The Affair -- new show on Showtime

Discussion in 'Visual Arts' started by norman_frappe, Oct 20, 2014.

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  1. Chazro

    Chazro Forum Resident

    Location:
    West Palm Bch, Fl.
    Makes you realize just how well-written the show when you think about just how 'wrong' practically every character in this story is, and yet it's still such a compelling tale. Hell, Cole may be the most likable person and he dealt coke!
     
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  2. marcb

    marcb Senior Member

    Location:
    DC area
    And Noah alludes to the notion that Helen may not have been too different at 17...
     
  3. modrevolve

    modrevolve Forum Resident

    Also..Helen has bangs in the flash forward scenes
     
  4. mmars982

    mmars982 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Pittsburgh, PA
    This is another thing where the point of view might be changing things a bit. Thwts how Helen sees it. The kid's probably bad, but not quite that bad.
     
  5. kwadguy

    kwadguy Senior Member

    Location:
    Cambridge, MA
    Oh, she was a terror in Noah's POV, too... Recall the guest house scene... Among others
     
  6. agentalbert

    agentalbert Senior Member

    Location:
    San Antonio, TX
    Yeah. She's been pretty bad in any point of view that shows her. Both Allison and Noah's POV from the guest house showed her pretty negatively. She was super sweet to Allison, when she wanted her to give her Scotty's contact info despite the restraining order, but as soon as Allison said she wouldn't do it, she turned mean again.
     
  7. mmars982

    mmars982 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Pittsburgh, PA
    Was tonight the first time they abandoned the formula of one person's point of view for 30 min, then another's for the rest?

    Pretty dark episode. Does have me intrigued to see how this all wraps up in 3 weeks.
     
  8. Deesky

    Deesky Forum Resident

    I don't think that there was a specific POV (or so-and-so's story) as defined in all the other episodes to date. It was more of a linear narrative that covered all the main characters in a single chronology, as indicated by the time stamps throughout the episode.

    Powerful episode. I liked Helen's little vignette where she links up with the doc in the bar, and later her line: "I don't get it. Are you a nice guy that acts like a dick, or dick that acts like a nice guy?". I was wondering the same thing but still couldn't work it out. Maybe he's somewhere on the autistic spectrum. He takes things literally (heart as a pump - it works), but seems to do acts of kindness and make friends easily, while still seeming un-empathetic at times. Interesting...

    Speaking of dicks, Noah gets some bad karma at the pool - didn't see that one coming, yikes! Alison keeps Noah waiting after her ordeal, echoing the recent stormy weather (with more to come, no doubt). Cole's curse is a self-fulfilling prophecy.

    So much to chew on in this episode.
     
  9. kwadguy

    kwadguy Senior Member

    Location:
    Cambridge, MA

    The doctor was such a flaming douche---Drinking while on call, checking Tinder right after having sex, looking at the kids watching TV and proclaiming he'll chance the rain, calling that woman on the phone a "needy bitch". A nice ball of sociopathic and narcissistic tendencies. Hope Helen had him wear a condom...

    So Noah decides he wants to get down with two women making out--only to discover one is his daughter...Short term awkward, but longer term...if Allison ever found out what he was doing while she was in labor...Now his daughter has some high value blackmail...

    And Noah/Helen's business friend: Talk about a guy who can't read social cues. Hard to believe he was successful in business.

    I'm still trying to figure out what the "meet me in 15 minutes" thing was about with respect to Noah's "assistant".
     
  10. Chazro

    Chazro Forum Resident

    Location:
    West Palm Bch, Fl.
    Another great episode! The obvious occurred to me, that this may be the greatest soap opera ever! As far as the doctor being a nice guy or a dick, as she was asking the question, for obvious reasons, I immediately thought of George Clooney in ER, the ultimate nice guy/dick doctor! (What was his name again?).
     
  11. Deesky

    Deesky Forum Resident

    Dr McDreamy? :D

    I agree about the quality, but I would put it just behind Bloodline.
     
  12. mrjinks

    mrjinks Optimistically Challenged

    Location:
    Boise, ID.
    I must be in the minority, but I thought the current episode was a real disaster, compared to the recent string of great episodes. I enjoyed a couple of the plot points (Noah's swim, in particular), but found most of the episode overwrought and melodramatic. The cuts between the birth scene and the house going up in flames seemed like Filmmaking 101 from a pretentious college kid to me...
     
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  13. sberger

    sberger Dream Baby Dream

    For a minute I thought Noah was hallucinating his daughter. I guess not.

    The doctor isn't unique. I've known way too many people like that, especially rich professionals.
     
