Previously on The Affair...
Did you get your grant?
No. Uh, actually, you need me.
- What? - I'm from the VHA.
I just came to check out the facilities,
- make sure everything's kosher. - You work with veterans?
They sent me here to investigate this therapy.
- You want to partner up? - Yeah.
Close your eyes.
What do you notice?
I'm on the beach.
- What are you seeing? - I'm in the water.
You're-you're in the water?
I can't breathe. I'm choking on the water.
- And then these hands... - Whose hands?
Two big, strong hands are pulling me from the water.
What's that face?
You amaze me.
Hi. My name is Ben, and I'm an addict.
- Hey, Ben. - Hey, Ben.
Does she know you're married?
- No. - Of course not.
I'm gonna tell her the truth. Just give me a moment.
Hey, I sent you something.
- Oh, God. What? - It's just a gift card
to buy a plane ticket to California,
for you and Joanie.
I have a-a student in my AP English class,
Anton Gatewood.
I'm not sure what's going on in his home life,
but I just feel he's under a lot of pressure.
- Where you going? - It's a walkout, y'all.
Everyone get back
to their classrooms right now!
These are children, man.
Fuck the police!
This is all gonna blow over, you know that?
I was on the phone all afternoon with the board,
fighting to keep my job.
- How's Anton? - He's with his dad.
That boy is turning into his father,
and there's not a damn thing I can do about it.
www.subtitulamos.tv
- _ - 'Cause, girl,
I told you, he wasn't 'bout nothing but...
So, guys, don't forget,
we're starting tomorrow with your Waste Land manifestos.
"I will show you fear in a handful of dust."
Hey, yo, Blanca...
Adapt it. Do what you will with it. Subvert it.
Have fun with it.
Uh, Mr. Solloway, you, uh, got a second?
Sure, Anton. What's up?
So, uh, thank you for the "A" on the Animal Farm essay.
The notes you gave me were, uh... they were tight.
Well, it was a fine piece of work.
I was, um, wondering if you could
take a look at this other thing I've been working on,
you know, maybe give me some notes.
I printed it out. I know...
sometimes older teachers like that.
Right.
Thank you, Anton.
What is it, a short story?
No, um, just an essay.
Nothing... nothing special.
You reapplying to Princeton?
Yeah, maybe. I don't... I don't know.
Since you said my boy Cornel West is over there, so...
An old friend from college
now runs the English department there.
- Serious? - Yeah.
I can give her a call if you want me to.
- You would do that? - Of course I'd do that.
And I'll read this, let you know what I think.
Well, thank you.
Mr. Solloway.
No offense, but, um, you know,
I think you're a good teacher and everything,
but maybe you should give the assignment
in the beginning of the class,
'cause at the end of the class, they're not listening.
Good tip.
Uh, Mr. Solloway,
- Principal Wilson's on the phone with the... - What is the matter with you?
- president of the board... - Do you have any idea how bad this makes us look?
It's a goddamn mess, Janelle!
Yes, Ron, it is an unfortunate letter.
Unfortunate things happen all the time.
That's why schools have principals.
It's from a law firm, and you didn't
- even think to tell us? - Close the door.
I mean, come on. The board thinks you're running
a fucking zoo over there...
I'm on a call. What do you want?
but I'm beginning to wonder myself.
- It's deeply problematic... - It's on mute.
- Really, what do you need? - Um, it can wait.
What-what's going on?
A girl got separated
from her inhaler during the walkout.
Didn't say a word.
Just sat there wheezing and turning blue.
Parents got wind, hired some predatory lawyer
who sent a letter to the board.
This has never happened before.
- Jesus. - Here, let me talk to him.
- What? Wait. - Hey, Ron, Ron,
it's Noah Solloway here.
Noah? I didn't know you were there.
Yeah, no, I-I just barged in just now.
Well, you got quite an exciting start.
I saw you on TV the other day. It's, uh...
