Monday, December 21, 2015

Season 2, Episode 11

COLE'S STORY

In the courtroom Cole is recounting how Noah was choking Scott and Scott couldn't breathe. He pulled Noah off of his brother.He thought Noah was going to kill Scott. Noah's lawyer asks what Cole sees when he looks at Noah. Cole says he feels nothing and I'm glad about this. I don't think it's a lie. It's the truth, that there's no rage there. The lawyer asks doesn't he hate Noah for sleeping with his wife. Cole says ex-wife. Alison is just in the audience looking nervous and, at one point, averting her eyes from Cole and that bothers me. I wish her loyalties were clear. Or to the extent that they aren't clear and aren't with Cole, I wish they were.

I was surprised when the episode opened with Cole, his appearance was so fulfilling last week in Alison's story, that this is an embarrassment of riches. He and Luisa are driving and the fact that she has her shoes off and her feet on the dashboard works in her disfavor for me.

They are on the way to meet his mother and that annoys me, too, because her need to be a part of the family that he is rightfully distancing himself from is not only misguided but hurtful. She knows about Scott's drugs. I don't know if she realizes the mother's lie and Cole himself may not know how manipulative Cherry can be outside of his presence, but I think you should respect your mate enough to honor the boundaries he has set in parts of his life that predate or don't concern you.

Cole tells her that no matter what his mother won't like her and that she will tell her that they're cursed immediately, so she might not want to bring up the fibroids. I am glad they can joke about what was a painful subject and I'd like to know how they worked themselves past the night of the fire -- the fire itself.

She gets a phone call from her boss and Cole pulls over to give her better reception. She answers questions about what to do with the meat and we see she is a competent business woman and Cole defers to her job, which is unlike what he had with Alison.

He is walking on the beach, looking at the closed Lobster Roll, contemplating.

They are at a hotel. He is kissing her so much that she eventually says she has to go take a bath. Josh has tamped down his scenes significantly. He has less overt sex than the other characters and I have no complaints about that. She goes out to ask for some soap and Cole recognizes the housekeeper's voice. It is Cherry. Luisa is embarrassed and Cole is stunned and saddened to see his mother pushing the housekeeper's cart and humbled, although it's good medicine for her and she can't act like a raging evil psycho while at work, which may ward off the crazy a little longer. They say they will see Cherry later and, a bit shame-faced she says they will.

Later she is showing them pictures and she says she wishes they could have kept the ranch a little longer for Luisa's sake. Cole is surprised and dismayed to learn that she sold Cora's breakfront (?) and she says that he was gone for a long time and wasn't exactly around to give input.

Scott comes in and starts trying to get Cole to invest again. To Scott's credit, he hasn't spilled the beans about the baby to get the loan he wants so badly. I'm not sure why. Maybe he is doing it because there's some decency lying underneath, still. But that decency should be looking out for his brother's interests, not Alison's. Scott says he has $38,000 and needs half a million more. I don't know who Scott's other investor is and it might be interesting to find out. Not Max, I hope.

Cole tells Scott he looks awful and Scott says that Cole doesn't. I guess Cole doesn't look like a drunk anymore, but I don't like his pants. They tighten around his waist in a way that makes him look pudgy and poor, if sober. Josh could bring on the sexy more in different pants. A nice pair of jeans would do it.

Cole tells Scott it's absurd to think he can buy the lobster roll with $38k and then is shocked to learn that Cherry has been giving him money that she doesn't have. He tells Scott he needs to use that money to get sober. He tells Cherry and Luisa they need to leave.

They are having tea at Margaret's house with Luisa's mother. Margaret wants to know when the wedding is, so she can tell the landscapers. Cole is puzzled. Margaret has asked them to have the wedding at her house. Luisa practically grew up there and the house is empty now. They all stammer in a way that makes me mad. Spit out the truth about why that's not a good idea or don't. You don't have to give this stranger a reason. Cole says this is a Lockhart - [who knows Luisa's last name] wedding and it's a small private affair. Lockhart? Margaret asks. Is he the one who impregnated her granddaughter? No, Cole says tightly. That would be Scott.

Is he the one who shot her son-in-law. Cole doesn't answer, but kind of grabs his mother's arm and says they need to leave and I like the way he takes charge. I am waiting for Margaret to say that shooting Noah was a good thing, but she says that she has learned as she gets older that forgiveness is important and they can have the wedding there if they want.

Later, he says they can elope. Luisa doesn't want to. They can go to Vegas. She thinks that's a terrible idea. He suggests they marry at the Lobster Roll. She says it's falling apart, is he crazy? He says they should buy it and fix it up. She says they don't have any more money than Scott does. He says he has his money from Alison's house. She thought he didn't want to touch it. He doesn't, but he would, for this. It costs $2,000,000. He'd only have about half.

