The Affair

Previously on The Affair...

Mr. Solloway, thanks for coming in.

Not like I had much of a choice.

So I read your book.

Everyone has one book in them.

Almost nobody has two.

Welcome to the end of the world.

Do you remember the first time you saw her?

Like it was yesterday.

Ms. Lockhart,

do you remember seeing him for the first time?

Turn her over.

- Oh, my God. - Hit her hard!

I remember he was holding his daughter.

Do something!

You saved her life.

I'm Noah, by the way.

Helen and I are trying to raise decent human beings.

Not just get more, spend more.

As you accept our money for private school tuition...

Mom, stop trying to pick a fight with my husband.

This is Harry, my agent.

So Bruce tells me that you're

working on something new this summer?

Uh, well, I haven't really gotten too far with it.

Excuse me, sir, you ordered a whiskey.

Is she flirting with you?

You wanna get out of here?

There's this hypothesis in theoretical physics.

Your true life continues as is, unchanged,

but at the moment of decision, a new life splits off

into a parallel universe.

How is any of this relevant to what happened?

Trying to figure out if anyone might have had a motive

to kill this fella.

I thought it was an accident.

Uncle Max!

I didn't know you invited Max.

Helen the felon.

- Hello. - Come here.

Mom!

It's extraordinary.

I want it in stores by next fall.

I don't want this life.

I have to leave.

I'm in love with someone else.

I'm looking for Mr. Solloway.

Is he home? You're under arrest.

I'll get you out of this, I promise.

Mr. Solloway, you have the right to remain silent.

Do you believe me?

Oh.

Fuck.

What the fuck?

Oh, shit.

I thought you said that you were considering it.

I did.

I thought long and hard about it.

It just...

I don't know, it just didn't feel right to me anymore.

And so you wanna go with this ending instead?

I think it's really powerful.

Well, what can I tell you?

I don't agree.

Oh, come on, Harry.

It's much subtler.

It's two people sitting down to dinner.

Yeah, with an unimaginable secret between them.

Doesn't have the punch of your first idea.

Murder, it's... it's...

it's salacious.

It's... it's cheap. It...

Well, it doesn't have to be.

Have you read Of Mice and Men?

Is that a rhetorical question?

Well, you may want to review it.

The murder at the end of that book felt surprising

while it was happening

and completely inevitable in retrospect.

Like all great endings in literature.

So what are you saying,

you won't publish it if I don't change the ending?

I'm not saying that.

'Cause, you know, as generous as that advance you got me was,

I still only got a fifth of it.

That's because that's how advances work.

You'll get the next part when you submit the final draft.

This is the final draft.

Maybe you should take another pass at the end.

No, just one more pass.

Oh, God.

Okay, maybe I should be more articulate

about what I did appreciate in this draft.

I thought bringing the feud

to the foreground of the earlier chapters

worked beautifully.

There's something almost epic in the way

that you now depict that family, those four brothers...

"Almost"?

It's got a real East of Eden feel to me.

What is it with you and Steinbeck today?

And I love the way that you introduced Lana.

And I gotta ask, how much of this is

based on what happened between you and, um,

what's her actual name?

It's fiction, Harry.

All right. All right.

I know this is frustrating for you,

but you're in the final stretch, buddy.

Don't go soft on me, okay?

You have something very powerful to say.

I just want you to say it.

- Noah! - Hey, Jordy.

- How's it going? - Man, it's been forever.

Where you been?

Uh, I... I've been upstate,

in a little... just a writer's retreat.

Working on something new or...

- That's right, yeah. - I can't wait to read it.

You know, I feel terrible

we haven't seen more of you guys this summer.

We've been meaning to have you over.

It's just with the end of the school year,

you know how it is.

Everything's so out of control.

And Becca's mother is staying with us right now,

which makes me wanna...

- - What are you doing tonight?

Um, I... Oh, I...

No, fuck, I can't tonight.

- Daddy. - Duck.

I said "duck."

Uh, listen, as soon as I get home,

I'm gonna check the Google Calendar

and have Becca call Helen and make a date.

- How's that sound? - Great.

It's great to see you, man. You look good.

You too.

Hey, I'm Noah Solloway. Sorry I'm late.

No problem, dude. We're ready to go.

How much stuff you got?

You know what, this is a kind of sensitive situation.

You just wait here. I'll bring the stuff out.

All of it?

Yeah, yeah. I think I can manage.

All right, man. Whatever works.

Where's Helen?

She's not here.

Where did she go?

That's none of your business.

Okay, I'm here to...

I know why you're here.

That's why I'm here.

Oh.

Can I...

Oh, by all means, come in.

Kids?

I've sent them all away.

You sent them away?

Yes, Noah.

I didn't think it would do them any favors

to be subjected to the traumatic consequences

of their father's psychosis.

Helen and I have taken the liberty

of putting most of your things

in the basement.

Thanks.

Where's the rest of my stuff, Margaret?

It hasn't been appraised.

What?

Once the divorce is finalized,

we'll have a professional make an inventory of the house

and determine the value of the rest of the property,

and then we'll ship you whatever you're owed,

or Helen can just write a check.

Since, let's just be honest,

what you really need is money, isn't it?

Is this all your stuff?

No, it's not.

What do you think you're doing?

These books are mine. I'm taking them.

Not until their value has been determined.

They're paperbacks!

They might have sentimental value to Helen.

Put that back! That's Le Creuset!

Noah, I'm not gonna ask you again.

Margaret, be reasonable.

These mugs are chipped. This pot is stained.

I don't care if they have holes in the goddamn bottom!

Noah, get back here!

Who do you think you are?

This is my daughter's house! This is her property!

And the fact that you had the audacity

to come and show your face here

after what you've done to my family...

Absolutely not! It has to be appraised!

I swear, if you don't stop what you're doing,

I'm gonna call the police.

Margaret, my father painted this fucking painting.

Now if you don't get out of my way,