Yeah, look, I-I gotta say,
it was a pretty tough day, and the way that Janelle...
the way that, uh, Principal Wilson handled the whole situation,
you're incredibly lucky to have her.
Yeah.
Well, I'm... I'm-I'm just glad to hear we haven't scared you away, Noah.
Janelle, w-would you please take me off the speaker now?
Are you firing me?
Fine. Okay.
Mm-hmm.
I understand.
I'm sorry. I'm sorry.
Is there anything I can do?
Really, Noah, you've done enough.
Why are you here?
Uh, I thought you should read this.
Don't tell him I gave it to you.
Hey, Noah.
Next time, knock.
Hey, Trevor's voice mail.
I'm on my way, so I'm just checking
if you're gonna be ready to head out around six.
Thought we might get a bite to eat before the concert.
Anywhere you like.
Okay?
Okay, see you soon. Can't wait.
Concert's gonna be awesome!
Busy?
I owe you an apology.
No, no, I-I barged in.
So, you still my boss?
I'm on probation.
Next week, I have to supplicate to the board.
"Between a rock and a hard place."
So, what, am I the rock?
No, I think you're the hard place.
Why'd he give it to you?
Uh, he said he wanted notes.
And you shared it with me why?
Well, he's obviously having a hard time making the decision, so...
I thought maybe, if you read it, you might be able to help him.
This day has effectively kicked my ass.
Thank you for this.
I will...
I'll read it over and figure out what to do.
Well, I'm happy to brainstorm with you.
If you want a...
a buddy.
A buddy?
Well, you know, um...
like a friend, a pal.
Hmm.
Someone you choose to hang out with because you enjoy their company.
What about tonight?
Really?
Yeah, we can, uh, talk about Anton's essay,
drink some wine, shoot the shit.
Are you serious?
What do you think?
I think you're not serious.
And I have a...
tickets for a concert with my son tonight.
Mm.
It wouldn't have worked out anyway.
No.
Probably for the best.
Thank you for the intel, Noah.
You have a good night.
What part are you not hearing?
Well, at least he can come out here.
It's not a good night.
Why can't you encourage him to come out here
and explain to my face what's so fucking important
that I have wasted 300 bucks on some tweener bullshit?
I don't know. Maybe that's the problem right there.
Trevor, come out here now.
300 bucks.
Yes, I'll give you 300 bucks to just go.
Trevor, I'm gonna count to three!
Count to three, and then do what?
- He's not seven. - Trevor...
Hey, buddy, what's wrong?
She told you... I don't want to go.
Okay, okay, well...
well, let's talk.
Come on, you were excited.
I was looking forward to spending time with you.
What... what's happened?
I don't understand why you can't just
leave us the fuck alone!
I know you know how to leave.
I tried to tell you.
I thought you had a date with your son.
Yep, that was the $300 dollar plan.
"My mother is dying for me to go to this school."
She's the principal of the charter school I attend,
and it would be such a feather in both her parental
"and her pedagogical cap..."
I hate alliteration.
"if her son was the first student from this school"
to attend Princeton.
My mother lives and breathes academic success.
"The only thing she hates more than failure is my father."
I am going to kill him.
It's amazing what ingrates they can be, isn't it?
It really is.
You change their diapers, you catch their vomit,
you don't sleep for 18 years, and this is how they repay you.
Did you read the whole essay?
I did. He doesn't want to go to Princeton,
because he thinks I'm gonna use his admission
as a way to get back at his dad,
so he set a trap for me.
He plagiarized his essay knowing he'd get caught
and that I'd have to fail him because I'm such a hard-ass.
And it worked.
What an intelligent little psychopath I raised.
But now he's having a change of heart.
That was your influence, wasn't it?
I just told him some of the writers he admires teach there.
He could've worked that out himself
if he'd Googled it.
Something tells me you did more than that.
Is that stuff true about his father?
What he wrote in there?
About me using Anton against him?
What kind of person do you think I am?
No, about him failing out of Harvard.
No, he didn't fail.
He... he left.
Why?
He hated it there.
