The Affair – “109” Retrospective. Trouble in Paradise.

Season 1, Episode 9

Airdate: Sunday, December 14, 2014 at 10:00 pm ET/PT on Showtime

Rating: ★★★★★

“That’s a stash pad…that’s not some place we could eventually live together. That’s a place where you put your mistress so you can fuck her whenever you want.” – Alison Lockhart

With the realization bulimia is not Whitney’s (Julia Goldani Telles) problem, the real reason for her nausea sets Helen (Maura Tierney) and Noah (Dominic West) on a path they can’t recover from. Alison (Ruth Wilson), on the other hand, learns some devastating news that will affect every member of the Lockhart family.

Alison’s Story

Helen’s blouse looks very pretty on Alison, doesn’t it?

It takes a special kind of person to have sex with his mistress in the familial bed, but that’s exactly what Noah and Alison do after she arrives in the big city. Even though Noah’s wife Helen is away with the kids, it takes huge cojones to do that. What if Helen comes home early? Has Noah lost all shreds of a conscience? In Alison’s defense, at least she tries to tell Noah she doesn’t want to but cooler heads do not prevail in this case. With everything Alison does in the Solloway house, I’m certain Helen will realize another woman has been there. I guess that won’t matter in the long run with the question Noah poses to Alison. Everything seems to be going so well; that is, until Alison finds something in a trashcan that makes her reconsider Noah’s question. I have my own theory about what Alison uncovers, and it has nothing to do with what Alison thinks and everything to do with Noah’s daughter Whitney.

Oscar loves being the bearer of bad news.

The writers use Oscar (Darren Goldstein) as a good segue into revealing some extremely upsetting news to Alison about the Lockhart ranch. What Alison learns puts the granddaddy of all monkey wrenches into her plans for the future. The ugly conversation Alison has with Cherry (Mare Winningham) about this revelation is not only heartbreaking, it leads to an explanation of why Alison cuts herself. While both Wilson and Winningham are outstanding in this scene, Wilson’s acting as she relives her son’s death with Dr. Henry (Jeffrey DeMunn) is the reason she has received the highly coveted Golden Globe nomination earlier this week. Despite Dr. Henry’s fatherly concern and reassurances, Alison’s guilt is overwhelming, causing her to attempt the unthinkable in a scene where the cinematography is just as much an actor in “109” as Alison is.

Speaking of plans for the future and monkey wrenches, I don’t think Alison is very happy when Cole (Joshua Jackson) shows up at the train station. I feel sorry for Cole. He loves his wife, and wants things to be good between them but he has no idea of how deep Alison’s guilt goes.

Noah’s Story

I’ll never understand how actors can make a sex scene look so real, but West and Wilson are experts at it. The way he drags his mouth across hers in the throes of a climax gets my juices going. TMI, right? I digress.

Max tries to talk sense into Noah, to no avail.

Interestingly, while cleaning up from Alison’s afternoon in the Solloway home, Noah finds the same thing in the trash that Alison finds in her recounting of the events. Not surprisingly, it proves my theory about why Whitney is sick. Remember last week, when Helen told Noah she thought Whitney was bulimic? Well, I didn’t agree with that at all. I think Whitney is pregnant and Scotty (Colin Donnell) is the father. Guess what? I’m right on both counts! I got a good laugh out of the question Noah asks Whitney – “Who did this to you?” Just like a father to phrase it that way. I suppose he forgot he was doing it to Alison earlier that afternoon. Like any good super sleuth father, Noah finds a way to learn who the baby daddy is, and then goes to Max’s (guest star Josh Stamburg) place to drown his sorrows. I love the stock market analogy Max uses to convince Noah to “leave it alone.” What I don’t love is how cynical Max is.

While there are many differences between the two tales, one thing is similar. Both Alison and Noah tell their respective spouses they need time away but Cole and Helen’s reactions are quite different. In Helen’s fury, she finds evidence that convinces her Alison was in their home. This is another brilliantly acted scene as Helen seamlessly transforms from astonishment at Noah’s confession to pure hatred upon her discovery.

In the end, Noah arrives at the Montauk train station only to find Alison and Cole standing there. And as the scene fades to black, we see Alison board the train. What does this mean? Does Noah follow her? Does Cole? Are our two lovers going to end up together, or has this whole thing been nothing more than a typical summer romance?

Overall

“109” is one of the best penultimate episodes I’ve seen in quite a while. The acting is exceptional, the writing is outstanding, and the directing spot on, to say nothing of how dazzling the cinematography is. The word “compelling” doesn’t even begin to describe this episode. I couldn’t tear my eyes from the screen for one single, solitary moment.

While “109” confirms Scotty is Whitney’s lover, we still don’t know why he is dead or who killed him. One thing I’ve learned over the many years I’ve watched TV and movies is the guilty party is never the person the writers allude to. So, while my theory has always been Noah is the killer, now I’m not so sure. Could it possibly be Helen? Or, maybe it’s Oscar. They both have a motive. Better yet, is Whitney responsible for Scotty’s death? What do you think?

What did you think of “109?” Leave me a comment below or tweet me @SeasideTV. I’d love to discuss it with you.

Tune in to the season finale of The Affair Sunday, December 21, 2014 at 10 pm ET/PT, only on Showtime.

Stay current with The Affair on its website: http://www.sho.com/sho/the-affair/home.

Socialize with The Affair on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, TVTag, and YouTube.

Follow these cast mates on Twitter: Noah/Dominic West @DominicWest, Cole/Joshua Jackson @VancityJax, Whitney/Julia Goldani Telles @JuliaGTelles, Jane/Nicolette Robinson @NicoletteKloe, Scotty Lockhart/Colin Donnell @ColinDonnell, Detective Jeffries/Victor Williams @BicVicWilliams, and writer Sarah Treem @SarahTreem.

And for fans of Joshua Jackson, join JoshuaJacksonFans @JoshuaJFan.

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Linda

Love TV, movies, and books--mostly mysteries, with a good love story thrown in every now and then. I have four adopted dogs who I adore. I love trying new recipes, and enjoy eating what I make. English language perfectionist. Reading in bed, Italian food, warm weather, the beach, all types of games = favs!