The Affair Season 5 Episode 4 Review: What Happened to Cole Lockhart?
Paul Dailly
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With Joshua Jackson's exit ahead of The Affair Season 5, it was inevitable that his character would not get a satisfying conclusion.
The Affair Season 5 Episode 4 pulled back the curtain to reveal that Joanie's narrative is taking place sometime after 2050 and that Cole is dead.
Joanie is struggling to exist in a world without her parents, and that's very evident based off the way she's been acting throughout the handful of scenes she's been a part of to date.
What happened to Cole following the death of Alison is still very much unclear.
He survived over three decades later, but given that his home was still filled with photos of Alison before his death, it's likely that he never got over her death.
The death of Alison affected him more than it did Noah, so there's no telling what became of him.
Joanie ridding the house of Gabriel's toy box and the photos of her mother was quite the surprise, but we need to remember that her mother, father, and brother are dead.
She feels all alone in the world, and I dare say that she resents Alison for apparently committing suicide.
There's no telling what she plans to do with the house, but it certainly seems like there will be information that will make her question her mother's death.
There were two distinctly different conclusions for Ruth Wilson's Alison teased on The Affair Season 4 Episode 9 -- one in which she committed suicide and one in which her boyfriend Ben murdered her.
For dramatic purposes, the latter is the most likely scenario, and the investigation into the case will likely be the thing that gives Joanie the closure she desperately requires.
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Being back home is opening old wounds, but being in that big house alone with all of the ghosts of the past will not be doing much for Joanie mentally.
She's disconnected from reality and prefers to be on the road -- well away from her husband and children. That's sad, and if she doesn't find a way to choose a different direction in life, she runs the risk of losing everything.
The biggest flaw here is that Joanie is getting mere minutes in each of the episodes, while the other characters get north of 20.
Maybe we'll be rewarded with a full hour centered on Joanie before the conclusion of the series.
Whitney's perspective was surprisingly strong.
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The character has popped up here and there throughout the show's five seasons, but she never struck me as the type of character that would benefit from a deep dive into her life.
But it was so much better than I expected it to be. She's at a pivotal stage in her life, and she needs to decide whether she's living her best life, or living life just to benefit other people.
Her relationship with Colin is being destroyed thanks to his undocumented status because he isn't able to help contribute to bills.
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Whitney is exhausted, and I have to commend her for NOT wanting to go to Furcat's event -- at least in her chain of events.
Whitney's relationship with Furcat during The Affair Season 3 was toxic, to say the least, so any scenario that involves her returning to him is not positive.
His display of affection towards her at the launch was all for show. He loves having an audience, and he knew what he was doing by having nude photos of her plastered everywhere.
It's obvious that she's going to stick it out with Colin. After they get married, and prove they are in love, he will be able to get a job and start paying his way.
Look at you, Doll Face. You look just like Cinderella.
Furcat
He understandably feels like he's not doing anything right, and that's partly why he had the outburst to go to City Hall. It would make everything easier, but Whitney isn't the type of person to do that.
She wants a fairytale wedding so that she can get a wealth of photos for the 'Gram.
There are similarities the Whitney-Colin relationship and the early years of the Helen-Noah one.
Whitney wanted a reason to continue with Colin and hearing that Helen supported Noah in her 20s helped her realize that it's okay to want to support someone -- even if they're not contributing to the bills.
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Noah went on to be successful, but there's no telling whether a similar fate awaits Colin.
The idea of being an assistant in New York is way more appealing than the dingey one Whitney currently works in, but she doesn't really love Furcat.
She likes that he is more wealthy, but beyond that, there's really nothing there. Her returning home to cuddle with Colin essentially confirmed that her decision had been made.
It's a shame we didn't get a scene of Helen and Noah reacting to the return of Furcat because they hated the ground he walked on.
Noah: I'm her father. I'm staying here in case she needs me.
Margaret: There you are, Noah. Welcome back.
Then again, Helen was too busy being self-absorbed and living that Hollywood lifestyle.
Noah, on the other hand, is bordering on crazy as he tries to find a way to get rid of Sasha.
Margaret trying to help get rid of the actor was not surprising. Him being in Helen's life means that there's no way she will leave Los Angeles behind.
However, handing sex toys over to Noah to hide in Sasha's room was pretty out there.
Noah has spent years putting his children second best, and he's only just started realizing that his actions have had detrimental effects on them.
Margaret recognized the old Noah when he yelled at her about staying with Stacy -- the pre-affair Noah who cared for his children.
As much as Margaret hates Noah, she knows that even if Helen is back with him, that will be enough for them all to return to Montauk.
Noah offered to move back with Helen a handful of episodes ago.
At this stage, Helen and Noah deserve each other. They both have their fair share of flaws, and the prospect of learning from mistakes disgusts them both.
It's hard not to imagine them finding a way back to each other, before moving back East.
Stacey: Dad! Happy Halloween.
Noah: Is it Halloween? I forgot.
Stacey: Shocker.
There was actual progression on this installment. Sure, the Noah perspective mostly sucked, but Whitney and Joanie delivered great potential for the storylines.
What are your thoughts on this installment? What do you think will happen next?
Hit the comments below.
Remember you can watch The Affair online right here via TV Fanatic.
The Affair continues Sundays on Showtime.
Paul Dailly was an Associate Editor for TV Fanatic.Follow him on X.
