At the end of season one, The Affair was looking to be one of Showtime's best series. Its final stretch of episodes also suggested that maybe the novelty of the Rashomon-esque narration was going to get the best of things. As a result, the expectations for season two were greatly impacted. How could the show find its focus after the soapy finale and its various trashy romances? The way to solve that was to get further into Noah (Dominic West) and Alison's (Ruth Wilson) private lives. If The Affair had anything going on during its second season, it was the fall out of romance, the publication of Noah's much touted novel, some murders, and various conflicts. The season wasn't without its tension, but it was far from the prestigious show that it started as. It still was good, but with the changing views of characters, the show became something different, losing some of its magic in the process.
The Affair always ran the risk of being soapy. The very idea of a romantic affair as the family lives fall apart feel built for it. However, it's stranger to sustain it in a two person perspective. While this was the strength of the first season, it was edited to include even more point of views, with whole episodes now being told from people other than Noah's and Alison's view. There was the conflicts of Cole (Joshua Jackson) trying to find love. There was Helen (Maura Tierney) having a tragic time coping with the separation. Even the season's wraparound plot involving a divorce and later murder trial with a lawyer (Richard Schiff) were being treated differently. Within the show, its format was already starting to wear thin.
That isn't to say that the magic was missing. In fact, one could argue that the show's strength still worked, though less frequently. With Noah going on a book tour, his point of view was increasingly egotistical and featured him losing focus of his life. He was a jerk to everyone, whether it was his direct family or Alison. His actions became confrontational and he arguably went from the central figure to the antagonist. In a way, this is only adding fire to those complaining about its soap opera tendencies. It is also likely the reason that most will find the season particularly inferior, especially as the Solloway became even more dysfunctional, including Whitney's (Julia Goldani Telles) desire to be a model in an attempt to spite her mother. There's no denying that the show is trashy, but it mostly feels like Noah has become the black hole by which the garbage travels.
In fact, that is probably what gives the show an edge, especially as other characters are more willing to acknowledge his faults. Noah is on the verge of becoming a less likable character the more that he exists. Maybe his self-sacrificial moment that ends the season will have some redemption, but even that feels predicated on ego. Meanwhile, the journeys of everyone else feel like compelling attempts to move on. There's a sense of tragedy as Cole is unable to have a fertile wife and various townspeople face conflict over Noah's book's poor depiction of them. It's a nightmare of sorts, only peaceful whenever they have their space and can focus on something else besides Noah. Even Alison, who may be done with his nonsense, is happier when she's alone.
The format in general is both problematic and evidence that maybe the show will become more conventional and less interesting as it progresses. It was rare that an episode didn't end with a segment outside of the two's perspectives - often regarding the trial. It is fine, but shows that even the writers are finding the limitations to be too exhaustive. There was even a whole episode towards the end that dropped perspectives in order to show various simultaneous events culminating at the same time. This included Cole's girlfriend revealing her dark secret, Noah attending a fancy party, and Helen giving birth to a baby - of whose conflict was more focused on who the actual father was than any additional care. For some, it was possibly the worst episode of the season, turning into more of a conventional soap. For others, it likely was necessary in order to create a powerful conclusion that brought the three moments together nicely.
Which raises the question: should The Affair move on from its Rashomon-esque format? As much value as the show continues to have around it, there's been a lot of limitations that cause its few changes to feel like cheats. Is there value in the perspective format if the stories are going to encapsulate more? I am still not sure which version is better, as both examples had great results this season. The only issue is that the show's desire to make Noah more and more despicable may make the need to show his perspective less ingenuous. Thankfully, the show found a way to balance its plot after almost losing it in season one, but it does have a lot of personal conflicts to resolve in format going forward. Will it be the latest Showtime series to have waning quality? I hope not, but who knows.
The Affair remains one of the more intriguing shows on TV for what it tries to do with the hour long drama format. While season two is at times a far cry from the inventiveness of season one, there's still a lot to admire about the show's desire to grow and find ways to challenge its story. While not as successful, the plotting was a lot more intriguing when it wasn't stuck in a two person perspective and gave the show a deeper and richer understanding. Maybe it will never be more than a silly drama about love, but at least it does something fascinating with it. The question though is if it will last and if the audience will care. Noah's already disappearing from people's favor, so what's the breaking point exactly? Whatever it is, the show still has some gas in its tank. I'm at least curious to see how much further it can go.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
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