He felt like the whole system
was designed to degrade him,
convince him that he was worthless,
that his blackness was something
he continually needed to apologize for.
- Were you there, too? - I was.
Is that the way you felt?
No.
The truth is, I-I grew up outside of Boston.
My father was a dentist.
We were upper middle class.
I had tools to handle the racism.
But Carl, he...
he came from nothing.
And that was a long time ago.
They didn't have these programs
to help keep inner-city kids in school.
They treated him like a curiosity at the zoo.
The professors would single him out in class
and kind of turn him into a spectacle.
And then, after class,
the kids would ask him to get them drugs.
It was awful for him.
Of course, then he decided
that he would sell them drugs,
'cause if they were constantly
coming at him anyway, he might as well
make some money off these fools.
He got caught eventually,
so he quit right then and there.
Dropped out of Harvard with a 3.4 GPA.
What a fucking waste.
So now Anton's worried he's gonna have
the same experience as his father.
That's not what he's worried about.
Well, that's what he says in his essay. It's all over it.
He's lying.
He's covering.
These schools aren't the same places they used to be.
They have support systems in place,
checks and balances.
Anton knows that.
We've talked about it.
I'll tell you what he's afraid of.
He's afraid of doing well.
Doing well?
Why?
'Cause he thinks it'll hurt Carl.
That's why he plagiarized his fucking paper.
It had nothing to do with me.
If Anton doesn't go to Princeton,
he's not in danger of winning a race
his father couldn't run.
Does Carl know that?
I don't know what Carl knows.
I know he wants Anton to stay in the community,
go to USC or something.
What do you think about that idea?
I think USC is a good school
for people who can't get into Princeton.
You know, my ex-wife and I, we do this, too.
Do what?
Fight over our son.
She thinks he's gay.
I'm not sure.
But every time we try to talk about it,
it just becomes a fight about what happened in our marriage,
not about what's going on with Trevor.
Won't he come out when he's ready?
Well, kids are not always so clear.
What do I do about all this?
Well, he can't turn that essay in.
It's not gonna do his cause any good.
I know.
I'm with you. I think he belongs in Princeton.
Think he would thrive there.
And my friend is now head of the English department,
so if Anton wants to interview with her
and get some extra leverage, then...
it could be arranged.
Really?
Yeah, but he's... he's got to want to go, Janelle.
You and Carl, you gotta work through
whatever issues you got going on,
help him make the decision.
How well do you and your ex-wife communicate, Noah?
Are you calling each other on the phone,
having friendly chats about your children's best interests?
No.
Hey, Pot.
I'm Kettle. Nice to meet you.
Nice to meet you.
Forgot my history book. Now Dad's mad.
I got my quiz tomorrow, and...
Mom?
Mr. Solloway?
And also, don't forget your damn charger.
And you're who-the-fuck?
I'm Noah. I'm a... I'm a... I'm a teacher at Anton's school.
We were just, um, discussing your Princeton essay.
- You showed her? - Princeton? Again?
Dad, it's not what it sounds like.
We talked about this. We made a decision.
We made a decision? The way I remember it
is you talked and talked until we got sick of listening.
Oh, for fuck's sake, Janelle, you're the one
that failed him and revoked his admission, not me.
So you took your sorry ass
behind my back and decided to reapply.
Oh, it's not even that deep.
Uh, sorry.
Dad, I wrote the essay about why I don't want to go to Princeton.
- You hear that, Janelle? - Carl, use your head.
Why the fuck would he write an essay for Princeton
about why he doesn't want to go to Princeton?
I don't know.
Why the fuck would you do that?
Man, you still here?
Yeah, I-I should go.
Stay, please. He's here because
Anton shared his essay with him.
The reason why he wrote such a messed-up essay, Carl,
is because he wants to go to the school.
- He just said he didn't. - But he's terrified
- of disappointing you. - What?
You wear it like a badge of honor that you
- dropped out of school. - Oh, come on, woman.
You tell him the school
is gonna make him hate his skin, and he believes you.
