that he and Helen did end up back together, in a way, at least (can't imagine Helen uprooting the younger children yet again). Loved Noah dancing - he is finally seeing, with his closure with Joanie, "the whole of the moon," and he has this one last chance of family redemption - with Joanie. Love that he never stopped loving Helen over the decades. Helen and Margaret died in the same year (2051) - not surprising for such a thing to happen in families. Healthy Helen - how did she only live to age 79? Such a moving scene. Glad to lean Stacey inherited her father's gift.
19
I thought the finale did the series and the characters and their stories justice. One thing I haven’t seen mentioned in any recaps is - wasn’t that Allison’s beach that Noah danced above? The one where she said the waves are even angrier than her? Was he also celebrating the other great love of his life with his dance? It won’t take anything away from my enjoyment of the finale if not, but thinking that had me in tears once I saw where he was.
15
I don’t think it matters. So much of the final outcome here was due to circumstance. If Alison hadn’t died, if Vik hadn’t died... Noah and Helen loved other people, too. That doesn’t take away from their love for each other, though, and maybe only adds to it. The point is, as @MC noted, life is gray, not black and white.
12
@kdghty Yes, I thought that immediately when I saw him climbing those old steps to the cliff. I think it was Allison's beach and she tells a family story set there, right? I'd like to see that scene again.
My goodness, Noah dancing had me in tears. Such joy. Just beautiful, I can barely rouse myself from the couch and he's traipsing all over Montauk with a cane.
And that song...brava Fiona!
3
I loved the finale. This show had its ups and downs as far as the writing is concerned but they nailed the ending. Fiona Apple’s version of The Whole of the Moon was excellent and a perfect ending.
11
Other than the fine choices of music this was one of the worst 90 minutes of television I have endured in quite some time. I thought the season as a whole was well written but tying things together with the strange twists was just too much. Coincidences are fine but when overdone they lapse into parody rather than drama.
8
@A Goldhammer It was the best series ending since Six Feet Under and Battlestar Galactica:Reimagined Series. So moving those last few minutes with Noah alone at the grayeyard and dancing on the cliff. So he and Helen DID get back together! Yay!
16
I agree with those that say this was always about Helen and Noah. Their scenes were always the best acted and written in the show. Two top actors.
It’s a shame we could not have had more Whitney at the expense of all the other pointless characters (Ms Paquin included)
This finale was a strange mix, it felt a bit like the finale of six feet under with the look forward combined with an episode of the Adams family. Bizarre.
3
At the risk of repeating myself, I feel Whitney got the most at the expense of all the others. She could deplete the air in a room with her selfishness. She could do what she wanted (without ramifications) and always got what she wanted while, in the end, was rewarded with happiness (if only temporary) for her miserable attitude. I would have felt better for her chances going forward with Colin if they had given each other a piece of the wedding cake in that scene in front of the hotel room. But then, I'm a hopeless romantic.
5
Excellent finale and I'm so glad it was.
What a well-written and acted (to say the least) show, so thought provoking. For all those who think life happens in black and white, this show insisted we consider the gray areas. Great art!
14
The Whole of the Moon is actually about C.S. Lewis, whom Mike Scott revered in college. Look it up. Mike Scott said so. It's a love song, but not in the conventional sense.
13
@PrairieFlax
Thanks for that info. What a great reference. And the sentiment can be true for so many kinds of relationships.
5
@PrairieFlax
Whomever was the inspiration, I thought this song - like every other piece of the soundtrack for these past 5 seasons - was utterly dreadful. And the title song & its singer, Fiona Apple - yikes. She sounds like a Nichols & May rock'n'roll sketch about a big star named Clyde Ankle. Strained on every level.
2
@AMF
Fiona Apple's version of "The Whole of the Moon" was indeed intended to sound "strained" compared to the upbeat Waterboys version. I think, it fit the scene perfectly to emphasize the toll of thirty years time passed.
5
Of all the series finales, I felt the Affair last show was done so well! The writers never stopped showing the many complicated sides of life, love, family. Each week I walked away with different perspectives. Last night did not disappoint. And although I didn’ Want to see Noah at 80, I loved his final flash dance on the cliffs of Montauk. Somewhere in those year, he did find redemption.
