What’s the first rule of Noah’s fight club?
Did you all realize that this is the penultimate episode of this season?
But the way things were getting dealt out in this installment suddenly makes sense.
Credit: Phil Caruso/SHOWTIME
Quite a reveal at the end, was it not?
But lets back up in the beginning.
We begin with a Helen perspective.
Our favorite lady left standing is, it must be said, a bit of a mess.
Downstairs the kids, no doubt picking up on the whack energy, are quiet.
Trevor and Martin watch TV mindlessly.
Little Stacy asks: Wheres Vic?
Yeah, can we call Vic up and explain this mess or what?
Thats a nice option to have, right?
Okay, moving on: She drives past where Scotty died.
Theres a makeshift memorial there and, oh boy, tick tock on the Helen explosion.
She heads to her room remember this room from season 1?
Downstairs the elder Butlers are, as usual, amazing.
Margaret sits on the ground, meditating while Bruce drinks a gin and tonic.
But then she admits Vic left her.
The Butlers get real un-Butler-like, hugging her, pledging their support.
Turns out theyre in therapy and now realize theyre totally responsible for ruining Helens life.
Well, nottotallllly.Helen does the only thing left to do and knocks her glass back.
She takes the kids to Lockharts Lobster Rolls, which makes exactly zero sense.Whywould she go there?
There are tons of other places in Montauk to get lobster rolls!
She is at the register, and she sees that Cherry Lockhart is selling homemade pies.
So, whats up,The Affair?
We couldnt get Mare Winningham?
He taught Martin chess!
He taught Stacy how to make chicken vindaloo and Helens inner bomb goes tick tock a little louder.
Then Stacey pipes up thatsheknows why Vic left because Noah was in the house.
Helen leans down, gets serious, and tells her that shes sorry.
Then, out of nowhere, the truth: It was Helen driving that night.
Where the heck is Vic when you need him?
Margaret slaps her across the face and Bruce tells her shes opening them up to a lawsuit.
Ah, maybe thats their main motivation?
Helen makes a break for it and gets out of the panic room and locksthemin.
And this onereallyis different.
And then theres Alison herself.
I get it with this one!
The real question is why Alison doesnt see a shadow of this self in her own perspective.
(This episode also reminded me of what an incredible actress Ruth Wilson is.)
She talks about Gabriel and cause and effect and recklessness and freedom.
Everyone starts telling the truth!
Helen drives back to Cherrys and cries and cries.
Oh Helen, I root for you.
Lets get it together!
Shes totally honest in the way that honest can be so unflattering that it is totally flattering.
At the end of all that, Vic remains rather opaque.
He says thank you and goes to leave.
Helen stops him and tells him she doesnt know how to live with this.
Oh Helen, tell him how much you love and need him and beg him to come home!
So maybe theres hope after all?
NEXT: The first rule of Noahs fight club is…
Buckle up everyone, cause its Noah time!
And Noah is quite changed from the smooth professor we met way back when, right?
Hes a straight up creeper these days.
Then he follows her home.
Knocks on the door!
(Its nice to see nice Brendan Fraser again.)
Faced with his own crazy, Noah runs down the street as we see a veryFlatliners-like flashback.
Then were back in prison and huh!
Which, if true, is a real yeeeeesh.
Memory Gunther talks about how the interpretation of the truth can mean its either mercy or murder.
Memory can be faulty.
Sing it, tagline!
He tells Gunther, I took the fall for my wife.
I met a girl, I thought I could save her.
Gunther sounds like a shrink as he asks Noah to explain why, why, why.
He tells Noah the reason hes in jail is that he murdered his mother.
Noah rushes Gunther and slams into the wall (injuring that shoulder perhaps?)
and Gunther has somehow managed to be in a different part of the cell, smoking a cigarette.
And yes, GuntherisNoahs very own Tyler Durden.
How do you all feel about this?
Anyway, he rambles through the streets and back to his New Jersey apartment.
Oh Noah, what have you done!
