Paul Levinson's Infinite Regress

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George Santayana had irrational faith in reason - I have irrational faith in TV.

Monday, January 23, 2017

The Affair 3.9: A Sliver of Clarity

A strange, provocative episode 3.9 of The Affair tonight, which provided a little clarity into what has been happening to Noah - a very little clarity, actually, but a lot better than almost nothing.

What becomes more clear is why Noah went to prison for what happened to Scott. It was not only to protect Helen and Alison, but to expiate Noah's guilt for mercy-killing his mother. Ok.

Also clear is that Gunther is not at all a bad guy. He's a prison guard, yes, but I'd say that scene with him in the present, back in Noah's hometown, was real. And, if so, then all the scenes we've been seeing this season of Gunther abusing Noah in prison were in Noah's head ... more expiation of his guilt about his mother. This also explains why Noah didn't want Helen to let the prison officials know that Noah had been beaten - because some part of Noah knew he had done that to himself, smashing his face against the wall, or whatever.

Now we get to the part that's less clear - the most important part. Noah stabbed himself in his apartment in New Jersey - I was thinking that was one of the likely explanations since the beginning (see my reviews, listed below). But where did Noah get the knife? Not the knife we saw tonight, which Noah bought in the country store, after he had been stabbed in the neck. We saw Noah holding that knife in his New Jersey apartment, and using it to stab himself, a little ... but that was a reenactment in the present of what happened earlier, a few weeks ago, right?

So what happened to the original knife that Noah used to seriously cut himself? Why didn't the police find it? And, for that matter, can't doctors tell the difference between a self-inflicted wound, and one inflicted by an assailant? Wouldn't the thrust patterns be different?

We did get some real clarity in Helen's story, though. Her conversation with Alison was great, and satisfying to see. And Helen finally unburdening herself was right, too.

Next week, in the season finale, I hope we get a few more questions answered about Noah.