Alito kept his composure, as he was required to do. The tension followed by relief was too much for his wife who had to listen to the attacks on her husband through out the day.
I think the reason it was so beneficial was that he was able to maintain the incredible focus and determination to retain composure that being in that chair requires, while she was able to express the emotion, for both of them, in front of the cameras. I bet the lsm is wishing they had just buried the whole incident.