[S03.E05: Episode 5]

3 hours ago, truthaboutluv said:

Considering Alison's complicity in assisting in the drug dealing, it probably wouldn't help her case to try to use that against Cole, unless she's looking to have Joanie taken from both them. Hell Noah, as she pointed out last season, painted her as a cold drug pusher in his book. 

Except Noah is hardly the best person to judge anything about Cole's feelings and what he may or may not think about Alison. The fact is Noah doesn't know Cole, despite the many ways their lives have intertwined and similarly Cole doesn't really know Noah. These two people have never ever sat and had a real conversation together, really ever gotten to know each other beyond the fact that Cole was Alison's husband when Noah first met and started having an affair with her. And then later he was Alison's ex-husband and then the brother of the guy who died in an accident that Helen caused (and I guess Alison if you want to be very technical). They are two people who based on circumstances, will always see and think the worse of each other, fair or not. 

More importantly, Alison did point out a reasonable fact that Cole has certainly known her longer than Noah has. Therefore, why would Cole's opinion of her, whatever that may be, be more inaccurate than how Noah sees her? Noah has only known Alison post Gabriel's death and this episode Alison more or less confirmed that a part of who she was died when Gabriel did.  Cole knew Alison before the tragedy of Gabriel and after. So frankly I would think he likely has a better sense of Alison than Noah. More importantly, Noah is the one, again per Alison last season and his POV throughout Season 1, seemed to see and remember a much different version of Alison than she saw and remembered of herself during that time. So how well does he really know her?

Have you noticed how Noah has emphasized, quite emphatically, that he loves Allison.  I never heard Cole say he loved her.  

So I say it is "love" that gives Noah more insights into Allison than Cole is capable of.  

[S03.E05: Episode 5]

I have hated Season 3 completely, until Episode 5.  I watch "The Affair" because of the relationship between Noah and Allison, the main characters.  I give the Cole actor kudos, but I do not watch for him.  And I certainly do not watch for Helen and her boring sex affairs.  

I watch for Noah and Allison, and I am disappointed that they are divorced.  I love Episode 5 because it represents perfectly what "The Affair" is suppose to be about.  It is not about Noah and a French woman or about Helen or about Cole.  I did like Helen and Cole having their POVs, but only to a certain point.  

I loved the trip to Block Island, the time they spent together and Noah saying that he is her husband.  I'm not so thrilled with the prison scenes or the Gunther story/hallucination.  

I think it was important for Noah to tell Allison that he loves her.  I think Allison is mistaken about her own feelings.  I thought Noah's interpretation of Cole was intriguing, about how Cole will never regard Allison as more than "damaged goods".  I think Noah is correct about that.  In fact, it takes quite a bit of the shine off the Cole character.  How soon we forget that he was a drug dealer and part of a criminal family.  The custody judge should know about his past.

If they think they can switch out Allison for this French woman, then they are mistaken.  And I am not interested in Helen and her lover.  I'm afraid that Episode 5 is the last time we will see Noah and Allison together in Season 3.  And if this is true, then I rather see the series ended.

[S02.E12: 212]

I thought they went out of their way this season to show how much they really don't love each other, and are working against each other.

 

Noah not telling Allison that his divorce was final, Noah almost cheating except that his assistant turned him down and the Whitney fiasco, Noah not wanting the baby he believed was his, Noah wanting to run away to France and bang every woman who would have him - where's the love?  Allison cheating and lying about the baby's paternity, Allison lying to Noah about her classes, Allison wanting to be in Montauk without Noah or her baby...where's the love for Noah?

 

I am going to watch again, since I like this episode so much.  But my impression was that they still loved each other.  It is not an easy love and has a lot of kinks to it.  It is imperfect, but that's what makes it so realistic.

[S02.E12: 212]

I loved the season finale.  It was great.  They returned to the original format of doing both Noah's and Allison's POV.

While there was some good episodes showing the POV of Helen and Cole, throughout season two there was a lack of showing enough about the relationship of Noah and Allison.  It was like their relationship became marginalized.  I would not cut the POV segments for Cole or Helen.  But there was a lot of fat they could've cut out – such as spending so much time on Yvonne and Robert.  The worst part of season two was creepy Yvonne and Robert.

I love that the whole episode was back in Montauk.  I love that we can see the discrepancies between Noah's and Allison's recollections.  I also liked Scotty's scenes and especially him singing.

