MovieChat Forums > The Affair (2014) Discussion > The Helen situation

The Helen situation

posted 8 years ago by mhpayne78
8 replies | jump to latest

Okay, so we can gather that Noah and Allison married sometime after the tragedy occurred and before he went to court/jail. Based on the first episode of the new season, it seems that Allison ended things (divorce??) at some point after he went to prison. But what I'm wondering is what he meant when he told Helen to just "wait" for him while he was in there. Obviously she felt their relationship was going to be rectified, but how and why would she think this if it was so soon after he went to jail (and had married Allison after the night of the killing)?

[–] Alchemistlove 8 years ago

All very good questions. This is my take. {scroll spoilers}

Allison and Noah married. He was still wearing a wedding ring in some of the scenes in this episode. I think he may have broke it off and had the idea of getting back with Helen. Allison is not one to stick around in hard times. And Noah probably freed her. And as they not so subtly indicated in this first episode, Noah was unfortunately, raped by a guard in prison. My guess, that is the PTSD he is experiencing now. And in the after math of that, he couldn't be with Helen any longer either since he was being abused himself.

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[–] mhpayne78 8 years ago

Hmmmm, very good (and interesting) predictions! It would make more sense and the fact that he was raped in prison would make it likely that he was now pushing Helen away again, too. But he called Allison "just to hear her voice" so obviously he has regrets if in fact this was the case. I'm so curious to find out. Still wondering, also, why their perspectives have been so drastically different since day one of the show.... and if there is a point to it all. I'm sure it's all leading up to something bigger. Surely the creators realize that it's not realistic for them to have such conflicting memories, lol.

[–] Alchemistlove 8 years ago

Actually them having conflicting memories is very realistic. No one sees the same situation the same way. That's a part of human nature. So I think that is why they do it. I think that part is brilliant.

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Conservatives, I hear your complaints. What are your solutions?

[–] mhpayne78 8 years ago

I hear ya, and I agree that it has made it interesting..... but some of their differences in memory over the course of the show were so VASTLY different that it didn't seem viable at times. Perhaps because we are now in "present time" for the first time ever, really, since the show aired, the differing angles will end.

[–] mhpayne78 8 years ago

Also, I meant to point out that if this is the end of the "his and her" perspectives (since this episode was all about Noah) and they don't ever reveal why such conflicting perspectives took place, then it would seem sort of unfair NOT to explain why.

[–] Alchemistlove 8 years ago

I think Noah's situation was so heavy, they had to do first episode entirely from his perspective. There was a lot to cover with him.
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Conservatives, I hear your complaints. What are your solutions?

[–] BettyX 8 years ago

He is having major PTSD. His one on one discussion speech with his student, when she was talking about women never feel completely safe, you could tell it stuck with himHe then told her to use it for her writing and then later we see his manuscript on the chest of drawers.Him having some sort of flashback when he was making out with the French teacher and then panicking. Him also wanting to live away from his sister, wants to be alone. He was definitely somehow harmed in prison, yes, probably raped.

“I’m more humble than you can understand”

[–] Alchemistlove 8 years ago

The issue of rape was throughout the show. From the protest in the school court yard and Noah asks if there was a rape. And he stops for a moment and looks at the protests.

Also the conversation of the professor's dinner party was foreshadowing. The whole conversation was about rape. He didn't answer Audrey's question on consent. Audrey made him think about the sex he had with Allison against the tree. Possibly in light of his experiences in prison. And he might also have some confusion about what happened to him in prison. And then when the talk about courtly love and being in a person's bed but not having sex. That's kind of what he and the professor ended up doing.

And then the discussion about safety...He's likely writing to deal with his feelings of safety. Hence he gave Audrey that advice. And then like she described, he felt unsafe walking all the way home.

Now Noah is the most vulnerable in the episode. This is a change for him.

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Conservatives, I hear your complaints. What are your solutions?