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| Left to right: Ruth Wilson and Dominic West |
The Affair was a lot of things over the course of 10 hours. At its core, it was Rashomon: Love Style with Noah (Dominic West) and Alison (Ruth Wilson) chronicling an affair from two very different angles. Small details such as clothing or actions change from person to person and leaves us questioning who the reliable narrator really is. From there, it devolved into a series of soapy concepts involving sex, cyber bullying and abusive spouses. The show was insightful drama and trashy revelations. It may have not always worked and the perspective angle began to tear towards the end, but The Affair remains an exciting show for its ability to take something familiar and subvert expectations. Yes, the ending was almost too ridiculous to have been a logical progression from the first episode, but it doesn't matter. This is the world that The Affair built, and it is ingeniously executed most of the time with plenty of questions to still answer.
It was a series that hinged on its novelty technique and relied upon its performances to make it convincing. Much like the mystery of who the reliable narrator was, there are plenty of other questions that rise as Detective Jeffries (Victor Williams) begins to enter the picture and questions of a murder become more prevalent. It is like True Detective, but without a satisfying conclusion. Every clue that is presented doesn't feel resolved. By the end of the finale when Noah is being hauled away, the sense that things were building to a catharsis are thrown out the window. There was time for an overdramatic piece of violence hinging on two very different takes. However, what is there deeper beyond this?
The one thankful cry is that The Affair was clearly planned as something beyond a 10 episode run. Where most series are now having limited runs, this Showtime series looked to be one of them with many hoping for a logical conclusion. It didn't happen and rightfully leaves most frustrated. It is the magic of the series however that it manages to drag us along through each reveal and asks us to guess the next step. While the "small details" angle faded from memory in favor of high class drama of shocking reveal after shocking reveal, it has proven itself to be about more than people. It is about honesty and what truth there is in everyone's story.
For the first few episodes, the series may as well be considered the best written content of 2014. The show quickly came to embrace its frustrations and gave us reason to root for Alison and Noah as they dealt with their double lives. Even the occasion switcheroo allowed us to reconsider whose side we were taking. The story may not seem all that flattering or authentic, but in a year where unreliable narrators have run rampant in our pop culture, this took it to a new and interesting place by serializing an affair and exploring the deeper motivations behind the various actions.
The only real issue is that it didn't seem build to last. At some point, the affair would be discovered or risk turning into an unrealistic soap opera. There's a little bit of both in the end. While it is a little disappointing, it reflects a more damaged cast of characters in a fascinating way and tears apart the notion of Noah and Alison's families that we had from the onset. It may not be great, but the show finely peeled back each layer until we came away with something deeply engrossing, highly sexual and strangely perplexing. There's a feeling that more layers will be pulled back in season 2. The only question is where things can go from here.
Part of me wishes that the series was a one and done because of how precise the early run of the series was. It managed to bring life to very mundane activities and even felt like the forbidden love could work. Along with expanding on Noah's daughter Whintey (Julia Goldani Telles) own affair, the show had plenty of elements in play that could have accumulated into something grander. It is hard to personally judge, as the world has grown too rich with intrigue. However, the show's lack of conclusion in the final episode does leave some concern that it will just be turning into a meandering string of cliffhangers until the show reaches inevitable cancellation.
However, the magic between West and Wilson is really compelling and the central reason why the show works. Along with a solid supporting cast, the exploration of how affairs influence everyone around you is actually executed with some bravado. It could just be that the affair's romanticism held the veil of it being a very serious drama over my perception for a good chunk of the show's running time. Maybe it has been too crazy all along. However, I am too invested in what will happen next to care. Let's just hope that the show doesn't jump too far off the rails when it returns next year.
Rating: 4 out of 5
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