I will miss my Sunday night show!
38
all in all a good show, that brought into focus, the imperfections of us all as seen through the eyes of other imperfect people.and in that sense, very human and sympathetic.which you can't say about much in tv, ao the movies these days.thank you to the very talented actors, and writers.montauk seemed the perfect backdrop for so much of the story lines, more so than california.no need to add a disaster area to the human disasters.
12
@jack Montauk became a disaster area in the "future" scenes due to climate change.
2
A show that marked the highest highs and the lowest lows in a life, told in a for it's initial airing then-innovative manner, marred by the loss of two great characters, and sometimes uninteresting and uneven storylines. Nonetheless, a fabulous use of my time for five seasons, and I loved it. I've lived more of it than I would say if my real name was used here, and I've loved, cried, laughed and cheered through it all.
It tackled many more issues than the title would give way to believe, and it did so in a way that made us see we are all flawed, all far too human, and all too wrapped in our own perceptions of what "reality" is.
And the to die for soundtracks!
I loved the ending. Thanks to those who created it.
Bravo, "The Affair." For this one viewer, I am saddened by my loss of you.
66
I thought it was a great finale.
If it is the year 2053 (when Joanie returned to Montauk) and Noah was born around 1972 (Helen birth year) then Noah is 81. He looks extremely old and frail for 81 - considering that's within a few years of several presidential candidates. Just thought that was distracting.
So interesting and insightful having different points of view of the characters. Helen's view of the mother/daughter relationships and Joanie's interpretation of what her father thought of her mother were sad but understandable.
10
Unfortunately, 81 is in fact pretty old, relative to life expectancy, isn’t it? My parents are in their ‘80s - still very active physically and as independent as they have ever been (my mother still “power walks”)- but I can’t imagine either of them starting a job as challenging as the presidency at this point in their lives. I am the age of Noah & Helen in the present (at Whitney’s wedding) & I am not sure I would be up to the challenge either. Part of the problem with reaching that age is how quickly things can change- think of Bruce’s character, for instance- and Helen apparently died at 80 as many otherwise healthy people do. I thought the makeup crew did an incredible job of aging Noah (I was less impressed with Luisa’s transformation) who was, after all, living alone, without transportation, while running a business, reading novels & dancing on cliffs.
10
@Lynn Lawson
For a woman (in the US) currently aged 65, you have a 50% chance of living to age 88 and a 25% chance of making it to 94. For men those numbers are 85 and 92.
3
@Susan
As a senior on Medicare, the best I can do is help where I can and hope for the best.
1
When the series was at it's best it dealt with perception and emotion truth around really difficult life/death situations. The show lost its way when it wove in surprise and unlikely plot lines and twists. (I never loved the Vic plot line.)
I was completely devastated when Alison died, the way she died and Ruth Wilson's performance in that episode. I was bereft at the loss of her character, who's inner life set the tone for the show. The end of season four, left me yearning and empty, causing an open space for anything to happen in the final season. I surprised myself by continuing with the series after the end of season four.
I also came to really care about Cole...a character I did not like for a long time and was so sad that Alison and Cole would never make it back to where they belonged, with and to each other.
The story was always about Noah and Helen and Alison. So, I was not surprised and predicted that Noah and Helen would make it back to one another, despite some of the California nonsense.
The shot of the kids, all together in their quirkiness, escapees from their own family wedding ,really worked, in spite of the awkwardness of the moment when they see their parents at The Memory Motel (nod to the Rolling Stones).
The performances of West, Tierney, Wilson and Johnson were always compelling and stellar. In the end, it really was a story about Noah's journey, which was very apropos as he was the emotional center of the series.
25
I found the finale far more moving than I expected to, and more surprising still is that it felt earned.
Rather than pursuing the "Joanie's revenge" plot line, the writers were smart to wrap up her story by giving her a different, more profound kind of closure -- hearing the truth from Noah about her mother's strength of character and how she transformed her life, as well as the virtue and difficulty of sticking with those we love, no matter what. For all his faults, Noah was single-handedly responsible for breaking through Joanie's generational trauma and urging her not to pass it along to her daughters by disappearing from their lives, as her own mother unwillingly had.
Through his conversation with Joanie Noah saved what remained of Alison's family, after saving, with Helen, what remained of his own. I'd call that a kind of redemption.