Anton, let's go.
Just read the damn thing!
Nellie, let's just admit what this is actually about.
You were never gonna let him stay here for school.
No matter what, he was always
going back East, back to your family,
back to your world. And it was fine as long as
he was the star student at your little charter project.
But you were never gonna let him
go to college with those people.
- Screw you, Carl. - Can we just stop?
Man.
Can we get some fucking privacy, please?
I'm sorry. Thank you for your advice.
Good to meet you, Carl.
See you on Monday, Anton.
Hi. Uh, it's Noah Solloway here. Someone was calling me.
Yeah.
Who?
You can keep that.
You're missing 24B.
Twenty-four B?
Bail-bondsman waiver form.
And you need the booking statutes.
Booking statutes? Wh-What are they?
Status. Status.
The booking status of the alleged offender.
Look, someone here called me, so they must know.
Well, we don't have that information here.
There's a kiosk down the hall.
You can use the computer to search the name
- of the alleged offender. - Look, I've done time in jail.
It wasn't pleasant, and I don't want to do any more,
but I swear, if you don't call a superior officer
out here right now to help me bail out my wife,
then I'm gonna become a repeat offender.
Well, if you'd like to speak to a superior officer,
you need to make a formal request using the red phone
in the lobby down the hall to the right.
Right. Your right.
My pen.
Thank you.
Alison?
_
I picked this up at the airport in New Delhi.
Can you believe that?
You close your eyes,
and you think of a question.
Any question in the world.
And when you shake the ball,
it will tell you the answer, okay?
Close your eyes.
Open your present.
Hmm.
Okay.
Who is this?
This is my favorite Hindu god, Krishna.
Wow, Mom, this thing weighs a ton.
- Well, he's very powerful. - What...
I thought he would look good
- on your bookcase. - Right.
And maybe he'll help you attract a man.
If you want a man, if you want a man.
I don't need a man, Mom, because I have a job.
And I'm fine.
We're fine, aren't we, Joanie?
Mm, when is my daddy coming back?
- "Reply..." - What does it say?
Can you read it?
"Reply hazy."
Try again later.
He'll be home soon, lovebug.
He's, um, just taking a little vacation.
Do we know where Cole is vacationing these days?
Someplace warm, we hope. Right, Joanie?
Who sent the booze?
Yeah.
Apparently, it's from the investors,
the ones who bought the Roll.
Oh! I guess they're happy with their purchase.
Oh, speaking of, remember that, um, account
you set up for me years ago?
What was that, some kind of trust?
Oh, God, that was
your grandfather who set that up, actually.
But no, it was just a savings account under your name. Why?
Oh, well, I met with an accountant.
I want to set something up for Joanie
with my share of the profits.
Hold that thought.
Hey. Come here.
Hello?
Let me have a go.
Will Joanie finish all the food on her plate?
Sorry. Who... who is this?
- "Signs point to yes." - Wait,
what... what did you say?
Never call this number again.
Hey, who was that?
Nobody.
Telemarketer.
Persistent one.
"Much more surprising things
can happen to anyone who, when a disagreeable
or discouraged thought comes into his mind,
just has the sense to remember in time
and push it out by putting in an agreeable,
determinedly courageous one.
Two things cannot be in one place."
- _ - Oh, Noah.
So sweet.
Hello?
Well, this is Alison Bailey. Who is this?
What?
Are you serious?
Wait, uh...
What did you say your name was?
"Forty-two Lee Avenue."
Okay. I have to go.
- Hey. - Fast asleep.
Little monkey.
Now...
Krishna, where do you want to live?
Here.
Good.
Now his divine love will protect this house.
Alison.
This is my wife, Julie.
Please. Please come in.
We are so grateful you came.
Well, how did you find me?
Find you?
Oh, my darling, James has been watching you for years.
He's so proud of all that you've accomplished.
You're my father?
Yes.
Why should I believe you?
Well...
What did Shelly tell you?
- Who? - Your mother.
Oh, Athena. What...
