Friday, December 11, 2015

What I’m Watching: The Affair


The Affair: Season 2, Episode 10 (B+)

After an episode that deviated from the perspective-focused style, we’re right back to it, but in a way that feels perfectly natural and started off by following just one character without any other regular players appearing in his life. Noah showing up to couples’ therapy without Alison was an excellent chance for him to get introspective and share so much without thinking he was actually being shrinked. What was most fascinating to me was the extreme difference in what Noah said to Alison and what she heard, an enthusiastic endorsement of continuing therapy together contrasted with a request never to go back again. Noah talking about his desire to cheat and his fear of starting a relationship with someone he cheated with was very interesting, and the dialogue on this show truly is superb. Alison meeting Luisa was a fantastic moment, and it’s crazy how far these characters have come. Scotty’s return was a worrisome development that made it seem like things would just return immediately to the messy Lockhart situation that formerly existed for Alison, and Cole’s reaction was not a good one. Two tidbits of news about this show unrelated to this episode: it was just renewed for a third season, which is awesome, and Maura Tierney earned himself a well-deserved Golden Globe nomination, while her show, which took home the Best Drama Series award last year, didn’t show up anywhere else. Good for Maura, at least! She’s a great actress and her performance this year has been pretty incredible, and I think I’d single her out as the best one this season.

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