Happy Sunday TV fans! After watching Showtime’s The Affair season 5 episode 2, I realized that sometimes we have to take some much needed time for ourselves. A lot of times it may seem routine or necessary to deflect our own feelings and worry about what is going on around us, but you also don’t want to lose who you are in the process. Perhaps it’s more about finding a balance, but taking care of ourselves can help more than we realize. Please note spoilers are ahead if you have not gotten a chance to watch the latest episode yet.
In tonight’s episode, “502,” we see things from Janelle’s point of view, reminding us that Noah really is completely oblivious and off in his own world sometimes. Meanwhile, Helen bonds with Sasha and Joanie takes a work trip up to Montauk, but will she find the answers she is looking for? My top 5 moments from The Affair season 5 episode 2 are:
5
“Girlfriend is a strong word.”
Part one of the episode follows Janelle, as we see things from her perspective during Vic’s funeral, which really helped fill in some blanks since we know that Janelle did disappear several times. I am a big fan of Sanaa Lathan and I love the character of Janelle. She is strong, opinionated, and brilliant.
Noah says that he can’t wait for Janelle to get to know his family, but the whole situation is slightly awkward and a bit overwhelming, especially when Helen’s father mistakes her for the help and Noah’s daughter, Whitney, points out how she is super excited that her dad is dating a woman of color.
Janelle does her best to deal with these inappropriate side comments with grace, but you have to wonder how long her relationship will last with Noah? I personally think that Janelle is out of his league, but I am trying to keep an open mind here.
4
“Are you always this honest?”
Three months later, we see things from Helen’s perspective, as she agrees to go on set with Noah and Whitney. Noah was under the impression that they were shooting a harmless family scene, but Helen actually has to watch a reenactment of the moment when she found Alison’s bra in her drawer. Helen is clearly going through a lot after Vic’s death and is speaking her mind even more than usual.
She is not intimidated when meeting celebrity, Sasha Mann, and she points out that the character based on Helen should really be more of a bitch. Sasha appreciates her feedback and thinks that Helen is quite extraordinary and I have to say that I agree!
3
“Montauk…”
I was worried that we were not going to get a chance to check in with Joanie at all during this episode, but we do get some time with her. Joanie is seen throwing up in the toilet, but wants to cover it up. Does this mean that she is pregnant or is something else going on here? Joanie is just as guarded and secretive as her mother and she has been trying to keep busy with work. Joanie accepts an assignment out in Montauk and tells her husband that she will be staying in her dad’s old house.
When Joanie arrives, Montauk seems like a ghost town and her fingerprint is not recognized at the house. Joanie decides to break in and it looks like she is about to discover even more ghosts as this story unfolds, but will she be able to uncover the truth behind Alison’s murder? I’m also curious to find out more about how Cole died and I am very interested in this story-line, as this keeps the story of Alison and Cole alive for us.
2
“Don’t come from within. Come from above.”
After Janelle discovers that she is now being offered a co-principal job with a young white male teacher with very little experience, she decides to go visit her ex-husband, Carl, to get some legal advice. Janelle will have to take a pay cut and Joel will be the face of the position, while she will get stuck doing all of the administrative work, which hardly seems fair. Carl initially presents her the facts, but it’s clear that Janelle is looking for some real support here.
Janelle says that she doesn’t play well with others, but I honestly like that about her. She tells it how it is and sometimes you need that in order to maintain structure and she has been trying to create some real change within the school district, which is pretty much what she was hired to do. Carl presents her with an alternative idea and tells her to run for the school board, which would really shake things up.
This would certainly be a huge change for Janelle, but she also decides to pick things up with Carl romantically again, which could have some interesting consequences. I already assumed that her relationship would not last very long with Noah, but is she ready to jump back into a failed marriage? We’ll have to wait and see, but I hope we get some more screen time for Janelle because she is fantastic.
1
“Live now for us both.”
Helen reluctantly agrees to meet with Sasha Mann and she even lets loose to play some basketball, but things go south when Sasha hits her right in the face with the ball. Helen feels sick and has a slight breakdown and Sasha actually handles it quite well and tries to support Helen. Helen explains that she wasn’t prepared for how permanent death is, opening up a little bit here.
When Helen returns home, she finally plays Vic’s recording for her and he tells her to “be a little selfish,” understanding that Helen is probably keeping her grief to herself to stay strong for everyone around her, but that she needs to be happy and enjoy life for the both of them.
I thought this was an important moment for Helen and Vic really touched on some of the points I made in last week’s blog about Helen enjoying life so I was happy to hear him say something similar. Is Helen finally ready to move on? Let’s hope so!
The ladies of The Affair are certainly holding my undivided attention as we sink deeper back into the ocean. Stay tuned!
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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