S01.E01: Pilot

[WaltersHair]

I didn't love or hate this.

I think the problem, for me, is that Showtime bombarded us with previews for months. Those I found intriguing.

 

Ruth Wilson had that lip in Saving Mr. Banks too.

 

I hate it when Hollywood gets life saving techniques wrong. Someone somewhere is going to turn their half grown child upside down to dislodge a foreign object and will drop them on their head.

[saxon57]

I'm still on the fence with this episode. The dual versions of events in the "interrogation room" setting does peak my interest though. I guess the characters do have potential but based on the pilot I'm not sure I really care what happens to them. I can't even bear to see those awful kids again. They may be the most irritating collection of offspring ever on tv. I wonder what the time frame is? Allison certainly looks like she has moved up in the world from beach diner waitress.

[Dan]

The time frame has to be recent. Martin's bedroom had a Brooklyn Nets banner hanging on his wall. That team started in 2012.

[Morbs]

But the scenes with the cops could be in the future.  I expect Allison's child is a result of The Affair, and could give an excuse for the characters to be in each other's lives long term.

 

I used to think Dominic West was attractive on The Wire, but not here, where I don't find either of the leads that attractive or charismatic.  He's always had intense eyes, but that promo shot him in the water is particularly serial killerish.  Maybe if he gained a couple pounds his face wouldn't be so severe.

Edited October 14, 2014 by Morbs

[Turtle]

I like all the actors involved.  I don't even mind the interrogation setup even if it is a cliched device to allow for differences in perspectives.

 

 

I agree.  I think a split-perspective show is easier for people to follow when there's "narrator" to briefly highlight whose version of the story we're seeing.  Plus, I'm a little curious about why they're being questioned.

 

I enjoyed the episode in general. However I wasn't expecting the two perspectives and memories to differ so much.

 

 

I found it fascinating, but I wasn't too surprised by it.  I think it's actually very true to life that two people would have such very different memories about such an emotionally charged subject.  It's human nature to paint yourself in the best light, especially retroactively and especially especially if the shit has hit the fan subsequently, and our memories are always tainted by our unique viewpoint.  

On Dominic West, I agree he's physically not all that (although, you know, he's certainly not bad either!) but he's got some kind of charisma going on for me.

 

 

Perhaps it's because my tastes are changing as I get older, but in some of the scenes, I was like "Wowza (eyeballs popping out)!"  So, for some of us, he very well may be "all that"!  Maybe it's the charisma thing you're talking about, plus the fact that there's no understanding what we find attractive.  But, yeah..he was doing it for me.

 

I took the laughing after realizing the suicide attempt was a joke as a weird adrenaline-induced stress reaction, and not him actually thinking it was funny.  Combination of being so worked up and scared and frantic trying to get his son down, with the absolute relief that his son was alive.  Sometimes people laugh at completely inappropriate times even when they don't find anything funny.  I see it as the brain / body just having no idea what to do and kind of freaking out.​

[Milburn Stone]

I think it's actually very true to life that two people would have such very different memories about such an emotionally charged subject.  It's human nature to paint yourself in the best light, especially retroactively and especially especially if the shit has hit the fan subsequently, and our memories are always tainted by our unique viewpoint.  

 

 

I agree. At first I thought, "One of them is lying, the other is telling the truth." But then I realized that both of them could be telling the truth--the truth as they experienced it. Which is a whole lot more interesting, and one of the things I love about the show so far.

 

And then, we can't rule out that both of them are lying! The truth might be some third version of events that neither one of them wants to tell. Or that neither one of them perceives to be the truth. Fascinating possibilities.

[sifar]

I thought it was okay and I watched primarily because of Joshua Jackson. The acting was good across the board but I didn't really feel any overwhelming chemistry between Wilson and West. So it's a bit difficult for me to see why these two people would have an affair which could destroy their lives. I can understand to some extent why Allison might, given that she was practically drowning in her grief yet no one around her seemed to care enough. Maybe instead of true love or some such BS, the affair would be just the case of two lonely, unhappy people grabbing onto each other. At least I hope that would be the case.