117
@JR
In the end, Noah finally did good.
19
@Charles It would be easy to fall in love with 80-year-old Noah; 50-year-old Noah, not so much.
6
I love that a lobster roll costs more than $60 in 2053.
26
What year was this? Cole died in 2053, Helen in 2051. Any hints in an earlier episode about how long Cole was dead when she visited his grave?
What happened to Alison's ashes?
Was the Memory hotel in earlier episodes?
Was it ever made clear what happened to Montauk?
9
@wayne griswald
I remember reading in a earlier episode recap that Joanie first visited Montauk in 2053 (based on a date on some type of equipment she had) and the assumption was that he had only died months before.
3
I’m an episode last season Cole grabbed and ran away with Alison’s ashes during her memorial service, then sat with them at a graveyard and cried.
5
@wayne griswald when Joanie put on her special weather history glasses the date was Oct 27 2053
3
A very satisfying finale.
13
I cried/bawled for the last 30 minutes of the finale. Could barely see Noah dancing through my tears.
Oh how I wish Helen had lived longer than age 79. But I did have a chuckle seeing that her mom made it to 100.
So bittersweet to see this series end. This is one of the only shows I frequently would watch more than once, to see whether I could spot differences between perspectives I hadn't noticed the first time around.
Thank you Sean Collins for lovely recaps that make me think and reconsider how I interpreted some of the episodes, and most of all to the show's creators and actors for such fine work.
83
I liked it when Noah said “more like 60 years ago”. I was thinking the same thing. Sometimes they really were quite smart.
26
I predicted we'd see an old Noah once we saw the Paquin scenes set in the future. That was great, and the conversation between Noah and Joanie was gorgeous. The finale was wonderful.
60
You nailed it! I will miss your commentary and hope another great show comes along like The Affair that will allow you to bring it all into focus again!!
26
Did I miss what happened to Helen and how she died? She was a pivotal character and my favorite, yet there was no closure except for Noah sitting and reading by her tombstone.
I was bothered by the amount of time devoted to closure for Joannie (annoying plot line and character) and the lack of any time devoted to Helen.
22
I’m the opposite in that Allison was my favorite and that the great Helen and Noah romance at the end put me off. Helen and Noah were always going to have problems.
2
@kate
E.J., in his talk with Joanie, gave us some clues regarding Helen's life in the intervening years.
9
@kate
We don't know how Helen died, but in the end does it really matter? We know that she and Noah were together until they were 79, which is a long run for a second chance.
I found the Joannie plot line annoying until the finale. Her conversation with Noah brought the Alison story to a satisfying close and saved Joanie from making the same mistake Noah had made -- abandoning the family and leaving trauma and resentment in her wake. As another comment notes, their talk concisely summarized the theme of the entire series.
28
I will miss reading the superb episode summaries and the perceptive reader comments. It has been a struggle for me to like The Affair this season. With Joshua Jackson and Ruth Wilson gone, it felt like the writers were struggling to find a new focus. I don’t think they did. The finale was an attempt at a grand summation, with lessons learned, lives rebuilt, patterns of destruction ended. Noah has become the sage of Montauk, uttering cliched pearls of wisdom with a kind of dreadful earnestness.
The show’s ending is completely improbable. For example, there is no way that Helen and Noah would ever reconcile, given the wreckage they have made of each others’ lives.
I am saddened to see a show that started with such brilliance end in a morass of cliches and artificial happy endings.
18
@Mark Siegel disagree Mark...forgiveness is what we should all strive for!
21
I agree. And feel that Allison and Cole were the great characters of Montauk, while Helen and Noah were mainly visitors. Why would Noah want yo spend his life at the Lobster Roll, but for Allison? It seems to me that some story got twisted around or changed for surprise’s sake or a need for Helen and Noah to be together.
13
I appreciate your comment. Of course we strive for forgiveness and can achieve it. Perhaps Noah and Helen did forgive each other, but could they get back together as a couple? No way.
1
While I always wondered about the Joanie storyline, in the end, it served as the prelude to Noah's talk with her, a talk which, ultimately, captured the essence of the entire series.
Dominic West and Maura Tierney nailed it.
Bravo.
