Thursday, November 12, 2015

What I’m Watching: The Affair


The Affair: Season 2, Episode 6 (B+)

This episode seemed to cover a substantial amount of ground, and it’s an interesting graduation when this show doesn’t need to replay the same events twice but instead uses different people’s perspectives throughout the same episode to tell different parts of a longer story. What’s most compelling is the way that Helen and Noah spring back into the roles of parents when they are in need, and Martin’s health is the best possible way to get them reunited. Seeing him vomit a dark green color in the emergency room was intense, and the news that he has Crohn’s Disease makes a lot of sense as a serious but manageable condition. Helen offering to let things go and stop pursuing an aggressive divorce was a surprising but genuine step, and it simplifies that part of things so much. Going ballistic on her mother was something that was a long time coming, and she’s a very negative influence on whatever remains of Helen’s livelihood, so having her out of the house should help her get back to a more tranquil place. What’s much less reassuring is the way that Noah reacted to finding Alison trying to cope with being cast aside by him for weeks. The fact that it’s his own perception that saw him forcing himself on Alison in the woods is troubling. We know that they end up married, and she’s just revealed her pregnancy, but things don’t look good at the moment, especially considering the furious way in which Noah rewrote the ending of his book.

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