The Affair

Just finished binge watching season one of The Affair, an explosive and sexy series on Showtime that will begin its third season on November 20th. I was hesitant about committing to this because I couldn't imagine an entire television series developed around an affair, but Showtime has mounted a compelling series that reaches far beyond the expected erotic sex scenes and the blistering scenes of accusation and betrayal that one would expect on this subject.

Noah (Dominic West) is a writer who is married to Helen (Maura Tierney) and is the father of four children. Allison (Ruth Wilson) is a waitress who is married to a rancher (Joshua Jackson) and still grieving over the death of her child. Noah and his family travel to Long Island one summer for their annual summer visit with his wealthy in-laws (John Doman, Kathleen Chalfant) and, while there, they stop at the restaurant where Allison works and there is an incident where one of Noah's children starts to choke and Allison saves the child's life, which is the springboard for an attaction between Noah and Allison that has some far reaching and unexpected consequences.

This show is a revelation because the reveal of the affair actual happens in the middle of season one and you immediately wonder where else the show can go, but the possibilities are turning out to be endless, including a murder which resulted in the arrest of a principal character at the end of the first season. The show is erotic without being dirty and the adult language is appropriate and never feels forced.

The cast is first rate...West, an underrated actor, has found the role of a lifetime here and is making the most of it and his chemistry with the pouty-lipped Ruth Wilson is off the charts. Maura Tierney nails her edgy role as the wronged wife, which won her an Emmy for her work the first season and earned her another nomination for the second season. Doman and Chalfant make the most of very unsympathetic roles and mention should also be made of surprisingly powerful work from Joshua Jackson and from the always reliable Mare Winningham as Allison's mother-in-law. Fans of prime time soaps and 1950's melodrama will definitely have a head start. If you plan to commit, I would definitely watch from the beginning but you need to get on it as the third season starts in a couple of months. I'm going to be starting on season two now.

Nice writeup G, Ill give it a gander now.

That sounds pretty good, I may try it with my wife.

Watched the first three episodes. Personally, i didn't like it. I love Dominick and Ruth but i didn't feel any chemsitry and i mostly found it dull and uncomfortable.

I wasnt impressed when i was watched the first season,but it definitly turned it up a bit in the second season.
I remember having a convo about this show with someone else on here...was it you camo?

Anyway,at first it was hard to get into because i found the characters so unlikeable and the show was a bit slow in the beginning,and even though it turns it up a bit in the second season it does get a bit ridiculous aswell

had i not been able to stream it and watch it all at once i prob wouldnt have watched it at all

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Yeah. It wasn't really a conversation about this show though. It was just you saying this was slow as an example of a slow show you liked when i said Rectify was slow. I mentioned my problems with this then quickly turned it into a The Wire conversation haha.

oh haha,i had prob seen just seen the second season then,or in the midst of it if i said i liked it
i think my love for dominic west tainted my views for it a bit though or ive just changed my mind about it
i still think its okay but definitly not for everybody-but i think the performances by the cast are amazing though
and IA Gideon,joshua jackson surprised.

OK, I'm four episodes into season 2 and I have to say that Maura Tierney is KILLING IT!!! I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if she won a second Emmy for her work here.

Have finished episode 8 of season two and am not thrilled at the way Noah (Dominic West) is being turned into a total prick and Allison is turning out to be a little cra-cra, but every time I tune in, I can't take my eyes off the screen.

Have just finished the second season and all I can say is Oh....my....God.

Just finished the first two episodes of season 3 and this show is still killing it...I really didn't think another season of viable entertainment could come from this story, but this is still appointment television. I'm not crazy about the way they seem to destroying the character of Allison, but Maura Tierney is freaking brilliant as Helen and every moment she has onscreen is gold. It's clear she is wracked with guilt about Noah going to prison as she should be but I love the fact that it really hasn't affected Noah.

Just finished episode 4 which was equal parts confusing and fascinating...at least I got confirmation that Cole is still in love with Allison, but sometimes I think the writers are trying to make the viewer as crazy as Allison is becoming...this telling the same story from completely different points of view is often aggravating because we're not sure which POV is actually what happened, but maybe that's the point. Joshua Jackson is killing it as Cole.

I'm busy catching up with the third season now. (I'm finishing up episode 4.) How can a series actually get better with each season, especially one that seems to have built on such a focused idea? And yet, I'm continually appreciating the simple title of this show, "The Affair." Why? Because it's been multiple seasons of fallout from this affair. The ripple effect of the affair gets progressively worse and affects more and more people.

I keep thinking of how all these lives would be different -- would be better -- if Noah and Alison hadn't had the affair in the first place. And since this show has such a dark, melancholy feel to it, I keep wondering just how much worse things can get. And amazingly, even as new bad things happen to everyone, none of it really feels all that forced anymore. There were events here and there that felt a little too ridiculous, but mostly it's felt strangely authentic. And this third season has been really strong. The acting and cast are stellar, and it shows.

One small thing really disturbs me, though: Brendan Fraser is really letting himself go.

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When they switch POV in the two halves of an episode and they're telling the same event, I always wonder why they change things like what dress Alison is wearing or what the birthday cake looked like (as two small examples). Are we supposed to think that each POV character remembers things like this THAT differently? Because sometimes the differences are really stark.

Just a curiosity.

OMG, I know, right? When he first appeared, I had no idea who it was, but his second or third appearance, I began recognizing the voice...I said I knew that voice somewhere and when I realized who it was, my heart broke. He's not alone though...have you seen Russell Crowe lately?

No! Will have to go search for recent pictures.

I had the opposite experience: I saw Brendan Fraser's name in the credits and thought, "Wait, THE Brendan Fraser? Where was he?" Then I watched the next episode and realized who it was. Good acting, though. He just needs a little bit of Slim Fast or something.

Well, that was depressing.

Yeah, I missed his name in the credits so I didn't know he was going to be on.

Fraser surprised me. I recognized him, but it was still hard to believe that was him. He's so creepy. I don't know if I've ever seen him this compelling.

Yeah, he's creepy without overblowing it to the point of caricature.