I'm glad that they put to rest the truth about the accident, killing Scotty, and about Allison's baby's paternity.  I'm glad Allison came clean with Noah.

The accident scenes were brilliant.  Essentially, no one was to blame, but both woman caused the accident.

It was interesting to see Noah and Allison dancing and holding on to each other in the next to the last scene.  The writers seem determined to demonstrate that they love each other.  It is a hard sell because they didn't emphasize their relationship very much throughout season two.

In response to some comments made above, Noah and Allison's relationship – in my opinion – did not wreck anyone's life.  Scotty's accident was just that – "an accident".  Both Helen and Cole went on with their lives and found other people.  It was the hardest on the children.

I did expect that Noah would confess, and take the blame for the accident.  I predict that both Helen and Allison will speak up to save him when we return in season three.

[S02.E11: 211]

Noah's choices suck too.  Too put it bluntly, they both suck.  They're both shitty people who are responsible for the shitty choices that they've made. 

 

It comes down to which characters you like.  I like Allison.  I'm happy for her for buying the Lobster Roll.  If you don't like her and you want to see her suffer, then you're not happy about it.

Has Noah begun his "Ascent"?

[S02.E11: 211]

And what about Noah's choices?

 

Since when does a parent, even a male parent, who puts his children's needs about his own is doing something remarkable?

We don't know yet who is the father of Allison's baby.  It could be Noah. 

 

I don't agree that investing in the Lobster Roll was a bad decision for Allison.  I would argue it was a great decision.  She has an enormous experience with the place and how to deal with customers.  She will probably be extremely successful.

[S02.E11: 211]

Allison had no choice over many things?  She chose to have an affair with a married man with four children who lived in New York.  She chose to leave her husband to be with him. She chose to accept his marriage proposal before either of them were divorced. She chose to sleep with Cole after being out of touch with Noah. She chose to let Noah believe that he's the father of the baby.  She chose to lie to Noah about going to school for 6 weeks while he struggled to write and had a nanny look after their child. She chose to go into business with her ex-husband without any discussion at all with Noah. She's completely in control of her life. She acts the perpetual victim, yet she's a wrecking ball who causes havoc for everyone else due to her lousy decisions. 

 

And what about Noah's choices?

[S02.E11: 211]

I strongly disagree, it doesn't matter if Alison and Noah are married, they are supposed to be partners and one partner shouldn't make a huge life altering decision without at least consulting the other partner first.

It might be Alison's money but Noah's money is paying for everything else right now so why does she get to do whatever she wants to with her money but he has to support her and the baby with his? Would it be fair if he sold the apartment and moved to France without talking to her first?

I'm all for Alison being independent but when you share your life with another person you can't do whatever you want to do when you want to do it, especially when there are four children involved

 

 

I get your point.  However, Allison had no choice over many things.  Such as Noah's career.  I think she has a right to invest her money wherever she pleases.

Where they live or where she lives is a matter they should discuss.

[S02.E11: 211]

I really enjoyed this episode.  I didn't like the last two episodes.  Episode 11 had that magic again and I think it had to do with being so much back in Montauk.

What I liked: that Allison is acting independently, that Allison went into a business partnership with Cole and they bought the Lobster Roll.

I'm glad that Allison and Cole are partners.  I think he's the person she can trust most in the world, next to her mother.  I don't care what Noah thinks.  Since they are not married yet, he doesn't get a say.  I also hope Allison is smart enough to put her half of the Lobster Roll in a trust for Joni.

I also like the scene with Helen's mother.  I liked what she said about a little forgiveness going a long ways.

I also liked the scene with Noah and Max.  It was rich with feelings and history.  That's why you watch "The Affair".  I also liked watching The Affair for the Montauk ambience.

It's interesting that the POVs was Cole and Noah, and not Allison.  It would've been nice to see her POV also.  She seems to have been marginalized quite a bit in the latter part of season two.

I really don't care who killed Scotty.  I'm not going to waste time wondering who is the father of Joni.  I'm just glad that they are now back in Montauk!

[S02.E10: 210]

Slow episode.  I found the Noah segment absolutely useless.  The best part was Allison and Cole.

It seems the glue in the Noah – Allison relationship is sex.  As long as they're having good sex, they seem to be good with each other.

But Allison does not seem to be as tuned in with Noah as she so naturally seems to be with Cole.  Also, I find Cole – Louisa pretty lame.

