{"id":9969,"date":"2014-10-26T16:49:39","date_gmt":"2014-10-26T14:49:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pinartarhan.com\/blog\/?p=9969"},"modified":"2015-07-22T22:03:04","modified_gmt":"2015-07-22T20:03:04","slug":"the-affair-starring-dominic-west-ruth-wilson-joshua-jackson-and-maura-tierney-the-good-the-weird-the-well-see","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pinartarhan.com\/blog\/the-affair-starring-dominic-west-ruth-wilson-joshua-jackson-and-maura-tierney-the-good-the-weird-the-well-see\/","title":{"rendered":"The Affair starring Dominic West, Ruth Wilson, Joshua Jackson and Maura Tierney: The Good, The Weird, The We\u2019ll See"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Affair image via variety.com.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Affair\u2019s airing its 3rd episode tonight on Showtime, and I wanted to catch you up on the plot before things got more complicated (and to help you decide if you were wondering whether the show was worth your time.)<\/p>\n

The Affair :The Plot<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Noah Solloway (Dominic West) is a public school teacher with one published book and a creeping existential crisis. How can he not? Married to his college sweetheart Helen (Maura Tierney) with 4 kids (one teenager and one about to become one), obnoxious in-laws (though the father makes the mother seem like an angel) and a second book he\u2019s too blocked to write.<\/p>\n

Alison (Ruth Wilson) is a younger, depressed waitress who has lost her child a few years ago, and she\u2019s still not recovered from it. Her husband, Cole (Joshua Jackson) runs the family ranch with his brothers, and even though he seems better than Alison, he\u2019s not exactly the picture of happiness either.<\/p>\n

Noah and Helen pack their kids to spend the summer at her rich parents\u2019 house, and on the way, they meet Alison at the diner she works for. There\u2019s instant connection between her and Noah, though we\u2019re given two different accounts as to how the affair came to start:<\/p>\n

Both Noah and Alison are giving their separate statements at the police station. There\u2019s apparently been a murder, which Noah thought to be an accident, or so he says.<\/p>\n

As we listen to the start of the affair in two parts, we realize both sides show the other one as the pursuer, and themselves as the more emotional, and hesitant-to-cheat one. We also realize they\u2019re keeping some bits to themselves as their voices tell one thing and the scenes show another.<\/p>\n

Two episodes in, we don\u2019t know who the victim is, or whether Alison and Noah are viable suspects.<\/p>\n

The Good<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

I really like how both Noah and Alison\u2019s versions differ from each other. In addition to painting the other one the \u201cpursuer\u201d, they also tend to show the other one\u2019s spouse worse than they actually are.<\/p>\n

For instance, in episode 1, Noah started first, and when we were first introduced to Cole, I thought he was a total ass. Then I listened to Alison, and I thought he was a really decent guy struggling in his own way.<\/p>\n

Neither spouses are monsters, though Alison\u2019s marriage seems a bit more troubled because of the loss of her son and her inner turmoil.<\/p>\n

Noah also comes across as humane enough, even though he doesn\u2019t have much more reason to cheat than some resentment towards in-laws and monotony of such a long-term relationship.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s refreshing to see marriages and spouses reasonably fine and nice, as opposed to making one or both sides insufferable so that the audience will empathize more with the cheaters.<\/p>\n

The \u201ccheaters\u201d also do a fine job at coming across flawed but likeable. Sure, you\u2019d not like to be their spouses, but these are people you wouldn\u2019t mind being friends or family with.<\/p>\n

The two different points of view add a nice level of mystery, and make us doubt both Alison and Noah, as we know the actual version is somewhere in between. Or maybe they are telling an agreed-upon version. Or maybe one of them is more honest than the other. We don\u2019t know.<\/p>\n

The series also has an honest, realistic and non-soapy feel despite the subject matter.<\/p>\n

The Weird<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Adultery is not the world\u2019s most comfortable subject, especially if you are a romantic at heart and never have cheated on someone.<\/p>\n

And it\u2019s one thing to watch a habitual cheater who keeps cheating on their partner again and again. You\u2019d like to believe those people would be easier to catch and dump (I\u2019m on the let\u2019s dump all cheaters wagon, unless the cheated party is a psychopath). But portraying Noah as a decent, family-oriented man who\u2019d normally not do this… It\u2019s a bit creepy. And scary.<\/p>\n

Alison doesn\u2019t seem to be the cheating type either.<\/p>\n

Because it offers this disturbing theory: Anyone can, and will, cheat under the right circumstances: they just need to be depressed enough, disconnected enough, lonely enough, misunderstood enough, attracted enough….<\/p>\n

And it\u2019s the ultimate pet peeve of mine when Noah at some point will say :I\u2019ve never cheated before.\u201d<\/p>\n

What does he want? A medal for keeping it in his pants for so long? Sorry, pal, you made your decision to keep it in your pants when you proposed. You don\u2019t just get to have a family and a young mistress simultaneously without suffering any consequences.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m cutting Alison a bit more slack. I\u2019m not condoning her cheating, but she\u2019ll be more susceptible to questionable behavior \u2013 she has lost a child. That does give her the right to be off the rails; though I\u2019d rather she did therapy instead of someone else\u2019 husband.<\/p>\n

The We\u2019ll See<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Currently The Affair fun and interesting enough to keep following. I like the cast, the location and the storytelling method.<\/p>\n

It just might put you a bit further off marriage, though.<\/p>\n

*<\/p>\n

Have you seen The Affair <\/a>yet? What did you think?<\/p>\n

Fun note:<\/strong> One of Cole\u2019s (Joshua Jackson)\u2019s brothers is played by Colin Donnell (Tommy from Arrow).<\/p>\n