Oh, right, yes, yes. She, uh, changed her name.
- To Athena? - I told you that.
Yeah, well, she said she didn't know who my dad was.
Oh, that's what... I was afraid of that.
So you need some sort of evidence?
She was my children's nanny.
She was like a second mother to them.
Yours here?
- No. No, no, not... - No, no, no.
My first wife.
Wait, I-I'm a little confused.
- Can you just backtrack? - I know. I'm-I'm sorry.
I'm doing a terrible job at, uh, explaining this.
You know, I've rehearsed this moment so many times,
and now look at me.
- I'm just a disaster. - No. Stop.
Alison, your mother came to work for me
and my first wife
when she was 19.
And she was a miracle.
His first wife, uh, considered
- child rearing beneath her. - Julie, Julie,
- just let me finish. - I'm... Okay, I'm sorry.
- I'm sorry. I'm sorry. - Let me talk, okay?
I'm just... I'm so glad we found you.
Found me? I'm in this picture.
You knew exactly where I was.
- Yes, but... - Alison...
your mother was a lifesaver
for my boys back then.
She really, really was.
She was beautiful. She was kind.
She took excellent care of my children, your brothers.
- Oh, God. Yeah, right. - I...
got a little turned around.
You're an adult. I'm sure you understand.
She wanted me to leave my wife, leave Catherine,
and I suspect she had good reason
to believe that I would.
I wanted to, but...
in the end, I-I...
I couldn't do it.
And that... that broke your mother's heart.
She never told me she was pregnant.
I never knew, until the day we all ran into each other on the beach.
And my children,
they missed her, they ran towards her,
they threw themselves into her arms.
And there you were.
You have to understand, she changed her name.
She didn't want him to find her.
If I had known she was pregnant,
I would have supported her.
Hell, I would... I would have left my wife.
If you knew I existed all these years,
why didn't you come and see me?
Oh, I tried.
I tried, believe me, but-but Shelly... Athena...
she wouldn't let me.
She wouldn't let me have anything to do
with you or your life.
She was adamant.
And-and I... I-I wanted to respect her wishes,
so I... I just decided
the best thing to do was...
stay away.
But not a day went by I didn't think of you.
I have so many regrets, Alison.
Significant, significant regrets.
I don't know how to live
under the weight of them anymore.
Why now?
I'm not 18. I'm not 21.
I've been an adult for years, James.
Why are you contacting me now?
I'm not in good health, Alison.
What's wrong?
My kidneys are failing.
Dialysis isn't working, and if I don't
get a new kidney soon, then, uh...
He's AB-negative.
It's very rare.
His sons are B-positive, and, uh,
our children are both too young, so...
You have children, too?
We were hoping...
uh, praying, actually... that...
maybe you were?
Me?
I have made terrible mistakes, Alison.
I don't expect you to forgive me, but...
I could pay you very well
- for this gesture. - What?
- And maybe that is one way... - Oh, my...
I can give something back to you.
- Here, um, where do I...? - Okay, Alison, don't...
- don't go, don't... - Here, you take that.
Alison, don't go. Alison. Alison!
He saved your life.
What did you say?
That day at the beach,
with your mother,
you almost drowned.
James saved your life.
Wait, is that true?
Yes.
I was talking with your mother,
trying to figure out
who you were, what had happened.
My boys took you down to play in the surf.
And your mother and I...
we were lost in conversation, so...
we weren't watching you.
And we looked up,
and we heard the boys shouting.
A wave...
had pulled you under.
You were, uh, too young to swim.
I just went running into the water.
I dove in with all my clothes on, I grabbed you...
You grabbed me with both your hands.
Both my hands, and I pulled you out.
- You weren't hurt. - Oh, my God.
But you were white as a sheet, you poor baby.
You didn't speak the rest of the afternoon.
I remember this.
Oh, my God, I remember this.
- Alison, please. - No, please, just-just...
Athena, are you here?
I met my dad today.
Athena.
Hand me a towel.
What the fuck, Athena?
