At once deeply observed and intriguingly elusive, THE AFFAIR explores the emotional effects of an extramarital relationship. Noah is a New York City schoolteacher and novelist who is happily married, but resents his dependence on his wealthy father-in-law. Alison is a young waitress trying to piece her life and marriage back together in the wake of a tragedy. The provocative drama unfolds when Alison and Noah meet in Montauk at the end of Long Island.
Award-winning playwright and writer/producer Sarah Treem (House of Cards, In Treatment) wrote the original script from a story created with Hagai Levi. They first worked together on the American adaption of Levi’s show In Treatment. Treem and Levi will both serve as executive producers, along with executive producer and director Jeffrey Reiner (Friday Night Lights) and executive producer Eric Overmyer.
Nice slow-paced intro to a series, with time to delve into the waitress' outdoor shower--and lusty car-hood antics with her partner or hubby. Second part of the intro retells Alison's and Norah's initial summer meeting from her point of view, like some European romance films or Kurosawa's "Rashomon." Then there are flashback snippets of police interviews, foretelling what you might expect from the series title. -- John
EDIT: Anyone come across what production cameras they used? IMDB tech specs are only: color, 16:9 HD.
I love this show. Although I am having a hard time adjusting to Ruth Wilson in a new role. I am so used to her riveting character Ruth Morgan on BBCA's Luther (an equally fantastic show).
Could be Helen's a-hole daddy, Bruce Butler. But my preferred guess is also Cole's brother Scotty (last seen as Ollie's ill-fated friend Tommy on 'Arrow'). No other male characters have been developed enough.
I'm really liking this show and can't believe there aren't more comments in this thread. Sure would like to know who died. Based on the clue given when Noah discussed what would make his new book different, I thought I had it all figured out, but apparently not.
Following the series I didn't initially think I'd like. The format hooked me a little.
Not because it hasn't been done before, but because it has a certain twist that keeps it interesting.
OK, the first 3 & then episode 4 aligned on the excursion.
On the investigation. This carrot doesn't seem to be base of the story to me. If it turns soon, OK, but I
don't think it will be the "Act Three" some people expect. Just a guess
All the differences between Alison's and Noah's recollections of their encounters is enjoyable to watch. Even the clothing details are quite different. I expected each one to remember the other's reactions and interest in each other differently, but the length of the hem line adds a lot to it also.
Still hangin' with this.
Think I'm beginning to hate Noah & Alison and like everyone else for some reason.
We'll see, but the season 2 green light means we don't resolve much in the second half
of this one. Right?
I've read somewhere that the writes supposedly had at least red season "planned" out so who knows. Since the cop is focusing on this one summer you kind of assume that is where it would end. I assume there is a bigger arc outside of the death and the summer so we'll have to see where it goes.
Oh My. Shades of "The Frist 48" on A&E, where it seems most U.S. homicides are drug-related. Alison's biking about with a plant-derived drug in a 'fish basket', then the scurrying at the cab station to hide the cocaine stash and clean up, makes drug laws insane fictionally, too. Noah bailed out on her, at least in this last episode. No doubt this'll all end (final part-1 episode) with the states and feds adapting Swiss, Dutch, Portuguese, etc. possession laws. Then their affair will go into "Same Time, Next Year" mode. -- John
Well, I watched every episode and as much as I liked it, I was so frustrated that they chose not to wrap it up. Why does every successful series need to be milked to death?
Agree. I enjoyed the show a lot but really did expect the Scotty Lockhart part of the show to be wrapped up this season. That is the least interesting part of the show to me so dragging it on doesn't make any sense.
It seems like with each episode, the details/recollections of the two perspective diverge further. That gimmick distracts me.
I mean, in the first half of the finale, we have Noah and Scotty wresting in the yard until Cole breaks it up with a gunshot in the air. In the other half, we have Cole nearly going all suicidal with the gun in the kitchen; no appearance of Scotty at all.
I don't like the two totally disparate tellings of otherwise same circumstances.
This gimmick is obviously meant to dramatize for us the difference in perspectives for what ostensibly are the same objective event, from the points of view of the two parties involved in the same relationship. As we can plainly see (or so the creators would have us believe), these two perspectives of the same event can be quite different. And the difference seems to have become more divergent as the emotional undertone of their relationship has gotten more intense.
I actually find it interesting and entertaining. Kind of like throwing a story line at the writers in the writers room and challenging them to propose several different endings for the episode, even though the basic story line starts off the same way for all of them. All outcomes are "reasonable" (given how the story development is navigated) and yet different, although they all started from the same plot point.
I enjoyed the show, and the whole season. I particularly "felt" the deepening passion and actual true emotional love between Noah and Alison, whereas it started off initially as just an affair. The resulting complications and inevitable effects on others around them who also had emotional ties, as they got "found out", was very real and plausible.
True, WE still don't know exactly how Scotty got killed, nor have we really been given a clue as to who did it, but it does appear from the final scene that apparently both Noah and Allison know the answers.
Eh, I don't find them very attractive. Noah's wife is a little old for me and Allison has a weird mouth.
Anyway, I deleted this series after last episode knowing they were renewed for S2.
8-10 episodes should have been enough to wrap this up.
I actually really really liked this show. It could be a little trying at times, but on the whole it was so subtle and creative.
The whole "Let's split the show in half and show the same events from 2 different characters' perspectives" ethos was quite creative to me. I liked noticing the (obviously intentional) slight differences between the characters' memories of the same situations.
I was also a big fan of In Treatment -- another very high concept show that demanded a LOT of attention.
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