S05.E03: Episode 3

[ScoobieDoobs]

Must admit, I did have one hearty laugh in this ep.  When Janelle told Noah that she’s back with her ex & he looked at her incredulously & said, “but he cheated on you” — oh yeah, that was hilarious.  Hey, Noah, have you met yourself?

[Razzberry]

8 hours ago, ShortyMac said:

I'm sure Vik was well-paid. He was a pediatric surgeon. Google says the average salary in LA is $500k. 

That is a nice salary for hospital employed.  I think Helen's name must be on the house since she doesn't seem the least bit concerned about it, but those mortgage payments must be astronomical.  Maybe she'll move in with Sasha - though I have a feeling once the movie wraps his attention will wander.

[Dminches]

On 9/8/2019 at 2:31 AM, DiabLOL said:

Once again they're annoying me with the wonky immigration disinfo. If Whitney's fiance is living here illegally it may not be smooth sailing to simply get married and  study for the interview. Also they won't just hand him his citizenship the day of the interview ffs! That is years down the road and studying would be for that test not answering some random questions about where they met and what brand eye cream she wears. Can't the writers be bothered to just Google this at least? If not then just skip it! This is even more annoying than the bs with Louisa.

If they got married he would be able to get a green card which would allow him to work in the US.  The citizenship part is completely separate and wouldn't help him with his work status unless he and Whitney divorced and immigration decided that the marriage was a sham.

Edited September 11, 2019 by Dminches

[Dminches]

The only person on earth capable of completing Noah's "day" is Ray Donovan and Noah is no Ray Donovan.

[weaver]

Sometimes I wish Noah would shout to the rooftops, "I didn't kill Scotty, I took the rap for the long suffering Helen. "  

[MamaBird]

5 hours ago, weaver said:

Sometimes I wish Noah would shout to the rooftops, "I didn't kill Scotty, I took the rap for the long suffering Helen. "  

And for Allison too, right?  She's the one who pushed Scotty into the road, but I can't remember if Noah knows this or not.

[Dminches]

1 hour ago, MamaBird said:

And for Allison too, right?  She's the one who pushed Scotty into the road, but I can't remember if Noah knows this or not.

If my memory serves me correctly Scotty was harassing her so he got what he deserved and she isn’t at fault.  Helen clearly is.

I don’t think Noah knows Alison was there but i really can’t remember.

Edited September 11, 2019 by Dminches

[MaggieG]

Didn't Noah see Allison when he ran out of the car to see what they hit? I remember a scene with Allison standing there in shock, saying "I pushed him." I could be misremembering 

[HC87]

2 hours ago, MaggieG said:

Didn't Noah see Allison when he ran out of the car to see what they hit? I remember a scene with Allison standing there in shock, saying "I pushed him." I could be misremembering 

I think you're thinking of a different show 🙂

[izabella]

5 hours ago, MaggieG said:

Didn't Noah see Allison when he ran out of the car to see what they hit? I remember a scene with Allison standing there in shock, saying "I pushed him." I could be misremembering 

I remember this scene, too.  Noah was in his hands and knees and looked up to see Allison on the side of the road.

[ScoobieDoobs]

15 hours ago, weaver said:

Sometimes I wish Noah would shout to the rooftops, "I didn't kill Scotty, I took the rap for the long suffering Helen. "  

Yeah, but that little ditty is something very important to keep in mind.  When Helen looked so smugly proud of herself, to close the door on a drunk Noah, I was thinking -- not so fast, hun, you owe him big time.  He went to prison for you!  And when Sasha casually & rather nastily dismissed Noah's concern for Helen, by saying Noah left her, I thought -- well, Sasha doesn't know the whole story.  He does NOT know that Noah went to prison for her.  See, now this is interesting & layered stuff. 

So with all this stuff from 4 seasons with these characters, why the fuck does Treem have to throw her political beliefs into it?  My theory is this show had a four character arc for 4 seasons & it was strong & worked really well.  Now it's left with 2 characters & there's a big, huge hole left with Cole & Alison gone, so Treem & her staff had to work over-time to fill that hole.  Not working so well.  Janelle & the "racism is wrong" storyline went in & out quick.  Will the climate change shtick be abandoned once they finally get into Joanie's story?  I suspect this will be the last ep we'll see of Trevor & his teen gay storyline. 

