Dominic West, Ruth Wilson
The Affair, Season 1, Episode 4: “4″
Written by Melanie Marnich
Directed by Jeffrey Reiner
Airs Sundays at 10 pm ET on Showtime
While Noah and Alison have described how they slowly but surely drew into an extramarital affair with each other, both their narratives have involved only a handful of time spent with the other party, as both have instead focused on the other relationships in their lives. This week’s episode, however, sees both Alison and Noah talk about a day-long trip the two took with only each other, in yet another strong episode that provides a better understanding of what drove Noah to have an affair, as well as what drew Alison to Noah.
As the series has progressed, Noah’s clearly had difficulty maintaining the idea that he was the unwitting follower in the affair who fell under Alison’s spell. The events of this week are particularly damning in showing how much Noah also contributed in moving the affair forward, and it’s interesting to note that, by Noah’s own admission, when he receives the positive call from the editor, he seeks out Alison, rather than Helen. This goes a long way in showing that, despite Noah’s indications that his marriage was not in trouble when the family went to Montauk, there was clearly some friction that he has not divulged until now. It’s also intriguing to note that, while Noah’s victim complex has receded, his ego has not. The idea that Alison finds Noah both irresistible and reminiscent of her grandfather is at odds with Alison’s own recollection of Noah, but much more plausible as the account of a man who claims to have strangers flirt with him when he goes swimming. With Noah all but admitting that he propelled the affair forward and had a deteriorating marriage, his ego is the last layer that needs to be removed to get to the true narrative behind the affair, atleast from his perspective. It will be interesting to see how Noah portrays his marriage now that the true account of his relationship with his wife is beginning to seep through. The idea of Noah wanting to escape from the house of his in-laws becomes a much stronger one when the idea of a crumbling marriage gets added to it as well, and it would certainly explain Noah’s mindset in pursuing Alison, especially as his excuse of writer’s block continues to fade away. In addition, why Noah feels attracted to Alison specifically still remains to be seen.
Ruth Wilson, Dominic West
This episode also does a good job of showing why Alison’s attracted to Noah. While their previous encounters seemed, from Alison’s perspective, to be more about her seeking an escape from Montauk and the constant reminders of her son, her narrative about Block Island this week shows what she finds attractive about Noah in particular. The fact that both Noah and Alison find themselves reeling, in different ways, from the loss of close family members points to Alison considering Noah a kindred spirit, in a way, which paints a clearer picture of why she keeps going back to him. It’s also fascinating to note Noah’s discovery of Alison’s cutting from her perspective. While Noah passed off the bandaid on her thigh as a throwaway fact last week, Alison’s story this week seems to indicate that his discovery of her scars was a major factor in the deepening of their relationship. The way in which Noah comes across the scars is very telling; Alison clearly chose to cut herself there because she thought nobody would stumble across it, which says a lot about the state of her marriage to Cole. With Alison now revealing the true cause of her grief to Noah, how their relationship changes promises to be fascinating. In many ways, the affair seemed to be a way for both of them to escape from certain things, in Alison’s case the grief from the death of her son, a loss she has been continually reminded of. However, telling Noah about the event brings him into the fold as well, closing off the relationship as a way for Alison to get away from her grief, while similarly moving this away from just a summer fling for Noah. If the duo deepen their relationship going forward, then the emotional investment is bound to take a toll on their respective marriages, a turn Alison clearly stands to lose more from.
It’s interesting to note that Alison and Noah’s recollection of the day’s details is stronger than their prior memories have been. Notably, there’s no contradiction in the two narratives about what Alison and Noah were both wearing during the trip to Block Island, which stands in stark contrast to the stories of their prior encounters. The detective’s manipulation of both individuals is also intriguing, and says a lot about how he perceives both individuals. Choosing to tell Noah that he’s not only divorced, but has no custody of his children, may mean that the detective sees Noah as trying to salvage his relationship with Helen and his kids, while he views Alison as a romantic at heart. As the detective is aware of more of the story than the viewers, it will be worth exploring both narratives in subsequent episodes to see if this perception has any merit or is a misreading by the detective. Alison’s point to Noah about not being simply the carefree object of a fling is a sharp reading of Noah by Alison, and is bound to affect their relationship as much as the knowledge of her son’s demise. Between the deteriorating marriages, and the duo growing closer this week, how things progress will be worth keeping an eye on.
– Deepayan Sengupta