1. Helen’s parents throw a fancy party
One week after the Solloways’ arrival, the Butlers have a big party to celebrate the start of summer. Noah’s father–in–law Bruce proves to be a constant jerk: he refuses to let his grandson beat him at chess, invites his mistress to the party which upsets his wife and insults Alison for the way she dresses. With all the pressure Noah is putting on himself to write a second novel, it’s easy to see how Alison is his escape and a source of inspiration that his life no longer provides.
2. The Lockhart Ranch
On the way back from the farmers’ market, the Solloways stop at the ranch Helen rode at as a kid, which just so happens to be owned by Alison’s husband’s family. Martin gets a job working for Cole at the ranch, and Stacey signs up for lessons, so the Solloways and Lockharts will be running into each other often. Noah and Alison will have plenty of chances to try to behave normally in front of everyone.
3. Alison and Noah sneak away to the beach
While Alison goes about her everyday life, Noah appears infatuated with her by turning every time he sees someone on a bike, jogging past her house and thinking about her in the shower. Both admit that he was the more interested one at the farmers’ market, but she claims to have told him about her marriage while they were there, while Noah said he didn’t know until they went to the beach during the party. The pair remember the event that started their affair with more similarity than their first meeting, but Alison focuses on Noah making her feel again during her depression, while Noah considers Alison a seductive muse for his novel.
4. The investigation
A few more details about the crime are given, but the show is still holding its cards close. What we do know is: a man was hit by a car and killed while walking away from a party filled with locals, the road he was on leads to the rich part of town and Alison claims to miss him while Noah seems indifferent. Based on clues in the story, the only potential victim that jumps out this week is Alison’s brother–in–law Scotty. Scotty flirted with Noah’s teenage daughter and was caught sneaking upstairs with her—an event Noah conveniently left out of his story.
5. Odds and ends
This episode introduces the opening credits, a haunting sequence featuring Fiona Apple’s “Container.” Alison’s morning errands seem a bit odd; she picks up fish from the dock, brings them to the train station where she doesn’t do anything but check in with Caleb, then leaves with the fish, although they’ve disappeared by the time she reaches the diner. Are the disappearing fish a clue or just another instance of forgotten memory? Noah’s career as an author means his recollection flows better, but it often seems more like fantasy than truth.
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