The Affair - Season Finale - Review: "It Takes Me Back To When It All First Started"

Note: Please be aware that English is not my first language
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"10" premiered on Sunday, December 20 at 10:00 PM on Showtime.

This season of ‘’The Affair’’ was one hell of a ride. It was a roller-coaster going through an affair with a realism I’ve rarely seen on television before as the actions, the psychology, the feelings and the thoughts of the characters were depicted in a very subtle way making all of their decisions comprehensible and understandable because everything that was shown to us had a precise meaning.
Needless to say, ‘’The Affair’’ was probably my favorite new show of the season. Last season, ‘’Fargo’’ and ‘’The Leftovers’’ blew me away. This season, ‘’The Affair’’ took me on a ride I won’t be able to forget soon thanks to its intelligent writing, its clever narration and its flawless casting.

From episode 7, the show took a really interesting turn. The affair between Alison and Noah has been exposed to a lot of other characters and allowed to take the story further and the writers decided to tell this story through various time jumps. I understand that it might upset some viewers but I found the idea of those time jumps very interesting as it allows us to assemble and put together the pieces that are thrown at us and make our own version of it. The show clearly admitted from the beginning that visions of certain events can change from one person to another, so those time jumps are a very clever choice in a way and it doesn't bother me at all.

For example, the episode kicks out four months after the cliffhanger of last week’s episode when Alison left Montauk on a train, leaving Cole and Noah behind her. After this time jump, we find Alison sharing a journey with Athena as the two of them reunited and strengthened their relationship. So was it really necessary to show us how they gathered? I think it lets us the opportunity to have our own vision of the events that happened. In addition, ‘’The Affair’’ has always been the kind of show to throw at us different events and letting us the task of putting the pieces together.

Concerning this episode, I do agree with Mark Ondo who wrote the preview: we really don’t feel that this season finale is a season finale. But I can’t blame the show for that, it sure has a kind of serialized aspect but it has been established that this show is depicting the lives of the characters and their relationships after an event and its consequences. So it doesn’t force to any kind of explosive finale with shocking twists, it’s just the continuity of this particular story.
The episode is, as I expected, very sober, simple and subtle. And above all, very realistic. How can we not feel the pain of the characters, the struggle of Helen and the pain of Alison?

After those four months, Noah left Helen for good. He is now trying to seriously write his book and he finally got the liberty he always wanted as he is now screwing every girl on his way. But at what price did he earn his freedom? He lost the two women of his life, he lost the pride of his children and he lost his house.
He soon falls back in the arms of Helen when she admitted that she was still in love with him. This scene was very beautiful, Maura Tierney was absolutely stunning. Her character was probably the one I caught the most feelings for. I really understood what she was going through, it was really realistic and this is what I love about the show.
« Well, WHAT DO YOU WANT? »
« I want you to come home. I miss you. I can’t do this alone. I hate my life without you. »

Concerning the murder of Scotty, we still don’t have the identity of the killer at the end of this season. They might be saving this for the second season (Which I hope will be the last one. When are networks will extol quality before quantity?). But we do have a very important progression in the case: as Noah realized that Scotty was the one who got Whitney pregnant, he decides with Helen to pursue him for statutory rape. The fact that Noah might have had a motive to kill Scotty awoke the suspicions of Detective Jeffries who made an important move at the end of the episode: he arrested Noah for the murder of Scotty. And Noah might be in some serious difficulties: he bribed Jake, the tow trucker who helped him on the road during that summer as he told him not to tell the police that he never saw him or his car. But Jake was already working with the police and wearing a wiretap when Noah bribed him. You’re really in some serious shit Noah.

But the question you’re probably all asking yourself about this episode is why the visions of Alison and Noah are so different about the event that happened at the Lockhart house. And that’s an excellent question that doesn’t have an immediate answer (or will never have, who knows?) but it can push us to speculate.
Indeed, after Helen and Noah decided to pursue Scotty in justice, Whitney went to the Lockarts to tell them about this. The Lockarts called the Solloways to inform them that Whitney was at their house and that they should come to bring her back home.
And that’s when the two versions of things diverge completely. On Noah’s version of things, he arrived with Helen and Cherry tried to convince them not to press charges against her son. When they’re about to leave, Scotty comes down the stairs and Noah attacks him and smothers him. Cole breaks the fight with a gunshot, aiming Noah and telling him to leave his brother alone.
In Alison’s version of things, when the Solloways arrive, Margaret isn’t here but Cole is and he threatens the Solloways with his gun when they are trying to convince Whitney to get in the car. He finally puts the gun away after aiming Noah, Alison then himself. Helen leaves the house with Whiney, Cole leaves the room and Noah and Alison share a very emotional hug.

If the vision of the two main characters were slightly different at the beginning of the show leaving us with the thought that it’s a way to make us think that everyone has a very particular way to interpret every event, every action and that details can or can’t have an importance to its remembrance, now, the visions are completely different and we cannot continue to believe such a thing. 
My theory? The visions of Noah are actually the one that are depicted in his book ‘’Descent’’ but Alison visions are the one which are ‘’real’’.

On the other hand, we learn that Alison and Noah, in the ‘’present day’’, are a couple living in the city in a very beautiful apartment. They have a children, but is it Cole’s or Noah’s?

Verdict: 7/10. All in all, this episode wasn’t as powerful as I expected it to be, so it may have been a disappointment at a certain level as my expectations were a little high, especially since the last three episodes (since Helen and Cole learned about the affair) were excellent and very intense. 
But one thing is sure, ''The Affair'' has proven itself to be a very clever show, the characters are fascinating, even the secondary ones. You really feel that there is a real work behind the show and behind the psychology of its characters and many shows fail at that.
This season finale was the perfect set-up for next season. It’s not an official thing, but I’ve heard that next season will be told in the point of view of Helen and Cole and I think that it might be an interesting decision. Wait and see.

Hit the comments section below and tell us what you thought about the season finale of ''The Affair''. Disappointed? Satisfied? Who do you think murdered Scotty? Do you think Noah did it? I don’t think so. I bet Helen or Cole pulled the trigger. See you next year to find out !

About the Author - Adil Daoumer

Adil Daoumer is an almost 18y/o Moroccan student living in Paris, France, studying law and economy. He spends the majority of his life watching TV shows, reading books and listening to music. He has a lot of favorite TV shows such as Breaking Bad, LOST, Six Feet Under, Friday Night Lights, Shameless, Fringe, Hannibal, Boardwalk Empire, Game of Thrones, Revenge and more recently, Fargo and The Leftovers. He also enjoys having a good laugh in front of Community, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Happy Endings and Brooklyn Nine-Nine.
This season on SpoilerTV, Adil will review Ray Donovan, The Affair and Shameless.
Don't hesitate to contact him on one of these social media sites.

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