This season so far has really lost focus, with these storylines coming & going & no consistency to anything.  Actually, it didn't really make any sense for Janelle to appear in this ep.  Why'd she need Noah to "keep his mouth shut" about their relationship?  They're both adults & it was totally consensual & it's not like they were having sex in the school or in front of kids.  It's just reflective of the piss-poor writing this season.  Ugh, I hope beyond hope I'm not disappointed with the answer behind Alison's death, but if this season so far is any indication, I strongly suspect I will be . . .

[Milburn Stone]

17 minutes ago, ScoobieDoobs said:

Why'd she need Noah to "keep his mouth shut" about their relationship?  They're both adults & it was totally consensual...

Your post is full of great observations but on this one point, I do think there was a reason for her to ask that of Noah. At the time of their affair, she was the principal. He was a teacher. So she was his boss. If their affair were known, the potential is there for an opponent to say she used her power over Noah to coerce him into a relationship, no matter how Noah might protest that it was consensual.

Edited September 12, 2019 by Milburn Stone

[ScoobieDoobs]

Idk, Noah's & Janelle's relationship seemed so discreet & harmless.  If anything, it seemed to lack much heat.  Jeez, now there are so many really ugly scandals, that are routinely covered in the media, of female teachers with underage students, Noah & Janelle, in comparison, seem like ho-hum & a big yawn.  My hunch is Treem wanted to wrap up the Janelle storyline quick & gave her a last appearance for a respectful exit. 

Oh man, I'm just so dizzy from these irrelevant storylines coming & going.  Hey, Treem, just tell us what the fuck happened to Alison, DAMMIT!

[LoveLeigh]

1 hour ago, ScoobieDoobs said:

Idk, Noah's & Janelle's relationship seemed so discreet & harmless.  If anything, it seemed to lack much heat.  Jeez, now there are so many really ugly scandals, that are routinely covered in the media, of female teachers with underage students, Noah & Janelle, in comparison, seem like ho-hum & a big yawn.  My hunch is Treem wanted to wrap up the Janelle storyline quick & gave her a last appearance for a respectful exit. 

Oh man, I'm just so dizzy from these irrelevant storylines coming & going.  Hey, Treem, just tell us what the fuck happened to Alison, DAMMIT!

There were so many irrelevant storylines: the French lady, Noah's hallucinations after jail, the whole Janelle storyline.... Let's get more of Joanie and let's see her investigation in to her mother's death. What's with all the Joanie teasers at the end of every episode so far? 

[Milburn Stone]

8 hours ago, ScoobieDoobs said:

When Helen looked so smugly proud of herself, to close the door on a drunk Noah, I was thinking -- not so fast, hun, you owe him big time.  He went to prison for you!  And when Sasha casually & rather nastily dismissed Noah's concern for Helen, by saying Noah left her, I thought -- well, Sasha doesn't know the whole story.  He does NOT know that Noah went to prison for her.  See, now this is interesting & layered stuff. 

I love this reminder. And it makes me realize that Noah is the tragic hero of this story. Now don't me wrong, everybody. Noah is not the only character who has suffered big-time. Allison actually died, for gosh sakes. And Helen has suffered the affliction of Noah's betrayal and Vic's death. And on and on. But these and others are characters that terrible things have happened to. Noah is the only character who fits the definition of tragic hero, someone of otherwise admirable qualities who is brought down, and undergoes exquisite and unrelenting suffering, as a result of his own choices, driven by his own flaws that he can't expunge. 

[gingerella]

I don't give a rats as about Joanie or her Jetsons life with talking toilets and phones that project photo albums in your hands. I.DONT.CARE. The Tree team should have been fired a long time ago, they're like one hit wonders - they have a good idea at the beginning, then they kill it with the inability to finish the series strong. Shit like this makes me think of Seinfeld's comment about going out on top with viewers clamoring for more. Right now most of us just want this shit show to be over.

[AngelaHunter]

37 minutes ago, gingerella said:

Shit like this makes me think of Seinfeld's comment about going out on top with viewers clamoring for more.

Carol Burnett said it best: ""I think it's classier to leave before you're asked to leave."

9 hours ago, DakotaLavender said:

What's with all the Joanie teasers at the end of every episode so far? 