He says that Alison has the other half. He's pretty sure she hasn't touched her money. Why would he think that? And she was supporting Noah at one point. Did he pay her back? I guess since he later says he paid for her to go to med school.

Luisa said she can't believe that he wants to go into business with his ex-wife who cheated on him. He repeats that Alison did cheat on him and says that if Luisa is worried about him getting back together with Alison, she shouldn't. He promises that will never happen [well, it probably will happen in the future and if so, I wonder why. Bonding over the baby I guess. My worst nightmare is that Scott's secret will outlast the murder trial and Luisa will find out about the baby and hide the truth, just like in the daytime soaps, so Cole will have reason to hate her, but I'll be stressed silly waiting for the prolonged denouement).

Cole says Luisa can be her own boss. No more phone calls from the crazy general manager. She says they'd be out of the frying pan and into the fire, because they'd have to deal with the crazy Scott. He says they can't do it without Scott, but not the way he is now. He will have to go to rehab. Seeing as how she used to sleep with Scott, I wouldn't want to work with him, even when he was sober, but he's right that the Lobster Roll is a great buy. You can't enter or leave town without passing it and it's been there for years. She can keep the traditions, but make it her own as well.

Luisa hesitantly asks what if she says no to the Lobster Roll. What does she mean, Cole wonders. What if she says no. Is the wedding off. What? Cole is surprised by the question. He says he'll marry her anywhere she wants. I like the way he's not bossy the way he was with Alison AND he is unfaltering in his love for Luisa -- although I haven't seen that much to love. They are showing us and her that he's not putting any conditions or demands on it. So, any insecurities she had about him just dissolve.

They are at an auction. The property sells for 1.4 million (so they should both have a little $ left over). Cole has the paddle in hand and he and Alison are sitting side by side, looking pleased as punch. Does she need a ride back to the train? No, she says she wants to go take a look at their acquisition.

Scott comes in and says that THEY won. He was waiting outside to see who had stolen his dream from him and now he learns that Alison and Cole bought it. They're in business. He gives Cole the bag of 38K that he's been carrying around with him, as if that would have been enough to win at the auction. Cole tells Scott he needs to take his money and do something good for himself. He needs help.

At first he is angry and Scott pushes back and says he could tell him something that would change his life.
Alison looks alarm and screams at Scott -- but not as if to stop him from spilling a damaging secret. But Scott goes from angry madman to wretch and begins sobbing. He stumbles to the floor and Cole picks him up and holds him and tells him to get some help. He promises to bring him into the business, if he goes away and gets help first. Scott asks if Cole really promises and Cole does. He rocks Scott in his arms and says that this has got to stop. We don't see Alison and i wonder what she thinks about this scene. Compassion for Scott or just selfish apprehension. Is she as selfish as she was last year? We haven't seen as much of her as we have of NOah and his inner workings.

Later, driving in the car with Scott, Cole asks him what he knows that could change his life. So, Cole was listening to Scott's ravings and put credit in them. Scott says nothing, pretends to nod off.

NOAH'S STORY

So, Noah and Cole in the same story. Does that mean we get Helen and Alison next week? Well, it could be interesting, if Helen confronts Alison about paternity.

Noah is writing in the bathroom. Alison comes in and takes a shower. She says she needs to talk to Noah. He is busy. How about tonight. He says they will make it a date night.

Noah's agent wants a book. He needs to keep Noah's name out there. It's taking Noah too long a time to write about the military guy Omar. Maybe write Ascent, a sequel to Descent. He did Descent quickly and he can knock out another one, make money and then use it to take his time to write about Omar. Noah doesn't want to be Danielle Steel. He wants to write something of value and there's so much going on at home. He seethes that he has to write in the bathroom when no one else is up, because Alison has turned his office into a NURSERY! Well, where did he expect the kid to sleep, once it was born? Alison is taking an exam and if she doesn't pass it, she won't get into medical school. He can't leave her to concentrate on his work now. And he spends an hour a day (really?) writing to Whitney asking her forgiveness and she never answers him.

He goes home and Alison's not there. The nanny is with the kids. He goes over to Alison's school, with flowers to congratulate her and learns that she dropped her class weeks ago. She didn't take any exam. He gets a call on his phone, exclaims that he can't believe who it is and meets up with Oscar.

Oscar says he went in debt after the hurricane damage and lost the Lobster Roll. Guess who bought it from under his nose? He shows him a cell phone picture of Cole and Alison. They aren't embracing, but Alison has her hand on Cole's chest, it seems. Noah can't believe it. Oscar says that lying is par for the course, for Alison. SHe's pathological. That sad look in her eye isn't about Gabriel. It was always there. You always thought she was a damsel in distress who needed saving, but he's using him, just like she did Oscar years ago.