  14. jmobrien68

    jmobrien68 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Toms River, NJ
    Yeah... it was all too much... George Clooney, Keith Richards, daughter in the hot tub, giving birth while house burns down, ghost of the dead son... only thing that worked for me was Helen and the Doctor.
     
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  15. Chazro

    Chazro Forum Resident

    Location:
    West Palm Bch, Fl.
    An interesting aspect of this episode was that when the tale is being told through someone's 'perspective', often the details are skewed one way or the other. I can only assume that THIS time what was shown was actually what went down. Noah and his daughter win the prize for being the biggest a-holes (in a story full of them), regardless of perspective.
     
  16. kwadguy

    kwadguy Senior Member

    Location:
    Cambridge, MA
    Wait...While I agree that the daughter has been a real s--t in the POV episodes, in this episode all we learn is that she's a party girl...just like a million more all over the world. That doesn't make her an a-hole. Noah, on the other hand, on the prowl for poontang as his wife goes into labor is assuredly one.
     
  17. Deesky

    Deesky Forum Resident

    Very excellent episode (10). I loved Noah's story so much and it was just talk in a shrink's office. The acting my West was amazingly good, but the dialog was even better! The insights we learn about Noah's psyche are invaluable and almost make him seem like less of a dick (but just almost).

    Alison's POV also introduced some spice to the recipe as did the flash-forward court proceedings. This season has really excelled itself.
     
  18. Deesky

    Deesky Forum Resident

    And another good episode and Noah's story is again a highlight. Amazingly written show this. I want to see Helen's story next dammit!
     
  19. modrevolve

    modrevolve Forum Resident

    next week is the last episode of the season and it will be supersized. It was also confirmed this week that it has been picked up for Season 3.
    http://tvline.com/2015/12/09/homeland-renewed-season-6-showtime/

    I'll keep my predictions to myself to avoid spoilers, but it is nice to see how everything is coming together.
     
  20. Trapper J

    Trapper J Senior Member

    Location:
    Great White North
    I saw the poster on a bus stop shelter, that was were the show was both brought to my attention, and my interest for it died.
     
  21. kwadguy

    kwadguy Senior Member

    Location:
    Cambridge, MA
    Good season finale. I did not see that twist at the end coming...I don't quite see how they go on from there, but it will be interesting.

    After we say Noah's story, I predicted the Allison half...but not the end...

    Oh, and I thought Scotty did a pretty fine job with House of the Rising Son.
     
    Last edited: Dec 21, 2015
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  22. Deesky

    Deesky Forum Resident

    Remarkable episode. Both POVs were excellent with terrific performances all around. I loved how they crafted the intricate web of circumstance and loyalties between the parties involved in the incident throughout the episode, with callbacks to events that happened during the season.

    Another thread that harks back to an earlier episode when Noah's at the shrinks (excellent scenes those) and he asks 'am I a good man'? Given the ending, I suspect he's desperately trying to be just that.

    Yes, a fantastic rendition of "The House of the Rising Sun" (not sure if the actor actually sang it, but it was very, very good).
     
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  23. Chazro

    Chazro Forum Resident

    Location:
    West Palm Bch, Fl.
    As well done as this show is, while watching the last few episodes I kept thinking how much it's feeling like One Life To Live or As The World Turns, it's just an extremely well done Soap Opera. Now that the reveal was made in the finale, I'm not sure I really care what happens next. Tellyawhat, I'm sure this gig is a better paying, higher profile gig for Ruth Wilson but she was sorely missed in the new Luther episodes last week (thought it was a nifty trick in how much her presence was felt throughout the show though!)
     
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  24. agentalbert

    agentalbert Senior Member

    Location:
    San Antonio, TX
    About damn time we finally find out what happened. I'm a patient viewer, but the glacial pace of this show has been wearing on me, even as good as the last few episodes have been. I have no complaints about this season finale, but have a fear that the next step forward we take might be the season 3 finale, and we'll spend most of the season filling in MORE backstory leading up to the trial.

    I hope next season is the end.
     
  25. kwadguy

    kwadguy Senior Member

    Location:
    Cambridge, MA
    I don't think we need much more backstory at this point, unless there are more betrayals we don't know about. But I got the sense that we mostly know what happened, who was involved, who betrayed whom, etc.

    I do wonder whether Noah's last minute move at the end was truly impromptu and unexpected, or if it was Kabuki Theater planned with the lawyer. It's not clear how be gets out of that, though.

    I think Cole could definitely use a few lessons on when it's best to just shut up.
     
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