What an emotionally affecting hour.
Rock Bottom
That’s right people, the incredible Omar Metwally finally gets his very own perspective this week and it’s absolutely GLORIOUS! Vikram’s monologue to Sierra (found in its entirety below) is a thing of beauty, perfectly conveying the heartbreaking journey of being the son of immigrants. Metwally truly gives it his all and imbues the tragic speech with so much emotion. It’s an undeniably Emmy-worth turn in every way.
But Metwally is a standout throughout the rest of the episode too. Watching him navigate his parent’s expectations at their dry-cleaning shop is another highlight (particularly how they continue to deny his sickness), not to mention his Porsche adventures (notice how this materialistic splurge affords him a few moments of genuine but fleeting happiness). His story also allows the show to finally shed some light on the mysterious Seirra who suffers from her own familial demons. Their little tryst isn’t shocking (and I have a feeling Helen will never even find out about it), but it makes perfect sense considering Vik’s present state. Please show, if you love your viewers, you’ll give Vik another showcase before the season is up!
The Exorcism of Cole Lockhart
As tremendous as Metwally is this week, Joshua Jackson is also fantastic. Cole finally comes to terms with his father’s past (who wasn’t the most faithful of fathers), and ultimately decides that he can’t let Alison go. It’s remarkably powerful to watch him try to set himself “free” of Alison (with the help of Phoebe Tonkin’s Delphine) to no avail. Guest-star Amy Irving is also superb here – I’ve loved the actress for years (remember Alias?), so it was a particular treat to see her bring her warmth and complexity to the show’s world. Can Nan also join the show full time? I’d love to see her face off with Cherry (who ruthlessly returned the letters and made Nan think Gabriel was over her). What a tangled web indeed!
Bits & Flings
– So Helen hasn’t been doing all the fertility injections which explains her lack of pregnancy. No surprise there. I did like that Helen called out Vik on the fact that he wouldn’t be there to raise the child. His insistence was really bothering me.
– I laughed at the Amal Clooney mention.
– The scene with Vik and his patient’s sobbing mom went on for quite a while. Was she really screaming that loudly or was it all amplified in his mind considering his sickness?
– The salesperson at the Porsche store is surprisingly cold and stuck-up. I kept wondering if he was really like that or it was just the way Vik saw him.
– It’s refreshing to see Vik let loose so irresponsibly. Not only does he ignore the hospital’s calls, he’s pretty arrogant when a cop tries to give him a ticket. #Goals.
– Vikram’s ending is a gut-punch. He drives for a total of two seconds back to his house and then stands outside, shocked at what he’s done.
– Parallels: both Vik and Cole had young girls throw themselves at them this week!
– Will Delphine ever make a return appearance on the show? I’d actually like that.
– Noah fucking Solloway cracked me up.
– Poor Luisa. ‘Nuff said.
Barbs & Betrayals
Vikram: You know, I think I think, when you have immigrant parents, you end up being responsible for them. Like, you’re the parent. I was the perfect immigrant son. But I made a deal with myself long time ago. I said, okay, I will become a doctor because that’s what they want. And I will support them, and I will make them proud. I’ll even move back to LA so I can take care of them when they’re old, but I will not marry for them. And I will not have children for them. I will do all that stuff on my time. Not theirs. And then I met this woman. And she already had kids, and I think there was a part of me that liked that, you know? Because I knew it was gonna drive them fucking crazy. Everything… Everything I’ve done has either been for or in reaction to them. I’m 45 years old. I’m at the top of my profession. I’m going to die. And I haven’t really made a single choice for myself.
Cole: I love that she always calls me on my shit. I love how smart she is. I love how she deals with grief head-on. When our boy died I couldn’t admit my own grief, so I made her carry the burden for the both of us. I made her feel like she was the weak one. I made her feel like she was going crazy so I wouldn’t lose my own mind.
Cole: I hate how unforgiving you are. I hate that you never told me how unhappy you were. I hate that you ran off with Noah fucking Solloway. And I hate what shitty taste you have in men. That you are always picking guys who don’t deserve you. I hate that you gave up on me. I hate that I can’t give up on you.
I want to be free of you.
Must-Download Tunes
The Night We Met by Lord Huron
Conclusion
With fascinating insight into both Vikram and Cole, this is a truly unforgettable episode.
Only The Affair can make me care about a character we’ve never met or heard of before and make me want to see much more of! I’m talking about Nan of course. I actually gasped when Cole tells her that the poststamp is from two years after his dad died…the way Nan gasps at the realization that he was probably still in love with her all this time is just brilliant. How can there be so much depth and layers to a character that NEVER existed before? What a truly heartbreaking story.
It’s also brilliant how it wasn’t just a random subplot. It really helped Cole come to the realization that he can’t get Alison out of his soul, body and mind (love how these three entities played a huge part of this episode, even in Vik’s part). Although I don’t like the idea of Cole and Alison together again (poor Luisa indeed!), this was such a breathtaking episode that I’ll allow it haha.
And of course Vik’s part was much more heartbreaking. That monologue is so powerful, it’s hard not to tear up. But how incredible is that final shot in his part, where he just gets in his Porsche, drives 2 seconds, parks outside his house, gets out of the car and looks around…so darn brilliant.