95
@Charles Agree. Bravo. And Fiona Apple's rendition of "Whole of the Moon" nailed the ending as Noah/Dominic West danced. Her emphasis on these particular words lingers days later:
"I spoke about wings
You just flew
I wondered, I guessed and I tried
You just knew"
8
Just happened to watch a few episodes of In Treatment. Sarah Treem is brilliant-she seems to see and feel more. I wanted some reminder of Allison at the end, and got it, through Noah’s genuine admiration for her. Great music also. There were a few plot holes (Whitney did not know who planned her wedding?} but who cares? It was always about the relationships. Loved the Solloway family scene eating wedding cake. That was perfect.
30
@Jasmine
I’d forgotten about the writer and In Treatment. I watched the entire series when it first aired and actually the whole thing over again a few years ago.
It’s one of my favorite shows - aha!
Brilliant writing!
8
Yes! For sure! Beats some absurd resolutions to THE AFFAIR! I can well imagine Noah and Helen getting together in the MONTAUK of Helen’s family Estate... it’s easy to imagine them all hanging there in their old age... Let’s hope Whitney got away with her talents and is doing well in Dublin maybe with Colin who didn’t fit America... As for Alison’s demise a lot was NOT satisfyingly resolved and WE ALL KNEW IT, because even Noah repeats that she was his love! The California episodes were often fun and new age Edgy. No one mentioned how good Spielberg’s first wife’s acting ( Amy!) was... and closer to her REAL narrative. The Drama around Helen’s ‘new temp family’ was hardly tolerable, and so glad Sasha’s whereabouts faded! What a sleazy man! As for the Paris episodes and school Principal story, wouldn’t have minded new series rebirth around those topics... WE ALL could have done without Noah’s running THE LOBSTER ROLL. It seemed surreal and hardly happening to him in real life. Common now. Let’s hope Noah who in real life is quite a successful actor returns home to spend more time with his beautiful REAL FAMILY!
2
Very enjoyable, laughed and cried. Last weeks episode- did anyone else notice Helen’s 3 different pairs of shoes starting from when Noah got her out of the Tesla to hike? I just don’t think Noah had boots for her at his house, lol funny the things that bug you.
9
@Jackie F Speaking of shoes, when Helen was walking Whitney down the aisle she was wearing some kind of orthopedic looking clodhoppers but when she WALKED to Noah's motel, she was wearing spike heels. The reverse would have made more sense.
12
@Jackie F I noticed Helen didn't carry a handbag or backpack.
Where does she keep all her stuff?
2
@Jackie F Her boots were mentioned NUMEROUS times in the comments section.
3
Before reading the write up and comments —
Perfect
Perfect
Perfect
Brilliant
Bravo writers!
Bravo cast!
Bravo the entire production!
Trauma
Yes
Trauma
Healing
Yes
Healing
Hope
Hope
Hope
One cannot live without hope.
I wish I could have transcripts of this entire series; truly the writing was as fine as a Pulitzer Prize winning novel.
(You can see why they had to make Noah a writer.)
More soon....
54
I do agree! My first thoughts and feelings at the end of it was that it was perfect, a brilliant end to a fantastic show. They all will be missed
23
Enjoyable!
Favorite series Character: The cop who hounded Noah in Season 1
Worst Character: Furcat
18
@John But he was great comic relief.
3
@Lorenzo
I found the cop to be the comic relief character.
1
Bravo!
17
Tears
17
Who was the guy Sierra was with? I know he had to do with movies, but I forgot who he was.
10
@Lorenzo I think he was a director or producer she met when she auditioned for a role in a film. They had a one night stand. Looks like it endeded up as more than that.
6
@Lorenzo
Her Madame Bovary director, Leif.
4
@Lorenzo The director for whom she auditioned in L.A. He turns out not to be merely a narcissist, it seems
6
Thoughtful reviewing, thank you - although my own thoughts are very different from yours. I have been so annoyed in general with this entire season and in the manner in which these writers/producers attempted to wedge Joanie into the narrative, in this nonsensical-futuristic scenario.