With the way the show ended with the lawyer opening the DNA results on the baby, it does seem the baby is not Noah's.

[S02.E09: 209]

The problem is the nature of the show has been changing.  The charm of "The Affair" was that you had both points of views – the cheating man and the cheating woman – for the same happenings.

This season you have more than just those two people's point of view, which has been good.  But not necessarily over the same happenings and less so in the later episodes.

Last night was a complete break from formula and it was totally plot driven.  A plot driven TV show is often of lesser quality.

 

At this point we're just hate-watching this right?

 

Whitney JUST HAPPENS to be at the same celebrity party in the Hamptons as her father, making out with her girlfriend while he ogles them?

 

Cole gets drunk on moonshine and sets his ex wife's house on fire? 

 

Helen has sex with her son's surgeon in her basement while her three kids are upstairs? 

 

And I used to think Homeland was the most far fetched thing on Showtime. 

 

Is there anyone in this group of people who isn't a self destructive asshole?   I will give kudos to Allison for not letting Noah in to see their daughter. 

[S02.E09: 209]

Whitney was in that pool so that she could be the one to rat Noah out to Allison.

We see that Cole has been saving a pile of money from his taxi driving.  Maybe that's the money he uses to buy the Lobster Roll, he doesn't take any money from Allison.  I don't think he'll take money from Allison because he's guilty about Gabriel's death.

Louisa isn't so great.  She's just a rebound girl.

[S02.E09: 209]

Not my favorite episode.  The best part was at the end when Allison told the doctor to let Noah wait will she spent more time with her newborn baby.  Go Allison!  Now she's getting her priorities straight.

It was during Cole's segment that I realized why Allison was determined to get rid of the beach house.  Too many bad memories with Gabriel and maybe she's afraid of another child drowning.

IMO, both Noah and Cole are worthless.  Both are creeps.  It just is that Cole is more sexy.

All the sudden Whitney is age 18?  Wasn't it just last episode when Cole was hustling Scotty away because she supposedly was jailbait.  Someone has to tell the writers that in New York State the age of consent is 17.  At age 17, Whitney was no longer jailbait.

Someone also has to tell Helen that the doctor is a creep.  But it's good to see that she's moving on, however hard it is as a mother alone.  I have a feeling that Noah was screwing around continually throughout their marriage and Allison wasn't the first fling, the way he's going at it now.

[S02.E07: 207]

Noah did live in the house paid for by Helen's money.  I think it comes naturally to him to mooch off of women.

[S02.E07: 207]

Wonderful episode!  It kept me pinned to my chair.

"That's our baby."  Signifies to me that the baby is Cole's.  If it was Scotty's, he would've said, "that's my baby".  I don't think Allison would have killed Scotty over this.

Indeed, throughout her segment it looked like she didn't even like Noah.  I think she stays with him because she has nothing else.  I saw no evidence of great love between them.

If Noah's book is so successful, then why couldn't he pay for this attorney?  I think Allison is paying for that apartment.

The best segment was of course Cole's.  It was so interesting seeing the family history told.  I definitely think he is wasted on Louisa.

I believe now that Whitney killed Scotty.  Why else do they keep that part of the story going?  Like I said above, I don't believe Allison would kill for Noah. 

Max sure recovered from his brief fling with Helen.

I will miss the beach house.

[S02.E05: 205]

A Noah-free episode! What a glorious, glorious thing!

 

I mentioned in another thread a week or two ago that I would love the karma if Allison cheated on Noah with Cole, but now that she's actually done it it just makes me sad for Cole. For all her woe-is-me-my-kid-is-dead, she never seems to remember that his is, too. I couldn't believe the level of selfishness it took for her to go there, crawl into his bed, and then ask him to stay when he tried to leave. She took complete advantage of the guy.

 

And it did make me wonder (1) if the kid was his and then (2) when this show turned into General Hospital.

 

I had no problem with how Alison was dressing and was surprised that the editor did. The job seemed to me to be a more casual, come up and help out and I'll pay you a few bucks so you're not twiddling your thumbs down there kind of thing. I didn't see it as a You're My Editorial Assistant Now!!! kind of thing.

 

Anyway. Can someone kill Noah and really improve the show?

 

I totally agree regarding Noah, I do not agree regarding Cole.

