The Affair: 4

November 5, 2014 12:15 PM - Season 1, Episode 4

In order to spend time together apart from their families, Noah and Alison take a day trip to remote Block Island. But as the two grow closer, they quickly learn that intimacy can be a double-edged sword.
posted by ALongDecember (3 comments total)

Now this is getting interesting. Last week I was considering abandoning the show - I just wasn't interested in the characters and how slow the show was moving. I hate to make this comparison, but it's a lot like the first season of The Wire and how "the wire" wasn't set up until halfway through the season. Now the affair begins, and I'm glad it has.

Really liked the use of a "bottle episode" to get the affair going. This kinda shows how they are together without any other actors. But the preview for the next episodes... wow. It's going to hit the fan quick.
posted by ALongDecember at 12:21 PM on November 5, 2014

I have read some very interesting ideas about where this story is going (and who's telling the truth, and whose story we're actually getting in the first place). I won't dive into them but I definitely took notice of the fact that the detective mentions to Noah that he doesn't see his kids much since his (the detective's) divorce, but tells Alison that he's been married to his wife for 25 years and they still go at it like rabbits. Heh? Even something is up with THAT guy. Can't say I don't enjoy the steamy parts but it's definitely the mystery here that's got me committed for the longer haul...
posted by lovableiago at 7:55 PM on November 5, 2014

I feel as if the show changed gears a bit from the first episode. The first episode seemed to emphasize Noah's perception of himself as being more winsome than he was actually coming across. His memory was much more flattering to himself than Alison's, and his recollection portrayed himself much more suavely. But the later episodes seem to be emphasizing that their perspectives are simply different now. I'm not sure what to make of that. I'm not sure if it's intentional, or if the show is maturing towards a different direction.
posted by SpacemanStix at 9:18 PM on November 6, 2014