 

I am really intrigued by the "he said/she said" format. Yes, it is a little gimmicky but it managed to pique my interest. And I also want to know more about the police investigation - as long as Jackson isn't the dead guy.

 

West's kids are horrible but again, how much of their behavior was real and how much was it just West's unhappiness coloring his memories? Although, whatever his eldest son seemed to be going through did look real - that stunt with the harness couldn't possible have been made up by Noah. From what I could tell, he used to a good kid all around but something happened in the past year to turn him into an angry, insolent and callous kid who could think that scaring his dad half to death was a good idea. I am tempted to make a horrible speculation but I really hope that isn't the case.

[Neurochick]

I neither saw nor felt any chemistry between Noah and Allison, but maybe it's not that type of affair.  Maybe it doesn't start out physical, maybe it starts out emotional, they're just friends, and then slowly, it gets physical.  

[stillshimpy]

enjoyed the episode in general. However I wasn't expecting the two perspectives and memories to differ so much. At times they were so different that it strained credulity to me. I get that two people have different interpretations of the same event, but these were so incredibly different that I have no clue who is the more reliable narrator -

 

They were different enough that I wonder if rather than unreliable narrator -- where we often remember our own lives to reflect either better or worse on ourselves than was true -- we aren't dealing with an untrustworthy narrator.  

 

There was a detail in Allison's story that would pretty much discount everything Noah remembers as being untrue, if she's telling the truth.  The day they met was the anniversary of her child's death.   No way she romping around  in a barely there sundress, giggling, flirting, attempting to beguile with invitations to shower and meeting the eye of a perfect stranger , seemingly seductively, while experiencing amounted to marital rape.  

 

If that detail of her story is true, then every detail of Noah's story is suspect.  Is he lying to the officers or is he lying to himself?  It's just that on the anniversary of her child's death, Allison would not have been behaving in the way he described.  There could be a larger statement at work about how men view women and women, men though.  Noah saw her as being a temptress, in a nearly too short dress, almost undressing in front of him while asking him to try out the shower.  Basically as if she was auditioning for soft core porn much of the time. 

 

However, almost all of his memories seem emphasized in a weird way.  His children are ridiculously obnoxious, and yes, my own parents would have beaten me to actual death if I'd ever pulled anything even remotely like that son did. The younger son, lying on the floor , fake crying over a largely fictionalized injury.  Just everything turned up to Horror when it came to being a parent (I like how their kids cockblocked him not once, but twice within the first half hour of the show and his wife laughed when he wanted to look in her eyes) and then his FIL is such a jackass AND a racist all within a five minute period.  

 

Then again Allison's memories tend to be pretty freaking hard on the guys too.  Her boss, who was every gross guy cliche rolled into one, her husband who has no patience with her grief and has to be reminded to do things like hold her hand and show affection on top of wanting to boink.  

 

So I liked it, but one of the things I particularly liked that the "there are always three sides to every story; his version, her version and then the truth" was particularly evident in how both viewed themselves in relationship to , not just the other, but the other gender in general.  

 

Every guy in Allison's version was just a little too cloddish, fratboy while she was the delicate, suffering flower.  

 

Every woman in Noah's version seemed to either be practically panting after him, or not-so-subtly demeaning him (loved the touch where Maura's character actually laughs when he tries to intimately look into her eyes during sex).  So already it seems clear, they both view themselves as a bit of a victim when it comes to the opposite sex.  

Edited October 14, 2014 by stillshimpy

[buckybruce]

I liked the pilot. This shows on The Movie Network#1 channel up here in Canada, and for some reason, we haven't been bombarded with promos like it seems some of you have in the US. It almost seemed like an afterthought that it was picked up here, to replace Masters of Sex, which ran after Ray Donovan.

 

So...I am in. For the time being. Right now I will watch "live", but will watch it as a PVR or On-Demand if something better comes along on HBO.

Edited October 15, 2014 by buckybruce

[rozen]

Yea, the fact that Noah portrayed Allison as some sort of relentless sexbot on the anniversary of her child's death made me super suspicious of everything. He seemed to be in the middle of a self-martyring midlife crisis. I can see her being depressed and looking for physical distraction, but shaking her sandy buttcheeks in his face? No. 