Wait. How did you find him?
He lives in fucking East Hampton.
How do you know that?
Uh, the question is: Why don't I know that?
- You obviously know that. - Okay.
Let me just get dressed.
We will talk about this.
He wanted to be in my life.
Okay.
You kept me from him.
- Like, how could you do that? - I'm gonna make a cup of tea.
I mean, what possible explanation do you have?
I mean, Jesus, Athena, what...
what kind of monster keeps a child from her own parent?
I don't think he told you everything, Alison.
Believe me, he did. He told me all about your affair.
- Our affair? - Yeah, and how
he couldn't leave his wife, and then you got angry
- and decided to punish him. - Oh, my God.
And you didn't even tell him you were pregnant. You disappeared.
- You changed your fucking name. - You need to stop talking.
You don't know what you're saying. Stop.
I could've had a father, Athena.
Someone I could rely on.
Someone I could trust more than you.
Stop!
We didn't have an affair.
He was married.
What else would you call it?
Rape.
I would call it rape.
When I was, um, his children's nanny,
he took me down to his yacht
one evening.
Yeah.
I had nowhere to go.
I was 19.
I dropped his horrible children at school the next morning,
and I left, and I never went back.
And six weeks later, I found out I was pregnant.
Did you press charges?
No, I did not.
Why not?
Because nobody would have believed me, honey.
He was rich as shit. I was a teenage hippie.
I just wanted to move on.
I wanted to forget what had happened
and keep you,
and I never wanted you to find out.
That's why I kept you from him all these years,
and that's why I changed my name.
Can you make that fucking thing go on for me, please?
- What about the picture? - What picture?
There was a picture. He had a picture.
It was all of us on a beach.
And I was young, and he said that he saved my life.
Oh, my God. Right.
We once ran into him, yes,
in front of your grandparents' house.
His kids recognized me.
I was terrified he would figure out who you were, but...
he never said a word. He was more concerned with making sure
I hadn't told anyone what had happened between us,
that his reputation was still intact.
What a shit.
Did he save my life?
Save your life?
He said I almost drowned that day.
Did he save my life?
Baby, I don't remember that.
Alison, sweetheart,
you can ask me any question you need to.
I'll tell you whatever you want to know.
But you need to be careful around him, okay?
That's all I ask.
Why did he reach out to you? Why now?
He wanted a kidney.
Of course he did.
Oh, God.
You can't make this shit up.
Hi, Ben. It's me.
Look, I-I'm sorry to bother you, but I, um...
I just... I-I really need to talk to you.
Can you call me, please?
Bye.
Find the VA Medical Center in Smithtown.
Starting route
to VA Medical Center in Smithtown, New York.
Shit.
Okay.
Excuse me.
Um, do you know where Ben Cruz's office is?
Okay, thank you.
- Hi there. - Um, yeah,
I-I'm looking for Ben Cruz.
Oh, well, you've come to the right place.
Is he here?
Um, he is actually at a lunch meeting,
but he'll be back any minute, if you want to wait.
Here.
Oh, my gosh.
Thank you. Whew!
Oh, wow. That's beautiful.
Yeah. I think so, too.
Ben's work is so serious that he could use
a little flair here in this office.
Don't you think?
Yeah, yeah, I guess.
When did you say he was coming back?
Any minute now.
Oh, you're distressed.
I'm sorry. Um, are you okay?
No, I'm okay.
Why don't you sit down?
- Here. - No, no.
Come sit down.
Do you need any, uh... water? I can get you some water or something.
I'm really fine. Thank you. Thanks.
Okay.
There.
That's not bad.
Do you need to get that?
No. That's okay.
So, what branch of the service were you in?
- What? I-I don't... - Mrs. Cruz, what are you doing?
- Please, let me help you with that. - Oh, Esmelda, I'm fine.
I'll be right with you.
Ben Cruz's office.
No, he's not here at the moment.
Can I take a message?
Did Bodhi do that?
Yeah, he did.
