Lucia and Mia are sent away by Cam and the girls have a hangover from the drugs. They decide to lie “somewhere” and then take it from there. Valentina sees Isabella in a new light after her sudden burst into an admiration speech for the manager. In conversation, Isabella guides Dominic to a local jewelry store. He wants something to gift to his wife. Valentina tells Isabella to come to her in case of any difficulties she faces at work or otherwise.
At breakfast, Portia halfheartedly apologizes to Albie for ditching him the other night. She promises to hang out at lunch, though. Tanya opens up to Portia about Greg’s infidelity. Quentin, the guy from the previous episode, meets Taya in the hallway and invites her and Portia to the Beach Club for lunch. Tanya accepts and has a warm feeling about Quentin. Lucia is suddenly thrown into an existential crisis. She feels she cannot continue to sin by selling her body and apologizes to Mia for pushing her into it. She fears judgment when her time ends and cannot bear to face the executor.
The girls decide to use Bert’s room, to which they still have a key after they spot him leaving. Bert accidentally walks in on Mia half-naked as they leave his room, amusing him. Quentin and his band of “gays” are very welcoming to the girls. It turns out that the guy from last night is Jack, an Englishman. He is Quentin’s nephew and recognizes Portia from the pool. They talk about Essex and the exchanges turn flirtatious soon enough. Quentin is staying in Palermo with Matteo and is showing some of his other friends around.
Tanya tells Quentin about the story of the island of Isola Bella. An old matriarch lived there and refused to sell the house on the island to investors. She was murdered under mysterious circumstances. Post this, Tanya begins narrating her own story to Quentin, who listens with bated breath. Harper starts to dish as soon as she reaches her room. But her bitchy mood is spoiled when she notices the wrapper of condoms Cam left on the couch. She assumes the worst and shuts down from there on in, wondering what Ethan did.
Albie has had it with his relationship with Portia. He’s been watching her flirt with Jack all lunch and he’s had enough. So, Albie decides to go up to them and try to talk to her himself. But, Portia shuts him down and tells him that they’re not together anymore. ..
Harper is still behaving skittishly, putting the other three in an uneasy position. Mia has an epiphany where she says she is going to sleep with Giuseppe to get a push in her career. ..
Lucia tries to stop her but Mia has already made her mind up. She laments what a “monster” she has made. Quentin encourages Tanya to have a good time and invites her to see his boat and house in Palermo. Lucia sits with Albie after Portia ditches him. They start talking and it is difficult to tell if she is being genuine or is out on “business”.
Mia agrees to have sex with Giuseppe and the singer takes her to an abandoned church in the resort. It is a funny sequence as he isn’t able to “get it up”. Mia fetches Viagra pills from Lucia’s purse but is unsure which is which. Lucia and Albie are out in the water and she isn’t able to help Mia when she asks about the pills.
Mia does not know what she is giving Giuseppe but proceeds to do so. They aren’t able to have sex but Giuseppe promises to help Mia anyway. Harper is still struggling with what she found on the couch but is not able to confront Ethan about it. She tries but is unsuccessful. They still go out for dinner that night, together. Giuseppe has a heart attack and an ambulance is called. Jack and Portia have drinks at the bar, where they spot Albie and Lucia. Bert spots Lucia and Albie talking and Dominic looks the other way. Lucia helps Albie “win” over Portia and kisses him to make her jealous.
Valentina gives away her feelings for Isabella when she brings a starfish pendant for her from the jewelry store. The Sullivan’s sleep peacefully, unlike the Spillers (or at least Harper). Lucia and Albie go to his room together but it seems like money is not involved. Portia and Jack have a night to themselves too, showing that Albie and Portia have gone their separate ways.
The Episode Review
Episode 4 of “The Affair” saw a shift in character dynamics as the writers steered the story towards its conclusion. Harper cut an isolated figure after discovering the condom wrapper left on Ethan’s couch by Cam. This subtle change in direction may hint at what is to come in the remaining half of the season. ..
The Sullivans had a huge moral superiority over the Harper family. However, their lack of communication was exposed on many occasions. It was ironic how the tables have turned and the huge mismatch between the truth and the fiction Harper created for themselves.
Lucia and Mia defied the odds and the entire confines of their characters by acting out and selling themselves.
In episode 4 of “The Crown”, Lucia slips into a new reality chasing the dream, while Tanya manages to stay in the old one. The tension in episode 4 was somewhat offset by the cheery outcome for Tanya.
The meeting with the “gays” was perhaps the only redeeming takeaway for us in this episode. Coolidge is so effortlessly funny and sad at the same time, that you can’t really tell the difference.