And the teasers are so damned wonky. Having sex, boobs, snarking about "carbon bombs", eating crickets, arguing with her toilet, having more sex, boobs... like, wtf? Who gives a shit about all that?

[LoveLeigh]

46 minutes ago, gingerella said:

I don't give a rats as about Joanie or her Jetsons life with talking toilets and phones that project photo albums in your hands. I.DONT.CARE. The Tree team should have been fired a long time ago, they're like one hit wonders - they have a good idea at the beginning, then they kill it with the inability to finish the series strong. Shit like this makes me think of Seinfeld's comment about going out on top with viewers clamoring for more. Right now most of us just want this shit show to be over.

I love this show. I do not want it to be over. If I wanted it to be over I would just stop watching it. I love the Joanie story line. I cannot wait to see how her investigation in to her mother's death unfolds. Maybe there is a third possibility we have yet to see. 

There are many shows that failed in the second season: American Gods, Westworld, and The Deuce. I stopped watching American Gods and The Deuce. But I find things in The Affair to hold my interest. I will be unhappy when it ends. 

Edited September 12, 2019 by DakotaLavender

[Snewtsie]

Don't hate me but I loved this episode.  I loved how no one is impressed with Noah any longer - and to see it from his POV is especially delightful to me.  I loved how Janeen's divorce was a perfect parallel of Noah/Helen's divorce, and how Noah felt like a scorned lover.  I loved how Sasha no longer treated Noah as special, and seemed totally irritated with him.  I loved Sasha calling out the possibility that Noah was manipulative to Alison, and telling Noah he shot the scene to reflect that.  I loved how Helen really, truly doesn't give a rat's ass about Noah any longer.  Basically, karma is playing out and it's making Noah lose his shit.  So satisfying to watch!  In Helen's segment, I loved that she feels giddy over Sasha being attracted to her.  I loved they showed her as calm & rational, and she is strong toward her mother.  And I found her sex scene with Sasha to be hilarious.

Now all that said, I really don't get Sasha as being a charismatic movie star; he seems really flat & dull to me. I have no interest whatsoever in Joanie's scenes.  And I hate the principal guy- why is he even part of this show??

[cardigirl]

On 9/11/2019 at 3:26 PM, Dminches said:

If my memory serves me correctly Scotty was harassing her so he got what he deserved and she isn’t at fault.  Helen clearly is.

I don’t think Noah knows Alison was there but i really can’t remember.

He saw Allison in the bushes and she mouthed that she pushed Scotty. 

Helen was driving because Noah begged her to. It was a total accident, but because she already had one OUI on her record, they decided to cover up what happened.  They thought he would beat the jury trial but Noah decided to confess, to protect both women, but Helen was shown to have more guilt about that (in my opinion).

Scotty had figured out that Joanie was Cole’s child and was threatening to tell if Allison  didn’t cut him into the restaurant. So Allison told Noah the truth, he went off with Helen, to drink, after telling Allison he never wanted to see her again, and as he and Helen were driving back to her parents place, Scotty attacked Allison   She pushed him into the road just as Noah distracted Helen by telling her he wanted to come home. 

After the accident, he took Helen back to her parents’ house and told her to say nothing and then went back to the wedding where he and Allison decided to stay together. 

[cardigirl]

I’ve been thinking about the future episodes with Joanie, and if “Dad’s” house was abandoned, but I think it was just that the power grid was down, like the bartender explained, so when Joanie tried to use her electronic key, it wouldn’t work, and she had to break in. 

I’m actually enjoying seeing where the writing team’s vision of the future looks like. Kinda scary!

[Pallas]

I think the fate of the Butlers' waterfront estate on Montauk will be one of the first cross-ties between timelines. Do Helen's parents or Helen sell it before the shoreline takes it?

[Aqua]

On 9/10/2019 at 3:48 PM, ShortyMac said:

I'm sure Vik was well-paid. He was a pediatric surgeon. Google says the average salary in LA is $500k. 

As I recall he was the head of the department at the hospital too so maybe much more.

[Aqua]

On 9/10/2019 at 5:20 PM, hoodooznoodooz said:

I really don’t need to see any character positioning the legs of his/her sex partner up on his/her shoulders, okay, show?

Yeah I agree!!