Can you believe that? Doesn't it look professional?
Oh, my gosh, his teachers were so impressed.
I don't know, I just...
thought Ben needed some artifacts
of his children here in his office.
He works so hard, Esmelda,
sometimes I think he forgets he even has a family.
Oh, no, he talks about you all the time.
- You okay? - Uh, bathroom? Just...?
Uh, down the hall.
First door on your left.
Do not leave your baggage unattended.
For the safety of yourself and all airport passengers...
_
I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.
I'm Jack.
I'm Alison.
Ladies and gentlemen,
although the "fasten your seat belt" sign
has been switched off at this time,
we would like to suggest the use of your seat belts
at all times while seated.
Oh, my God.
I'm sorry. Excuse me.
It's fine. Don't worry about it.
You drooled on my shirt a little bit, but you just let me know where to send
- the dry-cleaning bill. - Did I?
- I'm kidding. - Oh, God.
Can I get you anything?
Yes, please.
Uh, red wine.
- Oh, make it two, actually. - And you, sir?
Jack, rocks. Please and thank you.
Thank you.
A lush.
I love it.
You must be Southern.
- No. - Thank you.
I just had a terrible day.
Me, too.
You want to talk about it?
No, I just want to drink.
Damn, girl.
Give me flashbacks to my fraternity days.
Oh, hang on, now.
Let's at least cheers.
Cheers.
That bad, huh?
Is it a guy?
Huh. What makes you say that?
I recognize the mood.
I'm divorced.
Me, too.
Twice.
Really?
- Well... - Yeah.
Cheers again.
You know, you have a really beautiful smile.
I'm sorry, you... you must get told that all the time.
Have you ever heard of the, uh, mile-high club?
The what?
- The mile-high club. - Yeah, right.
Excuse me. I need to use the bathroom.
- Oh, hang on, now. - What?
Hang on, now. Hang on, now.
Get the fuck...
- Oh, geez! - Oh, my God. Did you see that?
- Jesus! - Oh, no. I'm sorry.
- Ma'am, are you all right? - Are you okay?
- What happened? - Ma'am?
- I saw it. That woman shoved her. - Can you tell me your name?
What?
No, no, it was an accident. He was trying to attack me.
- Who was attacking you? - Him.
For fuck's sake, I did not!
This woman basically assaulted me.
You put your hand on my thigh.
Ma'am, I'm gonna need you to take your seat.
I can't sit back down there, okay?
He tried to kiss me. You tried to kiss me.
I tried to kiss you? You're insane.
Ma'am, I'm not gonna ask you again... please take your seat.
She's been heavily drinking. She might even be on drugs.
- What? - Ma'am, can you please...
I'm not gonna ask you again. Please take your seat.
Look, can you put me somewhere else, please?
Okay, I can't sit in that seat. He assaulted me.
Did nobody else see this? Please?
- The flight is full, ma'am. - No, get off me!
- Pleas take your seat. - No, no, no, no.
Listen up. Listen up.
No, it was a misunderstanding. Please.
Stop touching me!
Noah?
Hi.
Hi. It's me.
Yeah, I've got some good news and some bad news.
Good news is I'm in L.A.
You look good.
For a felon.
From the master himself.
So, this is unexpected.
I know.
You did send that gift card.
Oh, right, I'm glad it came in handy.
Kind of hoped you'd bring Joanie with you.
Ah, I'm sorry.
Are we headed south?
No, north.
The ocean's on the wrong side.
Oh, right. No, that... yeah, that takes some getting used to.
So, some asshole tried to kiss you on the plane?
But you got arrested?
Pretty much.
Nobody believed me, though.
You don't believe me, either, do you?
I didn't say that.
Why would I lie about something like this?
Why would I lie about
- something like this? - I never said you did.
Never said you did.
It's just so hard to believe that...
they would arrest you for defending yourself
from some guy who was assaulting you.
Nobody else saw it.
Maybe it didn't happen.
