The Affair

Previously on The Affair...

Everyone says to you when you're young,

"Who do you love? Love is all you need."

And it sends you into a panic. At least it did for me.

I got married young.

I had a great girlfriend. She was beautiful.

She was rich. She was artsy.

I wanted to be beautiful, rich and artsy,

so I married her. And I loved her.

Uh, sorry.

Mr. Solloway, this is my wife, Alison.

I had a fling.

Uh, with who?

Alison?

I love you.

I love you, too.

I have to leave.

I'm in love with someone else.

Get out! Get out!

I read your book, Noah. I'm sex?

No marriage could survive me?

You make it seem like I-I came on to you,

like I practically threw myself at you.

Hey, Cole?

Can you just stay?

Maybe this was the mistake.

No, please, don't say that.

I had this stupid idea,

that you and I could make a new start together and...

all the pain we caused everybody else,

it was for a reason, because we were meant to be together.

I never thought it would be all... pointless.

- - It was a deer.

It was a deer!

Don't! Noah! Noah!

Alison, if I don't do something,

they're gonna convict me.

I know, just...

just tell the truth.

Your Honor... I'm guilty. I killed Scott Lockhart.

- - What the hell are you doing?!

- Sit down and stay there. -

When you get out, you may still think

you have me to come home to.

And what you're trying to tell me is I-I-I won't.

I'm sorry.

Hey.

I operated on your son.

Oh, God. Dr. Ullah.

I'm thrilled for you, darling.

This fellow's quite a catch.

Handsome, polite, a doctor.

Do you think she even realizes

- these cans are hers? - No, I don't.

And she's not going to if you keep moving them for her.

Hi, Daddy.

Hey.

Hey. Look at you. You look great.

I have a date.

So, what happened to you?

Why'd you stand me up?

Go home to your fucking wife.

- -

They found her body.

She's dead. They're ruling it a suicide.

- Where is Mommy? - All we have to do is

think about her and remember her, and that way,

she will always be with us.

Priya?

Vik didn't tell me that you were coming over.

He told me his pants are falling down,

so I'm taking them in.

I know, I just... I didn't want to bother you, so...

Why would it bother me to do something nice for my son?

Does it bother you to care for your children, Helen?

Vik.

Vik!

I'm not getting treatment.

That just doesn't make any sense.

I'm not gonna sit around and watch you die.

I have pancreatic cancer!

There is no cure. No hope.

Vik? Is that your car?

Yeah, I just got it.

I know the best road in Malibu.

Let's see how fast this car can really go.

I want to get home, and I want to drink.

- You're pregnant? - Yes.

That's what I was trying to tell you.

Why are you trying to tell me?

I want to keep it. I want to be a mother.

I don't want to go.

I want... more days. I want more life.

Vik okay?

Vik is going to die.

If there was one person I would want to be with

when I die,

it'd be you.

I was in a dark place, man.

I just finished the second film in The Maze franchise, and I was

on top of the world, but inside...

I was empty.

So, I looked at my life and I asked myself,

what's wrong here? What's missing?

Authenticity.

That was the answer. Integrity.

Courage. And that's when

I picked up your book.

And it just spoke to me, man.

It did.

I thought, this is my life. And this man understands...

everything.

That's, uh, I'm really glad

- you felt that way. - People don't really know me, you know?

They-they, uh, know my movies.

They see me as this action hero,

this sort of modern-day James Bond.

But that's all an act, of course.

I mean, that's not who I am.

But this book... this is me.

- This is my story. - Yeah, it's my story, too.

I guess, you know, my story's your story.

I know it's a real act of faith,

putting your work in the hands of another artist

to interpret. But I want you to know,

I'm not going to let you down.

I've got this. I've got you, okay?

I've been waiting a very, very long time

for something to direct.

So, enough about me, tell me about you.

Tell me about Noah Solloway. When did you write this?

How many years ago?

Oh, God, uh... I guess it was eight years ago.

- Eight? - Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm. And how did it happen?

I mean, did you just, you just sat down one day and thought,

"I'm just gonna write a whole book."

Well, no, no, no. Well, not exactly. No, um...

Well, I'd-I'd written a-a book before this.

Yeah?

Yeah, it didn't do very well.

- Tragic. - Right. And, um,

so I was, uh, I was teaching in Brooklyn.

I love that. That's a great detail.

So human.

- Please go on. - Uh... yeah, so, uh...

So, teachers, um,

so, teachers get their summers off, so, uh, my wife and I would

take every summer and take the kids out to Montauk.

And we'd spend a month with my in-laws.

Let me just, uh, pause you there for a second.

- Your wife Ellen... - Helen.

- What? - Uh, she's Ellen in the book, but actually...

That's... doesn't matter.

She's, uh, wh-what about her?

She is a great character.

- Thank you. - Yeah.

She's funny, she's down-to-earth,

- self-deprecating. - Right.

So, why did you do it?

- Do what? Have an affair? - Nah.

No. I get that part.

I mean, that's reasonable, you're a man.

No, the part that I'm struggling with in telling this story,

the part that I'm struggling with is, is why you, no,

excuse me, sorry. Why does Daniel leave his wife?

Well, I mean, it, uh... well, that's kind of

what the whole book is about.

Yes. I get that. So help me out.

Um... well, I'm not sure there's an easy answer to that,

to that question, but, um...

I don't know, I was,

I was pretty unhappy.

I reached a certain age when I felt I should be

more accomplished, more confident, more wealthy,

just more, really. And...

um, Helen and I had been college sweethearts.

You know, I loved her,

but... our relationship was, uh...

I guess it just, it seemed to me

that that was what was holding me back.

Mm-hmm.

Is this at all helpful?

Yes, absolutely. Mm-hmm.

So you said you met

- in university, right? - Yeah, that's right, mm-hmm.

- What was she like? - Who, Helen at that time?

Mm-hmm.