Welcome to another exciting installment of the Noah Solloway is an asshole hour!

We learned on The Affair Season 2 Episode 8 that true love can paint you in a very positive light, while self loathing may take a bite out of you.

If Noah hadn't thought so poorly about himself, he could have come out of this one looking pretty good. It's been a while since we've revisited the same experience from two different perspectives.

Before we get into the details of the night between Helen and Noah, let's talk about the details of the case. After all, that's kind of where the episode started in the present, with Gottlief still going over the video and theorizing. So shall we!

While I'm still of a mind to think it wouldn't be Scotty's baby, and he'd be using the phrase "our baby" in the name of the Solloway family, as far as Noah's case goes, it doesn't really matter. Gottlief only needs to cast doubt upon Noah's involvement in the murder. He can build a case if the baby isn't Noah's.

As far as the show goes, assuming we get a third season, if the baby isn't Noah's and his trial is over just like that...where does that leave Helen and Noah? Are they written off the show or would they continue to be featured just because we're already invested in them, and we want to see how they fare post affair?

It seems obvious Helen still loves (and is perhaps still in love with) Noah, and we don't know how close they've become since the baby was born.

If Alison and/or Cole is tapped as the murderer, and given the baby and the trial, it would still make sense to continue with them because the show has featured the murder just as much as the affair since the beginning. 

I don't know. What are your thoughts on the future of the series if the case is as easy as the baby not being Noah's?

Onto this week. While Helen felt pretty badly about what she was doing, she still didn't hesitate getting evidence to try to prove the baby isn't Noah's. He'd probably hate her for doing it, but if it would free him, then Helen would give him up for his freedom. That's valiant.

Their connection some months back showed how much she continued to care about him and how she viewed his success. She was far more confident in him than he was in himself, that's for sure. 

They both, at least, saw a long line of people waiting to see him at his reading, but once inside, where she viewed an interested and overflowing crowd, Noah saw a tame crowd of groupies, people who didn't understand his work, let alone truly appreciate it. If it weren't for Helen's appearance, he would have read smut to the very person who called his work porn instead of a meaningful passage about love and loss.

Because Noah's recollection was so colloquial, I know it was Helen's that was truer. He's her ex husband. He ruined their life together. The part she most likely came up with on her own? "It's not about the sex!" Haha But all that triangle business was really lovely, and it's unlikely she'd attribute something that positive to someone who hurt her so badly if it wasn't pretty damn close.

Their shared memories in the bar, I'm betting, were a combination, depending upon which part of the night they were recalling. Earlier discussions about college and later discussions about Eden when they were toasted. Seeing them get drunk together and remember the wild kids they once were helps us to understand why they got together.

And Noah's pass at Eden at the hotel reminds us why they broke up. 

There's little doubt that Alison and Noah shouldn't be married. Neither of them want to be married. Noah would be happily screwing around, and he should be. Alison is kinda messed up in the head and shouldn't be with anyone. She knew Noah might not be the father of her baby, but she jumped onto his gravy train. She saw a way out of Montauk away from the memories of Gabriel. 

I wish I could say she's uneducated, but she's a nurse. She's just uncouth. Noah found that sexy. It's not. Now he knows it. If he could have done things differently, I don't think he'd hesitate. But it's too late.

Or, maybe it's not. Maybe Gottlief will have to use that pacifier. Maybe Noah's not the father. Maybe Helen will inadvertently set Noah free. There are a lot of maybes.

Where do you stand? What did you think about the disparity between the two versions of the night Helen and Noah shared together? What's next with the case? Drop me a comment please!!

13 Couples That Should Split Up NOW

Start Gallery

Carissa Pavlica is the managing editor and a staff writer and critic for TV Fanatic. She's a member of the Critic's Choice Association, enjoys mentoring writers, conversing with cats, and passionately discussing the nuances of television and film with anyone who will listen. Follow her on X and email her here at TV Fanatic.