Rethinking Her Ambitions - The Affair
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Recap

Noah and Alison are on their way to the trial. It's a media circus. Helen and her doctor are walking by the car.

Part One: Noah

Noah is somewhere, on a couch, with a woman named Marilyn. Marilyn is Cynthia Nixon. Noah says their little girl has started talking a bit. Saying mama. Allison has gone back to school to be a doctor. He doesn't want to talk about "it" without her being there. It's couple's therapy. He was actually looking forward to coming in for once. He thinks maybe they've hit a plateau. They're past the crisis. They attempt to reschedule. Helen and Vic went to Africa on safari. He and Alison have the kids for the week. He'll have to call to reschedule.

Fuck it. He takes an envelope out of his pocket. This is what he wanted to deal with. He's divorced. It's official. He's been divorced for two weeks, but he still hasn't shown Alison. A year ago he would have grabbed her and run to Cold Spring immediately. Now he doesn't think Alison isn't ready. He catches her staring him, with Joni. When he's feeding their girl, she looks at them like she's trying to figure something out. Not making it back for the birth was a terrible thing. He probably would have left him. But he doesn't think she thinks it's enough. 

It's not the first time Noah's brought this up. Marilyn says Noah always imagines women looking at him with judgment. Does anything come to mind for him? He wants to fuck Lucy Koskoff. His best student. She's made it very clear that she wants to sleep with him, and he wants to go to a meeting with her despite the fact he shouldn't.

He wonders what's the point of knowing all of the things that will make him a better person if in the end he would still want to bend Lucy over his desk. Marilyn wonders if she's the first. Person he wanted to cheat with. Nope. It's common in men who have had affairs, to think they will do it again. He admits he almost did with Eden. She's not surprised. 

Marilyn wonders if Alison's feelings about not trusting Noah are really more about him not trusting himself. He admits he had already forgiven himself the night of the storm for sleeping with Eden. Until he saw Whitney. Then he wanted to die. Rather than face himself, he wanted to die. Marilyn wonders if his father was faithful to his mother. 

Noah's mother died of cancer while his father while he cared for her and he loved his wife for 20 years until he made one mistake. She wonders if he has tied his disdain for infidelity to his father. He wishes it were that easy. He thinks about why people behave the way they do all the time. That surprises her. Helen reads obituaries to see if someone was loved or loved, has family for a long time. Noah always looked for people's worth, their monetary value. He says his book would be all about that. It's a war story set during WWII. Omar Bradley. War Hero. Five Star General first battle at Normandy. Marilyn reminds him he once said he didn't want Alison to think any character could possibly be based on her.

Marlene Dietrich appeared on his screen and suddenly she was in his book. He has questions in his book, do the emotions that led him to cheat, ego, intensity, drive also contribute to him being a great leader? Can a man be both a good man and a great man? Can a man have this willingness to take whatever they want, leading them to be remarkable, and still also change diapers and be a good husband? Or do they have to do what they want, damn the consquences.

Noah Solloway wants to have his cake and eat it, too. We've always known that.

Noah returns home. Alison is doing the dishes. He looks at the papers in his pocket and decides against sharing the news with Alison. He begins doing the dishes with her, telling her the time with Marilyn was helpful.

At Noah's trial, the courtroom is full. It's time for opening statements. The picture Gottleif paints of Noah to the jury is that he is, at his very essence, a good man. Noah winces.

Part Two: Alison

Alison is holding the baby, putting her back to sleep. She crawls back into bed, opening a textbook. 

At class, Alison is listening to her professor drone on about chemicals. She seems utterly dumbfounded. Tomorrow is the midterm. She approaches the professor during the five minute break. She wants to know what the last day to drop the class might be. He encourages her to continue if her plan is to go to med school. The longer she waits, the harder it will be to continue.

While the professor is saying that if they have paid attention in class and done the work, they will pass the test, Alison gets up and leaves.

She runs into Scotty outside. He has a business proposal for her and looks worse than she does. He looks strung out. He wants to buy The Lobster Roll with Alison. He shows her the nightclub proposal. She turns him down. 

Thanks to Noah's book, Officer Skeery went down to the dock and ended his arrangement with Scotty. Gigi comes up with Joni and agrees that she looks just like her daddy. Alison walks off. She sees Cole inside a bar. Noah calls, but she declines, choosing instead to meet Cole.

They begin talking and Cole tells her he's getting married. He's happy. Her plans to tell him about Joanie are soon dashed. 

Instead of telling Cole what she expected to, she tells him about seeing Scotty. 

When she gets home, Noah says he left therapy and say a movie. After all, they're all happy again. That night, they had sex, saying I love you again and again into each others eyes. Joni saying dada for the first time. 

Court is in session in two minutes. They just got something back from the lab. No doubt, it's DNA results.

Show:
The Affair
Season:
Episode Number:
10
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The Affair Season 2 Episode 10 Quotes

My father was the only faithful trucker on the Eastern seaboard.

Noah

It was my fuckin' daughter. Just as my new daughter was being born. Ack. And I, uh, it was the last time I saw her. I ran away. I left my daughter there. I just took off. So, you see, I didn't stop myself. I wouldn't have done. Because I am a terrible, terrible, fuckin' sick, bad guy. Aw fuck.

Noah