 

I find it interesting in the flash-forwards that he's in a hoody and disgruntled, while she's nicely groomed and (relatively) calm. Also, the cop was much less abrasive with her than he was with Noah.Of course, that could mean everything's a trap to catch Allison in a lie, or something. 

 

But her portrayal of Noah during the car sex scene also makes no sense. If some dude I barely knew stood there all but licking his lips while I was pinned down on the hood of my car, there is no way I would end up having an affair with him. That's creep level 9000, do not pass go, do not collect $500. 

[Texasmom1970]

Did I hear correctly during the police interrogtion, the flash forward did he call Allison by a different last name than was on her son's tombstone.

Just wondering if that is her maiden name, whether she divorced Cole or got remarried. Just trying to make a little sense of everything.

[absnow54]

But her portrayal of Noah during the car sex scene also makes no sense. If some dude I barely knew stood there all but licking his lips while I was pinned down on the hood of my car, there is no way I would end up having an affair with him. That's creep level 9000, do not pass go, do not collect $500.

I couldn't get over how creepy he came off in her POV. I think it reflects how she views him now, and not how she viewed him then, which is making it hard to buy their attraction. I almost wish every episode had 3 points of view. His, hers, and a neutral party, but it was difficult enough watching some of the scenes 2 times, let alone 3, so they'd have to interlace the narrative.

 

I found it interesting that from his story he doesn't remember her wearing a ring, while in hers, her wedding rings were very prominent.

[bc1795]

I really hated this.  It had all the ingredients of shows that I hate.  I like the actors, so I wanted to like it, but it was a horrible viewing experience for me.  Won't watch again.

 

Right there with ya .  Lost it the second time  dad called his son "Dude".  Really? 

[Midnight Cheese]

The detail that made me reflexively believe Allison's account more than Noah's dealt with dress, too: in her recall, she and the other waitress were wearing normal uniforms, with skirts to the knee.  In Noah's, Allison seemed to be the only waitress covering an entire restaurant, and wearing a skirt she couldn't lean over in (the dress was probably shorter than the mini she wore in Noah's recall of their beach meeting).  Her credibility went way, way up with me without me even realizing it until after the fact. 

 

I thought the writing was really rather sensitive and excellent, especially the use of 'Peter Pan.'   Tragic without being grossly manipulative.  Again, very, very hard to picture that Allison would laughingly refer to how 'terrifying' the work is anywhere near the anniversary of her son's death.  (I'm trying to be objective, but so much of Noah's take doesn't yet make emotional sense to me.)

 

I think the show is compelling and I like the split POVs.  I also like that Victor Williams is the interviewing police officer - random, but I love him as Deacon on 'King of Queens,' my rerun guilty pleasure.  And Ruth WIlson has had that ducky curled lip for so many years now - I think she's an excellent actress, and doesn't seem the one, at least not yet, for doing anything to fake-up her face.  Dominic West looks good and all, but older than his time as McNulty.  John Doman as Noah's terrifying FIL made me laugh - I loved how much he as Major Rawls on 'The Wire' almost needed to stick it to McNulty, so seeing them again playing tension against each other is great.

[Bcharmer]

Did I hear correctly during the police interrogtion, the flash forward did he call Allison by a different last name than was on her son's tombstone.

Just wondering if that is her maiden name, whether she divorced Cole or got remarried. Just trying to make a little sense of everything.

 

Yes, he called her "Ms Bailey."  On IMDB.com, her character's name is Alison (with one L) Bailey.  I was momentarily confused when I heard her refer to Noah's FIL as Bruce Butler (another B name). I had to go back to the interrogation scene when he called her by her last name to be sure she didn't end up married to the FIL later. 

[Turtle]

After further thought, I have the impression that both Noah and Alison were "remembering" themselves as having been in a particularly stressed/ vulnerable place when they met, most likely as an attempt to shift the blame of the affair and whatever happens after on to the other person, or at least off of themselves.  He's all "my wife is on my case, my kid is fake-suiciding, my in-laws are terrible racists, I was just so low and miserable, and then here came this seductress..." and she's all "my husband and I are clearly having problems and he's possibly raping me but maybe not because that might be how I like it sometimes but I also just don't feel any connection to him and my son died and my family and friends are so over me grieving even though I'm not at all over it, and then here comes handsome family man that seems to get me..."  

