Showtime's "The Affair" (Season 5)

[BluProofie]

Looking forward to

[Show spoiler]Allison’s

POV episode tomorrow. This show is so good.

[glennstl]

Agree...the show is one of the best by far on TV right now.

I’m going to be sad when this season ends, as Ilook forward toSunday nights just because I know this will be on.

At least we have one final season next year to look forward to.

[glennstl]

Has anyone either binge watching this entire show or rewatched it from the beginning again? I’m thinking about trying to binge rewatch the whole show after this season is over.

[ChadFL]

I'm really shocked at just how great season 4 is. After season 3 the series was nearly dead to me, but as it turns out I think season 4 is the best season yet.

[ChadFL]

Originally Posted by Roy_Batty

Just my opinion, I suspect

[Show spoiler]that Luisa killed Alison!

I really don't see how she was capable of pulling that off, barring the idea that she was somehow previously a female hit-woman in her prior life. It would probably take an assassin to completely dupe the police into believing what happened was a suicide.

[BluProofie]

Holy shit. Episode 9 is easily the best of the entire series, IMO. What a powerful and heartbreaking

[Show spoiler]finish for Allison

and statement on the nature of the POVs and the show. It’s a real shame that Ruth Wilson has no chance at an Emmy nomination next year(too much competition) because her performance throughout this episode is astonishing.

[Show spoiler]Ben killing her was obvious of course, but I don’t think it matters that it was predictable. That tracking shot where the episode switched to reality was fantastic. It’s defnitely sad that it appears Ben will get away with it. I wonder how his alibi checks out?

Might be my favorite episode of TV this year and this season has been excellent.

[BrandonJF]

Originally Posted by BluProofie

Holy shit. Episode 9 is easily the best of the entire series, IMO. What a powerful and heartbreaking

[Show spoiler]finish for Allison

and statement on the nature of the POVs and the show. It’s a real shame that Ruth Wilson has no chance at an Emmy nomination next year(too much competition) because her performance throughout this episode is astonishing.

[Show spoiler]Ben killing her was obvious of course, but I don’t think it matters that it was predictable. That tracking shot where the episode switched to reality was fantastic. It’s defnitely sad that it appears Ben will get away with it. I wonder how his alibi checks out?

Might be my favorite episode of TV this year and this season has been excellent.

This season has been so much better than every other season. There have been times where I pushed through "The Affair." I never would've guessed I'd be staying up later to watch it as soon as Showtime made it available at midnight.

While I liked this ep....

[Show spoiler]

I did have a hard time with the double POV from one character. I'm anxious to hear what the creators have to say about what they intended. Part of me thought "Is this first POV what Allison wanted to happen?" Like the split screen sequence in "500 Days of Summer" where we see the character's ideal version of events juxtaposed with reality. But, she would've had info in that POV that she would not have had for it to be wish fulfullment (Ben's RPG story). Unless that first POV could be played simultaneously along with the second POV to see how Allison would have preferred things went.

I don't know - the thing with The Affair and the POVs is that neither version ever has to be "right". The truth is somewhere in between sometimes, even though I felt this season has been pretty straightforward (there were overlapping narratives early on, then they were abandoned until now). I still don't feel like we really "know" what happened to Allison. Especially when she should have had a head injury that seemed to have gone unacknowledged by the police in the previous episode (unless they mentioned it and wrote it off). Ben also seemingly had an airtight alibi - I'll assume that is his wife vouching for him if he really did it.

[BluProofie]

Originally Posted by BrandonJF

This season has been so much better than every other season. There have been times where I pushed through "The Affair." I never would've guessed I'd be staying up later to watch it as soon as Showtime made it available at midnight.

While I liked this ep....

[Show spoiler]

I did have a hard time with the double POV from one character. I'm anxious to hear what the creators have to say about what they intended. Part of me thought "Is this first POV what Allison wanted to happen?" Like the split screen sequence in "500 Days of Summer" where we see the character's ideal version of events juxtaposed with reality. But, she would've had info in that POV that she would not have had for it to be wish fulfullment (Ben's RPG story). Unless that first POV could be played simultaneously along with the second POV to see how Allison would have preferred things went.

