Happy Sunday TV fans! After watching Showtime’s The Affair season 5 episode 11 series finale, the show has come full circle, reminding us that sometimes “time has a habit of making big things seem small,” but when all is said and done, it’s about the moments of love that you truly remember. Please note spoilers are ahead if you have not gotten a chance to watch the latest episode yet.
In tonight’s episode, “511,” the Solloway family prepares for Whitney’s wedding day. Meanwhile, Joanie returns to The Lobster Roll and crosses paths with a surprising stranger. My top 5 moments from The Affair season 5 episode 11 series finale are:
5
“There is such a thing as forgiveness.”
In the series finale, the parts no longer appear, but we still get to see sections marked for Noah, Helen, Joanie, and Whitney. As Joanie tries to decide what to do next, EJ tells her he wants her to run away with him, revealing that he is actually Sierra’s grown up son, Eddie. I have to say that I actually didn’t make that connection before and I thought this was an interesting twist.
Even though EJ may not be Joanie’s epic love, he did help her on this journey, reminding her that it is possible to choose love over trauma. It looks like Joanie is going to have to make her next decisions for herself, but I thought that EJ was an important part of her journey and I appreciated the connection.
4
“I just want you to be happy.”
During Helen’s section, Whitney continues to be very difficult on her wedding day. Whitney sticks to her decision and doesn’t want Noah there on her big day, but Helen is trying to figure out why she is even there. Helen’s mother walks in and there is a lot of tension between them all, but when it comes down to it, they all care about one another and show up when it matters.
Helen tells her daughter that she looks perfect and I loved seeing her hold Whitney’s hand while walking her down the aisle. Even though Whitney has been very hard on her mother, claiming she doesn’t want to be like her, they both finally put everything aside here and just focus on this moment of happiness, which was simple and well done.
3
“My parents were an odd couple.”
I thought it was beyond adorable that Noah remembered Whitney talking about a flash mob surprise at her wedding and actually followed through on it to make her happy, even though he wouldn’t be at the wedding to see it. The flash mob was done to the song, “The Whole Of The Moon,” which you can listen to below!
The dance really made me smile and it was well received by Whitney, but she is shocked when she later finds out that her dad put everything together. I was so happy that Whitney had a change of heart, deciding to get her whole family together to go surprise their dad with some wedding cake. Even Bruce’s moment in the spotlight to provide them with a distraction was amazing.
Things get a little bit awkward when they show up and Whitney discovers that Helen is in there too, making up for lost time with Noah. And so, they all gather outside to eat the wedding cake. This moment was a little strange, but I was glad that Whitney finally realized that her father has been there for her the whole time even though he has made some past mistakes.
Even though the show focuses so much on Noah and his decisions with the women in his life, there has always been this element of family present and I thought it was important that his whole family was back together here.
2
“You were her whole life.”
After Joanie discovers that Noah was the old man she was talking to at The Lobster Roll, she returns to finish their conversation. This conversation was so important and meaningful for Joanie and it really helped fill in some blanks. Noah talks about how he respected Cole and how Cole always suspected that Ben killed Alison, which Joanie was not aware of.
Noah also tells Joanie about how much Alison changed, feeling everything so deeply, and how much she truly cared for Joanie. Joanie spent so much of her life not knowing the whole story, but she now finally gets to see her mother through Noah’s eyes.
Joanie’s journey is not over; however, as she makes the decision to return to her husband and family, realizing that she has the chance to make things right and I think this was the right call.
Overall, I enjoyed learning about Joanie’s character and I thought this was a clever way to allow Cole and Alison’s story to continue as well, even though they were both not a part of the final season. Like Noah said, sometimes the children need to finish the journey their parents started.
1
“Will you dance with me on our daughter’s wedding day?”
During Whitney’s wedding, Helen attempts to send Noah the video of the flash mob, but ends up deciding to bring it to him in person. Helen opens up to Noah and says that she feels like she isn’t really present anywhere, revealing that she does still love him.
Maybe these two aren’t necessarily good for each other, but they both have a lot of love for one another and their family. Noah asks Helen to dance with him, which was probably one of the sweetest moments I have witnessed with them and they end up reconciling.
In the future, we see Noah reading Stacey’s novel to Helen at her grave, suggesting that these two have been present in each other’s lives until the very end of their journey. Helen’s name appears as Solloway on her tombstone, which implies that they were married again, but I guess that’s up to the viewer’s interpretation.
We are left with Noah hiking up to the bluffs, deciding to whip out the flash mob dance again after all these years, finally smiling. It looks like Noah Solloway has redeemed himself, discovering who he really is while re-connecting with the ones in his life who matter the most.
Overall, I thought this was an emotional and well done series finale. I shed quite a few tears and I appreciated how everything came full circle. It’s interesting how this show has transformed over the seasons. While I still prefer the first two seasons of the show, I think that season 5 did a great job of summing everything up, while reminding us to focus on the moments of love that truly matter in the end.
I hope you enjoyed the list and feel free to post your own theories and thoughts on The Affair below in the comments section. Thanks so much for reading and happy viewing!
Best,
Amy Koto, TV Fanatic Girl
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I loved the last episode of The Affair. Full Circle is how I viewed it all.. this was the best ending I’ve ever witnessed to a Series I’ve watched. I have to say I bawled my eyes out, with Noah sitting at Helens grave. And with Noah dancing slowly at the very end on the bluffs makes me visualize the ending of our lives matter. Even if we outlive our loved ones. ❤️💕😢
Well said!!!!! Yes the ending was so beautiful and meaningful. I agree! 🙂
I must admit; I thought I might have skipped an important episode by accident as them escaping the fires in CA and Helen getting bit by a rattlesnake was never mentioned again; but agree, they tied it all together pretty nicely. I’m absolutely in love with Sierra’s (Emily Browning) green dress and have scoured the internet looking for any information on it! Anyone on here have any ideas?
Okay, have to know — did anyone think that none of this really happened — that Noah was reading his daughter’s novel — and that is all it was — just a story — told from different perspectives because it was fiction.