Do you remember a long time ago,
when we went to Block Island, you were telling me this...
about this mind-set that you sometimes get into
where you have a hard time distinguishing
between what's real and what isn't?
Noah, I can't breathe.
- What's wrong? - I can't breathe. My throat is closing.
- I can't breathe. Can't breathe. - You're okay. If you can talk,
- you can breathe. It's okay. - Can't breathe, can't breathe.
It's okay. If you can talk, you can breathe.
- I can't breathe. Can't... - It's okay. Calm down.
- I can't. I just can't... - You're fine. You're all right.
I can't breathe, I can't breathe, I can't breathe!
Hang on. Hang on.
Come here. You're okay.
It's gonna be okay. I'm pulling over here.
It's okay. You're gonna be okay. Don't worry.
Gonna be okay.
You're okay. Just breathe.
That's it.
Hey, Alison.
It's good to see you.
Here.
Why don't you take these?
They'll make you feel better.
She just started freaking out on the highway.
I didn't know where else to bring her.
No, it's okay. Vik said she could stay,
and I'll check on her in the morning.
Thank you.
- Yeah. - Really.
It's okay.
- Here you go. - Thank you.
Thank you for letting me stay here.
I, um...
This is weird.
I don't know, it's been weirder between the three of us.
Can't believe you live in California now.
No kidding. Helen used to be such a snob
about California back in school.
The "inchoate west"? Isn't that what you called it?
I never said "inchoate."
Think you did.
Well, things change.
Certainly do.
So...
What happened, Alison?
You just got on a plane?
I... uh...
Hey, Noah, it's kind of late.
Maybe you should go on home and let her get some sleep.
Yeah, sure. Okay.
Come back tomorrow. I'll make breakfast.
Maybe I could take you to the Venice Boardwalk,
if you're feeling better.
If you're not, don't worry.
Everyone in this town's on Xanax anyway.
Noah.
Good night.
Night.
You want some more tea?
No. I'm okay.
You want to talk about anything?
How's Joanie?
She's great. She's, um...
She's growing up so fast.
She's already like a little lady.
Yeah, it's terrible how they do that, isn't it?
How's Cole?
Uh, he seems fine. Yeah.
- He's, um... - I always had this crazy idea
that you guys would end up back together, but...
Oh, no, no. He's happy in his new life, and...
Luisa and I have found a rhythm.
It's... it's all worked out.
And what about you? You seeing anybody?
I was. Not anymore.
Oh, what happened? Sorry, that's actually none of my business.
He's married.
Yeah, I-I didn't know.
I found out today.
He didn't tell you?
Wow, that's really terrible. I'm sorry.
Helen, can I ask you something?
Can you... be honest with me?
I'll try.
Why do men look at me and see someone they can fuck with?
Nobody thinks that about you.
Like...
what is it about me?
It's like they can...
It's like they can smell something on me.
Do you not think you had any choice in the matter?
I mean, you knew Noah was married when you met him,
and you could have walked away, but you didn't.
That's true.
I don't know, maybe I've been living in California too long,
but there's this idea out here that, um...
you can manifest your reality.
What?
Like, um...
if there's something in your life
you want to change, you just need
to think differently, and it will change.
But that's... that's insane.
I know. But also, maybe, true.
I mean, you've been telling yourself
the same story for a long time.
You know, that bad things always happen to you
and bad things always will.
What if you changed the narrative?
So you weren't always the victim.
You have agency in your life, Alison.
Maybe you've never believed that,
but I promise you, it's true.
If you don't like the way men are treating you, change the story.
- Play a different character. - How?
First of all, go home and tell that guy to go fuck himself.
Why not?
Give it a shot.
What's the worst he can do? Call you a bitch? Leave?
He sounds like an asshole anyway.
Let him know it's not okay to treat you like that.
Maybe I will.
Okay, I'll let you get some sleep.
Helen.
Thank you.
Alison, you have so much time.
You're so young.
You could have more kids.
You could have a second act.
You could do whatever you want to do.
But if you want to change your life,
you have to do it now.
Good night.
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