 

I suspect that *some* of each of their stories are true.  But I also think there may be something larger at play here - how men and women view themselves and each other differently on a grander scale.  It's not unheard of for a man to think a woman was coming on to him, while that same woman thought she was just being polite, as just one example.  

[Milburn Stone]

I agree, Turtle. I think they both think they're telling the truth. And they are. Their own truth.

 

But of course, we'll find out.

 

(Or maybe we won't!)

Edited October 16, 2014 by Milburn Stone

[penelope79]

I watched it with no expectations at all, as I was completely unspoiled except for the reference to an affair: overall, I liked it.

 

Obviously, the split POV is what I like the most. As all of you already pointed out, it's very interesting how differently they remember the time they first met. And, since they're talking to a detective (at the very beginning I thought Noah was talking to his therapist), I couldn't help but start speculating about the reason why they are there. And who's telling the truth? Him? Her? Are they both convinced they're telling the truth?

 

My first impression was option #3, because of all those little details (which, by the way, were probably the best part): it makes sense that you remember the best version of the person you fell in love with when you met him/her. Not only Noah remembers Alison with a different, shorter uniform, but she also has a lovely tan, beautiful hair and a sexy make-up, while the memory he has of himself it's of a complete mess, surrounded by his awful children. And when he meets her later, on the beach, she has a sundress and her hair and make-up are still quite good. He seems to think about her as a huge temptation, and that's even before the shower scene occurs. Also, his first impression of her husband is of a rapist (poor Joshua Jackson). Alison's depiction is not very different: in her memories, Noah is way cooler and charming, his children not so annoying, and she's the one who's a mess because she's still grieving. She remembers her look to be pale, with almost no make-up, bad hair and definitively no sexy clothes. The same goes for their meeting on the beach. And her husband Cole is still a bit of a douche but not a rapist.

So, as I said, my first impression was that they fell in love with each other and therefore their memories of the first time they met were altered by the vision they had in that particular moment, when they were both vulnerable even though for different reasons.

 

Those were my thoughts at beginning, but then I noticed that their memories were, instead, totally different as far as actual events and dialogues are concerned. It's not just a matter of POV. As I said, I can see why they look hot in each other memories. But it's odd that they rememeber different events or conversations. For instance, in Noah's version, he paid her the tip, Alison didn't participate in saving his daughter, he thinks about her friends at the bonfire as very cool surfers he cannot join, she's the one offering a cigarette and they have a very short talk before going home. In Alison's, though, he forgot to paid her the tip, she helped saving Noah's daughter, she's avoiding the bonfire while he wants to participate, he's the one with the cigarettes and they talked for awhile before going home, even about his father-in-law. Since all these innocent interactions were so different, it's no surprise that the shower scene was also completely different, too.

 

Now, maybe their memories differ so much because some time has passed between that summer and the interrogation scene (at least one year, since she now has another child). But the fact that a detective is questioning them, it obviously means something bad happened and that maybe they're not remembering: they're trying to shift the blame against each other.

 

If so, my speculation is that Alison's husband died and that the police thinks one of them is the culprit. If what really happened is a murder (because c'mon, it can't be anything else), and Cole is the victim, then I'm not so sure that the most "reliable" version is Alison's (and no, not because I watched Luther :D ).

I think that it could be Cole because: 1) Alison now uses her maiden name and 2) Cole is the only other person who appears in both versions but who's depicted differently. He's an abusive husband (Alison's motive?) in Noah's POV but he is not in Alison's.

