The Affair Review: 409 (Season 4 Episode 9)
The Affair Season 4 Episode 9, “409,” confirms that Alison Bailey is indeed dead for those of us who had doubts. Not only is she dead, she sunk into the ocean like the waves in the show’s theme song.
In the second part of the episode, Ben kills her.
Setting the whole episode from Alison’s perspective is actually rather pointless. The first half is a re-imagination of actual events. It’s not a dream, or a lie, or a memory, or even set at a different time of day.
It’s a lovely waste of time, to set up the viewer for a bit of “surprise” when Ben kills Alison in the second half. But, there’s no circumstance in which it’s a surprise that Ben is the killer. Since The Affair Season 4 Episode 2, “402,” he’s been too perfect.
Throughout this whole season, I’ve been thinking that Ben cannot be at fault for hurting Alison — it would be too obvious.
If it were Luisa — that would be an intriguing twist. She has the motive because being Joanie’s guardian would keep her in the country. Plus, it would add a layer of conflict to an already tumultuous marriage.
Luisa, hiding the fact that she killed the love of her husband’s life, is the stuff The Affair is made of. It’s a secret on par with Noah confessing to a murder he didn’t commit. Or, Alison hiding the fact that Cole is Joanie’s father.
But, that’s not what we got.
And, there is an ironic symmetry to the way Alison dies when considering her life. In the true perspective, the one in which she dies, Alison talks about blaming the men she has loved for the adultery she’s committed.
She blames Cole for her first one because she carried the grief of Gabriel’s death for the both of them. She blames Noah for her second one because he was too focused on his own dreams to pay attention to her.
She admits her own responsibility in those situations, and then a man she doesn’t love, a man she finally finds the strength to stand up to, blames her for seducing him, blames her for his alcoholism, and then squashes her like an ant.
Perhaps the most tragic part of Alison’s death is that her unconscious monologue implies that she’s alive when Ben throws her in the water. She drowns like her son did, her last thoughts being that she deserves happiness.
It’s not the most dramatic way to die — Luisa is not her killer.
It’s actually eerily realistic. While watching “409,” I’m afraid for the whole hour. What happens to Alison could happen to anyone. The only difference is that in real life, there’s no way to write symmetry into tragedy.
The pacing of the episode is perfectly done.
As I said above, the first perspective seems like a waste. But, more TV shows should slow down their pace more often. Viewers appreciate watching characters talk through conflict.
Each half of the episode is like a one-act play, and if it were true, the first perspective is any shipper’s dream.
Ben and Alison talk out their problem, open up to each other, and end up in each others’ arms. Perhaps it’s Alison’s dream scenario. That is the only logical explanation.
In the second perspective, pacing and small directional decisions work together to build up fear. The viewer is meant to notice the close-ups of the fire on the stove as the tea is boiling, on Alison’s band-aid, on her hand across his back.
The way she throws cheese and crackers haphazardly on the plate is meant to make us nervous, as is the aggressive way Ben eats. These may seem like pointless details, but without them, the scene’s tone would not come across as strong.
All too often, shows forget these details in favor of more grandiose drama. They jump time instead of staying in a moment.
This isn’t the farewell I would choose for Alison.
Of the four main characters, she is the most essential to connecting narratives. But, if she has to die, at least The Affair Season 4 Episode 9, “409” kills her with a little bit of care.
What did you think of this episode of The Affair? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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The Affair airs Sundays at 9/8c on Showtime.
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Esme Mazzeo
Esme Mazzeo is a lifestyle and entertainment journalist from Long Island. When she's not writing for work, she's writing for fun, or searching for something to satisfy her sweet tooth. She thinks rainy days are the best kind of days. Certified night owl.