Sure, Cole's very attractive.  But let's not forget he was having his wife run drugs just to save his family's hide.  This is the main reason why I don't think he deserves any money from the sale of her house.  Why wasn't he running the drugs himself?

[S02.E05: 205]

The scene last season of Allison counting the money from the sale of the ranch slipped my mind.

But then again, Allison was financially helping Coles family and she helped with the drug running.  She worked hard at parties and at her job as a waitress.  I think she did more for Cole and his family than he did for her.

Which is probably why I also think he doesn't deserve anything in the house in which she grew up with her grandparents.  And Noah doesn't deserve anything either.  He came back to her after being with a number of women.

After Helen kicked out Noah, he was having sex with one woman after another.  Allison had sex with one other person, Oscar.  And Noah treated her like a yo-yo.  I want to be with you – I can't be with you – I don't want to be with you – – –.

I think Allison is especially vulnerable with Noah, both emotionally and financially.  I get this feeling that he is bound to let her down and leave her.

[S02.E05: 205]

I am glad that Noah was not on this week.  Frankly I'm sick of him.  He seems to suck up all the oxygen.  I also think that Allison would be better off without him.

[S02.E05: 205]

Helen knows Alison knows where they lived. In the episode when Noah tells her he wants out of the marriage, when she starts screaming at him to get out, she finds panties that are not hers in the bed and realizes immediately it was likely Alison's. So she knew he slept with Alison in their bed. 

 

I forgot about that scene.

[S02.E05: 205]

You missed it. She was shown calling him at least twice and leaving messages but for whatever reason he was not returning her call and so I guess she assumed he was at the house with the children and Helen, which is why he was not returning her calls. 

 

Helen needs to take note on how Allison knew where they lived, and how fast Allison is capable of tracking Noah down.

[S02.E05: 205]

I just had a thought.  What if the money that Noah and Allison live off of later is not from the sale of his book, but from the sale of her house?

I find that an awful thought.  I don't even think that Cole deserves half her house.  It is where she grew up with her grandparents.  Her grandmother died while she was married to Cole.  And I understand under community property that he is entitled to half the house.  But that just seems wrong to me.

And it seems even more wrong for Noah to live off her money, if that happens.

[S02.E05: 205]

It is amazing to me that Noah is arrested for Scotty's death.

Above all other reasons, Scotty was a drug dealer.  Being a criminal means interacting with other criminals, many of whom may have wanted him dead.

But my top choice for his killer remains Whitney.  That girl has more than a few screws loose, and could have easily been driving crazy as a demon on those dark roads and mowed Scotty down.

[S02.E05: 205]

I enjoyed episode five the most so far.  It went very fast.

Allison is surely in need of greater self-awareness. However, it is true that Yvonne and Robert are creeps.  Glad she woke up to a few facts and went back to Montauk.  She better fits in at Montauk and she has a place there.

IMO, Helen was untruthful and cruel in what she said to Allison.

I don't think that Cole's future wife to be is so great.  He is just on the rebound.  I'm glad that he and Allison had sex.

[S02.E04: 204]

In no way is Helen to blame for either a cheating husband, or the failure of her marriage.

However, she did make some unwise decisions if she wanted to keep her husband.  When Noah confessed, she kicked him out of their home.  That was not a good decision.  She castigated him, and spoke bad about him to their children.  I don't believe children should every be used against the other parent.

However, whatever mistakes Helen made it does not mean she deserved all this to happen to her.  I have great sympathy for her.

It is a fact of life nowadays that spouses cheat and it is too easy to just find another person that you are more in love with.  This happens all the time.  I don't think anyone can expect their marriage to last forever.  People need to bear that in mind in how they treat each other, and if they want to save their marriage they have to be strong and determined to make the best of the the situation.  Sometimes, it means sucking it up.  And here's the most important point – no one, no law or no government is going to make it otherwise.

[S02.E04: 204]

I do not see Max as anything serious in Helen's life.  He amounts to nothing.  Helen is not going to get together with him.  She doesn't want him.  She is still in love with Noah.
Actually, Helen is taking the situation better than most women.  Yes, she had her crazy day with booze and drugs leading to his disaster in the parking lot.  Yes she slept with Max.  He was like taking another drug.  The scene quite obviously showed that for her sex was unremarkable and bad.
Bad sex on the rebound does not make a relationship.  And as we saw in the last episode, Helen does not want a relationship with Max.  I don't blame her.