I don't know - the thing with The Affair and the POVs is that neither version ever has to be "right". The truth is somewhere in between sometimes, even though I felt this season has been pretty straightforward (there were overlapping narratives early on, then they were abandoned until now). I still don't feel like we really "know" what happened to Allison. Especially when she should have had a head injury that seemed to have gone unacknowledged by the police in the previous episode (unless they mentioned it and wrote it off). Ben also seemingly had an airtight alibi - I'll assume that is his wife vouching for him if he really did it.

[Show spoiler]I think the first POV is in part what the old Allison would have done and possibly what she would prefer to happen. In Part2, she basically explains the nature of the show by talking about the stories we tell ourselves.

[BrandonJF]

Originally Posted by BluProofie

[Show spoiler]I think the first POV is in part what the old Allison would have done and possibly what she would prefer to happen. In Part2, she basically explains the nature of the show by talking about the stories we tell ourselves.

[Show spoiler]

I didn't see any difference between the "Allisons" in each scenario. The difference was Ben. It's hard to say how "Allison 1" would've reacted if "Ben 2" had walked through the door. That version of Ben is one we had not really seen before, either.

It is even possible that the first scenario is what actually happened and Allison's self destructive nature saw scenario 2 as being what she deserves.... so she kills herself before Ben does, figuratively or literally. This falls in line with her explanation of why she cheated with Noah - she felt Cole was going to cheat on her and beat him to the punch. I think scenario 2 is her seeing a possible outcome with Ben and she beats him to the punch. After her incident on the plane and knowing Ben was married, she saw herself falling into the same pattern again after Helen's speech that if she wants to change her life, she needs to do it now. Add the fact that the police have zero evidence that she was murdered and I will really be surprised if Ben actually killed her.

I've seen other comments elsewhere and am really not sure why the second scenario is just being taken at such face value - there has rarely been some absolute truth when it comes to a character's version of events in this show. With all the contradictory info we got in the previous ep (and the first half of this last one) , it just seems way too neat for this show.

This is the same show that last season had Noah being tormented and attacked by himself. These people are nuts.

[BluProofie]

Originally Posted by BrandonJF

[Show spoiler]

I didn't see any difference between the "Allisons" in each scenario. The difference was Ben. It's hard to say how "Allison 1" would've reacted if "Ben 2" had walked through the door. That version of Ben is one we had not really seen before, either.

It is even possible that the first scenario is what actually happened and Allison's self destructive nature saw scenario 2 as being what she deserves.... so she kills herself before Ben does, figuratively or literally. This falls in line with her explanation of why she cheated with Noah - she felt Cole was going to cheat on her and beat him to the punch. I think scenario 2 is her seeing a possible outcome with Ben and she beats him to the punch. After her incident on the plane and knowing Ben was married, she saw herself falling into the same pattern again after Helen's speech that if she wants to change her life, she needs to do it now. Add the fact that the police have zero evidence that she was murdered and I will really be surprised if Ben actually killed her.

I've seen other comments elsewhere and am really not sure why the second scenario is just being taken at such face value - there has rarely been some absolute truth when it comes to a character's version of events in this show. With all the contradictory info we got in the previous ep (and the first half of this last one) , it just seems way too neat for this show.

This is the same show that last season had Noah being tormented and attacked by himself. These people are nuts.

There are still several inconsistencies with

[Show spoiler]Ben’s story so I think he definitely murdered her.

[ChadFL]

Originally Posted by BrandonJF

[Show spoiler]

I didn't see any difference between the "Allisons" in each scenario. The difference was Ben. It's hard to say how "Allison 1" would've reacted if "Ben 2" had walked through the door. That version of Ben is one we had not really seen before, either.

