The Affair: 2

October 20, 2014 7:30 AM - Season 1, Episode 2

As the Butler estate readies for the annual summer party, Noah can't escape the allure of the mysterious Alison. She, meanwhile, bends under the emotional debt owed to her mother-in-law. But as aspects of their separate lives start to weave together, the two are forced to consider an inevitability.
posted by ALongDecember (2 comments total)

Noah needs to be a little more likable for me to continue watching. He came off a lot more whiny - yeah, his inlaws suck, but that happens, and it seems his wife realizes it too. Yeah his wife tells the same stories, but he's lucky she didn't slap him after he was being such a dick about it. He turns down his wife's invitation to join him in the shower... while he is masturbating to Alison! So this is not a "we've become friends that don't sleep together" marriage. At least his kids were not the total circus they were last week, which is good.

Lots of weird things with Alison - what the hell was the fish about? Did she lose her son in a way that seemed neglectful, since her mother in law said she can help with their next baby? And who was murdered? Her husband / Pacey seems too obvious, maybe the brother who was trying to get with Noah's daughter?

Though this episode did expose one thing - the story depicted is based of their memories, not what the tell the detective. Noah said after the party he went to bed with his wife, while the show depicts him meeting up with Alison.
posted by ALongDecember at 7:58 AM on October 21, 2014

I'm really enjoying the balancing on this show -- Noah comes off as a jerk in both stories, but is getting somewhat better in Alison's. The costuming is great -- even when the costumes are different, there are subtle similarities in the two (the pattern on Alison's tank top and the one on her dress in episode 1, for instance).

I figured Alison had PPD and her son died in an accident, possibly related but possibly not. It's been left pretty open. I can't decide who died, she seems too close to the BILs for it to be them. Noah's FIL?
posted by jeather at 5:52 PM on October 21, 2014