We found unexpected answers in this finale but were left with some questions.
I say this even though my murderer pick, Whitney, never even put in appearance!
(How mad would Whitney be if she knew she was just a red herring?)
Credit: Mark Schafer/Showtime
Who should he hurt?
Who should he protect?
Does this answer his lingering questions about what makes a good man?
Is choosing to sacrifice yourself the ultimate way to say I love you?
Helen for actually being behind the wheel?
Alison for pushing Scott in front of a car?
Or Scott for being an addict-addled wannabe blackmailer and rapist?
Let us begin in Noahs memory of the fateful wedding day.
He mentions casually he wants to go to France.
Alison is all, Sure; no problemo.
Theyre definitely not connected partners, though Noah is trying his hardest.
Alison seems awfully remote and uninterested in parenting or living in New York.
(Cherry has a closet?
I thought she couldnt afford one!
Also, she is noticeably absent at this wedding.)
(This lady really does think ofeverything!)
She starts apologizing about leaving Joanie with Noah (Him: Shes my kid, too!
Ooof), and Noah tells her how much he and Joanie want her back.
and he sighs a little, perhaps thinking about how far he and Alison are from this place.
Alison straight up bursts into tears and runs off.
Noah chases her down and Alison finally (finally!)
Man, all this time, and it just comes right out like this!
Noah darkens and gets super mad which its hard to blame him.
However, I take issue with his whole self-righteous speech about how he never cheated on Alison.
I mean, I think he would have if things like Edens professionalism didnt get in the way.
But, you know, rage is rage.
Dont take this the wrong way, but I never want to see you again.
Hmm, hard to take that the right way.
Noah goes straight to the bar and downs a giant glass of vodka.
Helen is there and is like, Uh, you cant have the keys you giant booze guzzler.
Noah admits that he never wanted Joanie.
He thought Alison was trying to trap him so he couldnt go back to Helen.
Helen is like, The hell you say?
I always think about that, Helen.
He waxes on a bit about how the last few years sometimes dont seem real.
Helen jumps up, strips down, and jumps in the ocean in her underwear.
(Theres that wild girl he once fell in love with again!)
And you knowThe Affairrules: Get in water and things are about to change.
The two of them, drunk and wet, get in the car.
They squabble over who should drive, and Helen reminds him she has a DUI and he should drive.
He pulls over and tells Helen to drive, and so she does.
He watches her this woman hes loved for so long, who is so capable.
She turns to look him.
He takes Helen home and tells her to just go inside and not think about this.
Forget this ever happened, he tells her.
She is shaky and looks at him and tells him she loves him.
In the future, lawyer Jon tells Noah that Alisons stupid name rock was found at the scene.
But the point is he can get reasonable doubt going…by turning the doubt on Alison.
Her dress and hair are completely different in her memory (shes so much dowdier in her own mind!
), and her little apartment is nicer.
In this memory, Noah has already booked his France trip.
That said, I understand where the show is going with the whole biological father angle.
Alison gives Cole great advice about being in love and taking a chance on happiness.
She tells him to take his chance.
Back at the restaurant Scott arrives, presumably from rehab, and Alison looks concerned.
Even Alison is like, Really?
Scott is all, Hey, Im sober!
Were not cutting you in after just a few months of rehab.
Lets go for six months or a year.
Alison follows him to the room that we saw way back when on that surveillance tape.
She tells Scott that Cole hates seeing Scott like this because it reminds him of their father.
Scott is like, Hey, less psychoanalyzing and more me blackmailing you!
He brings up Joanie and starts grabbing her and saying the old Thats our baby line weve seen before.
Its pretty terrible, and hes really scary, and Alison is desperate to leave.
Of course, Oscar is right there smoking and lurking.
And Scott really goes for it.
How on earth did he get down there before her?
He wonders why it is that Alison gets to make mistakes and get away with things and not him.
As he gets angrier, he decides that maybe what he wants is to sleep with her.
She goes back to the restaurant and acts like shes been there the whole the time.
Noah finds her there, and they go out on the dance floor.
She argues thats bad for her and that he should tell the truth that Helen was driving.
She tells him he has to choose.
Annnnd thats a wrap!
Thanks so much for reading and watching with me.
God, we have to wait how long till season 3?