These producer/writer people created such a ridiculously-skewed picture of Los Angeles in these last 2 seasons, it reminded me of "Annie Hall" when Alvy Singer flies out to 'win back' Annie, and they meet at The Source, the prototypical hippie restaurant on Sunset in the 70's. Also seen in "Blume in Love", a wonderful send-up to that era by Paul Mazursky, a master of contemporary LA satire. The Sierra character, the weekend retreats, the entire art direction in general, looking like everyone lives in a Richard Neutra home. Nutty! No Craftsman, no Stickley, no Spanish haciendas even - crazy people who, obviously, have never spent any time in that city.
The main criticism of this 'conclusion' I have, though, is the fact that Helen never came clean to her kids about Scottie's death, and the fact that their father took the fall for this, to keep their kids' mothers (both of them) with these kids. Of all the dropped characters and story-lines, this one was the critical theme in defining Noah Solloway, and was illustrated in his chat with Joanie in the Lobster Roll.
End of the baseball season - end of this series. Thanks for the weekly chats here :-)
23
@AMF Helen and Vic were rich. Noah's house was in the hills and looked Craftsman-y. :)
What surprised me was that Stacey wrote "Montauk." I missed seeing her name on the book in the cemetery scene. I agree that it was a huge oversight not to have Helen tell her family the truth. Giving closure to Joanie's story over Helen's didn't seem respectful of Helen's character over five seasons, while Joanie was in one season.
3
@AMF
The writers chose to leave the circumstances surrounding Scotty's death in the past, along with Ben's involvement in Alison's death, deciding that it was more important for the characters to move forward. Bruce Butler told Whitney that holding on to resentment can hurt the angry one far more than the other person.
Noah had already redeemed himself to his children. The characters had reached a place of healing, and it would have served no purpose in the timeline of the finale to expose all those old truths. And who knows? Maybe at some point in the following thirty years they did have that conversation.
12
@Susan
I did wonder how Noah, who went into debt to pay for Whitney's wedding and whose future as a writer was precarious, had the funds to buy the Lobster Roll.
7
I feel it was always Noah and Helen's love story.
64
@Ellie Agreed. Perfect ending.
4
The ending was perfect! I will miss all of these characters and this wonderful show. Bravo
28
Question. What was the movie referenced in the episode? It was described as Allison's favorite movie.
6
@Roberta Casablanca, Rick to Ilsa. (I had to look it up, too).
5
Casablanca.
4
@Roberta The movie was "Casablanca". The line referenced was when Humphrey Bogart's Rick tells Ingrid Bergman's Elsa that if she doesn't stay with her husband (Paul Henreid), she would at some point regret that for the rest of her life.
18
I found this finale to be very satisfying and moving for the most part, despite my dislike of Anna Paquin's excessive facial expressions I found her emotional core authentic, and while the aging make up was distracting as usual, by the end of the episode I didn't mind it as much.
I was on board for the reunion of Helen and Noah despite knowing that to some extent that storyline was coerced due to Alison leaving the show over financial and/or other issues.
Maura Tierney and Dominic West are truly nuanced fantastic actors and I will miss them and their characters.
47
@IB West deserves an Emmy for this episode. Incredible acting. After "The Wire," I never thought I'd see him in anything as great as that show again.
16
One of the few series' endings that made total sense. It was sublime. Well done.
75
Overall this was an ok ending. The Joanie parts still feel so tedious and long. Especially the way they rush to fill in all the blanks. Also, was Cole's house secure with a piece of cardboard duct taped into the broken window?
But the wedding as a whole was very sweet. Bruce's fall into the pool was wonderful and funny (except for the band). I like old Noah, he has really mellowed with age.
17
@Lorenzo I admit to cringing just a little when the Joanie title appeared. Her character's bitterness made for difficult viewing. When we at last see the tightness in her face soften on the train ride home, it's spare reward for the trudging journey that was Joanie. And why was she made blonde? Wasn't Joanie a dark burnette as a child?
1
@Karen G I cringed too! I couldn't believe they'd add her to the finale. But at least her parts were somewhat mercifully short (and lame).
4
The main reason for her segment seemed to be to close the Alison one. And to show us another story of a life changed. So, there's that.
1
To my eyes, it looked like all of the characters found a way to forgive themselves.
Enjoyed the entire series, and am sad to see it done.
75
@Paul
"it looked like all of the characters found a way to forgive themselves."...
And each other.
36