Other two little things that could mean all or nothing but that, if they're facing a murder charge, let me think that Noah could be the one telling the truth: 1) in Noah's memories they talk about her favourite book, and she says that is Peter Pan. In Alison's version, they don't have this conversation, but she reads Peter Pan when she goes to her son's gravesite. In both cases, Alison loves this book. But how could Noah know about that if she hadn't told him? It could be a thing he learnt later, but it's an important book for her (she's still reading it to her dead child), how could she not remember they talked about it when they met? 2) in Noah's version, they stop as soon as they arrive at Alison's house and she's the one telling him that she has an outdoor shower. In Alison's memories, he sees the outdoor shower as soon as they arrive Alison's house... but aren't they a bit too far for him to see it? The distance is the same in both versions, but unless he's got an eagle eye, it's hard to believe he could've seen it from there. Again, both could mean anything, really.

 

I guess we can only wait and see. For now, I'll definitively watch.

Edited October 16, 2014 by penelope79

[Cirien]

I find it interesting in the flash-forwards that he's in a hoody and disgruntled, while she's nicely groomed and (relatively) calm. Also, the cop was much less abrasive with her than he was with Noah.Of course, that could mean everything's a trap to catch Allison in a lie, or something. 

I thought it was interesting they were both dressed in the same colours (ish). And Noah's wearing the same type of clothes he wore in his flashback, while she's much more groomed. Does that mean anything IDEK

[lorikauai]

Disclaimer: I only watched this because Joshua Jackson was in it. Otherwise I went in having no idea what it was about, other than an affair, as the title suggested.

 

Things I liked: I enjoyed the different points of view. It will be interesting to see if one of them is lying, if they both are lying, or if they both are telling the truth as they remember it.

 

Questions: Why are they being questioned by the police? How did Allison's son die? Is her new child the product of the affair? She has a new last name. Just divorced or remarried? Is there a connection between Allison and Noah's father-in-law?

[MorbidPet]

Questions: Why are they being questioned by the police? How did Allison's son die? Is her new child the product of the affair? She has a new last name. Just divorced or remarried? Is there a connection between Allison and Noah's father-in-law?

Seems we will find out sooner than at least I expected. A spoiler from spoiler.tv underneath the button so be warned if you don't like em, I just can't stay away from them unfortunately... but I'm pretty relieved to find this one out, now I at least don't have to worry about my favorite character/person :)

 

Lisa: The Affair is my favourite new show! Do you know why Alison/Noah are being questioned?

You won't need to wait long to find out why Alison and Noah are being interrogated. This Sunday's episode will reveal that they are being questioned for murder and we can say the victim is male.

[JudyObscure]

Ruth Wilson had that upper lip way back in, "Jane Eyre."  It's not really a puffed up lip so much as a lip thrust forward by a really bad over bite.  I like her and  Maura, though,  which is why I'm watching my first Showtime offering ever.

 

I usually don't watch cable made movies because I find excessive sex, both uncomfortable and boring, so I'm hoping it will settle down in future episodes now that we get it  that Noah's sex life is frequently interrupted and when it does get going, his wife isn't as intense as he would like.  Allison's sex life is frequent enough, but tinged with the anger she has toward her husband.  I'm sure we'll have an opportunity to see how marvelous the affair sex is but I hope we don't have to have to be reminded of it three times per episode like we did in "Mildred Pierce."

 

Complaints aside, I love the two points of view, and I'm already impressed that the cheaters are not portrayed as romantic soul mates tied to unbelievably horrible spouses. I may have some sympathy for Allison if she is trying to escape a deep depression, but if an irritating father-in-law he has to tolerate once a year and unruly kids he should have raised better are Noah's only excuses, they aren't even close to enough.

[Constantinople]

I'm not sure, but I think Noah's father-in-law was only mentioned by name in Allison's POV, not Noah's.

I don't know what, if any, significance there is to that. It could be as simple as Noah doesn't think of his FIL's name when recounting events because Noah knows who is FIL is. Or it could be Noah wants to be reminded as little as possible who his FIL is.

[shelley1234]

How did no one tell me that Pacey Witter was in a new show on Showtime? 