Distraught, but skeptical about Oscar's motives, Noah goes to Max's. Max greets him warmly. They hug. It's a great beach house. He starts complaining about Alison and Max says that in the old days they would hang out together and then the next day Noah would come to him with his problems and they'd solve it and hang out again, but nowadays, Noah just comes with his problems and he never sees him anymore. He's not friends with him anymore, he's just a soundboard when he needs it. Noah says that he'll leave. No, he should stay and gripe, but then he should come back another time and actually socialize, give and take, ask Max how he is.

Noah is humbled and says he's just embarrassed about how they parted at that party before. Max agrees that party was a disaster. Noah wonders if Alison has been lying the whole time and Max says Noah is crazy to think so. I am rather surprised he is defending Alison. But when Noah says he paid for Alison to go to med school, because he thought it would make her happy, Max says that he is surprised that Alison was studying medicine. Why? What is he trying to imply?

Noah says he has the kids right now. Helen has a new boyfriend and is "bananas" about him. Who is is? He is the doctor that treated Martin. Max can't believe it. Are you kidding him? "I wish I was," says Noah. Why does he wish that? Does he wish Helen wasn't dating? Max asks if Helen is in love with the new guy. Noah had just been talking, but his ears perk and he observes Max's mood, constrained. Why does Max want to know if Helen is in love?

Has he been sleeping with Helen. Did you f my wife? This is strange to me, because Noah immediately goes to the sex -- and the possessive -- "my wife" and doesn't ask whether Max is in love with Helen himself. Why can't it just be hurt feelings. Why always the sex? Max says that he loves Helen and always has. Which I like because it's clear it wasn't just about the fornication for Max, but that's all Noah hears. Noah says that Max paid $50,000 to f his wife. He is ready to leave and Max says don't. Don't do that. Say something. Noah says there's nothing to say. He's not going to tell him what he did was all right. Max says that Helen was his EX wife and Noah walked away. Max didn't take her. Noah left her. But she didn't want Max. She still wanted Noah, no matter what he did.

Max says that he loves Noah. Noah says that all of this time that Max has been jealous of him, not really his friend. That's not friendship. Max's problem is that he thinks he can buy everything, but he can't. He's an empty guy and all he has is his big house and possessions.

Good contrast that Noah says Helen is his wife repeatedly, even after Max corrects him and says "ex." When we began, when the lawyer called Alison, Cole's wife, Cole said, "EX." So, Cole has moved on and Noah hasn't. Although, Cole was on the stand with a reason to distance himself from Alison, but I like the implications, just like I enjoyed the part in the Thanksgiving show when Alison said that Noah saw her having sex with her husband -- like he still was her her husband.

Noah storms out. He gets a call and meets Alison at the Lobster Roll. She says, "please don't be angry." He says he's not angry. He was angry six hours ago and now he's just tired. Why did she lie. She said she tried to talk to him and didn't have the chance. Cole just called her and she had to act quickly. I would have liked to hear that conversation with Cole. Noah says that he is not comfortable with her working with her ex and she can still give up the restaurant. It's a done deal, she says. She can sell her share. She says she can't. Why, he asks. She just looks and then he asks if she is sleeping with Cole. Now, this interests me, because what did Noah take from her look? That she loves Cole and has to do this for him? Maybe so, because he immediately says, "Are you sleeping with him again." No, she says, she knew he would ask that and she's not. Of course, she doesn't promise never to do that as Cole did. And she doesn't say she has fairly recently either.

She says that she has to do this for HER (but I want to think it's a little about Cole, too). She says that she was a Montauk girl born and raised and she doesn't belong at book parties. She feels this is right. And Scott was correct that the Lobster Roll mints money (if it did, Oscar would have been more successful, but ok). This is what she wants to do. I am glad she is resolute in this and not wavering and whining, per usual. Noah is resigned. Is she going to move to Montauk. Is she taking Joanie with her (he hopes. I hate the name Joanie. It's like their baby is as old as Erin Moran). She says she doesn't know. She had hoped they would figure it out together. If I was Noah I'd say it was too late to make it about "them" now. But he just looks like he'll give it a try.

In Court, present day, Max is on the stand. He says that he saw Noah drive to his home. Since his car was not visible, he thinks NOah thought that he was not there, but he looked out the window and he saw Noah washing something from the front of the car. When he went outside afterwards, he saw blood on the driveway. How does he know it was Noah? Because the floodlights were on and he could see pretty clearly and because he has known Noah for 30 years and recognized him.

The whole audience thinks it's pretty incriminating. And the sidelong look that Max gives Noah? Is it triumph?




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