Noah meets with a his father–in–law’s agent
The agent throws Noah off guard when he asks for the book’s premise, causing him to grasp for straws. “Well, I think it’s about the death of the American pastoral,” he says. That’s not a premise—it’s a cliche answer given in a high school English class. But, the agent is intrigued and continues to pry the story from Noah, not realizing he’s making it up as he goes. His novel will be about two married people having an affair during a Long Island summer, just like the show, but here’s the twist: the man kills the woman. Knowing that the book was published, it’s interesting to consider whether Noah’s memories have been conflated with the its plot.
Alison visits the hospital
After happily singing along with the radio in the morning, Alison visits the hospital where she once worked. During her interview about returning as a nurse, she witnesses an ill child vomit into his mother’s hands. Seeing that child in pain was heartbreaking enough as a viewer, so we can’t imagine how it must’ve been for Alison, having so recently lost a child herself. The fact that she’s been cutting herself wasn’t shocking—it served as further confirmation of her depression that summer. The difference between how hopeful she was that morning and how devastated she was by afternoon helped sell the authenticity of her story.
Alison attends a town hall meeting
A big part of Alison’s story this week focused on local politics, which may not seem like the most interesting topic. But the town hall meeting served to sketch out the town of Montauk beyond just the Lockharts and Solloways, and gave Cole the best showcase yet for his beliefs and gave viewers an explanation about why Alison would have married him (apart from the fact that he looks like Joshua Jackson). His rousing speech about wanting to regain the integrity of his hometown, where he even buried his son, showed that he knows when to take a stand for what he believes and can be a powerful, respected community leader.
The investigation
Interestingly, both Noah and Alison point the detective towards Oscar, the owner of the diner. Did he actually commit the murder or is he just an annoying person who rubs everybody the wrong way? Either way, the feud between Oscar and the Lockharts served as further proof that the victim is a Lockhart. It is also revealed that the party the victim attended was a wedding, and the detective is surprised either Oscar or Alison were invited. Using the Oscar–Lockhart feud to make the assumption that it was a Lockhart wedding, does that mean Alison became estranged from the family when the affair was revealed? Meanwhile, Noah is still married—is he still with Helen, who either forgave him or never found out, or is he now married to someone else, possibly Alison?
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Odds and ends
Sitting just a few feet away from Noah, his mother–in–law tells her grandchildren how much she didn’t want their mother to marry him and that she’s still not happy with the man he became. With two in–laws that range from condescending to openly hostile, I can’t imagine how Noah can spend a week with them, let alone an entire summer. Alison tells Oscar that nobody in town wants a bowling alley. Seriously? How can anyone hate bowling?
Missed our other "The Affair" Season 1 recaps? You're going to want to check them out...