 

I had seen the ads for the show when I was watching Homeland, but since I got snookered into watching Betrayal last season, I was gonna pass on it.  Making a love story out of cheaters isn't something I wanted to watch again.   However, I looked at the cast list and saw that Joshie Jackson was the hubby of the woman cheater, so I decided to give it a shot.  I realized pretty early on that it wasn't the show I thought it was.  It had the True Detective, telling the story from different timelines that I was immediately attracted to.  I also love the dueling stories from him and her.  It's really interesting for me to find the differences of their stories.  

 

About the two main characters, I find them both pretty unlikable, him more than her.  At least I can justify her shittiness with the loss of her child.  The wife and the husband of the two cheaters are both much more likable IMO.  They should find one another and make a much happier show....minus the devil spawn children.  

 

I guess I am going to keep watching, even though I am not sure this show isn't going to leave me hating society and the world.  

[Beebee111]

I stumbled across this show & I'm so glad I did. Well-written dramas are rare and this appears to be a good find. The acting is excellent across the board and although the actors all look familiar to me, I don't know their work well enough to have had a strong opinion either way.

 

 

I guess I fall in the camp of those skeptical that the format will work long term. I was pretty engaged in the first half of the episode, but got a bit bored with the second half.

 

This. I can see the format working for a few episodes - or maybe for sporadic episodes - but I would struggle with it, if it ran with the Rashomon-style approach all season long. Do they plan to do this?

 

I couldn't get over how creepy he came off in her POV. I think it reflects how she views him now, and not how she viewed him then, which is making it hard to buy their attraction.

 

THIS. It is also a testament to Dominic West's acting skills. He was almost likeable in his own recollection, and completely unlikeable in her POV. I am sufficiently intrigued.

[Boundary]

Stellar cast (West, Wilson, Jackson, Tierney - you can't go wrong), good writing with subtlety, which I always appreciate and a, shall I say, compelling set up. The thing is, these kind of shows get more compelling the more we get. But in the pilot, there's enough there to tell me that the writers won't spoon feed me, always a sign of top notch writing. However, I got bored somewhere in the middle but since the set-up is now done with, I hope I'll get more engaged. Do I find cheating unacceptable under any circumstances and, if so, will it affect the way I interpret the show? I don't know but it'll be interesting to find out. As a guy, after only one episode, I found her POV more believable this time but as an objective viewer I know the truth is probably an amalgamation of the two views.

 

Getting both conflicting views every episode will be tiring after a while but I hope the writers have a few tricks up their sleeves to keep it fresh and interesting. 

[JenE4]

Huffington Post article, "Are the Mismatched Perspectives in 'The Affair' Realistic?":

http://huff.to/1s7GonO

Edited October 26, 2014 by JenE4

[AAEBoiler]

I was disappointed to hear the speculation that this premise might be planned for 3 seasons. It would seem to me to be better suited to a True Detective sort of scenario where each season is its own, self-contained story.

[jeansheridan]

What helps me is that I love all four leads. And Mare Winningham! Welcome back.

[SlackerInc]

I proactively had my tubes tied at age 29, and I understand completely. Those kids were unholy terrors. And there were FOUR of them. At one point, I was literally counting, because there were so many.

I live in a city with lots of very fertile people, and I literally shudder when I see a mother with a kid under five, a toddler in a stroller and one on the way. It's not at all uncommon here, and I just want to scream, "We don't need that many of you!!"

As the father of four kids, I was offended by this. How about you have zero kids and I won't criticize that choice, and you extend me the same courtesy? 

 

I loved the writing, and had no idea Sarah Treem was behind it until the end credits. But when her name appeared, I went, "Well, no wonder!" (Big In Treatment fan here.)

Huge one here as well!

[Anela]

I've just watched the first two episodes on the freeview part of on-demand. I don't have Showtime, so I'm going to have to find a way to catch up online. I had no interest in it before, and only watched because it was there, but now I'm intrigued.

[maddie965]

Just started watching and I love it. Very late, I know. But it would be nice not to find a huge  spoiler in the thread titles. Guess I'll come back later.

[Aqua]

I was hoping there were people still watching this show. Not sure I will make it one season, much less five. Not a fan of spoiled rich kids who don't appreciate what they have, and my friend tells me they become more prominent as the show progresses, ugh!  Also I hope the Rashomon thing isn't going to continue.