The Togetherness Finale’s Closing Sequence Was the Tensest Five Minutes on TV Last Night

Sunday is the big night for dramas on across all networks; in fact, sometimes during the TV season, there are so many drama series airing at one time that it’s almost impossible for anyone’s DVR to record all of them. However, last night, the tensest five minutes on television weren’t a part of an episode of The Good Wife or Revenge, or even The Walking Dead. Instead, the most intense (and I’d argue best) sequence on TV last night was the closing minutes of the Togetherness finale on HBO, which was able to draw an incredible amount of real, honest dramatic tension from the simple exchange of sliding notes underneath a door.

Throughout its eight-episode freshman run, I was a big fan of Togetherness. I thought, for the most part, almost every single episode the series delivered, providing compelling and satisfying emotional stories about all four of the show’s central characters, even when these individuals were unlikable at times.  And “satisfying” is certainly the word I would use to describe last night’s season finale, as Mark and Jay Duplass built to a great climax over Togetherness‘s previous seven installments, even though they left pretty much every single storyline open.

There’s a lot of wonderful stuff to talk about from last night’s Togetherness finale, from Alex’s bike ride to Santa Monica to Brett’s fulfilling day on the beach with his children, Sophie and Frank. However, nothing beats the final five or so minutes of the episode, which was as emotionally intense as anything I’ve seen on TV this year.

After Brett has his spiritually awakening day at the beach, which makes him feel alive and excited about his life for the first time in forever, Alex urges him to go and tell Michelle how he feels right away. So Mark drops off the kids at a babysitter’s place for the night and begins driving to the hotel in Sacramento that she, David, and the rest of the charter school committee are staying so that he be open and honest with his wife about his feelings, one big emotional confession that may be able to save their marriage.

But as Brett drives, Michelle, who has been having deeper and deeper feelings for David with each passing episode (and who had, earlier in the finale, a pretty frank conversation with David about their mutual attraction for one another), can’t seem to fall asleep and decides to write a note and slip it under David’s door, which kick-starts the pair’s continued note passing for the next few minutes. What Michelle and David write to each other develops from playful flirting and quickly turns into something much deeper, as he writes how about how amazing she is and she thanks him for helping her “come alive.”

For most of the scene, that’s all it is, as Michelle and David stay on opposite sides of the door, with Melanie Lynskey’s and John Ortiz’s faces illustrating the pair’s desire for another with each reaction shot. As the notes start becoming more intimate, you can’t help but wonder what will happen (Will Brett make it in time? Will Michelle and David act on their feelings?) and be conflicted about either outcome. Obviously, infidelity is never the answer; however, at the same time, it is so great to see Michelle so “alive” for what feels like the first time in the series’ short run–doesn’t she deserve this type of happiness?

It’s a crescendo of emotions (and the Duplass brothers’ excellent direction) that makes the sequence so breathtaking and so heartbreaking. Will Brett shows up in time and be able to talk to his wife, or will Michelle and David act on their feelings for each other (which is what actually ends up happening in the episode)? You’re uncertain about what the outcome of the scene will be, but you’re certain that either possibility will dramatically affect the series and its characters, as Brett and Michele’s failing marriage has been leading to this type of game-changing event since the season premiere. Much of Togetherness has been a portrait of these two kind, good people struggling to find their way back home again in their own relationship. They understand they’re both different than they used to be, but they still love each other and wonder why that love just can’t be enough right now, even as they go to therapy and try new things to make the other one happy.

So while Michelle and David sleeping together is certainly a dark cliffhanger to end Togetherness‘s first season on, what’s more impressive is how the series gets to that conclusion through a perfect mix of writing, directing, and acting. It was easily the best dramatic scene I saw on TV last night, and it’s certainly one of the best dramatic scenes I’ve ever seen done in a comedy, another highlight from a young series that has already been full of them.

Did you watch the season finale of Togetherness? What did you think of the show’s first season?

[Photos via HBO]