It is even possible that the first scenario is what actually happened and Allison's self destructive nature saw scenario 2 as being what she deserves.... so she kills herself before Ben does, figuratively or literally. This falls in line with her explanation of why she cheated with Noah - she felt Cole was going to cheat on her and beat him to the punch. I think scenario 2 is her seeing a possible outcome with Ben and she beats him to the punch. After her incident on the plane and knowing Ben was married, she saw herself falling into the same pattern again after Helen's speech that if she wants to change her life, she needs to do it now. Add the fact that the police have zero evidence that she was murdered and I will really be surprised if Ben actually killed her.

I've seen other comments elsewhere and am really not sure why the second scenario is just being taken at such face value - there has rarely been some absolute truth when it comes to a character's version of events in this show. With all the contradictory info we got in the previous ep (and the first half of this last one) , it just seems way too neat for this show.

This is the same show that last season had Noah being tormented and attacked by himself. These people are nuts.

Same here.

[Show spoiler]Each part was basically just a different version of Ben. Part 1 was the flawed but somewhat redeemable Ben. Part 2 was the psychopath Ben who seems to have enjoyed killing both during war and after. I got the impression Allison's reactions were entirely due to different versions of Ben, not some "changed" Allison in part 2.

[BluProofie]

“I just think that sometimes we get into these patterns in life and we tell ourselves a story about what kind of person we are and how people treat us, and it’s not always true.” Part 2 is definitely what happened and Allison’s statement sums up the series wonderfully. I wonder if Cole will ever learn the truth.

[glennstl]

Absolutely an amazing episode tonight. I wish The Affair would get some love when it comes to various award shows.

This season has been excellent. Can’t wait to see how it ends next week!

[eiknarf]

Wow! Last night’s episode was great!! Jeez, two different

[Show spoiler]Alison perspectives

had that Mulholand Drive feel!

[eiknarf]

Originally Posted by BrandonJF

[Show spoiler]

I didn't see any difference between the "Allisons" in each scenario. The difference was Ben. It's hard to say how "Allison 1" would've reacted if "Ben 2" had walked through the door. That version of Ben is one we had not really seen before, either.

It is even possible that the first scenario is what actually happened and Allison's self destructive nature saw scenario 2 as being what she deserves.... so she kills herself before Ben does, figuratively or literally. This falls in line with her explanation of why she cheated with Noah - she felt Cole was going to cheat on her and beat him to the punch. I think scenario 2 is her seeing a possible outcome with Ben and she beats him to the punch. After her incident on the plane and knowing Ben was married, she saw herself falling into the same pattern again after Helen's speech that if she wants to change her life, she needs to do it now. Add the fact that the police have zero evidence that she was murdered and I will really be surprised if Ben actually killed her.

I've seen other comments elsewhere and am really not sure why the second scenario is just being taken at such face value - there has rarely been some absolute truth when it comes to a character's version of events in this show. With all the contradictory info we got in the previous ep (and the first half of this last one) , it just seems way too neat for this show.

This is the same show that last season had Noah being tormented and attacked by himself. These people are nuts.

This is a very cool and interesting analysis!

But it also leads me to ask:

If we were shown two of Alison’s POVs, why wasn’t one showing her committing suicide and one showing her getting murdered? Shouldn’t they have showed us both and let us wonder which is truth?

[BluProofie]

Part 2 is definitely what happened because Ben lied about what happened. Also Allison had the

[Show spoiler]bandaid on her finger in the morgue and that happened in Part 2.

[questrider]

I'm not sure either of the POVs in episode 9 are really what happened.

[Show spoiler]In POV2, after Alison is pushed into the wall/statue she has a severe head wound with bleeding down her forehead and nose.




And then when Ben is carrying Alison her head wound is gone and so is the blood.




Now you could say the rain has washed away the blood but blood doesn't wash away with water like that. You have scrub it off of skin.

I'm not saying that any of this points to anything, it's just something I noticed immediately while watching the episode last night. "Hey, look, her head wound is gone!"

[BluProofie]

Continuity error, most likely.

[JamesG.]

Ruth Wilson says she can't talk about why she left The Affair.

Ruth Wilson talks "The Little Stranger," leaving "The Affair" - YouTube

[BluProofie]

She asked to leave because of the show she’s starring in and Executive producing for the BBC. She’s playing her own grandmother in it. She also has two other shows in development.