Ruth Wilson
The Affair, Season 1, Episode 6: “6″
Written by Dan LeFranc
Directed by Carl Franklin
Airs Sundays at 10 pm ET on Showtime
While Noah and Alison’s recounting of the summer’s events differed in previous weeks, it was unclear if the discrepancies stemmed from a hazy memory, an obfuscation of the truth due to the police interrogation, or both. However, with the detective dismissing both individuals at the end of last week’s episode, one possible reason was waved goodbye, allowing for a more truthful recounting of what happened in Montauk. The removal of the detective leads to a major revelation about the Lockhart family in this week’s episode, in another compelling outing that provides further insight into what drives both Noah and Cole.
Noah’s change in opinion about Alison this week adds an interesting layer to his attraction. While early episodes have made it clear that Noah pursued Alison more aggressively, this week indicates that, despite Alison opening up about Gabriel, Noah hasn’t tried to get to know her very well.With lust driving much of his actions, his reaction to the news of the Lockharts’ apparent drug trafficking says a lot about Noah. Despite what he’s said to Alison during their encounters, it’s apparent that Noah sees Alison as a means to escape the issues he faces at home, rather than someone he truly wants to be with. It will be intriguing to see how Noah continues to respond to issues from both sides. While he chooses to escape from his troubles with Helen by sleeping with Alison, and escape from his troubles with Alison by sleeping with Helen, at some point he’s bound to face trouble on both sides. Especially with Oscar turning up the heat on the Lockharts, Noah is likely going to have to make a decision soon on which troubles he engages with, and whatever side he chooses is bound to have an impact. With Helen already cluing in to the possibility that Noah’s having an affair this week, the decision may already have been made for Noah. This may mean Alison will see Noah’s turn away from her as a betrayal, especially after confiding in him, and how Noah reacts to that will be very telling.
Colin Donnell, Joshua Jackson
Alison’s reaction to the events of the week also provide more insight into what drives her. Given her actions on the show to date, the news that she isn’t concerned about her well-being isn’t a major revelation. However, Alison’s alarm at possibly being caught shows that her level of carelessness has noticeably decreased. Alison’s desire to sell the farm and move away is perhaps the clearest indication that she’s tired of feeling the way she does, and it’s likely that her affair with Noah has contributed to this, as she has gotten a glimpse of what life can be like without constant reminders of Gabriel’s death. The episode also manages to give the audience the best look at Cole’s psyche so far. While he has publicly indicated that his desire to keep the ranch and prevent the bowling alley stems from a love of the town, his coversation with Alison shows two sides to Cole. Not only is he as hurt by Gabriel’s death as Alison, Cole is clearly not interested in moving past it, which may mean that his insistence on keeping everything as is is a way for him to hold on to the pain. It will be interesting to see how Cole reacts to the reveal of the affair. Like Helen, he’s clearly aware that Alison is drawing away from him, especially after catching her in a lie. The dissolution of his marriage is likely to force Cole to face the reality of his situation, and may make him assess what he’s willing to lose to hang on to the pain of Gabriel’s death. The decision he comes to is likely to affect both him and Alison, and Scotty’s death is also likely to have an impact in this assessment.
Overall, this is another strong episode. It’s intriguing to see both Cole and Alison bond with Martin in their own way, and it’s also nice to get Martin’s perspective on his parents from someone other than Noah. Watching Noah’s viewpoint this week is also very telling, as it’s clear that he has been filtering the story so far to keep the detective at bay. Oscar’s knowledge of the affair, combined with the fight he had with Noah last week, shows why Noah singled him out as the possible antagonist, as it’s clear that there’s no love lost between the two, and what role Oscar continues playing in the events that follow promises to be fascinating. With the Soloways ready to move away from Montauk, and the relationship between Alison and Noah seemingly over, how the affair continues to affect them will be worth keeping an eye on, especially with Scotty’s death on the horizon.
– Deepayan Sengupta